Roving Eye 8212; Pune

Perfect punchSunny Jacob and Christmas are inseparable! He doesn't go to town declaring this, instead the town quite religiously goes to ...

Perfect punch
Sunny Jacob and Christmas are inseparable! He doesn8217;t go to town declaring this, instead the town quite religiously goes to his doorsteps. Just step into his home on that evening and you8217;ll see Pune8217;s who8217;s who streaming in steadily. Bureaucrats, government officials, sports persons and the glitterati too! We know of his public relation acumen, of course, besides his aces on the tennis court, which has well-wishers joining in the Christmas celebrations. But we just discovered the secret behind this torrent of well-wishers. It8217;s the punch he makes! He proudly states, 8220;This concoction is made of 23 drinks.8221; And how does he prepare it? 8220;It8217;s a secret8221; he will reveal to none! 8220;But anyone is welcome home for my punch pun unintended on Christmas evening.8221; Anyone listening?

Party, as usual
Just when you thought everyone was knee-deep in organising either Xmas or New Year bashes, here was Crystal Ball going on with their regular dos. On the evening of December 26, the place was packed with revellers, the star attraction being model Achala Sachdev.

Clad in a black and silver outfit, Achala was there hosting party games that ranged from guessing the numbers on the dice to sorting out puzzles, before she handed out Kinley T-shirts to all the winners. Finally, the model took to the floor herself, shaking an enthusiastic leg with the crowds that were wowed by her glamorous presence.

Be prepared
The men on M.G. Road were stumped. For it is not everyday that young college girls enthusiastically push a free condom into their hands. The free distribution of these prophylactics was part of the AIDS awareness programme organised by the Rotaract Club of Pune Central on December 26. A rustic tractor pulled the float that carried posters proclaiming that an AIDS-free world was the right of every individual. The float toured several areas, including the Pune Railway Station Road, Quarter Gate, Budhwar Peth and eventually ended at the Fergusson College Road. Says Kumar Jaisingani, president, Rotaract, 8220;We will give not only condoms but also pamphlets on AIDS information.8221; Next month, they plan to hold lectures to spread information about this disease in colleges, and sometime in the near future, even schools. Knowledge, after all, is the only powerful tool against AIDS at present.

Combined efforts
Group Arangetram, the brainchild of Guru Maniktai Ambike, is all set to take place at the Tilak Smarak Mandir on December 30. Five students from her Nrityangan Bhartnatyam Academy 8211; Ritu Kothari, Poonam Dardige, Shalaka Dharmapal, Rina Liman and Prajakta Rajpathak 8211; who have completed six years of her diploma course, will be making their first formal stage appearance together in an innovative form of Arangetram.

Ambike, a Bharatnatyam teacher for 20 years now, has blended modern aspects with a touch of the traditional. Her choreographed Marathi semi-classical songs are apt examples of this. The guest of honour for the occasion will be the well-known Kathak dancer Shama Bhate.