Bollywood Actor and fitness enthusiast, Bipasha Basu was recently in the Maldives and shared highlights of her vacation soaking in all the elements of the beach as she welcomed the New Year with her husband.
She was spotted at Kandima Maldives with Karan Singh Grover – celebrating the New Year and her birthday on 7th January. Making the island their k’nd of (desti)nation.
Kandima Maldives put together a very special birthday surprise for her with Kool in-room decorations using components like, monkey structures made through towel origami, flowers like lilies’ and pink roses, colourful balloons and much more. An added touch was the couple’s exclusive birthday dinner celebrations.
Catch a few pictures of the ‘much in love’ couple celebrating their #monkeylove on Instagram.
Themed “Growing Connections, Achieving Together”, the tradeshow in New Delhi connected close to 50 Singapore tourism stakeholders with travel trade partners in the city
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) continued its travel trade outreach for this year by participating in SATTE Delhi 2020. Based on the theme, “Growing Connections, Achieving Together”, the trade engagement is aimed at deepening the STB’s and tourism stakeholders’ existing partnerships and foster new ones with the local travel trade fraternity.
During the trade show, the STB had set up a Singapore: Passion Made Possible pavilion where it presented on its schemes for MICE and Cruise to partner with the tourism sector in harnessing growth opportunities, as well as, latest and upcoming developments in Singapore’s tourism landscape such as expansion plans for Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World, redevelopment of Sentosa together with Pulau Brani as part of a landmark Master Plan and the Mandai eco-tourism hub etc. The STB also unveiled two new focus areas for the India market in 2020 –positioning Singapore as an international wedding destination and re-establishing the destination’s attractiveness for Overseas School Trips (OST).
The delegation was led by the Singapore Tourism Board’s G.B Srithar, Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia, Raymond Lim, Area Director, India & South Asia – New Delhi and Ms. LIM Si Ting, Area Director, India & South Asia – Mumbai.
While speaking about the STB’s efforts to showcase Singapore as a destination of choice among Indian travellers, GB Srithar said, “India is the third most important visitor arrival source market for Singapore and we have been steadfastly engaging travellers through the travel trade, media partnerships and various marketing initiatives. Through our recently held roadshow in Chennai and participation at SATTE Delhi 2020, we seek to renew our ties with the travel trade, entrench existing partnerships and forge new ones through creative promotions, and in the process, ensuring meaningful results for both our Singapore stakeholders and the local travel trade. With overall tourist outbound from India on the rise, we look forward to another successful year of Indian visitorship to Singapore.”
Singapore welcomed 1.44 million visitors from India in 2018, making it the third largest visitor arrivals (VA) source market for Singapore. As of end October 2019,
Singapore has received 1,190,000 visitors from India. This is the 5th year in a row Singapore has welcomed more than one million Indian travellers to experience its diverse offerings.
Also present at the tradeshow was Ms. Mira Bharin, Director (Brand, Marketing and Communication), Sentosa Development Corporation who said, “As a key player in the international leisure and tourism industry, it is important that we continue to enhance Sentosa’s appeal as a world-class holiday destination so that we remain top-of-mind for both locals and tourists. With a slew of long-, mid-, and near-term developments in our pipeline, guests will have something new to look forward to each time they visit and return to Sentosa. We are heartened that India continues to be Sentosa’s top inbound market. We will however not rest on our laurels, and will continue to deepen our engagement with our international audiences so as to ensure Sentosa remains an essential part of the Singapore experience.”
Among various new offerings in Sentosa’s pipeline are free interactive night attractions, Magical Shores, which will make its home on the vibrant Siloso Beach from 23 January 2020, as well as Stacks at Siloso, a novel mixed use container development at Siloso Beach, which will be launched by mid-2020. These offerings are part of SDC’s broader push to strengthen Sentosa’s position as a night destination, and come just months after SDC unveiled exciting possibilities for two islands – Sentosa and the adjacent Pulau Brani, which currently houses a port – as part of a landmark Master Plan to redevelop the islands into a game-changing leisure and tourism destination.
2019 was an eventful year for STB in the Indian market. The STB promoted the destination brand “Passion Made Possible” vigorously and embarked on several creative consumer engagement initiatives, like the Singapore Weekender 2.0 in Delhi, Singapore Experience Zone in Zomaland and launch of Nasi and Mee in Mumbai (a restaurant specialising in Singapore food offerings). Engagement with the consumers also included content collaborations, like Voice of legends project with musical maestros S.P Balasubramaniyam and K.J. Yesudas, collaboration with Tripoto for a travel-based webisode series, a partnership with Momspresso promoting Mommy-daughter holiday in Singapore, collaboration with celebrity chef Saransh Goila & Voot for a web series titled #CheatWeek in Singapore highlighting the culinary offerings of the city. The Board also undertook intensive travel trade outreach efforts across more than 30 cities in India to connect with travel intermediaries promoting Singapore as both a business and leisure destination.
Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), South Asia’s largest hospitality company, started the New Year with an exciting announcement with an addition to its magnificent collection of authentic palaces – Fateh Prakash Palace. Renamed Taj Fateh Prakash Palace, this aesthetic edifice is located within the historic City Palace on the shores of Lake Pichhola in Udaipur; offering panoramic views of the lake, while being surrounded by the Aravalli Hills, Jagmandir Island and the legendary Taj Lake Palace.
Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL said, “As custodians of Indian hospitality, it is our privilege and honour to be entrusted with the responsibility of managing Taj Fateh Prakash Udaipur. This addition is an important milestone in our growing portfolio of iconic and luxurious hotels. We remain most grateful to Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar for having reposed his trust in us.”
The House of Mewar is one of the oldest dynasties in the world, tracing its origins to 1300 years ago. Fateh Prakash was built during the reign of Maharana Fateh Singh Mewar in the 19th century as an exclusive venue for royal functions. Meticulously preserved, the Taj Fateh Prakash Palace is akin to a living museum with 65 heritage rooms and suites, award-winning Sunset Terrace restaurant, Surya Darshan bar and boasts one of India’s most flamboyant Durbar Hall.
Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Chairman and Managing Director,The Lake Palace Hotels & Motels Private Limited said, “My family has shared a close and fruitful association with IHCL since 1971 – when we commenced our valued relationship with Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur. In 2020, we strengthen our bond through Taj Fateh Prakash Udaipur, which is a significant palace by virtue of having been witness to many a royal function over time.”
Every soldier has a story to tell but he has to restrain his feelings and emotions. The soon to be released and India’s first Anti-War movie Bunker is aimed to bring the stories of million soldiers to the masses. Director Jugal Raja’s Bunker tells one such story of Lieutenant Vikram Singh (Played by actor Abhijeet Singh) as a lone survivor with a fatal injury in a secret Bunker at the LOC in Poonch, Jammu, which has been hit by a mortar shell during a ceasefire violation. The film has been showcased in numerous film festivals and was widely applauded. In a philanthropic move, the makers of the film have announced 100% of the profits being donated to Bharat Ke Veer and Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) as an homage to our armed forces
95% of Bunker shot in a 12 by 8 feet Bunker in a record 5 days. Bunker here is used as a metaphor for a soldier’s mind which is always at conflict with the thought of having to stay away from family and duty towards the country, and it will definitely give you a feel of patriotism. 96% of the soldiers feel discussing mental health or accepting any mental health problems holds a big stigma. There are approximately 1.4 million soldiers in India and 100 soldiers have committed suicide every year since 2003. The film brings up important issues like Mental Health, Inter-Personal Relationships between Army families and how a soldier and his family pay the ultimate price for cross border tensions.
Writer-Director Jugal Raja shared, “Rajnikant and Mani Ratnam have been my biggest influences in choosing a career in Bollywood. The bunker is my tribute to the iconic movie Roza. With Bunker, I have tried to make an “Anti-War” movie which is relevant in today’s age of unrest all over the world”. He further added, “The movie brings out the emotional quotient of an Army Soldiers’s life. It draws instances from the lives of several army officers and depicts a biography of millions of souls serving our country.”
Lead Actor Abhijeet Singh shared, “I underwent a strict regime while prepping for the movie. The character of Vikram Singh is like every other soldier which one can relate, making it human and organic”. He also had his déjà vu moment when the news came out of the incident that took place with Wg Cdr Abhinandan whose aircraft was shot down in an aerial dogfight and held captive in Pakistan for 60 hours. Speaking about his déjà vu experience, Abhijeet Singh shares, “Bunker was shot in 2018, nearly 3 months before the fateful incident of Wg Cdr Abhinandan. When I first saw Wg Cdr Abhinandan’s images surface the internet, it was like looking in a mirror. I could relate to the situation of captivity, my entire look and the feel of the movie”
National Award Winning singer Rekha Bhardwaj has also lent her voice for a heartfelt rendition, a peace anthem “Laut Ke Ghar Jaana Hai”, which is an integral part of the narrative.
Presented by Wagging Tail Entertainment, Produced by Falcon Pictures Production, and a Vkaao Nationwide release, Bunker – Written and Directed by Jugal Raja, starring Abhijeet Singh and Arindita Kalita in the lead roles, will be releasing on 17th Jan 2020.
Influencers play a crucial role when it comes to shopping decisions as their reach continues to grow. SHEIN India, a fast-moving fashion brand has recently initiated an Influencer campaign titled ‘Campus Ambassador’ togeneratebrand awareness, loyalty, and visibility among the consumers. The campaign also aims to target and engage the young college-going enthusiast and provide them an opportunity beyond academics to develop the soft skills of communication, marketing, and networking.
SHEIN India started the Campus Ambassador program in Mumbai with 30 Ambassadors in 15 colleges, slowly widening the horizons to Pune, Delhi, and Bangalore respectively. Currently, they have a workforce of 100 Ambassadors working for the brand for as long as they are students in a college.
The Campus Ambassadors helped SHEIN to promote the sales and discounts within their respective colleges and introduced the brand to them. They were also provided with a special coupon code for their users.
All of these ambassadors, with the help of SHEIN, hosted a party for their buyers, in the first week of December and announced their contribution to the brand.
This campaign was solely executed by the campus ambassadors both online as well as offline. More than 100 parties were executed in 4 cities by Ambassadors targeting a crowd of 2000 attendees and generating at least 800 posts with the pointed hashtag.
SHEIN India will continue to initiate more such innovative ideas and engage influencers for their future endeavors.
Inspired from “Chapaak” Movie Bhartiya Jain Sangathan organizes Free Plastic surgery Camp In Delhi
Bharatiya Jain Sangathan (BJS) will be organizing Free Plastic Surgery Camp in Delhi on 9, 10 & 11 January 2020. The surgeries will be done by the panel of highly trained American doctors and people who are suffering from any Facial Abnormity can get this treatment free of cost. Patients can register through a WhatsApp Number – 9024333222 for the surgery or they can register themselves on the spot. The surgeries will be done in Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Dwarka Sector-1.
This camp will also help acid attack victims and will help them to get the best treatment possible. Bharatiya Jain Sangathan will soon organize a special camp for acid attack victims. Elaborating on the cause, BJS National President, Rajesh Lunker said, ” BJS is a non-profit organization since 1985 and is organizing this camp from the past 29 years with the help of Dr. Sharad Kumar Dixit. We have treated 2,70,000 people till now and this year in Delhi we are again organizing this camp to help the needful. I hope we can reach out to the maximum number of people and provide them full treatment ”
Dr. Kamal Jain Sethia, VP, BJS urged the media to spread awareness about this camp so that all the needy people can avail of this opportunity. They can get rid of Facial abnormity free of cost.
Shop Holders Protest Against MCD for the Illegal Sealing of Local Shopping Complexes (LSC) in Delhi
Recently, the Market Association of Defence Colony, GK-1&2, South Extension, Hauz Khas and other places in Delhi protested against MCD for the illegal sealing of their shops. The protest was held at The India Habitat center, outside the office of the Monitoring Committee and the application was submitted to the officials regarding the issue.
Shop Holders claim that their commercial property was sealed illegally two years ago by MCD and they were not given any legal notice before the sealing. On this issue President of LSC, Rajesh Goyal stated, ” We have come here to submit the application to the monitoring committee regarding illegal sealing of our commercial plots. We have paid the premium for our shops and we are authorized to run shops in commercial space allotted to us with the permission of the government.”
General Secretary, LSC, Vishal Ohri elaborated on the issue, ” We were not given any legal notice or verbal explanation before sealing the shops. I am here to ask for a legal justification for the same. I request MCD officials and Monitoring committee to take our issue seriously and let us run our shops which are sealed past two years.”
Recently, the star cast of ‘Street Dancer 3D ‘ – Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor launched the track ‘Illegal Weapon 2.0’ at PVR Plaza, Connaught Place,New Delhi.
The recreated version is sung by Jasmine Sandals and Garry Sandhu and the song is used as Shraddha’s introduction in the film.
The film directed by Remo D’Souza and produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, and Lizelle D’Souza is releasing on Jan 24,2020.
Excerpts from their interaction…
Varun shared his love for the song and told that this song was one of the reasons to do the film, “When the film was offered to me, I heard four songs of the film and ‘Illegal Weapon’ is one of them. At that time, I was very sure that I cannot let anyone do this song. I love the voices of Jasmine Sandlas and Garry Sandhu,
When we were shooting this song our teams were actually fighting with each other.
Raghav and Dharmesh were telling me,‘inhe itne itne ache steps kyon diye?’
Everyone was teasing each other since it was a dance battle.”
Shraddha said, “This is our first battle in the film. I am very happy to be a part of this song with Varun as he is my childhood friend and the swag we added to the song makes it amazing. Also, ‘Illegal Weapon’ is already a super hit number which stands as a challenge in front of us to match the visuals and we have tried our best to match up to that level. I hope the audience loves our version.”
When asked about the recreated version of ‘Muqabla’ Song which was already a super hit number years back when Varun and Shraddha were hardly 12 or 13 years old..
“I think when the song came, all the kids from that generation had tried to copy those steps and I was definitely one of them,added Shraddha.
She further said,’ I have a very small part in this song and when you are dancing with Prabhu Deva sir, and then you have to give your best.” “I wish that a dance film like this would be offered to me well in advance. By the end of the film I was left with two sprained ankles. My shoulders neck completely gone and we had a physio (Physiotherapist) on set every day,” added Shraddha Kapoor.
Varun added,” Prabhu Deva sir did it very easily whereas they were putting so much effort in ‘Muqabla’ song.
Varun added that for his character in the film he got inspiration from YouTube star Danish Zehen (who died in a road accident last year).
EMBARK ON A MEMORABLE JOURNEY OF MERINO WOOL WITH MODA BIELLA
After foraying in the Indian Market, Italian luxury brand, Moda Biella launched its Winter Collection with its unequivocal journey from fleece to fashion: merino sheep to sartorial suit. The latest collection integrally focuses on exquisiteness in its fabrics.
As a brand, Moda Biella entrusts using only the best quality comfort fabric, woven with natural fibres that have a rich lustre, that look impeccable, that feel comfortable and that stand out in comparison to other fabrics available in the market.
Over the years, farmers, graziers, spinners, weaver and tailors have evolved and developed their methods of obtaining the protective hair or fleece from sheep, camels and goats. Natural fibers such as Merino Wool, Cashmere, etc. prove to be pre-eminent when compared with man-made fibers like, polyester, poly/viscose amongst others.
Moda Biella Merino wool is a renewable natural resource – hailing from the finest flocks in Australia, New Zealand and Tasmania, that’s ecologically sound and nature-friendly.
Other natural ‘noble’ fibres in the Moda Biella collection include cashmere, silk, linen and cotton. The natural fibre, merino wool goes through the process of spinning, weaving the cloth, finishing, garment-making to The Suit. Each process is distinctive yet significant.
The making of the cloth is dependent upon the merino wool quality, the yarn thickness and twist, and the fabric weave and finish. The extra fine quality of merino wool creates superfine cloth qualities, ideal for men’s suiting, jacket and trouser tailoring. The style, touch, lustre and shape of a Merino wool suit will leave you awestruck in terms of comfort and appearance.
Speaking about the creation of fabric for MODA BIELLA, Mr. Vikram Mahaldar, MD & CEO, OCM says, “We have produced high-quality fabrics from finest merino wool microns. Our endeavour is to provide fabrics which have the best feel, finish and drape; to satisfy our discerning customers who look for sophistication and deserve a world-class product.”
The technique of garment has evolved over the years, and in the 20th century Merino wool garments are amongst one of the most refined, smoother, smarter, more luxurious texture of fabric with expert interpretation of seasonal trends. The sartorial styling and elegance from Moda Biella in Italy is no longer only an aspiration.
Tailoring the quintessential suit is Moda Biella’s paramount focus. The knowledge and the art of the master tailoring, cutting and sewing cloth, are the two basic aspects of constructing suits from a pattern, developed slowly and gradually in Europe between the 12th and 14th centuries. Moda Biella Extra-fine Merino Wool is one of the most luxurious fabrics in the World concentrating their efforts on consumer satisfaction over all other aspects.
Malcolm Campbell, European Advisor – Moda Biella adds, “There are some fibers that look good, feel good, and make the wearer feel special…there are others that do not. Moda Biella uses only the best natural fibers, and blends them into intricate combinations to create a well-designed, beautifully finished and wonderfully comfortable collection of cloths.”
Brings you India’s Biggest Yoga and Wellness Festival
An event celebrating the amalgamation of Yoga, Meditation, Live Music and multitude of curated activities and soul food to complete the experience.Soul Project unites Wellness and Fitness experts from across India in an immersive and holistic wellness experience for the audience, where in the aim of the event is to gather like minded people to motivate them to make healthy choices and adopt conscious living.
The event will comprise of the following: 25+ Classes & Workshops, 20+ Instructors, Main Stage where Hatha/ Vinayasa/ Iyengar Yoga will be conducted, Healing Garden for meditation and healing, Health & Whole Food Village, farmer’s Market and Kids Arena for the Mindful Little ones and performance by Musical band Prem Joshua.
The workshops will be taken by India’s top Yogis and Fitness trainers like Nidhi Mohan,Malini Ramani,Sapna, Ira yoga, Sunaina Rekhi, Mihir Jogh, Pradeep Mehta, Kavita Das, Ekta Sabil, Dev Om, Sonam – Mozartsy’s Foot Frolic, Ankita Gulati and Sonia Kaur – yoga palette to name a few.
At Horizon Plaza, DLF 5 discover a world that is passionate to bring a change in the world, a world that is determined to break free from the traditional. Horizon Plaza at DLF 5, which nestled many Fortune 500 companies, offers right atmosphere to host discussion worthy events like Wellness Festival that inspires people to discover new horizons.
