Surprising everybody, Mary Kom withdrew from the ring after her success in 2006 and went back to Manipur, detaching herself completely from the world of boxing. But after a long two-year layoff she made a comeback earlier this year and won the National Championship before bagging a silver medal at the Asian Championship in September.

But with just four months’ training before the world championships, her detractors had ruled out any fairytale comeback and date with history. But again proving everybody wrong, she stunned Romanian Steluta Duta 7-1 in the final.

“I lost in the final of Asian Championship. I wasn’t upset but, yes, the confidence was slightly affected by that loss. I think my willpower saw me through during the world championship. Besides, things haven’t changed much in my weight category. You can still see the same fighters around,” Mary Kom, who competes in the 46 kg category, told agencies.

Mary Kom started following boxing and first entered the ring inspired by the success of another Manipuri pugilist, Dingko Singh, who had bagged gold at the Bangkok Asian Games. “Dingko’s success triggered a revolution of sorts in Manipur and surprisingly I found that I was not the only girl who was drawn into boxing. In just two weeks I had learnt all the basics. I guess I had god-given talent for boxing,” she recalls.

Happy with her grand return to the boxing arena, she says: “I thank god and my husband for supporting me so much. I wasn’t confident going into the tournament. I was away from the ring for two years after my twins were born and trained for just four months.” Dedicating her win to the twins, the amateur boxer now hopes that women’s boxing will also be included in the Olympics.

“It’s difficult leaving them (the children) behind. They don’t talk at the moment but when they looked at me when I was leaving I knew they were wondering where mama was going. I dedicate this win to them. They are my world. It’s difficult to stay away from them but I love boxing, too,” she says. “Now I will dream again to represent India in the Olympics at least once till the time my body permits.”

“Ever since a child, I had a flair for design. I tried out different things, including a correspondence degree in fashion designing. I realised jewellery designing is my forte,” says Preeti.

In April 2008, Preeti named her fashion and jewellery brand ‘Aticute’(Attitude + cute), which she started in a small way at her home in Sowcarpet.

Business apart

In spite of coming from a business family, Preeti decided to start off with her independent venture. Her first assignment? “Initially, I had a tough time convincing people about my work. I neither had a professional degree in design nor the experience,” she recalls. Luckily, her visit to Theories on ECR did not backfire. “The client was impressed with my design.”

From 50-100 accessories, which she is currently supplying to Chennai-based boutiques, Preeti is confident of more orders coming her way. Frenzzy, Ashaara, Marks and various other boutiques are her regular clients. “Aticute is my baby. Every piece or a design from Aticute is self-made. Right from the raw materials, beads to designs, I take care of them.

My focus group is the young women who love funky accessories, that’s why I limit myself to fashion jewellery than gold or diamond. Each work is unique and different from other,” she claims.

From regular accessories like earrings, bracelets, chains, mobile and bag hangings, Preeti also designs bags, crunches and footwear. “Unlike my other accessories, I don’t make the bags and footwear. I give the design and brief the concerned person who makes the final product.”

“It’s just the beginning and Aticute is only six months old. We do make reasonable profits but we need to work hard for more success,” she says. Her future plans? “I wish to open my own big jewellery store that specialises in all kinds of jewelleries and accessories.”

(If you are an entrepreneur with a successful business model or know one, write to us at firstinnings@goergo.in)

And the greatest of all excitements is that he would be remaking his magnum opus Vettaiyadu Vilaiyaadu in Hindi. Soundarya Rajinikanth is expected to produce the film as a joint venture with Warner Bros. Gowtham had requested Soundarya to recommend Amitabh Bachchan to play the lead role.

www.cinesnacks.com

Where child actors like Taare Zameen Par fame Darsheel Safary and Shriya Sharma, the Paanchvi Paas kid making nation wide waves, Namma Chennai’s child artistes are no less. From hoardings to TV-advertisements, they are everywhere.

Ten-year-old Manav Sanklecha has done modelling for Chennai Silks, RS Brothers, and Maruti Esteem and is looking forward to many more ads in the future.

When asked about his modelling experience, he says: “It’s fun while shooting as everyone around are sweet and pamper me a lot. Sometimes, when the shoot becomes too long or when asked for continuous retakes, I feel like running away but at the end of the day I finish my work and go back home happy.” Yash Lodha was spotted in Ajith-starter Aegan, where he played child Ajith.

Despite sharing screen with big shots and modelling for brands like VSNL, Chennai Silks, Pothys and Appy, seven-year-old Yash is timid and shy and turns back to his mom after each question for hints, but when it comes to work it’s a different story. Like any other actor he patiently does what he is asked to without complaining.

Where adults are still trying to figure out what time management and multi-tasking is, these kids seem to have mastered it already. They juggle their tasks so well that they surprise their classmates by performing brilliantly in studies as well. “I do my modelling work on Saturdays and Sundays or during holidays. Studies come before anything else,” beams Yash.

Aamina, an eight-year-old model, has all reasons to make her mother happy. “Aamina is a first-rank holder in her class every year. In spite of her co-curricular activities, she manages her academics equally well,” says Aamina’s mom. Being the Mr or Miss Popular in school or having tasted stardom at such an early stage doesn’t matter much; they are their parent’s children and they make them happy in all ways.

Some want to become doctor, some choreographers, some businessmen and some actors when they grow up, but their blend of sugar-coated innocence and professionalism makes you want them more.

“It was during my first year. My friend and I were driving down the Marina stretch when I saw a small boy begging at the signal. As the signal turned green, the boy was trying to cross the road but was hit by a car and he died on the spot. This incident shook me and right then I decided that I would help children, whenever they were genuinely in need of it.”

Following this incident, he approached a few orphanages and started doing his bit by donating money, clothes and the like. This went on for quite sometime until one day; he and a friend were approached by two young boys, studying in their 11th standard, outside Citi Centre.

“I was puzzled when two children ran up to me asking if I could buy them their study guide. When I asked them why, they said that they didn’t have enough money to buy them. I enquired about their family and learnt that, like every other poor Indian family, half of their total earnings were used up by their alcoholic father and they barely ate one meal a day. I felt really bad and since the book was a matter of Rs. 100, I decided to pitch in,” he says.

This was soon forgotten and a few days later, when he happened to be at the same place he was the other day, the very same boys approached him, requesting him to pay their examination fee. He then took it upon himself to fund their education. He gave them his number and asked them to contact him if they needed anything at all and this went on for more than a year until they finally completed their secondary education.

To finance his mission, he took up to working part time for a call centre. Whatever they needed, he funded from his pocket. The two boys are now perusing an engineering degree at a government college in Coimbatore. “My part-time stint paid me Rs. 7,000 monthly and I wanted to

put it to good use. What was I going to do with so much money anyway? Their cause seemed genuine and I wanted to help.

Whenever they called me with request for books, pens, pencils, paper or whatever little they wanted, I would provide them with it,” he says. Suresh’s long-term goal is to build a school to educate those who cannot afford education otherwise.

He also hopes to expand it to include an orphanage and an old age home, whenever possible. Currently, he is pursuing his degree and hopes, when he completes, he will be able to engage in this activity full-time.

“I’m not part of any NGO or any organisation as such. I am just a person who wants to help. There’s no greater satisfaction than seeing someone you’ve helped use the opportunity to grow. Those two boys gave me that satisfaction,” he smiles.