Barbie Celebrates Five Decades as Fashion Icon and Princess of Pop Culture

Celebrating 50 years in 9th March 2009, Barbie's famous face and head-turning style have made her way more than the most popular doll in the world – today Barbie is a worldwide fashion icon, pop culture princess and a global brand powerhouse. Launched in 1959, Barbie has taken the world by storm with her chiseled-to-perfection looks and her incredible sense of fashion. She has always been a forerunner in Fashion and has seamlessly evolved with the changing times and the ensuing trends to emerge as a fashion icon for young girls across the globe.

Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta Katha – Gyan Yaga

Seven days Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta Katha – Gyan Yaga from Thursday , 29^th January to 04^th February, 2009 was organized at Vishnu Ground, Bangur Nagar, Goregaon (W), Mumbai by Aayodhya Rathi Memorial Trust of ANR Parivar. Renowned Acharya Shri Govindev Giriji Maharaj also known as Acharya shri Kishore ji vyas was recite the holy book in his melodious voice. Mr. Nandkishore Rathi, Director ANR Parivar was organising the Katha in memory of his beloved mother Smt Ayodhya Devi Rathi. Along with the recital evens like Jhanki, Shri Krishna Bal leela, Shri Krishna Rukmani Vivah, Sudama Pujan was also been organised.

The special guest whose presence was to be marked and enhanced in the shobha yatra procession of Hon'ble Shri Satyamitraanad Giriji Maharaj Shri Shankaracharyaji and Shri Kishoreji Vyas Smt.Hememaliniji, Smt.Smriti Iraniji, Smt.Vasundharaji Raje, Shri Narayan Raneji, Shri Raj Thakareji, Shri Krupashankar Singhji Shri Narendra Modiji, ShriJayantraoji Patil Shri Chagganji Bhujbal.

Nandkishore Rathi had produced a feature film “Kuchh Khatta Kuchh Mitha”. Creative director Ani Sharma and Rajendra Rathor was decorated the function place. Celebrity Manoj Joshi was also visited the function. Shanker Dhone (Art Director of “Gadar”) was also contributed his art. Narsi Avtar, Krishna Jan, Govardhan Puja, Deepakotsav, Rajasthani Art, Garbha and Rukmani Vibha was played visually by the local artists during this period. Daily 4000 to 5000 audience was visited there. Nandkishore Rathi and his company would continue produce religious serial and films. Its first time in Mumbai in which any religious function visual presentation was taken place.

MERCEDES TO MISAL – KOHLAPUR MAHOTSAV TO ENTHRALL MUMBAIITES

Kolhapur may have derived its name from the demon Kolhasur who got killed by Mahalakshmi, but the goddess still rules here. For, Kolhapur is also best-known for having the highest number of Mercedes in the state only after Mumbai.

Nevertheless, it took a man of unconventional energy, Mr. Vinay Kore, the Minister for Non-conventional Energy and Horticulture to actually bring Kolhapur to Mumbai. On Jan 11, The Prati-Kolhapur Mahotsav will see a congregation of over 2 lakh Kolhapurites come together at Shivaji Park, Mumbai on January 11. The day will also mark the establishment of Raja Shri Sahu Kolhapur Vikas Prathisthan that strives for the development of this historic town.

Visually, Nitin Desai has, with his amazing art direction expertise, brought Kolhapur to Mumbai in the real sense, recreating the glory of Kolhapur at Shivaji Park, complete with the temples and historic structures.

The Mahotsav has a lot to offer. From the famous hot and spicy Kolhapuri misal to tambra-pandra rassa to the vada and bhaji to the ghaati mutton to the the molten gold of Kolhapur-jaggery, the fest is a treat for the taste buds. The Kolhapuri saaz and the other traditional silver jewellery and articles, the clothing range from Ichhal Karanji and of course, the ever-haute Kolhapuri chappal vie for space, while corporates of the likes of Warna, and educational institutions like DY Patil College will make their presence felt. Art and culture of Kolhapur will also reign --dhanpatta, lezim, kushti, laavni, gondhal and dhargani dhol among others will rule the roost.

"This is just the beginning", enthuses Mr.  Vinay Kore, Minister for Non-conventional Energy and Horticulture, and the visionary who conceptualized the entire Fest. "We are looking at the Raja Shri Sahu Kolhapur Vikas Pratishtan being housed on a two-acre land with a 10,000-capacity hostel facility, a business development centre, an employment exchange office, a counselling centre among others. There is still a long way to go."

The Prati-Kolhapur Mahotsav will be inaugurated by Mr. Ashok Chavan, Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Mr. Chhagan Bhujbal, Honourable Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra on January 11.

17-year-old artist Asrvesh Harivallabhdas  

A CA student with a  passion for art, 18-year-old Sarvesh Harivallabhdas exhibits his charcoals and pastels at Art Desh Art Gallery, Film Centre, from Jan 5. Can we interview this 18-year-old artist who holds his exhibition please?

TANGIBLE BEAUTY
Some may dream of what could be, young Sarvesh Harivallabhdas finds perfection here and now. He paints what he sees, exactly the way our human eyes see things, and his subjects are immediately recognizable.
He paints for pleasure, unencumbered by obscure logic or some arcane philosophy.
Eighteen year old Sarvesh says he has painted as far back as he can remember. At seven, he drew Donald Duck from TV shows. Next followed beloved characters like Mickey, the Jetsons, the Flintstones, and Scooby Doo. While Amar Chitra Katha books were around his home, he was attracted to the bright colors and cartoons of Walt Disney's creations and never really took to 'Indian' subjects then.
Self taught except for art classes at school, Sarvesh recently attended Radhika Mehta's classes and then started observing Indian work. He totally loves Raja Ravi Verma. The current series started with an interest in faces and Indian themes. There is a lovely Degas inspired ballet scene, a haunting portrait of the Afghan girl from the National Geographic, deeply touching 'mother and child' portraits, and  several good-looking Indian women who resemble John Fernandes' ladies. Clear liquid eyes, the golden gleam of hair, soft eyelashes, tranquil babies are all lovely parts of his work. He paints human beauty after witnessing its perfection. His portraits look straight at you, strong and beautiful. He uses color or many shades of black and white, often
on gray or blue handmade paper.
Sarvesh says "I portray what is there and what I see. I do not 'think differently' and then paint. I like grandeur, I love intricate fabric designs and very refined embroidery. Rajasthan now has become a favorite, especially the embroidery there."
He loves Renoir, "Out of all the Impressionists, he has the softest, most delicate blending of shades."  Currently inspired by John Fernandes, he adds, "I like very beautiful and innocent faces, especially Fernandes' depiction of female forms. I am not much inclined towards scenery, not keen on landscapes. I am most interested
in portraying perfect faces, glorious garments, jewelry, rich, complicated fabrics and fine embroidery."  Filled with wonder at some exquisite Japanese embroidery, he commented. "I love their subtle, highly skilled works with flowers and butterflies. No, not the insects!" He loved the fabrics in Devdas, Jodha Akbar and looks
forward to Rang Rasiya for Ravi Verma's work gives him great pleasure and continuous inspiration.
 What do you like best about painting?
"The tangible outcome. I like wholesome, perfect faces and forms. Grecian features."
Your aesthetic sense is refined. Does Mumbai bother you?

"No, I love Mumbai and my life here. I don't notice bad things too much. I have no plans or dreams right now, everything is perfect. I take life as it comes, as it is. I am not keen on studying art in a structured way, I am happy it is a hobby, without the stress of exhibitions. Just perfect!"
Sarvesh will finish his CA in three years. Very sure that he never wants to be a fulltime artist, he views his art as a beautiful, deeply satisfying hobby. Right from the beginning, his family has been most encouraging. This series in crayons and charcoal is tender and of high quality, more than just a hobby, and will undoubtedly bring requests for more work.

The Famed Toyota Classics for the First Time in India

·         Total proceeds of the charity concert goes to Save the Children India

·         Dr. L. Subramaniam was the special guest performer at the concert

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has successfully showcased, for the first time ever in India – TOYOTA CLASSICS, a cultural programme organized by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) worldwide, since 1990. The Toyota Classics concerts have raised funds for charitable organizations through performances by world renowned orchestras where the proceeds are donated to three or four pre-selected charitable organizations. Over a period of 17 years, there have been 141 concerts that have raised YEN 628 million (approximately Rs.30 crores) for 36 charities across Asia.

Toyota Classics is an annual series of concerts for classical music fans in Asia. This year the event took place between October 30 and November 16, 2008 in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Brunei, Taipei, Hanoi, Seoul and Mumbai.

On the evening of November 16, 2008 at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Mumbai, music lovers were introduced to the Vienna Operetta Orchestra, a renowned Austrian Orchestra who enthralled the audience with authentic classics penned by greats such as Johan Strauss and Franz Lehar. The audience was also treated to a special performance by India's very own and globally renowned violin maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam

The beneficiary of the inaugural Toyota Classics in India is 'Save the Children', a NGO working towards the empowerment of the disadvantaged children and women. The donation cheque was presented to 'Save the Children' by Mrs. Geetanjali Kirloskar, wife of Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, the Vice Chairman of Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

Speaking about the event Mr. H. Nakagawa, Managing Director TKM said, "We are indeed delighted to showcase the globally renowned TOYOTA CLASSICS for the first time ever in India. Toyota has always supported social and cultural causes and encouraged natural talent in every possible means. The TOYOTA CLASSICS is an example of one such cause. We do believe all of us can together create a better society by championing the cause of equality and equal opportunity in society."

Esteemed dignitaries at the concert included His Excellency Mr. Hideaki Domichi, Japanese Ambassador to India; His Excellency Mr. Ferdinand Maultaschi, Austrian Ambassador to India; Dr (Mrs) Indu Shahani, Sheriff of Mumbai; Mr Masayuki Nakai, Managing Officer, Toyota Motor Corporation; Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Mr. Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor.

The response for the concert was overwhelming – tickets, priced Rs.1000 and Rs.2000 were sold out only a couple of weeks after going on sale. Toyota Kirloskar Motor was aptly supported by Save the Children and the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation, a not for profit organization that aims to foster a greater knowledge, understanding and appreciation of western classical music in Mumbai.  

When asked about his thoughts on the event, Dr. L. Subramaniam said, "It is wonderful that Toyota is promoting classical events in India by bringing the Vienna Operetta Orchestra down and it's a great pleasure to perform with them. I wish the Toyota Classics in India all the luck in future."

Indu Shekhar Sinha takes over as BBC World Service’s India Business Development Manager

BBC World Service has appointed Indu Shekhar Sinha to take up the role of India Business Development Manager for one year.  From November 2008, Indu Shekhar will manage BBC World Service’s multimedia distribution and business development activities in India. 

Indu Shekhar replaces Vineeta Dwivedi while she is going to work for the DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) Consortium as Project Director for one year. 

Indu Shekhar, who is currently BBC Hindi’s Desk Editor in London, has over 13 years’ experience of working with Indian and international media organisations.  Prior to joining the BBC in 2001, he worked as a Business Journalist for Times Television and as prime-time News Presenter at Zee News.  In addition to serving various editorial roles at the BBC, he has also worked with BBC Strategy which supports the BBC’s public service activities.  As part of the team, he contributed to paving the way forward for the BBC in South Asia.

As India Business Development Manager, Indu Shekhar will be responsible for developing the distribution of BBC World Service output in India across a range of platforms including FM, broadband, DTH channel distribution system, mobile phones, satellite radio and TV. 

Head of Asia Business Development, BBC World Service, Neil Curry, comments:  “I am delighted with the appointment. Indu Shekhar brings a wealth of experience of the Indian media market as well as strong editorial values. His energy, enthusiasm and strategic thinking will be a great asset in driving our business interests in this most exciting of markets."

Affle's Sms2.0 becomes the largest mobile media in India.

Mobile advertising has often been toutes as the next big revolution in advertising , but has usually been constained by hte lack of reach and the spam\ push nature of most advertising options. Affle, a UK - based mobile media Company, has, however, revolutioned this in India with the launch of SMS2.0 . In these few months of launch, Affle's SMS2.0 media platform has gained mass acceptance from users, advertisers, agencies, etc, and has risen to be India's top mobile media channel, delivering over 65 million targeted impressions a month.

Affle, which had launched its mobile media platform SMS 2.0 in India late last year, has received an overwhelming response from users resulting in over 1 lakh new users getting added every month. Given that the users are enjoying their engagement with this new media, advertisers have been quick to lap it up as well and are leveraging this mobile screen in varied ways to deliver targeted and interactive communication.

SMS2.0 is an upgrade to the SMS application, which replaces and thus captures the most valuable real estate on the phone, the SMS screen. As most users use their mobile phone only for talking and SMSing, the SMS screen is the place where user's eyeballs are the most intently engaged with handset.

Affle operated in five countries -- the U.K, India,Singapore, Thailand and the U.S. The company is also in the process of strategically expanding into other mobile markets in Asia and Europe very soon. 

Welcome to the future of Satellite Television with Tata Sky+

 "Time and tide wait for no one!" This adage may not hold true any longer.

 Tata Sky Ltd., the JV between the TATA Group and STAR, now proves that, in fact, you can pause time until you are ready to move on. With the unveiling of Tata Sky+, a new-age service that uses the breakthrough Personal Video Recorder technology, for the first time in the Indian subcontinent, Tata Sky welcomes you to the future of DTH in India.

Tata Sky+ (Tata Sky Plus) combines elegant style with a range of unique in-built functionality that offers a viewer the power to plan and control his TV viewing experience with features such as Record Live TV and Pause & Rewind Live TV.

Capturing every unique functionality of the new service in an interesting interactive act, Tata Sky+ was unveiled by acclaimed actor and Tata Sky brand ambassador, Aamir Khan along with Vikram Kaushik, MD & CEO, Tata Sky.

Speaking on the launch of Tata Sky+, Mr. Vikram Kaushik, MD & CEO, Tata Sky Ltd. said, "Tata Sky has revolutionized the TV viewing experience in India by spearheading the introduction of innovative interactive services covering cooking, 24x7 Darshan, matrimonial classifieds, learning games and the introduction of its unique bi-lingual programming guide. This time we chose to capitalise on our partnership with Sky, the global leader in DTH technology to bring another first to India, the PVR. This technology will not only help our subscribers to time-shift their TV-viewing with the Record and Playback features, but also give them the convenience to enjoy uninterrupted TV with the Pause and Rewind live TV features."

Going jingalala about the launch of Tata Sky+, a delighted Aamir Khan said, "Tata Sky has revolutionized TV entertainment in India and I am happy to be a part of something that is at the frontier of change. With the launch of Tata Sky+, they have once again reiterated their commitment to deliver nothing short of the best. As someone with a hectic work schedule, I usually miss out on many of my favourite programmes on TV, but not anymore. Tata Sky+ ensures that TV simply fits in to my life by allowing me the flexibility to record my favourite programmes and watch them at leisure. I truly believe that Isko laga dala, toh life aur bhi jingalala"

"Personal Video Recorder" is the hallmark of Tata Sky+

The Tata Sky+ digicomp has MPEG 4 technology, a hard disk and an in-built personal video recorder (PVR). The PVR enables the viewer to pause & rewind live TV as well as record up to 45 hours of live TV.

CUSTOMER DELIGHT GETS AN ALL NEW MEANING

Discovery Travel & Living to Present India's First Hotel Based Reality Series - HOTEL BY THE BAY

In a premium hotel, where customers expect nothing less than the best, where luxury gets redefined every week, where "your wish is my command" is just the starting point, Discovery Travel and Living will go behind the smooth glossy façade of more than 100-years old The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai to uncover the real story of the unseen "Storm Behind The Calm".

India's leading lifestyle channel - Discovery Travel & Living will present the first ever hotel-based reality series 'HOTEL BY THE BAY' that would reveal the true emotions - frustrations, excitement, tears and joy - of the hotel staff as experienced daily while attending to unrelenting customer demands. It captures all the high voltage drama and the interplay amongst the various hotel departments, all aiming for that ultimate reward – customer delight. Encompassing staff from all departments - chefs, housekeeping, room service, chauffeurs and butlers - the series presents their meticulous planning and attention to minute details, while serving irate and challenging customers, at the same time it also showcases the unseen chaos and goof-ups that are created in the process. In short, an ordinary day in a hotelier's life.

HOTEL BY THE BAY, a ten-part series is slated to premiere on Discovery Travel & Living every Sunday at 8.30 pm from October 26th.

Commenting on the series Rahul Johri, SVP & General Manager - India, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific said, "HOTEL BY THE BAY juxtaposes two contrasting worlds that co-exist in a hotel – that of the guests and the employees. Discovery Travel & Living has covered Indian lifestyles and its various manifestations in the past – marriage, travel, cuisine and fashion. This time we are focusing on the back-stage drama that routinely takes place in one of the most frequented and recognised lifestyle destinations – luxury hotels."

"The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai is one of India's landmarks. For more than 100 years; we have acquainted guests with the living heritage of India. From Maharajas and Princes to various Kings, Presidents, CEOs and entertainers, the Taj has played the perfect host, supportive of their every need. This grand hotel epitomized a philosophy that still holds true today: provide impeccable service and unparalleled facilities so every stay is a memorable one. When Discovery Travel & Living approached us to give the world a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes… we looked at it as a chance to show what really makes this hotel a great hotel. It is the   spirit and passion of its people. A team of tireless individuals working towards brining this hotel in a class beyond compare. I am proud to acquaint you with the soul of the Taj!", said Karambir Singh Kang, General Manager, The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Mumbai.  

Shot in actual working environment, the cameras follow the key characters in real time as they go about addressing their daily challenges capturing their true emotions, frustrations and achievements as they happen in the line of duty. No retakes here.  

The series is interspersed with anecdotes of customers ranging from royalty to politicians to film stars and corporate leaders, each uniquely challenging. The series also gives glimpses of the hotel's senior management including the Corporate Chef and Grand Executive Chef - Luxury Division - Hemant Oberoi, known for his fastidious demeanor and penchant for highest standards, driving his team to not only predict but surpass customer expectations.

Society of Fashion Technology

Society of fashion technology (SOFT) is a 7 years old institute started by young and dynamic entreprenuer Suvidha Patil, which specializes in Fashion Design and Jewellery Design and has provided its knowledge to more than 2000 students all over India so far.

The institute is located in Malad [E] and Andheri (w) in Mumbai which consists of air-conditioned class rooms, fully equipped computer lab, a well learned library, personalized attention, canalizing students potential through correct guidance and counseling.

Our team of faculties is highly experienced in their fields. We are committed to give the best of our services, such that our students pass out with flying colors in this field and succeed in their careers. 

Why choose SOFT for Fashion & Jewellery?

   Soft main goal is to give the very best to the students, which we do by regularly monitoring and upgrading syllabus by employing industries most competitive faculties as well as involving professionals. We also ensure regular workshops and field visits for the students. Soft primary objective starts with students and ends with students. Growth and maximum growth of student is the main aim, as we believe that soft's growth is directly related to our student's growth. Our aim is not only to be one of the leading institutes in Mumbai but the whole of India.