Out amp; About

At the retail outlets of Jane Shilton, Mahalaxmi and Juhu. August 23 onwards.

Compu fair

For anyone who8217;s scouting for the latest computer equipment and accessories, Computer Fair 8217;99 is the place to be. Promoted by Hemjay Technology amp; Marketing Services, the show has on display, computers, multimedia, monitors, printers, modems and CDs from 36 leading brands around the world including Hewlett Packard, Epson, US Robotics, Samtron, Sony, Lexmark, GVC, and Maxell. There8217;s also a range of high utility computer furniture and internet packages from Mantra Online to choose from.

And here8217;s the good news: the Fair offers all products at fabulous prices besides various incentives such as a free printer and modem with anymultimedia computer and so on. Plus, there8217;s a 20 percent discount on all CD titles. To make matters simpler, there8217;s even an arrangement to provide prospective buyers with immediate finance.

At: Suvarna Sadan, Linking Road, Khar. Till: August 24.

Fusion cooking

The Bombay Store is upto fun things again. This time round, they8217;ve invited Vimla Patil, author of International Food Indian Style, to demonstrate her recipes which are basically a happy marriage of different kinds of cuisines. You could check out Tibetan, Thai, Chinese, European, African and Middle Eastern recipes, what works best is an artful combination of foreign and Indian cuisine. And the author will be present to answer any queries you might have, alongwith signing copies for buyers.

On: Friday, August 20. At: The Bombay Store, Sir P M Road, Fort, Mumbai. Time: 4.30 pm. For more information, call 2885048.

Dream home

Who wouldn8217;t like their homes and offices to be done up by an expert team of architects,designers and contractors? If you8217;re looking for a one-stop solution, the answer is Splendour Project Consultancy Pvt Ltd 8212; which has just opened its third showroom at Juhu. The company8217;s scope of work includes space planning and layouts, choosing colour schemes, furniture and furnishing accessories, arts and artifacts 8212; and putting it all together to save clients the hassle of shopping for anything at all.

All you need to do is tell them your preferences 8212; in colours and styles 8212; and you8217;ll have the home or office of your dreams made to order. The company already has tie-ups with Italian furniture manufacturers and has regular access to new designs, Apart from which, the furnishings are sourced from Spain, Germany and Japan, while carpets and drapery rods are obtained from the USA.

Splendour already has an impressive clientele that includes film stars, socialities to industrialists 8212; like Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty, Captain Nair of Leela Hotels, the Jindals, Khaitans, Ruias and Khemkas 8212; apart fromdesigning film sets and hotel suites as well.

For further information, call Aslam Furniturewala at: 9820149523.

Oh brother!

First there was a card for every occasion. Now there8217;s jewellery. So, with Raksha Bandhan round the corner, Inter Gold has launched a new range of designer rakhis. With appropriately traditional names like Swastika, Shree, Trishula and Om Ganesh, each of these diamond-studded gold rakhis has a symbolic meaning. What8217;s more, you can convert the centre-piece of each rakhi into a tie-tack or a pendant after the festival is done.

There8217;s also a special collection of designs for kids 8212; with small stars, smiley faces, teddy bears and flowers.

And if brothers wish to gift something to their sisters, there8217;s Bandhi, in eight different designs 8212; a lightweight bracelet in 18 K gold and diamonds. The entire range begins at Rs 350.

Available at the Inter Gold showroom, Hughes Road. For details, contact: 3681610 / 3681611.

Fine art

The third Art AccessWeek started by the Birla Academy of Art and Culture is back again with the works of artists like Thota Tharani, Manjit Bawa, Brinda Miller and Prafulla Dahanukar. An annual event it is part of the Max-Touch cultural series, and not only provides a platform for artists it also rides in tandem with the gallery8217;s belief that good art should be accessible to all. Which is why the prices range from a few hundred to a few thousand rupees. And to ensure that paintings replace posters, easy installment schemes are also available.

At: the Birla Century Art Gallery, Worli. From Aug 22 to 28. Time: 9.00 am to 9.00 pm.

Get an ID

Popley and Sons have now entered the arena of popular gifts in authentic diamonds and gold. The jewellery house of international repute decided that it was time to give the popular diamond dealers a run for their money. Diamond IDs is the registered brand name of their jewellery line of the English alphabet in 18 karat gold and diamonds. Each pendant has seven diamonds, allof which come with a guarantee. Says Laxman Popley, the owner of Popley and Sons, quot;We decided that it was time to create a selection of gifts that would appeal to everyone. These are a ready-made option, and they also save on the time of getting jewellery made.quot;

Priced at Rs 4,995, these come with the iron-clad guarantee of Popley, who promise to buy them back after a 15 per cent deduction on the original price. Also on the anvil are double letters, which can be made on order. Popley8217;s is also planning to introduce coloured stones in gold. quot;We plan to expand on this line, which will appeal to people in all age groups, and save the hassle of ordering and budgeting,quot; says Popley.

Look out, Gili and the rest.

Diamond IDs are available at all leading gift and department stores. Price: Rs 4,995

Faction to the fore

Pinki Virani8217;s Once Was Bombay has made it to the non-fiction bestseller lists in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Chandigarh and Delhi. And she is being flooded with translationrequests in Marathi, Hindi and Malayalam for this work of Faction. Alongwith which, there are offers to flesh out and make a telefilm on each of the four short stories and three novellas that make Once Was Bombay. The first one that will get a celluloid translation is the on the last of the living dons, Karim Lala, who mourns the loss of honour in the underworld. Way to go!

The legend

While the rest of the music industry seems to be going gaga over bhangra and Indi-pop, HMV dips into its enviable repertoire to bring out another golden collection. This time, they have complied 85 immortal numbers by Asha Bhosle in the sixth of its series, Legends. This 5-volume collector8217;s item has luminaries from the music industry recounting their impressions of this enchantress. So much so, that old recordings of Madan Mohan and R D Burman speaking of the sensuous songstress have been incorporated here. And there8217;s a chronological journey through her career 8212; Radha ke pyare Krishna kanhai8217; from the 1951 filmAmar to Dil To Pagal Hai8217;s Le gayi le gayi. A must-buy.

Legends: Asha Bhosle 8212; The Enchantress, Rs 275, is available at all leading stores.