Out amp; About

At Shopper8217;s Stop, Andheri W. From Aug 28.

Star status

Notandas Jewellers have found a novel way to channelise the creativity of their in-house designers. They simply sponsor a piece of jewellery by them and enter it in the Millennium Diamond Design Contest, organised by DeBeers. This year, their 22-year-old designer, Amisha Khanna won the special award for the design of her amulet, which weighs 150 gm, and has a total of 957 diamonds weighing 15.28 carats. The piece is estimated to cost about Rs five lakh, and is an exemplary piece of work. To show the amulet off, Rani Mukherjee made her way across to Notandas yesterday morning and flaunted it with all the style that befits her star8217; status. Her comment was equally starry: quot;That8217;s it??quot;

Track three

A neo-classical music trio is all set to make its debut. The brothers Vishwanath, Narayan and Sriram Parasuram don8217;t just play the violin and leaveit at that. Their album, Savariya, has eight tracks composed by Sriram-Radha, and the lyrics are by different people. With almost 25 years of classical performances behind them, the brothers felt that it was time to cut an album which moved away slightly from the norm. Therefore, Savariya falls in the category of fusion 8212; but not quite. The lyrics talk of reminiscence, romance and love. Some soft, some catchy, and for a change, musical melodies that haven8217;t surfaced in quite some time. Due for release by Magnasound early next month, we see it as songs for September!

Folk fun

Parikrama, the annual festival at Shopper8217;s Stop, is just an excuse for 16 days of revelry. This time the theme is A Tribute To Indian Cinema8217;. Instead of the usual Bollywood ishtyle, the store has drawn inspiration from the colours of the different eras in Indian film-making. For instance, on sale are clothes with prints depicting the 8217;50s, fashions of a bygone era and accessories to boot. The usual stuff,terracota, hand-painted and metal jewellery and home furnishings are also available. Apart from artisans on-site, there are also workshops which can be availed of free of cost. All you have to do is be there.

At Shoppers8217; Stop, Andheri W. Till Aug 30.

Water world

Now you don8217;t need to drive down to the supermarket just to replenish your stock of Evian. Your favourite brand of natural spring water from the Alps can show up at your doorstep. All it takes is a simple phone call! At a 15 per cent saving to boot. While a litre bottle of Evian costs Rs 65 on the shelves, direct-to-home, the same bottle comes for Rs 63. But hey! This is no ordinary water 8212; it8217;s the quot;source and substance of lifequot;.

For Evian-on-call, dial: 281 0303 / 0606.

Pant, pant!

Fussy about your clothes? Hate the fall of most readymade trousers? Head for Charagh Din8217;s Trousercraft 8212; home to over 50,000 trousers in casual, party and business styles, the new showroom is guaranteed to satisfy all bodytypes. And tastes. And yes, they promise the same variety in suits, blazers and accessories. In 3,000 sqft of luxurious shopping style.

Trousercraft, 704, Linking Road, Khar W. Tel No: 605 7084.

Fun time

Looks like Hollywood is finally waking up to the fact that the Indian market is up for grabs in a big way. So now, fast tracking, mega promotions and tie-ups are in, and how. Adam Sandler8217;s Big Daddy, which released in the US on June 25, hits Indian cinemas this week. A massive campaign is already underway to promote the film which is being positioned as a comedy with emotional undertones.

Columbia Tristar has flooded the market with several ticket-led contests catering to the film8217;s target audience 8212; within the age bracket of 12 to 30. And the procedure is as simple as can be 8212; fill out an entry form and a simple quiz to grab your seats. The contest is now on with radio dial-in programmes, Planet M and the brand new Sony Plaza at Marine Drive. So, get there first to catch thefreebie bus.

Word8217;s worth

Crossword, the revolutionary bookstore that changed the way book-selling was approached, has announced its second book awards. Apart from the usual prize for Indian English fiction, the new addition in 1999 is in the category of Indian language fiction. But they will be judged from their translations into English. The news just gets better and better with the cash prize being increased to Rs three lakh for each prize. The entries will be assessed by two independent panels of judges comprising a mix of academics, critics and authors, whose books are not eligible for the awards. The nominations include Vikram Seth8217;s An Equal Music, Anjana Appachana8217;s Listening Now and Khushwant Singh8217;s The Company of Women. In the language categories, the works of Qurratullain Hyder, Mahasweta Devi and Vinod Shukla are vying for the prize.The shortlisted books will be announced soon, but the winners will be named only in December.

Going potty

Sick of the sameold crockery? Look up Innovation, the house that creates and manufactures exclusive ceramics. Their range of tablewear, titled Colours of the Earth8217; incorporates soup and salad bowls, cocktail and dessert platters, serving dishes, dinner plates, coasters and napkin-rings. There is also a smaller range of accessories and bathroom sets, and everything is colour co-ordinated to suit every choice. Exciting shades like pastels and deep hues apart, the products come in beautiful shapes and sizes like sunflower-shaped plates and vibrantly-hued countenances for tooth-brush stands.

For more information, call: 4923742 / 4973374.