Moonmoon Sen with daughters Raima and Riya at Senco Gold Megashop, Moulali

Marriages are said to be made in heaven. Now they are also made at the Senco Gold Megashop. This one-stop shop for weddings at Moulali celebrated a month of its existence by organising a mock wedding at its premises.

e Moonmoon Sen played mother of the bride, her daughters Raima and Riya dressed up as brides at the Senco Gold wedding. Replete with the usual hustle and bustle that accompanies Bengali weddings, ‘Bridal Blessings’, as the celebration was christened, demonstrated jewellery options for gaye holudh, suva drishti, muh dikhai and boubhaat.

Having adorned themselves in exquisite pieces of jewellery, brides Raima and Riya made a ravishing entry. The auspicious ceremony began amid strains of shehnai and blowing of conch shells. Gaye holudh, the ceremony of rubbing turmeric on the bride’s forehead and preparing her with a bath in scented water acquired a new meaning as Raima showed off her sitahaar, necklace and balas. The traditionally Bengali jewellery complemented her natural, haldi-smeared look. With the gaye holudh over, the time for the marriage had arrived. Subha drishti, as the customary exchange of glances is called, took place amid uludhwani and teasing. Resplendent in a jadau kundan set comprising a necklace, bangles, earrings and maangtika, Riya looked the coquettish bride. What followed as part of the muh dikhai, was a series of post-wedding rituals. Wearing expensive diamonds from the Senco Diamond Room, Raima looked the perfect newly-wedded bride. Next came the bou bhaat where the bride serves rice to everyone in the family. Bedecked in a beautiful antique gold and ruby set, Riya participated in the traditional ceremonial introduction to her in-laws’ family.

As the 8,000 sq feet showroom came alive with the mock-wedding ceremony, Senco Gold established the fact that it has ready options for every ceremony before, during and after weddings.

VJs Anushka and Purab with a partygoer (left to right) live it up at Tantra, (above) a party on in full swing at the same venue

Wonder weaves

Thanks to the hard work and bold initiative of artisans and young designers, hand woven textiles of India remain a fabric of choice in the world of synthetics and machine-made fibre. To celebrate the continuous development in weaving, printing, dyeing and embroidery techniques from the ancient days to the present, National Centre for Textile Design has organised an exhibition at the Town Hall. Titled ‘Tantavi 2003’, the exhibition is on till March 17.

National Centre for Textile Design (NCTD), a nodal agency of the Ministry of Textiles has laid special emphasis on reviving classical techniques of textile preparation and decoration at the exhibition. By incorporating classic weaving combinations and showcasing patterns and textures, Tantavi has generated interest among the young and old alike. On display is the complete range of handloom fabrics imbibing age-old traditions of classic warp-weft combinations imparting modern characteristics of convenience without compromising on quality. The exhibition is also aimed at highlighting different varieties of weaves and bringing out inherent strengths and qualities of traditional hand woven textiles.

As for the new yardages at Tantavi, they have been created through research and expertise to enable Indian textiles to acquire a competitive edge in global markets. Cotton, silk, jute and linen in natural dyes and patterns are drawing many visitors to the exhibition. To create new designs for a stronger market presence, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Handlooms & Handicrafts Exports Corporation of India and All India Handloom Fabric Marketing Co-operative Society have been roped in. As a result of which, the fabric lengths have been converted into a variety of products like tablecloth, cushion covers, bedspreads and apparels.

With an impressive showing at Tantavi, the Indian textile industry seems poised to make a strong presence in the world apparel market.

A visitor admires the weaves on display at the Tantavi exhibition

One for the road

Channel [V] VJ Purab and Viva girl Anushka have been on the run. A brief halt in Calcutta, a party to remember and they’re off again. If you’re wondering what this cat and mouse game is all about, you should have been at Tantra this weekend, where Purab and Anushka made a brief appearance to promote [V] On the Run going on air on March 18 at 8.30 pm on Channel [V], the ultimate road trip that promises a-thrill-a-minute.

[V] On the Run will travel to unconventional locales across the country, explore the unknown, get into the soul of places and do things that a conventional tourist would not. Taking this wild and fun journey on some cool vans are Channel [V] VJs Purab and Anushka. They will be joined by artists and musicians along the way.

But even if packing your bags and running away from it all was not exactly your idea of fun, you would have had a blast at Tantra. The roadies whipped up quite a party and handed out cool Channel [V] merchandise to party animals. While Purab and Anushka turned on their charms to lure all to the dance floor, resident DJ Lloyd with his select choice of dance numbers ensured that they stayed on till the wee hours of the morning. Seen grooving to Me Against The Music by Britney Spears and Madonna, Power of Bhangra by Snap, remix of Pyar Zindagi Hai by DJ Suketu, I’m Not In Love by Enrique Iglesias, Get Busy by Sean Paul, Baby Boy by Beyonce Knowels and more was Riya Sen, among a host of Tantra regulars.

MTV VJ Nikhil Chinappa whips up the fervour at Cloud 9

Party time

Funky house, tribal, electronic, progressive — MTV VJ Nikhil Chinappa brought the house down at Cloud 9 this weekend with his distinct style of deejaying. And it helped matters that there was already a private birthday party on in full swing before Nikhil took control. There was no way one could keep off the dance floor as he churned out one smash hit after the other. Belmondo Blues by Dr Kucho, New Calenda remix — a brand new 2004 unreleased remix of Drummers of Love, Satisfaction — another unreleased mix, Miami Massive were lapped up by the crowd out to party like there’s no tomorrow. Classics like Kid Creme were also well received. “A classic in dance music is anything that is a year old. The oldest record in my bag is a ’99 release,” quipped Chinappa.

His sense of humour turned humble funnels, garden hoses, ice cubes, whips and chains into props for whacky games. While vodka drinkers readily queued up to tank up on Screwdriver poured down a funnel fitted to a pipe, and munch on watermelons marinated with Smirnoff (the nite being sponsored by Smirnoff and Royal Challenge), the acrobatic kind allowed their girlfriends to put ice cubes at the base of their trouser, which they had to take out of the collar of their shirt!

The Bangalore boy lauded the sporting spirit and the party mood of the city. “Calcutta stays awake later than any other city in India,” he gushed. This apart, “expressive eyes of Bengali women and authentic Chinese food,” is what draws him here.

Model Bindu sports a Provogue outfit at their stock clearance sale

Stock up!

Provogue is out to prove a point with folks who swear by natty dressing. Providing men’s and women’s apparel at throwaway prices, the brand is offering discounts ranging from 25 to 60 per cent at its stock clearance sale. On offer only at exclusive Provogue showrooms and studios, the sale throws up shirts, short shirts, men’s trousers in three cuts (-pockets, straight pockets, side pockets), T-shirts, tight T-shirts, kurtas, tank tops, low-waist denims, boot-cut denims, six-pockets, cargo pants, bermudas, partywear, formal suits and accessories in imported polynosic fabric, valentia, cottons, garbedines, corduroys, stretch corduroys and more. The sale is on till March 28.