Small talk

Beauty call
Contending for the beauty race in all its grace,this season will witness yet another crowning with the Queens Town being held at the Royal Connaught Boat Club (RCBC). With a host events that will include male models showcasing the wedding wear Festive Collection – 2009,in addition to a special demo of evening cocktail wear,summer casuals and Indian fusion line for the contestants.The auditions will take place at RCBC this Sunday 4 pm onwards. Models will also showcase designer club wear with smart Kurtas and wedding Sherwanis in three sequences choreographed by Shakun Sethi . Crowns designed by P N Gadgil Jewellers. Judges for the event include- Saurabh Gadgil,Sonia Kumar and Mahesh Manjrekar. The evening will also have Dancers from Immortal grooving on sizzling songs on a creative Bollywood set.The finals will take place on April 25,7.30 pm onwards.

Rustic flavour
The ongoing Rajasthani fair and festival at Choki Dhani is proving to be a virtual journey to the land of kings and kingdoms. The 12-day long festival will go on till April 19 and is celebrating third anniversary of Choki Dhani. A handicrafts bazaar with traditional hand-made artifacts,blue pottery,jewelry,lakh and chudi items along with a live food counter and other entertaining programmes has been planned up for the fest. Authentic dance and music performance by Rajasthani folk performers is a major attraction. Traditional entertainment in the form of terataal,algoja,kacchi ghodi,ghumar,kalbelia,bhopa bhopi,bhapan,nat (acrobatics) will make the evening a memorable one. Among the highlights for the kids,the fest offers — magician,a tight-rope walker,puppet show,animal rides (bullock-cart,horse-cart and camel rides),besides games counters,tattoo makers,pot makers. Sangri,the village dining hall will dish-out mouth-watering,authentic vegetarian Rajasthani cuisine,served on a leaf platter,in the tradition of Manuhar with a variety of 22 items in each thali.

Bremen Ties
For many Puneites the Bremen circle at Aundh was perhaps the only way of associating with Bremen,Pune’s twin city. However,bracing up the link to enable interaction and networking on issues of concern to the sister cities,the website http://www.punebremen.org was launched on Wednesday. The cities have been interacting since the last thirty years primarily through the city solidarity forum and Association of Friends of Germany and exploring arenas to do with arts and culture,environment and so on. The International office for Agenda 21 was also set up a decade ago between Pune and Bremen. The site comprehensible in both English and Deutsch chiefly contemplates on the NGO’s and their undertakings in different categories such as human rights,art and culture,women empowerment and so on. Developed by Neeti Solutions the website will further introduce more chapters to closely connects the citizens of both the cities. The website was inaugurated at the Max Muller Bhavan by Mohan Agashe,psychiatrist,theatre personality and actor in presence other activists including Arvin Bondre of Arbutus Children’s Cultural Centre,Sujit Patwardhan,Pune People’s Transport Forum and Michael Flucht,Director Max Muller Bhavan.

Speaking on the occasion Agashe said,“The website will break the barrier of language and lend an opportunity to every citizen to voice his opinions. ”