Bring home a Deepam, shine bright like a diamond

When you love someone more than anything else in this world, how do you express it?  Is there a description or a sonnet that can convey your feelings with authentic delicacy, passion and ease that they would just understand what you want to say? 

Swarovski collection in Kanjeevaram silk

Well few people can. What would you gift to the most beautiful person in your world? When you are in search of beautiful gift for your beloved for a special occasion, you might as well choose something that compliments not just their tradition but also accentuates their individuality. If you are still searching for such a matchless gift, head to Deepam Silks and check out their Swarovski collection!

Get dressed for any occasion @ Deepam Silks Crystal Silk wonder

Inspired by centuries old traditions of Kanjeevaram silk sarees that mark the auspicious occasions like no other, invigorated by glittering stars in the night sky and the varied colors that leave you enchanted, Deepam Silk's Swarovski collection is ready to usher in beautiful blessings of the season.

As we were witnessing the unfolding of original silk wonders that come out of the handcrafted Kanjeevaram master weavers, lights danced off to the silent yet rhythmic chants of the star studded signature motifs, reliefs, corals and gopurams. I was simply bowled over as the finest silk sarees spread majestically before us and later adorned a beautiful lady who walked with poise and attitude in various colors that secretly whispered silent stories of love, joy, patience, commitment and promise that were personified in the yards of pure silk. What were crystals doing romancing with silk? Well the world's leader in cut crystals decided to go in tandem and learn to collaborate with some of the best weavers the world has ever seen and bring out the most gorgeous Swarovski collection of Kanjeevaram Sarees for Deepam Silks.

Tradition and style @ Deepam Silks Swarovski collection of Kanjeevaram sarees

The beautiful borders stand out and you know it is a Deepam even when you are in a crowd, said Pramila C, who was our host for the evening. "People call us and book appointments, give us color combinations and prebook some of our collections even before they book tickets to India!" "A Deepam Kanjeevaram silk saree is a must in every function. The occasion is incomplete without a Deepam Saree and it is this traditional love and sentimental value of our customers that motivates us and encourages us to come out with more designs and style without diluting the traditional values."

 

Pramila C, Deepam with Madhu

What is in vogue now? Well bright colors and bridal colors are back. Especially fuschia, yellows, blues and oranges are a must for this season. The well-crafted minute designs in the pallus are accentuated when the saree folds or moves but because you got the crystals embedded in them you now have small little sparkles that steal a look here and play a hide-n-seek there drawing your attention to the otherwise missed crafty work. 

Elegance and tradition packed in one @ Deepam Silks Swarovski collection

So what can you expect from this collection? Classy Kanjeevaram silk sarees that let you wear Indian heritage and culture while elegantly allowing the light to play with the naughty Swarovski crystals that keeps you graceful yet exuberant. Will you be so immersed in the intricacies of the saree design or would you be wondering how the numerous stars of the night sky have some to adorn your loved one’s feet? The answer is none. You would be overawed by the joyous reaction and the simple serene beauty of your beloved’s smile that would be brighter than all the small clean cut Swarovski crystals in her dress. 

The finest silk  @ Deepam Silks

What are you waiting for? Bring home a Deepam and shine bright like a diamond!

Contact: Deepam Silk Retail Pvt. Ltd., 404 Barton Center MG Road Bangalore – 560001, 9845108374 
sales@deepam.com | www.deepam.com | Deepam's facebook page

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Are you raising a spoilt brat?

Found this wonderful article by Krutika Behrawala and it is a must read.

Here's your parenting guide to instill the right discipline and responsibilities in your child

Picture this: At a supermarket, your 10-year-old demands that you buy him a box of chocolates. When you refuse, he throws a tantrum and since you don't want to create a scene in front of him, you relent and your son goes home happier. Well, surely, most parents must have come across such a situation at least once in their life. However, have you ever thought of the number of times you've given in to your kid's demands? Chances are that it's more than often and you might be raising a spoilt child. Says consulting psychiatrist Dr Pavan Sonar, "From my experience, I do believe that children today are more spoilt than their previous generation. When we see the behaviour of children of this generation, the basic qualities of attentiveness and respect towards elderly, social manners and discipline is absent in most of them. Abiding by the laws set by parents or society are carelessly ignored by kids today."

So, who's at fault?
According to clinical psychologist Saloni Sawnani, blaming the kid and labelling him/her as 'spoilt' is unfair. "It is more parents' faulty upbringing of the kid that leads him/her to be spoilt. The earlier generation of parents was more relaxed and had more time for their kids. However, with most parents working today, they don't spend enough time with their kids, so they make up by giving in to their demands and as a result, the child is spoilt," she says.

Signs your child is spoilt
Does your child behave insensitively to others? Does he or she want his demands met immediately? "Sometimes, a child might be genetically more energetic than the others, which leads to hyperactivity and you might mistakenly label him/her as spoilt. By five years of age, most children are able to communicate their feelings clearly. So, you need verify their behaviour and channel the aggression positively," says Saloni.

According to Dr Sonar, a spoilt brat is not ready to follow family or social etiquette. "The kid frequently demands money or gadgets. He/she has poor emotional control, throws tantrums, whines most of the times, doesn't take 'no' for an answer, misbehaves with peers and argues with parents," he elaborates.

How to deal with it

Don't label: "Understand why your child is behaving the way he/she does. Hear him/her out and find solutions. Most importantly, don't complain that your kid is spoilt to your family members or guests, especially not in front of the kid," says Saloni.

Know when to say no: Agreeing and giving in to everything your child says sends out a wrong message. Giving in to the tantrums tells your kid that all he/she has to do is cry and whine to get what he/she wants. When you say 'no' to your kid's demands, he/she knows that everything in life has a value and he/she has to work towards something if they want it badly.

Be consistent: During the initial years, you might pass off your kid's bad behaviour as just being cute but in the long run, it could have an adverse effect on your child. So, be consistent in your discipline methods. Set some rules and ensure that they are followed consistently. For instance, if jumping on a couch is not allowed at your place, stop him/her from doing so when at a friend's place.

Reward for good behaviour: Instead of bribing your kid by saying 'If you do this, you will get this', reward your kid when he/she displays good behaviour. "Affection always helps your kid," says Saloni. Adds Dr Sonar, "Abolish bad behaviour by rewarding the desirable ones. Awards should be very small gifts or token points."

Teach manners and values: "Storytelling is a great way to teach morals and values to your kid," says Dr Sonar. Instil values of responsibility, sharing, friendliness and sensitivity towards others in your child through various moral tales. Set a good example in front of your kids when it comes to good manners.

Bond over chores: If your kid is in his/her pre-teens, assign a task every day, whether it is helping you out with the laundry or tidying his/her study table. Teach your child that each member of the family needs to contribute towards taking care of the home and each other.

Set expectations: "Try to understand the reason for your child's behaviour and set certain expectations. Effective communication with the kid is very crucial. Teach them to express their emotions, that is, what and how they are feeling, instead of what they want," says Dr Sonar.

Top 10 real estate trends for 2014

Ilyce Glink from CBS charts the top 10 real estate trends for 2014.

If the real estate recovery is a baseball game, we're in the fourth or fifth inning.

So what will the rest of the game look like?

Experts from the Urban Land Institute unveiled their view of how the rest of the recovery will play out in their Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, released this week at the land use and planning nonprofit's annual conference in Chicago.

The group highlighted a number of housing trends we can expect to see playing out over the next few years, based on surveys and interviews with real estate developers, investors, lenders, servicers and builders.

Millennials are moving the market, but not as homeowners

Though the so-called Millennial generation has been much-maligned in the media, real estate movers and shakers are increasingly interested in where this generation is headed -- quite literally. A number of the cities have seen increased economic activity in the real estate sector led by this generation, particularly Austin, Seattle, Portland and the Twin Cities in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis' place as number nine on a list of the top 10 cities for developers came as a surprise to Andrew Warren, director of PwC, a research and advising firm that co-authored the report with ULI.

"This is a city that's attractive to younger generations," he said, adding that its diverse economic base is helping to bring in a lot of college grads that don't want to leave the Midwest.

However, this same group isn't forming new households, and they're not buying as many homes as their parents' generation were at their age.

Second-tier cities will lead the recovery next year

Investors, developers and builders are losing some interest in the so-called 24-hour gateway cities -- San Francisco and New York City -- and have developed more interested in cities like Dallas and Portland, where there are more housing deals to be had.

For example, in 2011 only New York City and Washington, D.C. had good prospects for real estate investors and developers, according to the ULI report, but now Austin, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orange County, Portland, San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle make that list -- and D.C. actually dropped out.

Real estate recovery still hinges on job growth

The slow pace of job growth as well as income and wage growth is still holding back the real estate recovery and that's not likely to change quickly.

Many cities in the Bay Area and in Texas have seen strong housing recoveries based on the strength of their economy, said Stephen Blank, ULI senior resident fellow for finance, so places with low unemployment can expect better recoveries next year, while places still haunted by economic issues won't.

The "smile investing" philosophy is back

Real estate developers are interested once again in a so-called smile investment philosophy, Warren said. According to the philosophy, developers and investors start looking at cities in the Northeast and moving south to cities along the Sun Belt -- Florida, Texas, Arizona -- and then coming back up to the Northwest -- Northern California, Oregon and Washington state. So expect to see more activity in those areas than in the Midwest.

Multi-family apartment building will wane

With rapidly rising demand for apartments during the recession -- boosted by increased demand from homeowners-turned-renters -- multi-family building surged. But that's likely to quiet down in 2014, as supply and demand have swapped places -- and there may actually have been too much multi-family building in 2013, Blank said.

Condo development is still on the back-burner

The recovery in the condo market hasn't matched that of the single-family market, and developers aren't willing to take the risk on putting up new condo buildings.

Instead, builders and developers are taking a dual-track option: They build a rental apartment building with an eye on switching it to condos in 12 to 16 months, depending on market conditions, Warren said.

High-end apartment buildings are also proving problematic for developers, as the interest from well-heeled potential renters simply hasn't been consistently strong.

Inventory is coming back

The experts at ULI are predicting that 2014 will be the last year that low inventory will aid property prices. Distressed inventory is drying up and sellers are looking at better profits than they have in years.

The buyer's market is long gone

Homes right now are priced to please sellers. "For buyers, they're priced to disappoint," Blank said.

Sellers now know they can squeeze buyers eager to buy before interest rates and home prices shoot up even further.

Shadow banking is emerging

There's optimism among those surveyed by ULI that lending standards will loosen next year, but Blank isn't as sure.

To fill the void, a concept called "shadow banking" has started to emerge and may take on a larger role in the lending market next year. Shadow banking is similar to traditional bank lending, but it's done outside banks and can therefore get around bank regulations.

Borrowers going this route will find a hodge-podge of private funds, wealthy individuals, family offices, and refugees from other lending markets, according to the report.

The suburban is going urban

There's not a lot of interest in developing suburban areas, Warren said. But where there is, it's surrounding more urban-minded projects located in spots where amenities and public transportation are easily accessible.