Barely a fortnight after leading names of the English live music circuit rocked Trincas, it is time to give it up for the ?future of Bengali music? ? Bangla bands. ?The future of Bengali music lies with these young, upcoming bands,? stresses restaurateur Deepak Puri of Trincas.

After the rock fest that featured such names as Usha Uthup ? returning to Park Street?s one-time music landmark after decades ? and Skinny Alley, the sounds of contemporary Bengali tunes will be heard from December 12. Cactus, Fossils, Paras Pathar, Lakkhichhara, Kaya and Abhilasha are part of the six-day line up.

But does the dinner crowd have an ear for Bangla music? ?The existing patrons are certainly going to appreciate it. But with Bangla rock bands playing, we will also have a different profile of people coming in,? explains Puri.

Siddhartha Shankar Roy of Cactus, which will be playing on December 14, echoes the owner?s sentiments. ?It is an honour for the Bangla bands to play at Trincas. Musical notes have no language, so I don?t think we should have any problems finding an audience.?

The musicians have chosen mellower notes to go with a relaxed evening ambience. ?Trincas will see the best of us, but we are going to cut out loud numbers. Breaking the window panes is not on our agenda,? smiles Rupam of Fossils.

Regional language acts have been steadily reaching out to a cosmopolitan crowd of all ages. ?Bangla rock has come out of college campuses and is no longer only popular with the age group of 18 to 25,? explains a Paras Pathar spokesperson. He feels this has been possible largely due to ?ideation with music and lyrics?.

(From top) Model Sheena Chouhan admires silver artefacts at Princess; Bangla band members gear up for the Trincas musical extravaganza; a participant at the Ayur Face of the Year selections at The Park. Pictures by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya, Rashbehari Das and Pabitra Das

Whatever the reason, the Calcutta music (and food) lover is steadily getting more to choose from.

Silver sparkle

Silver and glass have met in an innovative effort on the part of a city store. Princess ? a nine-year-old silverware outlet at Ideal Plaza on Sarat Bose Road ? has unveiled an interesting range of silver-crystal pieces, ranging from flower vases to dry fruit bowls and perfume bottles.

?This is silver made affordable,? says owner Sanjeev Kejriwal, who is also trying to incorporate white wood as an alternative material to be paired with the white metal. A frosted glass bowl held in a silver cone adorned with intricate cut-work is a classy touch for comparatively less (Rs 1,700).

?One can pick up pieces from Rs 1,000 onwards,? adds Kejriwal. Besides the one-off household items, a range of gifts form the mainstay of this collection.

Photo frames are priced at Rs 600 onwards, vases and jewellery boxes at Rs 1,500. Bowl sets for babies in shapes of cartoon characters like Donald Duck or teddy bears at Rs 5,000 are other sure hits.

Hot hunt

A hunt is on across the country for the prettiest face. The eastern zonal finals of the hunt was held in Calcutta on Sunday evening at a rather lavish affair at The Park hotel.

?In its five years of existence, this is the first time that the Face of the Year has gone national, resulting in the beautiful women of Calcutta getting a chance to participate,? said Joy Basu Mullick, the organiser of the city event. The sponsor this year is Ayur.

Judges Pallavi Chatterjee, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Henna Gorsia, Pinky and top cop Manoj Malviya chose the six finalists who will represent the eastern region at the national finals to be held in Hyderabad later this month.

The well-packaged evening had a mix of fun and fashion. Five young designers were given a chance to showcase their clothes during the course of the evening.

While Natasha showed off her Anarkali creation, Neha Jhunjhunwala followed with her signature men?s wear line Kites that saw models flaunting silk lungis with formal shirts and caps.

Next came Indira with her exquisite embroidery work on fabrics ranging from silk to tussar and linen. Young Nikesh Solani presented yet another collection of women?s ethnic wear, but it was the duo of Pradeep and Jayesh with their closing sequence of evening wear who took home a lot of kudos from the audience.

Client care

A smiling salesman surely is more likely to make a sale than a scowling one. And with increasing competition between brands, it is becoming imperative that the customer be given the royal treatment to make him feel like the king that he is.

It is in this context that LauncherZ, a communications solutions company, organised a seminar at Tollygunge Club to flag off its customer experience programme.

?The programme aims at making each staff member so highly motivated and skilled that they leave an impact on the customer. The client feels more than pleased at the interaction, becomes loyal to the brand and the employee achieves his targets. This is a win-win situation for both the customer and the service-provider,? explained Rajiv Lodha of LauncherZ.

The firm runs two courses ? ExpreZ for improving communication skills and ImpreZto add a touch of sophistication to one?s personality. ?The programme is for those in direct contact with customers. We work on the person?s weaknesses and customise the training accordingly,? added Lodha.

Salon hues

Another new salon has opened its doors recently, in time for the hectic wedding season. Eye Catchers, where Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi dropped in for a quick hair dye before the India-Pakistan ODI, has opened at 6, Wood Street.

?The emphasis is on comfort. There is enough space to relax and let your hair down,? says Srivarrdhaan Daga, owner of the 1,200-sq-ft address. The hair programme includes highlighting, straightening and hair treatment for both men and women, the charges for which start at Rs 1,500.

Skin treatments, including facials, pigmentation and acne packages are offered here, at Rs 600 onwards.

Book budget

Crossword, the Elgin Road bookstore, has been packed with happy buyers for the past fortnight.

A sale ? marking prices down by up to 70 per cent ? has seen bookworms scouting for best buys. ?Youngsters must be inculcated with a love for reading,? believes proprietor Siddharth Pansari. So the sale boasts great deals in the kiddie category, with paperbacks and hard-bounds going for throwaway rates.

Educational children?s books like the Oxford Children?s Encyclopaedia (a nine volume set), whose cover price is Rs 8,643 has been marked at Rs 2,750.

For art lovers, a detailed tour through the ages can be found in A History of Art, priced at Rs 999, at a 77 per cent discount. While this book was sold out within the first day itself, orders can be placed and another more concise volume on art can be found at less than Rs 300.

The sale is on till December 12, with new books finding their way to the discount shelves constantly. There is a 10 per cent discount on most titles.

For Books Rewards Programme members and HDFC Bank cardholders, there is an additional five per cent discount on each and every item in the store.