Out amp; about

The book boasts of a recipe for every occasion be it a grand meal or an in-between snack, spicy non-vegetarian dishes, tasty vegetarian delicacies or delightful desserts. Published by Popular Prakashan, Bharatiya Pakakrutincha Khazana is priced at Rs 225.

Available at all leading bookstores

Customs apart

Indrajit Das Gupta, the Joint Commissioner of Bombay Customs, an IRS officer of 1981 batch is also known as a singer. Afterstints with AIR, TV serials and several tracks in Bengali, he now switches over to playback for Bollywood. Sautela, which sees an August release, has Das Gupta rendering a melancholic number. Worth listening to.

Wood-free wud

Love the feel of fine wood, but kills you every time you think of a tree being cut down? Well, here8217;s a solution for those who are conscious about conserving Ma Nature. Eco-Wud, the brandname of a composite board made out of non-recyclable plastic and jute waste, promises to be your friend for life. Manufactured by Amarnath Enviroplast Limited, Eco-Wud is a high performance product, and can be used instead of wood, metals, stone and concrete 8212; and at a much lower cost. It is also water, splinter, crack, rot, termite, borer and insect-proof; heat, electrical and sound insulating; washable; disinfected; abrasion and breakage; non-biodegradable, and has practically unlimited life. The aesthetic alternatives to Eco-Wud are also vast you may or may not paint, polish, lacquer orlaminate it. With its immunity to weathering, material fatigue and ageing, this hi-tech construction material will not only save our forests, but also offer an alternative to the ever-increasing menace of recycling plastic waste.

Available at all leading furniture stores

On the griddle

For a cozy weekend dinner, The Gulmurg restaurant at Shalimar Hotel is the place to head for. With their exotic Tava Festival on till Sunday, they offer the best of feasts that can be managed on the tava. The idea behind the concept is part of the grand plan to promote the image of the hotel. Apart from grand fare, there is also the comfortable ambience you can relax in. Last chance this weekend. Grab it.

For reservations, call 363 1311

Magic melodies

It is the season for the non-classical to shake hands with the classical and make better melodies. This time, it8217;s Gulzar and sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan who are giving their very best for HMV. The songs in this effort promise to be superior in theface of the mediocrity that is doing the rounds of music companies and television channels. While the first two songs, with music composed by Amjad Ali Khan, lyrics by Gulzar, and rendered by Roop Kumar and Sonali Rathod have already been recorded, the rest of the album should be out within the next couple of months. Something to look forward to, certainly.

New nasha

Ritesh D8217;Souza is this year8217;s winner of the Vinyl round of the western zone eliminations at the DMC DJ Mixing championship. This freelance DJ-cum-turn-tabelist, who worked for Saturday8217;s, the pub at the Goa Rennaisance for two years, is pretty optimistic about the national finals that are to be held on August 28.

Talking of the difference between playing in Goa and Mumbai, he says, 8220;In Goa, I played to a largely European crowd. Their tastes are very different, more clubby8230; But the Mumbai crowd has very commercial tastes. Hindi music is in8217; here.8221;He uses a lot of techniques like scratching, beat-juggling and back-tracking forcompetitions like the DJ Mixing championship. But playing in a disc or a pub calls for lesser techniques quot;because the crowd won8217;t understand what8217;s happeningquot; and more of actual music.

As for the future, DJ Nasha the name he uses professionally hopes to make music, not just spin vinyl.

Rock and be free

Independence Rock XIV promises to rock you off your feet this time only for two days. For reasons best known to Farhad Wadia, the organiser, who refused to discuss them, the most popular rock festival in the country runs a day short this time. But performances will not suffer. Brahma, Agni, Pentagram and Millennium will be rocking. For those who like their rock untainted, I-Rock is the place to be in.

At Rang Bhavan, Marine Lines. On August 14 and 15. Passes are for Rs 90, available at the venue