Spice trail: Raima Sen handed over cheques of Rs 31,000 each to physician Ajitesh Ghoshal (extreme left), fashion designer Saurav Saraf of Burrabazar and Berhampore resident Soumen Debnath (extreme right), at the last edition of Kurkure’s Priyo Chilli Flavour Khao, Star-er Shaathe Shopping-e Jao, in association with t2, held on Thursday afternoon at South City Mall’s Pantaloons outlet. The contest saw the winners interacting with either Raima Sen or Swastika Mukherjee.

“I did not expect to win. I am very excited! I have bought things for my friends, my niece and, of course, myself!” said Soumen whose favourite Kurkure flavour was Chilli Mustard. Tollygunge resident Ajitesh said: “Winning this contest was a golden opportunity as I had the pleasure to interact with Raima Sen and my son Anik also enjoyed himself.” Saurav said he had voted for his “favourite” flavour — Chilli Achari. “I am fond of pickles,” he smiled.

After handing over the cheques, Raima clapped and cheered on as Ajitesh sang Amake amar moto thakte dao. “It’s a good thing to have such a contest. I got the opportunity to interact with so many people, something which I normally don’t get to do. I have tasted the Chilli Garlic flavour and liked it,” said Raima who had a busy Puja this year with inaugurations and more. Picture: Anindya Shankar Ray

clicks on canvas bring a world of beauty to the city

Canal at St. Petersburg

He’s fished and caught 25 piranhas in Pantanal, a tropical wetland area in Brazil. He’s danced with the icebergs in Greenland. He’s walked through the wilderness of Patagonia, the southern tip of South America. And watched 1.5 million animals cross over the crocodile-infested Mara River in Kenya.

All with a Nikon camera in hand.

Photographer Sumantra Banerjee has put together more than 230 clicks on canvas in an exhibition titled ‘Our Beautiful Planet’. “It’s a collection of all the pictures I’ve taken around the globe from places people only get to see on travel channels,” says Banerjee, whose captures will be up for sale at the Emami Chisel Art (near Ruby hospital) on October 25-27.

The high-resolution photographs have been printed on canvas. “This takes it to a completely different level. It leaves you on middle-ground… wondering if it’s a picture or a painting,” says Banerjee, who has divided the canvases under different themes.

So, there’s ‘Oh! What a Beautiful World’ which has scenic pictures from Iceland, New Zealand and rural India. Or ‘Diverse Fauna’ which has a close-up of the spotted deer from Corbett and a leopard yawning in Kruger.

Ask the man with the magical lens where he is headed next and he tells you that “at any point of time” he has “three trips in the pipeline”. Next up? Beijing to Lhasa (from where he will return in time for his exhibition) followed by Churchill in October and then the Arctic (“just when the water begins to freeze and 150 polar bears gather together”) and finally the Aurora Borealis or the Northern Lights in November.

But let’s save that for his next exhibition.

What: Our Beautiful Planet — a collection of photographs by Sumantra Banerjee Foundation & Emami Chisel Art Where: Emami Towers (near Ruby Hospital), EM Bypass When: October 25 (inauguration at 5pm), October 26 (5pm-8pm) and October 27 (3pm-8pm).Pocket pinch: Prices range from Rs 500 to Rs 45,000

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What: Temptations Trinity in association with t2

When: October 21-23,10.30am to 8pm

Where: Ice Skating Rink

What to expect: Organised by the Inner Wheel Club of Central Calcutta, the exhibition will have 81 labels from across the country.

There will be home decor items from Delhi and silver accessories from Mumbai. No pre-Diwali exhibition is complete without diyas and candles and this one too will have them aplenty.

Organiser speak: “The first edition was held some 25 years ago when Ice Skating Rink had first opened its doors to such events. This time, we are stressing on innovative products at reasonable prices,” said Dipti Khaitan of Inner Wheel Club of Central Calcutta.