DOHA 16°C—22°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13 D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11 L P Jumada I 1, 1437 AH Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Community Playback singers Atif Aslam and Shalmali Kholgade will perform live at a concert in Asian Town Amphitheatre. Community An impressive collection of stamps at Katara exhibition is a retrospective journey through two of world’s iconic sporting events. P6 P16 Smooth as silk American Nathan Ross Davis’s designs show how fabric can be so much fun. P4-5 COVER STORY SILKEN TOUCH: Nathan Ross Davis’s designs on silk at display in VCUQ faculty exhibition. Photo by Umer Nangiana
Transcript
DOHA 16°C—22°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11L P
Jumada I 1, 1437 AHWednesday, February 10, 2016
CommunityPlayback singers Atif Aslam and
Shalmali Kholgade will perform live at a concert in Asian Town Amphitheatre.
CommunityAn impressive collection of stamps at
Katara exhibition is a retrospective journey through two of world’s iconic sporting events.
P6 P16
Smooth as silk
American Nathan Ross Davis’s
designs show how fabric can
be so much fun. P4-5
COVER
STORY
SILKEN TOUCH: Nathan Ross Davis’s designs on silk at display in VCUQ faculty exhibition.Photo by Umer Nangiana
Emergency 999Worldwide Emergency Number 112Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991Ooredoo Telephone Assistance 111Local Directory 180International Calls Enquires 150Time 141, 140Doha International Airport 40106666Labor Department 44508111, 44406537Medical Commission 44679111Mowasalat Taxi 44588888Qatar Airways 44496000Weather Forecast 44656590Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222 44393333Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555 44845464 Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444Qatar University 44033333
People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously.
This is how character is built.
— Eleanor Roosevelt
Wednesday, February 10, 20162 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT
Everything About Her GENRE: Comedy,
Drama CAST: Angel Locsin,
Xian Lim, Vilma SantosDIRECTION: Joyce
BernalSYNOPSIS:
Powerful but ill-stricken business woman, Vilma Santos navigates her complicated relationship with her caregiver, Angel Locsin and her estranged son, Xian Lim in this story about acceptance, love and forgiveness. The plot is pretty straightforward and was quick in establishing Vivian Rabaya (Vilma Santos) as this cold-hearted business mogul who was made to realise that she’s just as human as everyone else when she was diagnosed with cancer.
THEATRES: Royal Plaza, Landmark, The Mall
VisaranaiGENRE: DramaCAST: Dinesh,
Samuthirakani, Anandhi
DIRECTION: Vetrimaaran
SYNOPSIS: The fi lm deals with police brutality, corruption, and loss of innocence in the face of injustice. Visaranai is an adaptation of Lock-up, a Tamil novel penned by M Chandrakumar, based on a real life incident. Cops in the name of suspicion detain four friends, ambling around the streets of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. For the next 13 days, horrifying experiences are forced upon them as police offi cials beat them up mercilessly, forcing them to confess a crime they did not commit.
THEATRE: The Mall
Mall Cinema (1): Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) 2.30pm; My Little Pony: Friendship Games (2D) 4.15pm; Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) 5.45pm; Ocean 14 (Arabic) 7.30pm; Everything About Her (Tagalog) 9.15pm; Jane Got A Gun (2D) 11.30pm.Mall Cinema (2): Capture The Flag (2D) 3pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 5pm; Wild Horses (2D) 7.15pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 9pm; Intruders (2D) 11.15pm.Mall Cinema (3): Visaranai (Tamil) 2pm; Bangalore Naatkal (Tamil) 4.15pm; Ashby (2D) 7pm; Adi Kapyare (Malayalam) 8.45pm; Ghayal Once Again (Hindi) 11.15pm.Cinema Land Mark (1): Bangalore
Naatkal (Tamil) 2.15pm; Ghayal Once Again (Hindi) 5pm; Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) 7.30pm; Adi Kapyare (Malayalam) 9pm; Visaranai (Tamil) 11.15pm.Cinema Land Mark (2): Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) 3pm; Ashby (2D) 5pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 7pm; Wild Horses (2D) 9.15pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 11pm.Cinema Land Mark (3): Capture The Flag (2D) 2.30pm; My Little Pony: Friendship Games (2D) 4.15pm; Jane Got A Gun (2D) 5.45pm; Everything About Her
(Tagalog) 7.30pm; Ashby (2D) 9.45pm; Intruders (2D) 11.30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Sanam Teri Kasam (Hindi) 2.15pm; Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2D) 5pm; Intruders (2D) 7pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 9pm; Ghayal Once Again (Hindi) 11.15pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): My Little Pony: Friendship Games (2D) 2.30pm; Capture The Flag (2D) 4.15pm; The Finest Hours (2D) 6pm; Everything About Her (Tagalog) 8.30pm; Sanam Teri Kasam (Hindi) 10.45pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Ashby (2D) 2.30pm; Intruders (2D) 4.15pm; Ashby (2D) 6pm; Ocean 14 (Arabic) 7.45pm; Jane Got A Gun (2D) 9.30pm; Wild Horses (2D) 11.15pm.
Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change
EVENTS
Halal Qatar FestivalDATE: Feb 19-28VENUE: Katara Southern AreaCommitted to reviving the Qatari
heritage, the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara is hosting, for fifth consecutive year, the Halal Qatar Festival for goat and sheep breeding. The festival includes Almzaan, barns and auction, as well as a large number of accompanying activities, such as games, traditional food, the old market and the tent heritage, in addition to many other recreational and educational activities related to Halal and ways to deal with them.
Oil Painting WorkshopDATE: Feb 11- 14VENUE: Katara Art Studios – Building
19The Cultural Village Foundation – Katara
will organise ‘Phases of Oil Painting Techniques Workshop’ by Qatari artist Eman al-Hidous. The workshop targets those aged 18 years and above, and will be presented in Arabic from 5pm to 8pm. Workshop fees: QR1,000.
The workshop aims to explain to the participants the stages of drawing on canvas using oil paints, and the way to prepare and mix colours to draw a realistic traditional 3D painting.
Childhood Cultural CenterDATE: Until March 31TIME: 9am-10:30amVENUE: KataraChildhood Cultural Center participation
in ‘Schools Enrich our Culture’ programme includes a variety of educational and artistic workshops.
VCU Qatar Faculty ExhibitionDATE: Until Feb 15VENUE: VCU Qatar GalleryVCU Qatar will organise its annual
exhibition of works by artists and designers
who are teaching and researching at the university. Entrance is free. This exhibition aims to give faculty members an opportunity to present their results of current artistic and design research and exploration in a select exhibition.
Art ExhibitionDATE: Until April 18VENUE: Porto Arabia, Pearl Diffusion by Peter Zimmermann — A
mesmerising solo exhibition of colourful, futuristic works. Anima Gallery, Parcel 17, Porto Arabia, The Pearl-Qatar. Contact: 40027437
will be held this year under the theme: “Spiritual and Intellectual Safety in the Light of Religious Doctrines”. The conference gives a great opportunity to experts and professionals from all over the world discuss the issues related to the conference theme, and provide a certain framework for dealing with the challenges that threaten the spiritual and intellectual freedom and security of our times.
Aspire Aquathon SeriesDATE: Feb 20VENUE: Hamad Aquatics CentreYou can join this popular combination
of swimming and running sport race, organised by Aspire Zone Foundation in Hamad Aquatics Centre pool facility and around the Aspire Zone precinct. Entry fees: QR20. Entry is open for all ages and
talents, aged 8 years and above. Adult groups will run for 5km and swim 500m long, while kids will run between 1.5 - 3 km and swim between 100-200m long, according to their age group.
Neuroscience ConferenceDATE: February 18-20VENUE: Sheraton HotelThe 1st Qatar Annual Neuroscience
Conference, organised by the Neurological Institute at Hamad Medical Corporation, offers a comprehensive educational programme specifically designed for the Mena region that will have significant emphasis on practical aspects of common neurological and neurosurgical disorders. The scientific programme committee has invited world leaders in their fields to share their knowledge with the attendees.
Jewellery and Watches ExhibitionDATE: February 23-27VENUE: Doha Exhibition and
Convention CenterDoha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition
(DJWE) is being held once a year in Qatar. This show is one of the most exclusive in the world for wealthy individuals interested in fine jewellery and unique pieces, watches, gemstones, and diamonds, all represented by more than 500 exclusive international brands. Additionally, a number of educational seminars will be delivered on jewellery and watches throughout the week.
Aspire Run the ParkDATE: Until February 13VENUE: Aspire ParkAspire Zone Foundation will organise
a series of four races on Saturday once a month on January 16 and February 13. Participants should compete in at least three out the four races to win a medal and prize. They have to be there an hour before the race.
Qatari Agricultural Product YardsDATE: Until June 30VENUE: Al Mazrooa, Al Zakheera, Al
Khor, Al WakrahThe Ministry of Environment has opened
the 4th season of Qatari agricultural product yards for selling locally produced fruits, vegetables, poultry, fish and livestock. Work in these yards will continue for seven months. The yards will operate three days a week on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am to 5pm, with livestock vendors in Al Mazrooa operating at the same times throughout the week.
Pottery workshop for kidsDATE: Every MondayTIME: 5pm-6pmKids will learn a new hand building
technique for creating and finishing artworks in clay. For more, call 44865201.
Sketching with pencil and charcoalDATE: Sunday and WednesdayTIME: 5pm-6:30pmIf you can hold a pencil, you can draw
… Discover techniques to make your drawing more realistic. Every Saturday and Wednesday from 5pm-6:30pm. For reservation: [email protected]
Works from Mathaf CollectionDATE: Until February 14TIME: 11am to 6pmVENUE: Arab Museum of Modern ArtThe artworks collection to be exhibited
will reflect a number of important defining moments in Arab history and artistic innovations in the region.
Hip Hop for kidsDATE: Every SundayTIME: 5-6pmVENUE: Hilton Join our Hip Hop classes instructed by
Beats and Bytes every Sunday at 5pm @ Hilton Hotel, Efora Spa. For more info, call on 33003839
www.salsancandela.com
Salsa BeginnersDATE: Tuesday, FridayTIME: 8-9pmVENUE: Hilton HotelWhether you’ve danced salsa before or
not, you will find what you want. Different salsa classes with different levels at your service, taught by the best instructors in Doha at Eforea Spa, Hilton Hotel. No need for a partner, no need for reservation, come as you are. Prices are QR60 per person per lesson. Visit: www.salsancandela.com
Ladies day at BeachDATE: Every MondayTIME: 9am-7pmVENUE: Sheraton DohaFor all the ladies in Doha! Do you feel
like taking some time off for yourself? Come join us at the Sheraton Resort for an all-day-access to the beach and pool, along with aqua gym aerobics for free. Nestled on the edge of Qatar’s West Bay with an unbeatable and uninterrupted views of the blue sea. Our pool and beach adds a tempting and exciting experience to enhance your senses of relaxation. Enjoy only for QR100 per person.
Swimming lessons for kidsDATE: Saturday to ThursdayTIME: 10am-6pmVENUE: H2O Swim clubThe Swim Club’s goal offers a variety
of swimming programmes for adults and kids. They run the following programmes from competitive squads, leisure swimming for kids, up to adult swimming. Operating hours: Saturday to Thursday between 10am and 6pm
To find out more, please visit their website:
http://www.h2oswimclub.com
Fitness TrainingDATE: Sunday, Tuesday, ThursdayTIME: 6pm-7pmVENUE: MIA ParkThere are fi tness classes in the park on
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights between 6 and 7pm. Open to all levels of fi tness, Bootcamp is an intensive and fun way to train and also meet new people in the open and friendly group atmosphere. More information from Bootcamp Qatar or [email protected]
Join in our Walk-in WeekendsDATE: Every Saturday VENUE: MIA AtriumMIA art education and calligraphy teams
offer walk in workshops in MIA’s atrium every Saturday. These walk in workshops are for open for all family members.
3Wednesday, February 10, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYROUND & ABOUT
FOODIE CHOICE
REST AU RANT: Antica Pesa DohaLOCATION: Kempinski Marsa MalazOne of the chicest restaurant interiors in
Doha, set on the beautiful man-made Marsa Malaz Island. Reworking traditional recipes from Roman cuisine into a modern and vibrant menu, Antica Pesa off ers a fabulous combination between the authentic and an exciting modernisation of Italian.
Wednesday, February 10, 20164 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY COVER STORY
Finding a connectPrinting on fabric, and on silk too, has been around a long time,
but few designs would resonate with a local culture and climate
as intimately as Nathan Ross Davis’s, writes Umer Nangiana
WHAT IT TAKES: Nathan Ross Davis believes one needs to have the inherent drive and curiosity to be an artist. Photos by Umer Nangiana
Picking ideas besides colours from mundane objects in his surroundings is how he kick starts his creative
process. And it culminates in ‘cool’ prints on the finest of fabric, silk. In the summer heat of Doha, any woman with a fine taste would definitely want to wear a scarf made out of such designs.
Printing on fabric, and on silk too, has been around a long time, but few designs would resonate with a local culture and climate as
intimately as Nathan Ross Davis’s. So how does he achieve this?Davis’s ideas for the designs
come from a combination of his observation and study of the “spaces I inhabit and the spaces I interact with,” Davis tells Community.
The individuality of his designs won him a place in the Faculty exhibition of Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar (VCUQ), where he teaches Surface Research in the Art Foundation programme.
“I was doing work about the landscape generally, but I was in Montana (USA) where it is snowy and there are trees. I am used to that natural environment. Coming here was a bit of a shock and I think it had a big impression on me,” says Davis, referring to his design influences.
Davis tends to collect things wherever he lives. Here, he has been scavenging around for rocks and photographing them.
“I had an animation of a bunch of rocks from a construction site
from near my house. I take some of that stuff, use the 3D scanner and by looking at the geometry and those kinds of materials, I make things,” says Davis, an American expatriate, who arrived here just over two years ago.
“And you combine that visual research alongside the fact that I swim every day with my kids here when it is snowing back in Montana,” he adds. And from this combination comes his idea for silk prints.
“It is looking at the Islamic
geometry that I interact with, the rocks and then the pool that I spend so much time in my compound and turning it into a decorative form that is a sort of local dress tradition, even though it is deviation from what people generally wear,” explains Davis.
Davis’s silk prints, on display at the VCUQ gallery, are in fact prototypes though, not ready-to-go products. They are commercially viable as they can be acid dyed and the artist believes a lot of companies have
5Wednesday, February 10, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYCOVER STORY
been doing it. The digital printing silk is durable. It was his first experiment with the medium and he says printing on fabric is fun.
Some of his similar designs are still in the works and will be out soon. He is also producing a few designs that he says are more colourful and graphic in a way that they are less image based and much more experiential.
Davis says working with students helps him refine his ideas. “It is interesting because they are consumers of fashion products and they have an opinion. So when you show them and have a dialogue with them and get their reaction to the work, it becomes more interesting because it is an art work and not a mass produced design in a sense,” says Davis.
Such designing, though commercially viable, always remains suspended between being a piece of art and a sellable product, he believes. As a designer and an artist, he likes it not being much commercially viable though.
Davis has sculpturing and design degrees and made all kinds of things in different media. He is inclined towards graphic designing professionally and has taught graphic design for a long time. But he says he is interested in the way those things transgress the lines of products.
“If it is just traditional graphic design I am not so interested in that. I mean I can do some branding, but only if it pushes the field of branding forward. It has to be somewhat innovative,” says Davis.
He also experiments with languages and uses text a lot in some of his stuff. “With Arabic here and my students teaching me some phrases that I don’t quite feel comfortable using but I am intrigued by, I think if there is a way to continue to step out of my comfort zone and into a cultural
space that is new to me I like it,” says the teacher.
Davis says he was always interested in physics. What he liked about it was the aspect of “wonder and discovery.” And that is where he got interested in the art side of it. “I did not want to be a lab scientist. What I actually loved was the art of physics. I ended up being both the designer and artist because I like the ability to make commercial products without the stigma of selling out,” says the VCUQ instructor.
“So many artists are like ‘oh, you just make things for gallery or just to sell.’ But then the designers think it is awesome to make money with designs. So it is having a mix of both where all my friends are excited when you sell something and also at the same time excited when you don’t,” he explains, adding that one can do both without any negative connotations.
Davis believes one needs to have the inherent drive and curiosity to be an artist. “It is definitely not a life for somebody who is a consumer but producer of ideas and a combiner of things,” believes Davis.
He got into teaching by chance while he was first invited to teach somewhere based on his creative
work and then he decided to give it a go. Now, he feels teaching gives him the space to work and research besides learning other things.
Davis began teaching at Ohio University and then Montana State University before coming to VCUQatar. He taught
undergraduate graphic design for five years including courses in digital media, web design, identity systems, typography, publication design, design principles and a seminar on media studies called Landscape and Mediascape.
In addition to his activity as a researcher and design educator,
he continues to maintain a professional practice through Arcadian Studio, a design studio and consultancy with his partner Jennifer Davis. His design work has appeared in Print Magazine, Graphis, Under Consideration’s FPO Awards, Design Boom and Creative Quarterly.
“I did not want to be a lab scientist. What I actually loved was the art of physics. I ended up being both the designer and artist because I like the ability to make commercial products without the stigma of selling out”
— Nathan Ross Davis
WORK OF ART: A miniature 2”x3” set which Nathan constructed in his studio, then photographed. BREATHE! Air Hunger, the prints on the wall represent the number of breaths that the average adult takes in one hour.
SOUNDS GOOD: This log is a subwoofer which uses a sealed box design with audiophile quality components to produce a natural flat sound replication.
VECTOR TAXONOMY: One of the presentations of 10 vector translations of objects by Nathan’s students.
Wednesday, February 10, 20166 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Get ready to immerse in the soulful voice of Atif Aslam who will be performing live in Doha after a long hiatus. The fi rst event under the World of Music
platform will be held on February 26 at the Asian Town Amphitheater. Produced by Sumansa Exhibitions and organised by First Star, the event will also witness Bollywood playback singer Shalmali perform with the multitalented Atif.
“Both Atif Aslam and Shalmali are known for their electrifying live performances and I think audiences can look forward to an action-packed experience as they both come together to perform live in Doha,” said a spokesperson for the organiser.
Atif Aslam is known for his enthralling on-stage performances. Born in Pakistan, Atif Aslam released his fi rst single Aadat during his college days in Lahore, which went viral in a couple of weeks. His fi rst album Jal Pari went on to become major hit in the subcontinent. His next two albums Doorie and Meri Kahani sold about 9mn units globally.
His rise to fame with Bollywood music was meteoric, starting with Woh Lamhe in the 2005 fi lm Zeher and Aadat in the fi lm called Kalyug in the same year. His unmistakable voice resurfaced the next year in the fi lm Bas Ek Pal in the song Tere Bin. Next up was his Pehli Nazar Mein in Race. Soon, he collaborated with Alka Yagnik in Bakhuda Tumhi Ho in the fi lm Kismat Konnection, and then with Alisha Chinoy for the number Tera Hone Laga Hoon in the fi lm Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, which also featured one of his other hits, Tu Jaane Naa.
Atif Aslam has been part of international projects as well. In 2005, three tracks from his fi rst album (Yakeen, Ehsaas & Aadat) were included in the soundtrack of an independent Hollywood venture titled Man Push Cart. The movie went on to win eight international awards and seven further nominations.
Atif Aslam was the fi rst Pakistani singer to be nominated for the prestigious Indian Filmfare Awards two years in a row. Aslam was a big hit with Coke Studio Fans as he gave fi ve electrifying performances experimenting with diff erent musical avenues. Aslam also appeared in singing talent show called Sur Kshetra which was broadcast from Dubai, where Indian and Pakistani singers competed against each other.
Bollywood playback singer Shalmali Kholgade has won various awards for her debut song Pareshaan from the fi lm Ishqzaade. Apart from the awards in her kitty, she’s been acknowledged as a live performer and has been touring India and abroad with her six-member band.
Shalmali followed up her success with Pareshaan with a string of raging chartbusters like Daru Desi, Aga Bai, Lat Lag Gayee, Rumani, Balam Pichkari, Chingham Chaba Ke, Besharmi ki Height, Shanivar Rati from Mein Tera Hero, Piya ke Bazaar Mein and Barbad Raat from the fi lm Humshakals.
Her other releases are a duet with Atif
Aslam Tera Naam Doon from the fi lm Entertainment, Shayrana from the fi lm Dawat-E-Ishq, Chichora Piya from Action Jackson! Her other popular songs are Mohobbat Buri Bimari from the fi lm Bombay Velvet’, Shakira from Welcome to Karachi and Nach Meri Jaan from ABCD 2. Her latest song releases are Jab we Met from the fi lm Hero and Ishq Da Panga from Wedding Pulao.
Shalmali has toured South Africa, Canada, Kenya, UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Seychelles, UK, Australia, Spain, Russia, and also went on a special trip for Diwali to Times Square in New York. Shalmali was a judge on Indian Idol Junior 2015 alongside Vishal Dadlani and Salim Merchant.
World of Music is a product of First Star, the Qatar-based offi ce of Sumansa Exhibitions — the pioneers of the innovative, best-in-class events worldwide. World of Music is a full service, full functioning music entertainment entity committed to bringing in high quality music entertainment productions and services, including artist and producer management, full production and engineering services and related event management services. With a vast network of performing artistes across diverse ethnic groups on its panel, World of Music intends to bring the best of live Asian, Middle Eastern and Western performances to Qatar.
Tickets are available online at Q-Tickets and Virgin Megastore. For more information, please call 66451546.
Atif Aslam, Shalmali in live Doha concert
DOHA-BOUND: Playback singers Atif Aslam and Shalmali Kholgade.
7Wednesday, February 10, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Top achievers at the tournament
Hasini Perera Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player of the Tournament
Ushara De Silva Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player of the Tournament (1st Runner-up)
Imadith Egodawaththe Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player of the Tournament (2nd Runner-up)
Hamid Abdi Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Highest Word Score (Non Bingo)
Hasini Perera Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Most Number of Bingo Words
Kelly Lavigne Philippine International School - Qatar Highest Bingo Word
Amna Cassim Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Highest Game Score
Hasini Perera Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Highest Series of the Tournament
Humaira Rizan Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player - Under 16
Louie John C. Guinita Jr. Philippine International School - Qatar Best Player Runner-up – Under 16
Ushara De Silva Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player - Under 14
Vimukthi Ashen Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player Runner-up – Under 14
Hasini Perera Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player - Under 12
Abdul Samad Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player Runner-up – Under 12
Imadith Egodawaththe Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player - Under 10
Hamid Abdi Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player Runner up – Under 10
Sasi Nair — Best Player – Open Event
Giyaz Olayiwola Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha Best Player Runner-up – Open Event
Staff ord Internationalwins scrabble contest T
he Inter-School Scrabble Tournament, hosted by Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha (SSLSD), concluded
on a successful note this year as well. It was held earlier this week as part of Sport Day celebration.
Students from five schools participated in the tournament: Philippine International, DPS-MIS, American School, QIS and Birla Public School competed against one another in order to test their mettle with words.
The tournament, which was held under WESPA (World English-Language Scrabble Players Association) regulations,
comprised three rounds at the end of which one school team emerged victorious.
Accordingly, Birla Public School emerged second runner-up, Philippine International became first runner-up, and host school Stafford International School Doha bagged the champion’s trophy.
Mrs John graced the occasion as chief guest and was thrilled to see the participation and team spirit among the students. Among the guests-of-honour were principal and assistant principal of Philippines International, chairman, members of the Board of Trustees, principal and vice-principal of SSLSD.
Second runner-up Birla Public School. First runner-up Philippine International School.
WINNERS ALL: Champions of scrabble tournament.-- Staff ord Sri Lankan School Doha.
A cultural dance was presented at the event.
Wednesday, February 10, 20168 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Qatar, a lucky venue for all my campaigns, says Indian athlete
By Ramesh Mathew
Ace Indian athlete and the country’s lone World Athletics Championship medallist Anju
Boby George has lauded Qatar’s administrators for dedicating the second Tuesday of February as National Sport Day. “With its decision to dedicate a whole day for celebrating the National Sport Day, Qatar has proved to be role model to emulate for many other sport-loving countries,” said Anju while delivering the keynote address at a sport fest organised by members of Indian expatriate forum Chaliyar Doha at Wakrah Sport Club yesterday.
Prominent sport personality from Qatar, Nada Zeidan, was also present at the celebrations.
Anju said the Sport Day concept is laudable as Qatar is among a handful of countries across the world which have dedicated a whole day for sport. The bronze medallist in the women’s long jump at the 2003 World Athletics Championship said Qatar was a happy hunting ground for her as the place served as a lucky venue before each of her successful seasons. While recalling
her winning medals at the meets held in Qatar, including Asian Games (2006) and Qatar Grand Prix, the athlete remembered that she received applause every time she performed here.
She had also won a gold medal at the World Athletics Grand Prix at Monte Carlo (2005). Anju was also a bronze medallist in her pet event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games (Manchester 2002).
The athlete said holding such events as National Sport Day would help the country’s people understand the necessity of leading a healthy life at a time when they are encountering a lot of pressure and diffi culties at diff erent levels.
While hailing the Qatari sport authorities for holding a number of events to coincide with the National Sport Day, Anju said their conduct would go a long way in building a sporting culture among the country’s residents.
Earlier the famed athlete, who currently heads the Kerala Sports Council (KSC), fl agged off a rally of the members of the Chaliyar Doha from the Pearl Roundabout to the Wakrah Sport Club. More than 1,500 forum members, including several women and children participated in the rally and celebrations followed at the Wakrah Sport Club. Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Wakrah Club
offi cials also were in the forefront of the rally.
The celebrations at Wakrah Sport Club were preceded by a march past, featuring members of the forum,
who rallied behind the banners of each panchayat. Residents of Qatar from as many as 24 panchayats along the banks of 164km-long Chaliyar river in Kerala are members
of Chaliyar Doha. Later in the day Anju gave
away awards to the winners of the competitions held as part of the celebrations.
ALL FOR SPORT: Anju Boby George speaking at Chaliyar Doha’s celebrations held to coincide Qatar’s National Sport Day at Al Wakrah Stadium yesterday.
Anju Bobby George, holding her baby Andrea, with Qatar sport personality Nada Zeidan leading the rally taken out by Indian expatriate forum Chaliyar Doha from Pearl roundabout to Al Wakrah stadium yesterday.
9Wednesday, February 10, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
KEEP QUIZZING: The CBSE (i) stream of Shantiniketan Indian School (SIS) organised ‘BRAINGLE’, an Inter House Quiz for classes III to VI. It was a brain teasing inter-house quiz that comprised three rounds – General round, Audio-Visual round and Rapid Fire round. Quiz Master Donald D’Costa and Austin Solomon challenged the contestants with challenging questions which was encountered well by the participants. Blue House emerged winners in a very closely fought contest. Principal Dr Subhash Nair showered praise on the eff orts of the teachers for their hard work and hailed BRAINGLE – 2016 as huge success.
CELEBRATION: The management committee members, principal, vice-principals, section heads, teachers, administrative and non-teaching staff of SIS celebrated the Qatar National Sport Day with high spirit of sportsmanship at its campus. President of the school managing committee K C Abdul Latheef was the chief guest and the general secretary Abdul Kader was the guest of honour on this auspicious occasion. The teachers showed exemplary skills and enthusiasm to make the day a memorable one by participating and competing in various events organised by the Physical Education Department of School. The Red House emerged as champions while Blue and Yellow House were joint runners-up. The winners were awarded with certificates for their achievement in sports and games.
Wednesday, February 10, 201610 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
How technology is serving hospitality
By Anand Holla
With hotels across the Gulf region turning to technology to deliver a terrific
guest experience, expectations of the guests are at an all-time high as the hotels keep themselves busy reinventing their services.
Frederick Sabty, Global Vice President, Hospitality Solutions, Avaya, says positive guest experiences are the top criteria travellers use to select hotels, far outweighing price and location.
“Improving the guest experience is profitable, too: customers who report having positive guest experiences spend 140 per cent more than those who had poor experiences,” he says.
However, the flipside of this focus on guest experience is that today’s hotel guests want more from their stay, and if they aren’t satisfied, they’ll share their disappointment with the world via social media – and they’ll choose one of your competitors for their next trip, Sabty points out.
Sabty works at Avaya, which provides solutions that enable customer and team
engagement across multiple channels and devices for better customer experience, increased productivity and enhanced financial performance. Here, Sabty shares with Community three ways how technology is helping hoteliers in the region to improve the guest experience:
Communications-enabledNearly every hotel in the world
today has a website. Most major hotel chains have either launched an offi cial mobile app, or are actively developing one. These self-service websites and apps are designed to help guests book a room, and connect with the hotel before
arriving. Forward-thinking hoteliers are building interactive tools to help enhance their guests’ experience during their stay: indoor maps, spa and restaurant reservations, room service and suggested day trips through partners.
The Avaya Engagement Development Platform is a software development kit that makes it easy to communication-enable websites and mobile apps. With just a few steps, developers can add “click to call” buttons inside any app, instantly connecting the guest with the front desk, concierge, onsite restaurant, and more. Hotel app developers are exploring time-
and location-aware notifications to, for instance, encourage people to book restaurant reservations during slow times, or push relevant information about the property as the guest walks past.
Customer JourneyYour customer experience
is the sum of all interactions customers have with your brand, so it is essential to connect all customer engagements across their digital journey. For instance, the most commonly reported customer frustration is that they must repeat themselves. Performance management tools like advanced reporting, workforce optimisation, analytics, and survey capabilities help to contextualise interactions and derive value from them. Avaya offers integrated, Omni-channel solutions supporting both inbound and outbound customer interactions over media such as voice, IM, e-mail, social, Web chat, and more for both automated and agent-assisted interactions.
is critical to a successful hotel experience. Avaya SDN Fx is an open, software-defined networking architecture that delivers “connect anything, anywhere” simplicity, making it simpler for hotels to provision new services and reconfigure networks on the fly. Consider Sheraton Doha, the luxury convention centre in Doha, where almost all VIP events take place. The Sheraton was built in 1982 and a full renovation took place in 2014. The timeframes were very tight, and required nearly six months for a full renovation. As a part of its ground-up transformation, Sheraton Doha required a Next-Generation Networking and wireless infrastructure within the deadline of the project – capable of connecting a high number of users without failure or bottlenecks, across 370 guest rooms, large conference halls, resort and outdoor areas and health and recreation centre.
With Avaya SDN Fx, the end-result was a solution that more than meets current needs, and is scalable to future requirements, providing the technology element to keep the property’s reputation as the leading leisure and MICE destination in Doha, Qatar.
DIGITAL RACE: Frederick Sabty, Global Vice President, Hospitality Solutions, Avaya.
ARIESMarch 21 — April 19
CANCERJune 21 — July 22
LIBRASeptember 23 — October 22
CAPRICORNDecember 22 — January 19
TAURUSApril 20 — May 20
LEOJuly 23 — August 22
SCORPIOOctober 23 — November 21
AQUARIUSJanuary 20 — February 18
GEMINIMay 21 — June 20
VIRGOAugust 23 — September 22
SAGITTARIUSNovember 22 — December 21
PISCESFebruary 19 — March 20
Today’s Moon shines on your twelfth house of past karma and self-
renewal, making it a great day for you to forgive, forget and move on
Aries. Holding onto something is no way to spend your days.
There is no downside to being honest today Crabs. Even if you have
to be brutally honest. It is the best policy after all and sometimes
people need to hear the truth.
Don’t force something to happen today Librans. If it’s meant to be, it
will be. If you force it however, it could very well backfire.
Today the Moon shifts into your conversation zone, where it helps
you go over something which might be emotionally draining or
upsetting.
Mars the planet of passion continues to hang out in Scorpio, your
one on one relationship zone through early March. It’s a wonderful
month for you to make friends — new friends — Scorpios and
Capricorns are both great matches.
If you think about something or someone enough Leos, the Universe
usually provides you with an opportunity to get together and see
how things work out. Make sure you take that opportunity today.
As much advice as you are giving out right now, with passionate
Mars in your sign, it doesn’t necessarily mean people are going to
listen to your advice and certainly not take it.
Money and how best to deal with it comes up today and following
on from your New Moon, now is the time for you to set out a budget
and work within that budget for a while.
Don’t bother trying to talk someone into or out of something today.
Let them find their own way in their own time. Why waste your
precious time?
With today’s Moon shining on your opposite sign of Pisces, your one
on one relationship zone, it’s the perfect time for you to have that
chat you’ve been wanting to have with someone.
Be careful with someone else’s things today. You are usually very
carefree and generous with your car, computer, phone, etc., but
when you borrow someone else’s stuff , they might not be so
carefree.
The Moon in your sign tends to make you even more sensitive and
emotional than usual, Pisces. If you always feel as if certain people
try to deliberately push your buttons, give them a wide berth today.
Unless you are the latest lottery winner, you try to make your home improvements really count, and sometimes have to choose one upgrade over another.
What if we told you there is a rather quick improvement that will take care of eight issues around the house, all at once?
Now sit back, read along and see how many of these common problems apply to you. If there are some you haven’t considered before — rejoice — there is your bonus! We’ll then reveal the one simple fi x.
Your savings, or lack of thereofWith bright sun comes warmth, which
can be very welcome during the cold winter months. But in the summer it can wreak havoc on your AC. Do you feel like you want to cry a little (or a lot) every time your energy bill comes? Surely you have better ideas for spending that money. This solution can help you lower those pesky bills and fi ll that piggy bank.
Your privacyUnless your house is naturally private, say
perched on a hill or with no neighbours for miles; you probably crave some privacy. This
mystery improvement can help right away. Similarly, when you want to take in the view, it will quietly and quickly disappear.
Your Sunday football viewingWho doesn’t love big windows that bring
in tons of light? This is until sun glare makes you miss the winning touchdown. Sunshine makes us happy — it is a scientifi c fact — but
too much sun isn’t good, neither for your skin nor your possessions. If you want to prevent the glare and the damaging UV rays from entering your home, there is one easy answer.
Your spooky shadowsBig, bare windows are wonderful during
the day with light streaming in, but what about at night? Bid goodbye to big, black
windows in the evening and don’t be scared of who or what may be lurking in the darkness.
Your safetyDo you live in an area where the weather
can be tricky? Or on a golf course, where the golf balls are fl ying dangerously? With this mystery improvement you can protect your home from the weather and your window glass from fl ying objects!
Have you guessed what improvement are we talking about yet? Either way keep reading, as it gets even better.
Your securityThis improvement can not only hurricane-
proof your home, but can also help make it burglar proof. Did you know many people of all residential break-ins happen via back doors — The same beloved French patio doors you just had to have and enjoy every day? If you think we want to push “prison style” security bars, think twice. This solution is just as stylish as it is functional.
Your snooze timeIf you are a daytime sleeper, light sleeper
or just want to sleep in on a weekend, you know how annoying outside noise and light can be. You can create a perfect sleeping environment at the touch of a button.
Finally, the answerDid you guess that the one home
improvement to take care of many of the dilemmas in your home is — ta da! — an automatic rolling shutter!
Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Squares with the same number in have the same letter in. Work out which number represents which letter.
ACROSS6. Where people put up regular allowance (7)7 & 9Ac. First one on the shift? (5,5)9. See 7 Across10 & 21Ac. Examinations on the course learners hope to pass! (7,5)12. They act as stooges for honest fellows (8,3)14. Regulars in the services? (6-5)18. Secretly removes alcoholic drinks (7)19. Almost cover pieces of fallen rock (5)21. See 10 Across22. Come to grief at sea - it depends on how big-headed a man is! (7)
DOWN1. One who performs in a Britten oratorio (5)2. A track made by climbers (6)3. See 20 Down4. Contrive to include a fireside stand (6)5. Repaired after the axe-head is put right (7)8. To use bullying tactics in the style of the cavalryman (7)11. Seals the first of the treasures in hiding-places (7)13. Chastise a favourite dog (7)15. A clue that’s not easy to find (6)16. A little nook for a holiday (6)17. Capture large expanses of water, we hear (5)20 & 3Dn. Container vehicle not returning (6)
Australian director, writer and producer George Miller will head the top international jury at the Cannes Film Festival, which will run from May 11 to 22.
Miller in an ecstatic note said: “What an unmitigated delight! To be there in the middle of this storied Festival at the unveiling of cinematic treasures from all over the planet. To spend time in passionate discourse with fellow members of the jury. Such an honour. I’ll be there with bells on!”
It was at Cannes last May that Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road set out on its fantastic cavalcade across the screens. The movie, shown Out of Competition in the offi cial selection, marked the return not only of Max Rockatansky — the legendary hero for millions of fans — but also of Miller, whose visionary cinema made him a household joy the world over.
Miller’s career, alongside those of Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford and Phillip Noyce, stretches back to the golden age of Australian cinema, which began in 1980s. Originally from a small village in Queensland, Miller wrote and directed Violence in the Cinema, Part 1 in 1971. Produced by his friend Byron Kennedy, with whom he founded the Kennedy Miller company, the short movie picked two prizes from the Australian Film Institute.
In 1979, Mad Max, inspired by the “outback gothic” genre sweeping Australia at that time, introduced Mel Gibson, and the fi lm was a worldwide smash hit. A superb pas-de-deux with American cinema, this ultra-violent futuristic work was classy, and it had the elements of a road movie, a Western adventure and a science fi ction work.
Mad Max gave birth to a series: Max 2: The Road Warrior in 1981, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome in 1985 and Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.
In 1983, along with John Landis, Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante, he directed the final segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie. Then came The Witches of Eastwick in 1987 and the intimate drama, Lorenzo’s Oil, in
1992, starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte, which picked up Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay and Best Actress.
In 1995, he adapted and produced Babe, directed by Chris Noonan, which clinched seven Oscar nominations, including those for Best Film and Best Adaptation.
In 2006, his first animated work, Happy Feet, was a huge box office hit, and it garnered the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. Happy Feet Two came in 2011.
In 2015, 30 years after the last Mad Max, the 4th chapter of the post-apocalyptic epic, complete with feminist and anti-totalitarian overtones, once again took on cinemas. With 10 nominations for the 2016 Oscars, including Best Film and Best Director, Mad Max recently scooped no fewer than nine prizes at the Critics Choice Awards, including that for Best Director.
Miller, now 70, has throughout his career experimented with a variety of genres, brilliantly combining mass audience expectations with the highest artistic standards. He is renowned for his eclecticism, inventiveness and sheer audacity. And I am sure he would bring all these into play when he sits down with other jurors to judge the cinema at Cannes.
Gautaman Bhaskaran has been writing on Indian and world cinema for
The Oscar best picture race has fragmented further with Alejandro G. Inarritu’s Directors Guild award win for The
Revenant, a development that was perhaps inevitable in a year in which guild voters splintered their support among three movies.
Inarritu’s DGA win for the bold, brutal western followed the Producers Guild tabbing The Big Short for best picture and the Screen Actors Guild Awards giving Spotlight its biggest prize.
The guilds’ split decisions aren’t unprecedented. Just two years ago, 12 Years a Slave, Gravity and American Hustle each won a major guild honor before 12 Years a Slave emerged victorious at the Oscars.
But unlike that year, when the race seemed to pivot on whether enough fi lm academy voters had watched Steve McQueen’s unfl inching look at American slavery (it turns out some didn’t but voted for it anyway), this year’s best picture race appears wide open. And the campaigners behind each of the three movies are scrambling to fi nd the narrative that
will hook academy members.For the consultants working on
Spotlight and The Big Short, that means selling voters that their fi lms carry the most weight, relevance and importance. Backers for The Revenant, meanwhile, seem content to remind the academy about the challenges behind making the ambitious movie. (Sub-zero
temperatures! No cellphone signals! Confi rmed vegetarian Leonardo DiCaprio eating raw bison liver!)
Spotlight, the journalism drama about the Boston Globe reporting team investigating the Catholic Church’s cover-up of sexual abuse by priests, is being trumpeted in ads as the “one fi lm that breaks the silence.”
The Big Short, meanwhile, will
screen for members of Congress today at a bipartisan event hosted by two Republicans and two Democrats. It will be writer-director Adam McKay’s second trip to Washington, after a January visit that saw him meeting with, among others, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown, and headlining an event with economists at the Brookings
Institution to discuss the movie’s examination of the 2008 fi nancial crisis.
The Big Short has shown up on the presidential campaign trail too, most notably when Democratic candidate Senator Bernie Sanders was asked if he had seen it. “Damn right I have,” the Vermont senator replied. “Excellent fi lm.”
“We hoped we might have these kinds of conversations, but you never know,” Jeremy Kleiner, one of the fi lm’s producers, told The Times in Santa Barbara. “The 2008 fi nancial crisis was such a seismic event. People’s lives were destroyed. We’re still living in the aftermath. So this conversation is important. It’s why we wanted to make the movie in the fi rst place.” The motivations and ambitions behind both Spotlight and The Big Short are unassailable. Their directors, McCarthy and McKay, respectively, are interested in changing institutions that they believe need to be overhauled. Inarritu too sees The Revenant not simply as a story of revenge but also of what it means to be “broken and isolated and be dead and reborn again.”
The key to which of three movies emerges victorious will be the academy’s preferential voting system, which rewards the fi lm that consistently shows up highest on the most ballots.
In this method, in which voters rank the movies in order of desire, the number of times a movie shows up fi rst, second or third on voters’ slates will be crucial to propelling it to the best picture Oscar. —Los Angeles
Spotlight, The Revenant, The Big Short aim to hook voters
ECSTATIC: George Miller.
15Wednesday, February 10, 2016 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYSHOWBIZ
By Michael Phillips
Like silence, white space is a seriously undervalued tactic in animation. Think about it: Few things capture your eye more immediately than tiny bits of colour
or movement, swathed in a sea of bright nothingness.
The beguiling Brazilian feature Boy and the World proves this from its very fi rst hand-drawn moments. Writer-director Ale Abreu’s use (sparing but striking) of the blank-page aesthetic makes the frequent, lavish splashes of kaleidoscopic colour all the more interesting.
Boy and the World starts with the boy of the title exploring his surroundings, realistically one second (plunging his head into a stream and gazing at fi sh), fantastically the next (jumping from cloud to cloud). He lives with
his mother and father in the country. His father is forced to leave them and try his luck in the city. The boy, who has two vertical lines for eyes and three thin hairs sticking up from the top of his round head, misses him and imagines his presence, even when his absence is all he knows.
From there, as the boy travels to the city to fi nd his father, Boy and the World becomes a powerful if rather blunt polemic through almost entirely non-verbal means. Abreu’s images of exploited cotton fi eld workers displaced by industrialization bleed into landscapes of massive urban trash heaps.
Jarringly (the juxtaposition is intended as such), at one point the hand-drawn animation stops and we’re assaulted by a brief montage of live-action footage — sewage, pollution, the planet out of joint.
Elsewhere a diff erent, swift montage presents a blur of advertisements and programming on a TV set. Each image is that of some glamorous product or another that few in this world can truly aff ord. In the boy’s travels, both rural and urban, we spend time in a very diff erent and more expressive realm than pure commerce — that of true imagination and breathing room.
The fi lm, a 2013 release in Brazil, has its characters speak a kind of gentle gibberish (actually Portuguese played backward). The words aren’t important. The wag, swip-swip-swip, of a dog’s tail; the drastic visual contrasts between country and city existence; the way a fl ute’s musical notes hang in the air, like soap bubbles — these are the important elements in Boy and the World. —Chicago Tribune/TNS
Actress Sonam Kapoor says her younger sister Rhea was judged when she started out as a producer because she was a woman.
“My sister went through it (discrimination). She was 21 when she produced her fi rst fi lm. And my father (Anil Kapoor) unfortunately was not here, he was in shooting in Hollywood, and my sister had such trouble getting fi nance for the fi lms because they thought she is 21, despite having an outstanding script and something completely diff erent,” Sonam said at the L’Oreal Paris Women Of Worth Awards 2016 which honour women for their achievements in various fi elds.
“But even though everybody thinks that we come from a certain family, and it’s easier (to produce), in fact it gets tougher because people don’t want to invest money, fi rst of all, because she was a woman.
“Though she was stern and she came back and is extremely capable, she was really judged for being a woman. If it was a 22 or 23-year-old man, it would have been completely diff erent,” said the Neerja actress.
Rhea had started out as a producer with her sister starring in the fi lm Aisha which released in 2010.
The fi lm couldn’t create magic at the box offi ce, but she bounced back with her sister again in Khoobsurat with Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan which was successful.
They are currently working on another fi lm titled Battle For Bittora and have also started a fashion label.
On discrimination against women, Sonam said: “I feel that especially in the fi eld of art, I know that it is male dominated.
“Sometimes as a woman, I feel that because we’re so sensitive, and when you go through a lot of discrimination, or you go through things in life, you become a better artiste. And I feel women to me are better artistes because of it (discrimination).”
“Unfortunately we associate certain categories with only men. We are very talented women, and according to me, we should totally run the world.
“I’ve always stated that I’m a feminist and I’m not embarrassed to say it at all and I’ve been saying it since I was 21 years old, since I joined this industry.” —IANS
TOUGH ROUTE: Rhea Kapoor.
CANDID: Divya Khosla.
Rhea was judged because she is a woman: Sonam
Being emotional essential to make love story: Divya
Sanam Re director Divya Khosla Kumar says being sensitive and emotional are essential to produce a love story.
“To make a love story, you need to be personally a very sensitive and emotional person, you need to understand love and the emotions connected to love,” Divya said on the sidelines of a musical concert here.
“It is a small attempt from my side to make an innocent, soulful love story. I’m happy the audiences are eagerly waiting and that is raising our excitement even more,” she said.
While love stories like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge had a happy ending, there are others such as Devdas which end on a tragic note.
But Divya is not willing to reveal in which category Sanam Re fi ts.
“That is a suspense. It is a pure love story and it will melt everyone’s hearts and is high on emotions. So the fi lm will make people cry and laugh a lot.”
The fi lm’s release is clashing with the Aditya Roy Kapur-Katrina Kaif starrer Fitoor.
“I can only see Sanam Re everywhere, and beyond that I can’t see anything else. I’m confi dent as a maker that my fi lm is good and with that confi dence we have landed in the war zone,” she said.
Both the fi lms are releasing during Valentine’s Day week.
On her plans for February 14, she said: “My Valentine’s Day plan will be to watch Sanam Re with the audience. You have a date with us.”
Divya’s last fi lm, Yaariyan, was a box offi ce success. —IANS
Animated Boy and the World draws viewers
CREATING A BUZZ: A scene from Boy and the World.
Wednesday, February 10, 201616 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
An impressive collection of stamps at Katara exhibition takes the viewer
on a retrospective journey through two of world’s iconic sporting events
while shedding light on Qatar’s postal history. By Anand Holla
History in thumbnails
To bring in the Qatar National Day celebrations, the Qatar Postal Services Company (Q-Post),
on December 14, had unveiled a commemorative stamp at Katara. Stamps are now again the centre of attention as Gallery 2 of Building 18, Katara, houses an impressive collection of stamps, while a detailed brochure takes us through the brief highlights of Qatar postal history.
The impressive showcase of stamps traverses countries across the globe, with a marked focus on stamps created around two of sport’s most iconic and coveted events – the Olympics and the football world cups. Brimming with fantastic art work and impeccable detailing, these stamps commemorate momentous sporting occasions. The Olympics cover everything from the ones held in Barcelona and Montreal to Stockholm and London.
Neatly arranged in large display frames, these stamps take us through the milestones in recent sporting history.
The History of the World Cup stamps, for instance, features several countries. The fi nal of the fi rst FIFA World Cup – it was held in Uruguay in July 30, 1930 – saw the Uruguayan team winning 4-2
against Argentina. “A Frenchman, Jules Rimet, did much to create this great football event, which is held every four years. So much so that the Trophy was named after him when it was won for the third time by Brazil in 1970,” says a little fact-box next to the classily designed stamps.
While the World War II dashed the chances of any world cup tournaments in 1942 and 1946, the championship resumed in 1950 with the fi nals played in Brazil, at the Maracana Stadium in Rio, another piece of text says. As part of the same series, stamps feature several nations, like Italy celebrating their 2-1 triumph over Czechoslovakia in 1934 when Rome was the venue for the second world cup fi nal, or the third world cup in 1938 in Paris which saw Italy win again, this time beating Hungary 4-2.
Interestingly, the Qatar Philatelic Club (QPC) has put together some precious insights into Qatar postal history and the fi ner points of philately, which is available as a brochure at the venue. “Prior to April 1, 1948, stamps from India with Bahrain overprint were used. After this date, British stamps with Bahrain overprint were used,” the QPC says, pointing out how the rapid growth of the oil industry
necessitated the establishing of the British Post representative’s offi ce in Doha, “As part of the British Protection Agreement, in May 1950, the fi rst postal offi ce in Qatar was established to handle the increasing number of letters being sent by oil workers out of Qatar.”
It was on April 1, 1957, that the fi rst Qatari stamps, a set of 15, were issued as British stamps featuring the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II overprinted with the word “Qatar”. QPC points out, “The fi rst ordinary Qatar set had been designed to carry the ruler’s portrait, dhows, oil derrick, and mosques.”
As for post-independence, the defi nitive set of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Ali al-Thani is considered the last English stamps adopted by the Government of Qatar since May 23, 1963.
QPC says, “The set of Sheikh Ahmed has been valid for use until the end of 1966. In October of the same year, Qatari stamps of the new currency have been issued. Then there came the modern Qatari issues which refl ected the development of the country under the leadership of HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.”
Over time, the role of stamps gained value and turned into a fascinating hobby, QPC points out.
BACK IN TIME: The Gallery 2 of Building 18, Katara, houses a sizeable collection of stamps from diff erent parts of the world relating to Olympics and football world cups.
