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The Hindu : y>Take a late summer break. Head to Ladakh for an exciting vacation including a rafting experience down the Zanskar river

Travel time Explore Leh

Women, pack your bags and trekking shoes. Women on wanderlust (WOW) is organising an eight-day tour to Leh, Ladakh. The group takes off from Delhi on June 20.

The tour will include a trip to Thiksey Monastery to witness the morning prayers by Lamas, visit to Shey Palace, and Sindhu Ghat.

A visit to Stok Palace Museum, followed by a tour around town covering Shanti Stupa, Sankar Gompa, Leh Palace, and a few handicrafts centres is one the cards. A visit to Pangong Lake is next via Chang-la pass, at an altitude of 17,370 feet. Then there’s a visit to Pangong Lake, located at an altitude of 14,500 feet and measuring six kilometres in width and over 130 kilometres in length.

There’s also a drive across the Indus to visit Hemis Monastery, the biggest and most famous monastery of Ladakh.There’s a full-day tour of the Alchi-Likir Circuit, visiting the 15th century Likir Monastery and then the 11th century Alchi Choskor (religious conclave), oldest surviving monastic heritage of Ladakh and famous for its wall frescoes and unique architecture.

Have a view of Sangam (confluence of Indus and Zanskar), experience Magnetic Point, visit Gurudwara Pathar Sahib and the ‘Temple of Guardians’ (or Gon-khang) in Spituk monastery, which is revered by Hindu devotees as Kali-Mandir. A visit to Nubra Valley is next on the travel plan, driving across Khardung-la, the highest motorable pass in the world. This part of the trip includes sightseeing in Deskit, Hundar and the Sand Dunes. The high point of the trip of course will be an exhilarating rafting trip on the Indus along with lunch by the river.The package cost per person on twin share is Rs 33,300 and single occupancy is Rs. 43,300 (including return airfare, accommodation, airport transfers…More

The Hindu :

Reasonable pricing and a high level of personalisation will be the driving factor of YLG chain of beauty salons and spa, set up exclusively for women

CLARITY Rahul: ‘We want to attract customers across all segments’

“Personalisation is the brand promise from YLG,” says Rahul Bhalchandra, co-founder and CEO of YLG Salon and Spa. It is going to be the key strategy to make the customers come again to the salon. And pamper them with a wide range of services, state-of-the-art technologies and unlimited packages. “Unlimited offerings on services such as hair spa are our way of adding value,” he adds.

The annual membership at YLG costs Rs. 24,000 and comes with an unlimited offering on seven services such as pedicure, manicure, waxing and back massage. Among the latest technologies, they have ‘chromo steam therapy’ and ‘my waxer’.

In a presentation at the newly opened YLG salon on Old Palace Road (behind Leela Palace), their sixth outlet in Bangalore, he spoke about the potential of the beauty services market. “It is big business. Key segments such as skin care services, hygiene services and hair care put together, the potential of the domestic beauty services market is more than Rs. 5,000 crore. And, it is growing annually at 25 per cent,” he adds.

The research also touched upon that million dollar question — ‘what women want from their salon?’ and the answer is personal attention, quality service and consistency, assurance of quality products used, hygiene and comfortable space. “Hygiene services become a unique segment to India. Our business strategy is to set up salons which are accessible within a 10 to 15 minute drive, provide a homely and welcoming space and reasonable prices. We want to attract customers across all segments, from conservative to modern women,” he adds.

Their plan is to open 25 stores by year-end and 100 outlets across India over the next three…More

The Hindu :

Shruti Hassan,the new ambassador of Kwality Walls,on her cool assignment

COOL LOVE Shruti is now singing paeans to ice-cream

Summer is here and so is the official ice-cream devouring season. To help beat the heat, Kwality Walls Cornetto has come up with two new flavours and two new brand ambassadors. Black Forest Flirt and Strawberry Tease Cake, the new flavours are as fresh as Shruti Hassan and Raghav Sachar, their ambassadors.

Shruti, as most of us know, is Kamal Hassan’s daughter, a singer and an upcoming actor. Explaining why she decided to endorse the brand, Shruti says: “Kwality Walls Cornetto has been a part of our childhood; so, it made sense to endorse it. Also, the ice creams are yum and very fresh.”

The duo also launched ‘Ho Jaane De’, Cornetto’s music video, which features them. Raghav, a singer, songwriter, composer and an instrumentalist, is the man behind the song. He has composed the music and lent his voice to the title track, ‘Ho Jaane De’. The video is all about ‘expressing your feelings to your loved one’, something Cornetto is synonymous with, as most of its commercials depict. It has a love-struck Raghav trying to express his feelings to Shruti.

Describing the video, Shruti says: “It is fun and romantic and Cornetto is an excuse for Raghav to ask me out.” She feels that the track, with its romantic and melodious tune, is sure to strike a chord with those young at heart. Says Raghav: “‘Ho Jaane De’ reminds me of my college days and helps me connect with my romantic side… The mood in the video and the album is largely tender and covers all emotions associated with love. It has a good fusion of hip hop, Jazz and modern music. What inspired me was the message of ‘show your love’ and I made this the lead song in my album.”

Being obsessed with…More

The Hindu : y>

Trendy Make a summer style statement

Max Retail Stores has launched the Spring Summer ‘09 collection to mark the arrival of summer fashion. The new lines of this season’s collection have been inspired by adventure and leisure activities. The men’s collection consists of pacific waves and road blaster range for adventure lovers. Meanwhile, the women’s collection embodies a range of fashion silhouettes with pop and neon inspirations.

The Pacific airwaves collection comprises a fresh summer palette inspired from the Caribbean shores and summer water sports.

The range includes graphic one up tees, printed shirts, light poplin/cambric shirts and summer yarn dyed checks. The assortment also manages to provide a fine balance of prints, placements, techniques and colour usage.

The Road Blaster range uses foils and high density prints and comprises yarn dyed checks in summer hues. The range also comprises young slim fit tees and shirts in bright colours. A range of women and children’s wear collection is also available. The collection is priced in the range from Rs. 249 to Rs. 599 and is available at Max Retail stores.

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The Hindu :

You can get jewellery for all budgets here

EXQUISITE There is an entire section dedicated to antique work

The recently-launched Prince Jewellery, caters to people of all pockets and styles. If you are looking for antique jewellery or want to get one made to order, whether you want diamonds, a tiny solitaire or a heavy gold chain, this place seems to havethe answer.

The ground floor offers gold and more gold in varied styles. They come as watches with diamonds for women and in heavy gold for men, as rings, bracelets, hand made and machine-made chains and ear rings and pendants. The pendants also come with precious and semi-precious stones and come in the shapes of Indian pantheon of gods and goddesses. The next floor offers designs in emeralds, sapphire and rubies. There are also designs with traditional motifs. These pieces can be bought as a set or in single pieces. A finger ring in this section comes at Rs. 4,000 upwards, while bangles start at Rs. 30,000.

The antique section offers a wide range. There are “original antique sets and jewellery and if the customer wants something recreated based on these designs we also have an in-house designer who will make something for them,” say the people at the store. The eye- catching design in this section is the “jadaa” — a long, single piece of gold and precious stones used for long plaits and priced at Rs. 9 lakhs! A beautiful antique set with a matt finish and around 110-years-old is priced at a little over Rs. 3 lakhs. This section also offers beautiful temple jewellery – jhumkis, earrings, chokers and bangles and finger rings, and bracelets.

Another attraction in this section is the Nakasi works. “These are designs with dull finish and come with Indian pantheon of gods and goddesses and traditional carvings.” There are also some designs with uncut and unpolished…More

The Hindu :

Rohit Bal wants to design for the Pope!

Photo: Murali kumar k.The showman Rohit Bal

Rohit Bal needs no introduction as his work is testimony to his enduring significance in the world of fashion. Known for his sophisticated cuts and breathing fabrics, the flamboyant designer has carved out a niche across the globe.

For his outstanding contributions to the Indian fashion industry, Rohit Bal was given the ‘Glory of India Award’ at a seminar, “Indo-Thai Economic Co-operation” organised by the Institute of Economic Studies (IES), Delhi.Fabric and fantasy

Having access to the best raw material and workmanship, Rohit has meticulous knowledge oftailoring and fabrics, which allows him to stand out in the booming fashion industry.

Rohit has been profiled as ‘India’s master of fabric and fantasy’ by Time magazine in 1996, and his list of clients includes celebrities like Anna Kournikova, Cindy Crawford, Pamela Anderson and Naomi Campbell.

Asked if there is any particular personality he dreams to design clothes for, he says, “I have a dream to design for Pope Benedict, but I know it is a fantasy and this is what fantasy is all about.”

Rohit, called Gudda by his friends, doesn’t mind being brutally frank about his views. He attracted a lot of attention when he professed his love for a male model. “Why should one fear to reveal the truth?” asks Rohit.Robes for Rahman

On the growing activities of the self-styled moral police in India, Rohit says, “Nobody has the right to interfere in anybody’s private life unless somebody is being hurt, and in a democracy it is tough to force rules that target only a particular section of the society.”

Recently, A.R. Rahman flaunted a midnight blue sherwani and a bandhgala designed by Rohit when he went up to receive the BAFTA for “Slumdog Millionare”. “I have great praise for Rahman and I think he is beyond the Oscars,” he says. Though…More

The Hindu : y>Watch cricket, and check out South Africa’s destinations too

Wild zone Kruger National Park

With the IPL location shifted to South Africa, here’s a chance to indulge in your favourite sport, as also visit Africa, the cradle of civilisation.

Expedia.co.in, operated by online travel company Expedia Inc., has listed the Top Ten Destinations in South Africa to combine with the IPL schedule.

As the IPL venues are in close proximity to one another, cricket fans can combine a trip of fun and adventure within a budget.

And this deal offers savings of up to 50 per cent on your hotel stay.

The places you can check out are Pretoria, Gauteng Region; Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province;East London, Eastern Cape Province; Durban; Johannesburg, Gauteng; Cape Town, Western Cape Province; Bela Bela, Limpopo Provice; Wellington, Western Cape Province; Kruger National Park and Mpumalanga Province. For shopping, you can head towards the Gateway, one of the largest shopping centres.

To discover more, take the Cultural Heartland tour.

For details on airfares, hotels and other attractions, log on to www .expedia.co.in.

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The Hindu : y>The unending debate on being single or tying the knot gets BINDU TOBBYwondering why people choose what they do

I don’t wear my wedding ring these days. It has nothing to do with my marital status. I wish I could, it’s just that (well…two childbirths later) it just doesn’t fit me anymore.

Does the little ring mean security, sharing and reassurance? Or does it come with one too many invisible strings? Strings that sound a near death knell for independence, freedom and space? Is no ring and no strings a better deal?

“The interesting thing though is that we will have moments when we will feel ‘out of the world’ in marriage and equally so when ‘free’,” says Ravi Raman, who works with an MNC and is constantly travelling on work. “I enjoy the idea of being single when on travel as much as being with a family because I know both are mixed bags.”To laugh and cry with

“Of course when we have our fights I wish I was single and living as a hippie on the beaches in Goa!” says Asma Khan, who has been married for the last seven years, but adds: “I couldn’t have dealt with all of life’s ups and downs without having to go back to Ilyas to laugh or cry about it. He is the biggest gift God has given me!”

Mekhala Rao, while being a ‘supporter’ of the ‘ring’, says she feels like a relic after being married for the last three years and seeing so many marriages break down around “The act of marriage is so overestimated (300 guests who you never see again in your life, lakhs of wasted bucks), but the quality of the marriage between a couple, which is sacrosanct, is so underrated”.

Marina Furtado, married for the last two years now, also agrees that it takes commitment and hard work on both parts to…More

The Hindu :

A two-disc DVD of Quantum of Solace takes you behind the scenes of the adrenalin-charged movie

While James Bond movies are the longest-running franchise in cinema, “Quantum of Solace” the twenty-second instalment, is the first sequel. The film picks up straight after “Casino Royale” ended. At the end of that film, the world opened its eyes to a new Bond, Daniel Craig, and a grittier, more realistic template.

“Quantum of Solace”, which incidentally has nothing to do with the Ian Fleming short story of the same name, opens with James Bond driving like a bat out of hell with an injured Mr. White. For those who came in late, Bond finds White at the end of “Royale”, shoots him and introduces himself as “Bond, James Bond” just as Monty Norman’s lushly-exquisite Bond fills the frame.

There is no let up in the pace as Bond rushes from Sienna to gray London then off to mysterious Port au Prince in Haiti. There is time for a little dalliance in Austria, before haring it to Colon, Panama, Chile and Tuscany, all ostensibly on the trail of a mysterious organisation called Quantum, headed by Dominic Greene. We never quite figure out what the quantum does apart from wear sharp suits and consort with dictators during operatic performances.

Bond is also hurting because of the death of Vesper Lynd. He is on the look out for his beloved’s killer. While his boss, M, is worried that he is making the quest personal, by happy chance both the trails lead to the same place.

Bond’s arm candy is supplied by the enigmatic Camille, who has her own axe to grind and the deliciously-named Agent Strawberry Fields. The movie is supposed to be a tribute to all the Bonds that have gone before and so we have the semi-clad women in the title track and sequences like the girl painted to…More

The Hindu : y>Three workshops to pick from

LEARN To dance

The Swingers will conduct ‘Groove N Summer’, a summer-dance workshop for 15 days from April 15 at Indiranagar. It is open to anyone from three to 60 years. This year, various dance styles such as hip-hop, jazz, indoor fusion funk, salsa and ballet will be taught. Call 25203900/77. *** RabiKisku Entertainment will present Filmmaking 101 workshop from April 11. The venue is St. Joseph Boys School, near Residency Road. It will include fundamentals of cinematography, camera aesthetics, introduction to filmmaking, digital cinema, screen writing, film direction, basic editing techniques and a trip to a post production studio. Call 98865 39405 or e-mail:rabi.kisku@gmail.com. You can also visitwww.rabikisku.blogspot.com or rabikiskuentertain ment.com *** The Learning Space will offer a short-term course in film production from April 10. It will cover scripting, direction, cinematography, editing and production.

Call 65836545 or visit www.thelearning space.in

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