Orra, part of ?the world?s largest diamond manufacturing company? Rosy Blue, will now be available in India. Select Intergold stores all over the country are being converted into the international brand, with the fifth being unveiled in Calcutta on Monday.

The exclusive store at the Chowringhee-Lindsay Street crossing was inaugurated by actress Gurpreet Kohli, who wore the Tamarine necklace specially commissioned for Oscar 2004. Valued at $1 million, with a blend of 190 carats natural-coloured diamonds, it was worn by US style icon Joan Rivers at the post-Oscar party.

Keeping the consumer here in mind, Orra has introduced a new range of designs combining Indian tradition and culture with the latest in Western stylisation. A top draw is a fine line in Belgian diamonds costing Rs 5,000 to Rs 7 lakh.

?Orra epitomises our rich diamond heritage. Positioned as an ?only diamonds store?, it aims at bringing to the consumer the finest diamond jewellery in a world-class retail setting,? claims CEO Vijay Jain.

(From top): Actress Gurpreet Kohli sports an Orra neckpiece; painter Shuvaprasanna and anchor Barun Das celebrate as a restaurant turns one; a child savours another birthday treat at a candy store. Pictures by Rashbehari Das and Pabitra Das

Raj rebound

The sixth house in Ballygunge Place celebrated its success in style. The speciality Bengali and Continental restaurant that turned one last Sunday had a birthday bash befitting a winner. The mood at the food address was upbeat from the word go as a host of Calcutta?s prominent citizens were welcomed into the central hall of the restaurant that had been converted into a baithak khana (drawing room) complete with spotless white gaddas and rest pillows.

The mood was set with lots of adda and music. The Violin Brothers regaled with their brand of fusion and classical repertoire with Hip Pocket drummer-cum-foodie Nondon Bagchi and singer Gopa Ghosh bringing up the rear.

What followed was an exciting exchange of views on the impact of the two-century British Raj on Bengali cuisine. The session went on to encompass pretty much everything concerning old Bengal with expert comments from painter Shuvaprasanna; Aniruddha Lahiri, managing director, ABP Pvt Ltd; and television anchor Saswati Guhathakurta.

The anchor for the evening, Barun Das, did a fair job of navigating the discussion on to the more interesting aspects of the evening like the brief but enchanting musical soirees by Gopa Ghosh and the Violin Brothers.

But if the adda scored a seven out of 10, the snacks came up tops with favourites like crab chops, kebabs and prawn pakoras to munch on. The birthday cake baked by the in-house chef was good enough to die for.

Candy crave

Chocolates and candies are synonymous with birthday banquets. So when a candywallah decides to celebrate turning one, the sweet taste of success is sure to leave you licking your fingers.

Candy Treats in Forum celebrated its first birthday last weekend ? and how. Close to 5,000 kids were invited for the three-day bash, starting Friday.

?The candies here are not priced per piece but sold according to the weight, with every 100 gm costing Rs 60? We use gloves while picking the sweets for hygienic purposes. This sets us apart from other shops,? said Manjari Tibrewal, co-owner of the shop.

?We thought that the celebrations should also be in sync with the unique nature of the shop. As a result we set the ball rolling amongst 5,000, inviting them for the party,? she added.

Candy Treats, set up last year under the leadership of Rajiv Tibrewal, was decorated with balloons of different shades and sizes for the big weekend. Besides the regular stuff, the children were lured with irresistible candies from international brands like Ashburry?s, specially dished out in mouth-watering flavours of orange, mint, strawberry and chocolate.

As if the candies were not alluring enough, there were jugglers and games galore for the little ones. A treasure hunt for toddlers found them grabbing goodies if they fished out toys from huge candy stacks. Topping it all were the tattoos on the tiny forearms.