Roving Eye

Songs like With A Little Help From My Friends, Things We Said Today, Day Tripper made one wonder if it really was a Beatles nite, as the group had a rather bluesy8217; touch, very unlike the original Beatles. Of course, While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Get Back did successfully bring back the Beatles nostalgia.

Getting jiggy with it
Is Pune becoming one big city of wannabes or what? That was probably the first thing that came to mind as one watched the audition for the Pune chapter of Sony TV8217;s very famous Colgate Gel Boogie Woogie show that is currently going on at Holiday Inn. The place was packed with ambitious parents who had their kiddies in tow. The little ones gyrated to everything, from Sexy Eyes to Barbie Girl to Ore Ore.

With almost 400 to 450 participants making it to the venue by Sunday, the organisers have decided to extend the auditions to Monday as well. The event is a sheer eye-opener for anyone who thinks that Pune lacks young talent. Ninety per cent of the contestants seemed to belong to the age group of five to 15, and despite a few uncomfortable scenes like an eight-year-old dancing vigorously to Athra Baras Ki Kunwari Kali or a five-year-old running off the stage bawling, everyone seemed to be having a whale of a time 8211; parents, kiddos, organisers and the producers of the show. As Deepak Shah, the organiser, would say 8211; That8217;s Entertainment!

A casual affair
For those of you who swear by ethnic wear, it is time to rejoice. Family entrepreneurs Lalita Subedar and Smita Andhare have just set up a boutique in the Bhosale-Shinde Arcade at Deccan Gymkhana. Says Lalita, 8220;We studied the Pune market and found that casual wear is quite expensive. So besides exclusivity, we decided on the range being reasonably priced.8221; Primarily into exports, the family has a textile factory in Baroda. A successful exhibition last month in Pune motivated them to start something here on a permanent basis.

According to Smita, who also designs the clothes, 8220;Our focus is on the fabric itself, simple cuts, unique colour combinations and less embroidery. We are selling casual wear, be it tops, kurtas or complete salwar set.8221; One can also find the rare Ajrak print from Pakistan and Dhaboo, cloth dyed from a mixture of mud. There is the usual block and vegetable print and also a range of bed linen from Dholka and other items made of block prints. Smita maintains that all the work is done by traditional artistes from the Kutch region in Gujurat. She adds that they have also tried selling shirts made of ethnic design for men and these have been popular with foreigners. Besides a shop in Pune, materials are sent to Gurjari and Fab India in New Delhi.

Thrice is nice!
Come May 23 and social animals will have to toss a coin more than once to decide where they8217;d like to spend the evening, for not one, not two but three beauty contests are scheduled to happen that Saturday night. The Royal Connaught Boat Club is hosting its annual May Queen Ball in addition to a fashion show Glitterati 8217;98 which will showcase gems and jewels. Then there is the Residency Club with its Summer Queen 8217;98 to be held on the date.

Organised by Jazzmatazz, the call has been given to all wannabe beauty queens to enlist before May 20 for a shot at fame. Finally, the College of Military Engineering is also set to have beauties walking down the ramp on May 23 to select its May Queen who else? 8217;98 to be followed by a dance. Now is this a happening town or is this a happening town?

Chill out
Spirits were high at Totem Pole on Friday night for the launch of Luge pronounced loozh. The Razzmatazz discotheque had a sizeable ice block with a glass pipe wedged on the surface. On one end of the pipe were four test-tube-like contraptions while the other end had a single pipe. The idea now was to call on couples and ask the lady to pour a drink down the four tubes which would run through the pipe to be gulped by the man at the other end of the single tube.

The couple who could perform this action in the shortest time span won the game. The exercise not being as complicated as it sounds, there were quite a few couples making a go for it. And from what one could gather, they seemed to have had fun as well. Well, to each his own.
Contributed by Richa, Sunanda and Supriya

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