SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2014 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 inside More than 1,000 CAMPUS satellites are • QSL holds football training flying overhead camp at PEC P | 4 P | 6 BOOKS • 10 best selling books • Robert Wagner writes about his long career in Hollywood P | 7 FILM • Move over Bollywood: US festival spotlights independent Indian films P | 8-9 HEALTH • Early fitness may aid ageing brain P | 11 TECHNOLOGY • Aircraft HEALING POWER OF suppliers woo with new tech ART & MUSIC P | 12 Art and music therapies have become a mainstream partner Learn Arabic to medicalised healing rather than a niche practice. There is • Learn commonly no lack of empirical evidence that the making and viewing of used Arabic words art has produced important results in conditions as varied as and their meanings depression and disability. Music therapies have also produced some dramatic outcomes. P | 13 2 PLUS | SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2014 COVER STORY Art therapies become a mainstream partner to medicalised healing By Ruth Wishart reflect their surroundings; one paedi- atric wing shows animated films made here is a fire extinguisher by young patients encouraged by an featured in Bridget Riley’s artist with a six-month residency. latest artwork, unveiled ear- It is proof, if any were still required, Tlier this week. Several in fact, that art therapies have become a main- given they are an obligatory part of stream partner to medicalised healing the furniture in hospital corridors. And rather than a niche practice. There is the 56 metres of this arresting mural, no lack of empirical evidence that the with characteristic horizontal lines in making and viewing of art has pro- bold colours, adorn the 10th floor of St duced important results in conditions Mary’s Hospital in London. as varied as depression and disability. The charity that commissioned it, Music therapies, also now the Imperial College Healthcare, reasons subject of a raft of academic assess- that the impact is therapeutic on staff ments, have produced some dramatic as well as the more transient audience outcomes. The broadcaster Sally of patients. It says high-quality bold Magnusson has set up a charity in murals will offer distraction in sur- memory of her late mother, Mamie — a roundings often serially stressful — the vivacious journalist and wife of the late ninth floor houses intensive care. Magnus Magnusson — whose dementia The Riley mural offers permanent brought memory loss but also, heart- adornment, but some 1,600 artworks breakingly in a woman for whom words owned by the charity now circulate and their precise usage were a passion, among five hospitals in west and north- an inability to string together rational west London, carefully curated to sentences. PLUS | SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2014 3 An evocative piece of music, the soundtrack to their earlier life, can retrieve not just the sounds themselves, but the events attached to them. And in so doing it can give both lethargic and agitated patients hours of peace and pleasure. But, as her daughters found, what They lose, he says, “their sensitivity to sounds – which may the moment when breasts are being she could still do was sing. Sing the autobiography”, their identity, their mean everyday noises like vacuum routinely beaten over drug budgets, is well-loved songs of childhood, family story; but an evocative piece of music, cleaners or phones cause distress – that what were sometimes pejoratively outings and celebrations. Playlist for the soundtrack to their earlier life, can apparently respond well to musical dismissed as “alternative therapies” Life helps similar sufferers by loading retrieve not just the sounds themselves, loops where pleasing tracks offer both now have a proven track record in personalised musical memories on to but the events attached to them. And a sense of calm and a predictability certain areas of medicine, especially an iPod to be played to them by families in so doing it can give both lethargic which many on the autistic spectrum where brain impairment is involved. or carers. It’s a pity, notes Sally drily, and agitated patients hours of peace find comforting. Art therapies and interventions are that among Mamie’s total recall was and pleasure. There is also the healing of wounds not resource neutral – not much is – every track from The Sound of Music, The UK-wide Music in Hospitals of a non-medical origin. When but there are obvious bonuses. Giving now lodged all too retrievably in her movement, which has professional Liverpool’s 2014 Biennial opens on 5 mental respite to a disturbed child or own memory. musicians bringing entertainment to July, the inaugural concert will feature a dementia-stricken adult through The celebrated neurologist Oliver care homes and hospices as well, is a Hillsborough Memorial symphony pleasure rather than pharmaceuticals Sacks wrote extensively about clear that its performers must have composed by Michael Nyman. No 11 has to be desirable wherever possible. this phenomenon in his 2007 book highly developed social antennae to Symphony is based on music he was Inducing calm or a sense of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the match their musical accomplishment. composing as the tragedy unfolded. achievement in patients instead of Brain. His contention is that where They need to understand and respond It will, undoubtedly, cause a fresh distress or frustration is a more than musical memories are lodged in the to varying temperaments and tastes. shedding of tears by the families of welcome outcome for carers and brain is close to other areas that Music as a balm for troubled souls the 96 victims. But then tears are families, no less the daily victims of dementia or stroke victims are no has emotional potency. Severely therapeutic too. stress. longer able to access. autistic children who have an acute What all this tells us, not least at The Guardian 4 PLUS | SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2014 CAMPUS IIS students’ council inducted n a ceremony held at the Ideal Indian ISchool (IIS), the students’ councils for boys’, girls’ and junior sections were administered oath of their office by the Principal Syed Shoukath Ali. Members of the students councils are: Junior Section: Head Boy – Ibrahim Riju Jamal, Head Girl – Hanin Shamsheer, Cultural Secretary – Deepthi Bijumon, Sports Secretary – Sheikh Shakira. Boys’ Section: Head Boy – Aakash Gireesh Asst. Head Boy – Alhaj Ashraf, Cultural Secretary – Juma Rashid, Sports Secretary – Lindsay Charles and Asst. Sports Secretary- Nihad Noushad. Girls’ Section: Head Girl – Sana Shanavs, Asst. Head Girl – Richelle Sara Andrade, Cultural Secretary –Nanditha Pillai, Sports Secretary – Nilfath Ibrahim and Asst. Sports Captains, Vice Captains and Sports also sworn in to their offices. Firoskhan of Girls’ Section and Secretary Arundhati Devi. Captains from the four Houses of Masood Khalid Khan is the House Sunitha P T of junior section. Head Prefects, Prefects, House boys’, girls’ and junior sections were Coordinator of Boys Section, Shamna The Peninsula QSL holds football training camp at PEC atar Star Leagues (QSL) sent Qtwo coaches Nick and Deniel to Pakistan Education Centre (PEC) recently. A six-week train- ing camp was kicked off by the Principal Nargis Raza Otho. It was first the time in school’s history that international profes- sional coaches came to PEC for coaching students. After the open- ing ceremony participants were divided into six groups and played against each other under the guid- ance and supervision of the coaches. The Peninsula Gavels public speaking championship atar’s Division-E Toastmasters Speech, Evaluation Speech and Sundaresan Subramanian, Division second place to Sparsh Garg and Dany recently conducted the annual Table Topic Speech. Gaveliers are E Gavels Coordinator. Sunish Varghese came third. QGavel clubs contest at Birla mentored by a team including Syed Winners are: Evaluation Speech: First, sec- Public School auditorium. Abid Hussaini, Susan Mathews, Anil International Speech: Narsimhan ond and third went to Sharon John, Winners from 10 gavel clubs Nair, Hari Raghavan, Salauddin, Ravi, Nihan Yousef and Shweta Narsimhan Ravi and Sparsh Arora. (Shaheen, ICC, Doha, BPS, Dukhan, Sundaresan, Sybille Sajeet, Mary Grace came first, second and third Table Topic Speech: Sharon John Al Khor, KEF, Qatar, Oasis and Jayaweera, Uma Mantha and Shajil respectively. won the first place, Adhithya Arun EF) participated in four categories Kader. Humorous Speech: First place stood second and Shaleen Jain third. — International Speech, Humorous Contest was coordinated by went to Manickam Manikandan, The Peninsula COMMUNITY PLUS | SUNDAY 13 APRIL 2014 5 Stafford Sri Lankan School Doha celebrates New Year tafford Sri Lankan School Doha celebrated SSinhala and Hindu New Year. It has been a tra- dition of the school to celebrate the event with all rituals and pageantry. The evening was filled with events such as games, competitions and traditional dances. The most entertaining events were the three leg- ged race, obstacle race, musical chairs, breaking the pot and lime-and-spoon-race. There were games lined up for the parents and the teachers as well and the Tug of War was keenly contested. Among the guests of honour was Sithara Khan, Deputy Head of Mission of the Sri Lankan Embassy. The event was also attended by the Chairman of the school Kumudu Fonseka and members of the board of trustees. The Peninsula Skills Development Centre bid fare- well to Tarun Basu, President of Indian Cultural Centre. Hassan Chougule, founder member and chairman of DPS- MIS school, Saleem Ponnambath, former general secretary of ICC and honorary president of Bhavans Public School and Ushas Andrews, President of Indian Woman’s Association of Qatar were present at the event. Basu and Anitha Basu who are leaving Qatar for good after 35 years of service were honoured by SDC with mementoes. SDC director P N Baburajan welcomed the gathering and guests shared their memories of the community activities organised in coop- eration with Basu and wished a peaceful and healthy life ahead.