At 28 years old, Chandini Ramnarain like many of her peers has dreams but unlike some who may still be finding themselves, she is moving full speed ahead with reaching her goals.
Her most recent achievement is her very own magazine, APSARA, which is now available at newsstands and Chandini is already working on the second edition, to be published in December.
But even before the magazine became an idea there was another dream the young woman was working on, which became a reality in March. That was hosting a mega dance event at the National Culture Centre under the same name as the magazine. It was following the resounding success of that event that the idea for the magazine came about.
It may sound strange, since a dance production and magazine really have nothing in common, but during a recent sit down with The Scene, the young woman revealed that after the dance production, her husband brought up the idea of a magazine. It was something she always thought about and even though she knew it would have involved hard work it was a challenge she was prepared to meet head on.
“It has been hectic. I haven’t slept in months,” Chandini told The Scene in the interview. In addition to those two projects — she is working on taking the dance production to Berbice later this year and hopes it becomes an annual one – Chandini is also studying for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certificate and is a budding designer.
She told The Scene that the latter is a collaborative effort between herself and others and she launched her pieces at the recent fashion exhibition held at the Sophia Exhibition Complex during Carifesta. She will be featured during the second hosting of the Guyana Fashion Weekend.
So there is no doubt that Chandini has a lot on her plate, but she is not stopping. She said that while she is tired some of the time because of the lack of sleep, she is enjoying every minute of everything she is wrapped up in.
Speaking about her dance production, Chandini, who was once a member of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha dance troupe described it as different from “the normal dance shows.” She said it was really a “fusion” of dances involving many different dance forms but all being done to Indian music.
She said it has always been a dream and one that her sisters also shared, to produce such a show. And while it was going to be a one-time event, the resounding success it achieved makes it likely to be an annual show.
She choose APSARA (and insists on all caps), because the word means “dances from the heaven, kind of exotic” and after the dance production was a success she felt luck would remain on side if she used the same name for her magazine. From all indications it has, as her magazine, new to the market, has been selling even though it costs $1200. The magazine could be found in Essequibo Berbice and Georgetown in several gas stations, Nanda’s Boutique and the Michael Forde Book Shop.
She revealed that it was very costly to print — printing was done in Trinidad — but she is happy the end product as the full-coloured glossy surface is very attractive.
Chandini said articles are based on a “combination of things” and allows young, talented Guyanese an opportunity to showcase their writing ability. “It is a lifestyle/culture magazine,” she said. In the first edition, readers can find articles on Carifesta, health and beauty, HIV and AIDS and career choices.
There is even a feature on Chandini herself written by her consultant editor, Ruel Johnson. The magazine will be printed every quarter.
And the publisher is very confident about the quality of the articles in her magazine as she boldly declared that “it is not a magazine that you pick up and just put down.”
(samantha_alleyne2000@yahoo.com)