The Al Ain Air Championship (formerly known as Al Ain Aerobatic Show) is one of the longest running events held in the United Arab Emirates was held from 17-10 December 2015. The event is one of the world’s largest and prestigious aerobatic performance festivals, attracting a glittering array of the world’s foremost military and civilian aerobatics teams and flying champions. Held in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi’s heritage heartland, the event was designed to deliver a weekend of unforgettable family fun– in the air, on the ground and across the destination.
Al Ain’s unique cultural heritage, natural assets and many attractions make it the perfect place to host such a dynamic championship event.
The show was organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) and is supported by the UAE Air Force, Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC) and Al Ain Municipality and partners.
A minute with ClicksandWrites is a series designed to highlight various events that I attend or location that I visit through short videos. The video also has a key safety message that is to remind each and every one that safety is a priority for all, especially road safety.
#StartEarlyDriveCarefullyReachSafely is the prime message that is the need for the hour. Beware of other drivers mistakes and drive carefully and cautiously see through to have a blessed day.
I love travelling as it gives me an opportunity to meet people and discover places. Mostly my trips are to meet family and friends in India. Another opportunistic advantage I create is to cut down on time spent in the electronic media. I take my car out and travel to known and unknown places every day. Since I will be travelling, I have the option to connect and disconnect at will. Hence, I do click and share the places and events I come across with my parents and well wishers through social media. At the same time, I can judiciously dissociate myself from any unreasonably urgent tagged request for actions.
When I returned after such a trip and connected to wifi to see my message, I was surprised to see an important message requesting for assistance to find a speaker for the Martyrs’ Day event. The organisers wanted a UAE national to speak about his experiences of knowing or reading about Mahatma Gandhi and his priniciples.
Knowing the urgency and importance, I didn’t have a second thought to refer Sultan Al Hajji, an established toastmaster, administrator working in a reputed oil company and moreover a good humanitarian who speaks his mind out in a humorous way reaching the audience.
Back in Abu Dhabi and listening to him at the function addressing the audience at the packed Embassy of India auditorium, I realised, he knew more than what we know about Gandhiji and his values. The applause he received at the end of the speech and also by the congratulatory remarks from fellow speakers confirmed it.
We indeed need a world of non-violence and patience, and if possible filled with mirth and common sense. Ramesh Menon
This year, for the third year running, Total is the energy partner of Impact Journalism Day!
Launched in 2012 by Christian de Boisredon, founder of the social companySparknews, Impact Journalism Day is an event that brings together 47 of the world’s largest general newspapers for a special edition. In 2015 this represented more than 120 million readers, who shared 101 concrete and inspiring solutions devoted to world issues, concerning energy but also taking in health, agriculture, water and education.
By being the energy partner, Total is demonstrating its support for people and start-ups with projects committed to better energy accessible to all people across the world from today.
If you want to give a project that you support a chance of wider visibility, take three minutes of your time to have your say on IJD 2016:http://www.tellsparknews.com
Total campus have just launched a photo/ 10 second video competition for the students, which we hope that you could help us to promote to students of Universities in your contacts. .
Total Campus
Total Campus is where students and the global education community can discover the many opportunities we offer to get to know Total, learn about our engagement with the local higher education institutions in the countries where we operate, our global skills development initiatives, and our exciting careers. As well as a dedicated website, we have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a newly relaunched Instagram channel. This enables us to engage with our international audience on their preferred channels.
The Competition is intended to build engagement with our global student audience by inviting them to share their world via the Total Campus social media channels. Over 3 different challenges in 2016, we are inviting students to ‘show us their world’ and submit creative photos or short videos (under 10 seconds).
The first Challenge, called #MyTotalCampus is now open for submissions between 15 Feb and 27 March via Facebook, Twitter or Instragram. There is a top prize of 2 round-the-world air tickets for the lucky winner. The best entries, as selected by a special Total juries, will be opened to a public vote to decide on the winner. You can find out more about the challenge, and the simple 4-step process to enter here.
Attached flyer (for Challenge 1 # only), and above explanation about Total Campus and the competition will help the students participate with interest.
I had the opportunity to attend three different public gatherings during the recent times.
The first one was a religious event with a huge participation of around 5000 attendees in an open auditorium. At the end of the full day long veda chanting session, the main priest, a septuagenarian with a fragile built walked towards the dais to address the gathering. As he stepped on, the crowd went in to a pin drop silence mode without even a single word requesting, either from the organizer or the speaker.
He talked in detail about the importance of learning during the olden days under the gurukula style. Probably aware of the influence of modern technology among children, he made it a point to emphasize on the aspects that were stressed in the earlier days, in particular, to create a keen attentive attitude when someone is speaking. The attendees of the gathering included elderly people as well as young graduates from a university. He did not use any audio visual tools to aid his talk.
“I term this union as the union of the past”.
The second forum was a gathering to address a group of 25 university students visiting the UAE from an American University. Boys and girls who are in the final year of the post graduate course were on a tour to understand business and economical models prevailing here. The speaker was a veteran administrator with several years of experience in all aspects of the oil and gas industry. He was an acknowledged toastmaster too.
During his speech and presentation the speaker was humorous and to the point and the students keenly followed him. End of the session, they had a question answer session and each one of them had meticulously jotted down pointers to clarify their individual doubts. In here, I found the audience using IPads to note down and also record using mobile phones whenever needed.
During the entire period, the audience kept themselves engaged in listening as well as interacting between themselves using modern technology.
“I term this union as the present”.
Now comes the third group. It was group of children who were invited to attend a weekend training session modeled to create their interest for higher studies. Parents were also included in it. The programme was conducted by a young engineer turned academician. It was a mixed crowd and after a few minutes I realized the audience and the speaker were in entirely different platforms. I could see the audience showing as if listening but in their own world chatting on social media or playing games!. What was funny to me was the fact that whenever the speaker had queries thrown to the audience, in particular children, I found them quick on their fingers and phones to find answers through google!
“I term this as the future”.
Time has changed. It is no longer possible to disengage one from the modern amenities that are easily available.
A walk in any of the modern malls, you will find families with children tagging along playing on the latest IPads or IPhones. No longer children require to wait till the next day to go to school to find answers to solve their probing mind! In fact, if we as adults have queries, they are faster than us to find solutions for each of them.
The observation does not end there. The pattern noticed in the second and third group highlighted above are very common these days. Very often we get to see people reading emails, texting, typing messages or even playing on their mobiles while attending meetings or conferences. The scenario may be witnessed and not rare when some people are seated on official chairs of large gatherings.
The need to remain connected is that intense that when one get used to it, becomes hugely indispensable to ignore!.
In the process many times the finer nuances of the talk or discussion happening is missed.
I was witness to one such case the other day. It was an event organized to speak about Mahatma Gandhi on Martyr’s Day. A series of speakers were lined up including Emirati and Indian. The main speakers were Emiratis and they had done their homework well and talked with enthusiasm what inspired them towards Gandhi ji. Then came the turn of the speakers from India, who were supposed to be more knowledgeable than the foreign speakers! One by one each one of them talked quoting texts from here and there. None could evoke a true Gandhian spirit and patriotism. It was the chance of the last speaker and I thought at least he will not disappoint the audience. He started off well. Listening to him carefully, I noticed, he had jotted down points from each of the speakers. However, very soon I realized he was mixing up the thoughts and authors. By the end, it was a cocktail of erroneous quotes. I didn’t have to think further when I noticed him leaving the hall with three phones and an IPAD!. Of course, he was a busy person. In his eagerness, he did note down parts from here and there in his Ipad, however, in his compulsion to attend to chores on his phones, he messed up on actualities happening on the stage.
I am sure, the example above are not one off that you see in your day to day life. We get several instances when people, attending important meeting or public functions are totally pre-occupied with their mobiles doing several other things. In the process they fail in their objective of being there at that moment.
A keen attitude to listen is very essential and indeed it has come to a reality that we need to train ourselves to cut off and remain in the present!.
It’s one of my routine to visit the Thursday market at Kadugodi, if I am free and available there. The site of farmers coming from villages nearby and bringing fresh vegetables and other associated produces and selling them on bargain rate is to be experienced. As usual and by now, I have many familiar faces and they also know me as they know, I do not come to buy anything but to capture them through my lenses. Sharing it to you to experience the feeling. You may share it if you like it.
A time to unwind and touch base with nature. That’s what visit to my native village in Kerala is. Always and ever. It is an unbelievable experience. I do travel light, but at the same time do not! Confused?. I travel light on clothes and other items, but pack my bag with as many different cameras and lenses as possible. By now, the customs people are familiar with my bag and its contents. In fact, this time the officer who was screening my bag even asked me, do you have anything new that we have not seen so far?!
It is really interesting to walk around and see the nature as it is and at its best. With good amount of plantation, vegetation and water sources around, there is no dearth for birds, insects and other creatures.
On one such walk, I found this bird sitting and whistling in a beautiful voice. It reminded me of the poem “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth studied during my school days.
Do not miss out on any such opportunity, if ever you get. Unwind, explore and experience.
I am currently on holiday in India. During the stay with my parents, I realised how difficult is it now to get manual workers to handle certain jobs like harvesting of cocount, tamarind, pepper etc. My parents complained and I realized myself how difficult it was to get a manual labour now in Kerala. A guy came to pluck tamarind and pepper, after several calls and pleadings. He arrived at 11:00 am and did finish the job with the tamarind trees by around 2:00 pm and then had lunch and then looked at the pending jobs and said, I will come tomorrow. Now, I am tired. My mother asked him, what is your rate. He said Rs 700/-. No choice and no talks – we paid. Next day, he never turned up!.
Meeting friends and family, I reached Ernakulam. Even there the conversation lead from one to another and then to the exodus of workers from Bengal. Although many of them say that they are from West Bengal, looking at them, I believe they are migrants from Bangladesh. They are now the reliable source of manpower for physical labour in Kerala and many other states.
Our conversation went on and on and it was dusk time. We were sitting outside the home and suddenly I had a whistling sound and it was solitary first and then it became like an orchestra starting to perform. In a minute, I had to rush inside the home.
That was the arrival of the only punctual set of activists now in Kerala. The mosquitoes!. My cousin told me, they are the only group who are punctual now. They arrive sharp at 5:30 pm or maximum 6:00 pm. They are there to stay, whoever rules and whatever changes brought in!.
I am on a short holiday in India. Visiting my parents in Kerala and then travelling to Bangalore. On one hand, this is an unwinding process for me. But, on the other hand, it is a visit that is looked forward by my parents. They are old and although, these days, one can get any service done, there are some special things that, as parents, they prefer to have their children do it for them. With limited connectivity and with very weak internet connection, what more you can ask for, during your holiday. This is the time, I make it a point to revisit my village, where I grew up. Luckily, there are some spots which are as original as they were and the location captured is one such. During monsoon season, this paddy field will be flooded and small country boats will be ready for children to play around.
Children these days have different types of enjoyment options, but if ever you have an option to make them experience what you enjoyed during your childhood days, do not hesitate. Let them get a feel of it, at least.
I love photography and I believe
Every photo clicked is a history. One will never be able to re-create that precious moment.
This year, for the third year running, Total is the energy partner of Impact Journalism Day!
Now comes the third group. It was group of children who were invited to attend a weekend training session modeled to create their interest for higher studies. Parents were also included in it. The programme was conducted by a young engineer turned academician. It was a mixed crowd and after a few minutes I realized the audience and the speaker were in entirely different platforms. I could see the audience showing as if listening but in their own world chatting on social media or playing games!. What was funny to me was the fact that whenever the speaker had queries thrown to the audience, in particular children, I found them quick on their fingers and phones to find answers through google!
That was the arrival of the only punctual set of activists now in Kerala. The mosquitoes!. My cousin told me, they are the only group who are punctual now. They arrive sharp at 5:30 pm or maximum 6:00 pm. They are there to stay, whoever rules and whatever changes brought in!.
ClicksandWrites 
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