(From top): Virender Sehwag and Siddharth Dilawri at the launch of Sehwag Favourites; Alexander Frater at the release of Chasing the Monsoon; Rocky S, Hindol Sengupta and Neeta Lulla at the launch of Indian Fashion; Aditi Gowatrikar, Meghna K and Madhoo (left to right) at Mogra; Sabyasachi with models in his creations at Carma

Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan are all pashas at the pitch. But they?ve proved themselves to be savvy restaurateurs as well. The latest in the line-up of cricketers taking to the food game is the Nawab of Najafgarh himself, Virender Sehwag. The batsman prefers to call his latest venture a food court and it will serve his all-time favourites Indian dishes. Hence the name, Sehwag Favourites. The launch was announced recently at the Le Meridien hotel in Delhi by Sehwag and his business partner, Siddharth Dilawri of Creative Stride.

What?s on the menu? A variety of paranthas from the usual aloo and gobi ones to the unusual Fruit Cocktail Paranthas ? all for Rs 25 each. Then there?s Multan Ke Sultan Ki Tikdi, comprising an assortment of paranthas, rice and vegetables for Rs 309 and the Tandorust Torataza, which includes all kinds of salads for Rs 50 each. Sweet endings include such temptations as phirni, kheer and Shahi Tukda. For non-vegetarians, however, the menu might prove a bit disappointing as the usual tandoori chicken options are missing. Lovers of Lebanese food would do well to tuck into the Chicken Shawarma Pita, for just Rs 45.

?Affordability for the masses is the emphasis,? said Sehwag, admitting that the project was indeed part of his retirement plan. ?Even if it is a bit early, it?s not bad to plan early is it?? he smiled. Sehwag Favourites will be opening shortly at TDI Fun Republic, Delhi and Ansal Plaza, Ludhiana.

Sister act

Hotshot designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee or ?Pepsi? as he is affectionately called by friends, was in Delhi recently, showing off his Fall-Winter 2005 collection at Carma. The collection is a take-off from his earlier Nair Sisters collection. The three Nair sisters were the designer?s neighbours in the colony where he grew up. They did not have a mother, only a father. So they?d end up wearing most of their father?s clothes, especially his shirts, and mix and match them with skirts and trousers. It was this blend of the masculine and the feminine that inspired Sabyasachi in this collection, which takes in mostly salwar-kurtas, skirts, Bollywood-inspired ghaghras and saris on show at the Mehrauli store.

Discharge printed, the clothes boasted everything from block to flower prints in bright colours such as oranges, pinks, parrot-greens and powder-blues. The heavily-embroidered ensembles, heavy on the sequins and shimmer, were a big hit with prospective brides who were present at the venue.

The emphasis lay on a sense of volume around the knee area to flatter the female figure. ?Skin is on its way out. People are getting into the art of dressing,? said Sabyasachi. The kurtas ranged from Rs 8,000-Rs 22,000 while saris cost between Rs 16,000-Rs 85,000.

Fashion foreword

The launch of fashion writer Hindol Sengupta?s definitive guide to the contemporary Indian fashion industry titled Indian Fashion was supposed to draw heavyweight designers like Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla and Monisha Jaisingh. Held at Crossword?s Juhu outlet in Mumbai recently, the event, however, only drew Rocky S and Neeta Lulla, who released the book.

Sengupta?s book is being marketed as the first-ever comprehensive documentation of India?s fashion industry. It profiles 32 of India?s ?most important? designers and includes Q&As with them and never-seen-before photographs and sketches. Fashion doyenne Ritu Kumar has written the foreword and the book also includes sections on the National Institute of Fashion Technology and three of India?s best fashion stores. A documentary filmmaker and writer, Sengupta currently pens columns on Indian fashion for two newspapers in Seattle and Toronto. He read excerpts from the book on Rocky S and Neeta Lulla at the launch, which was followed by a Q&A session.

Style shower

The 27-year-old fashion designer has quite a following with stars like Riya Sen and Tanisha wearing her creations. So when Meghna K launched her eclectic monsoon collection of tunics and saris at Mogra, the fashion store at High Street Phoenix Mills in Mumbai recently, it wasn?t surprising that she drew quite a crowd. Sameera Reddy walked in and changed into some of the designer?s saris while Aditi Gowatrikar looked stunning in her nine-yard wrap. Also present were actress Madhoo and interior designer Nisha Jhamwal.

The shoppers made the most of the wine and cocktails even as they sighed over the halter tunics and printed chiffon saris embellished with gota patti, sequins and stones. The line in animal, floral and polka dot prints is available in an array of bright colours like fuchsia, blue, lime-green, yellow and orange.

Monsoon on the mind

Visions of lazy afternoons watching the rain fall on your balcony or even dancing in the rain may seem excessively romanticised after Mumbai?s recent experience with the outburst from the skies. But it?s the kind of magic that Alexander Frater, author of Chasing the Monsoon, sought to recapture at a reading of the book at The Oberoi in the city recently.

Picador India has released the renowned travel writer?s book in paperback this month. In it, Frater recounts his journey as he travelled with the rain clouds from Kerala to Cherrapunji via Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Benares, Calcutta and Shillong. It?s a tale of (what else?) exotic and startling discoveries and adventure.

The reading, held at the hotel?s Indian restaurant, Tiffin?s book reading section, mainly drew a crowd of expatriates. Frater has won several British Press Travel Awards and both his major works, Chasing the Monsoon and Beyond the Blue Horizon, have been made into BBC television films. Frater is currently chasing the rain clouds in Udaipur, trying to capture the quintessential Rajasthan monsoon.