Out amp; About

Get quizzical

For quiz buffs the scorching sun actually brings respite. A book with all the questons they were never afraid to answer is going to hit the stands soons. The mother of all quiz shows, Mastermind, on BBC, is now condensed into the form of a book. Courtesy Siddhartha Basu, the quizmaster of Mastermind India, it is being published by BBC Worldwide and distributed in India by Teksons Bookshop, New Delhi.

The famous black chair, from where hundreds of contenders battle, is a familiar sight. Only 48 contestants made it to the finalround. And all the questions they were asked 8212; on subjects of their choice as well as the general knowledge round 8212; are compressed into the thick volume. The price undisclosed, the book is yet to hit the stands. Keep an eye out for it.

Creative summer

This summer the mantra seems to be: Get Busy! A slew of summer camps, workshops and courses to unleash the creative side re being foisted on an unsuspecting public. The next to queue up in what appears to be the latest fad is Kamalnayan Bajaj Art Gallery. Summer 8217;99 is for those who wish to learn Ikebana Rs 750, mask-making with puppetry Rs 750, miniature painting Rs 750 and ceramics Rs 1,200. Experts from all the fields will be conducting the classes. Well, if you have time on your hands, then put them to work.

For further details call the Bajaj Art Gallery: 202 1359 / 3626 / 284 2110, extn: 394 / 396. Courses start from May 3.

Shopper8217;s stop

The Bombay Store offers you Summer Fiesta 8212; achance to shop for colourful beachwear, beach bags, slippers, swimwear, towels, sun glasses from Benetton, sun hats, sarongs, picnic baskets, beach balls, frisbees, board games, toys, books, holiday accessories8230; all the stuff you must own before you leave for your break. Where hopefully you can shop some more!

And in case you get thirsty, you can grab an Onjus or an ice-cream while shopping. And in the process enter a slogan contest that could win you a surprise gift.

The month of May brings more in the form of a health and fitness day, recipe and craft competitions, as well as tie-ups with groups for treks and excursions. All you have to do is shop in Bombay and you could end up in Bhutan or Sikkim.

The Bombay Store, PM Road.

Good guide

Those in Thane can begin counting their blessings. Thane Living Guide tells you all you ever wanted to know about the area and more. A sleek 55-page production, this magazine not only carries listings of every imaginable thing, it alsohas some really fabulous discount coupons thrown in for free. And because this is the inaugural issue, there is also a response form, whereby you can get back to them with your comments and suggestions.

Thane Living Guide, Tricom Media. Price: Rs 10.

Ooops!!

We had just said that Oomph! is the late latif among publications with the latest issue hit our desks. With Kama Sutra girl Viveka Babajee on the cover, gilded in glitter, the magazine is even better than before. Among the features, The Society Circus 8212; a classification of the glitterati with balloons on what celebs are really thinking 8212; is an outstanding, no-holds-barred spoof on Mumbai8217;s chichi crowd. The other articles include a piece on M F Husain, Sheetal Malhar and Cartier.

The fashion section has spreads by J J Valaya, Krishna Mehta, Pallavi Jaikishen and Ritu Kumar. The pictures are so stunning that we think no one will even notice the clothes! There8217;s no pleasing us, isthere?

One-stop shop

Do we have the space for another hip department store? Yes, says Simone Tata. And to prove her point she opened Westside the fourth in the chain of Trent stores at Hughes Road, on Wednesday. A subsidiary of Lakme, Tata made her foray into the world of retailing by acquiring Littlewoods International8217;s store in Bangalore. The idea is to provide a unique shopping experience with clothes both casuals and formals, costume jewellery, cosmetics and accessories available under one roof. In Mumbai, that roof is 20,000 sqft 8212; to cover a premise of that size!

Westside at 39, Hughes Road.