Time to start on a new note

CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: Two days to year 1999! Two days to start afresh! Two days to wrap up plans for the new year!This is the time of the y...

CHANDIGARH, Dec 29: Two days to year 1999! Two days to start afresh! Two days to wrap up plans for the new year!

This is the time of the year when chronic, compulsive organisers head for the stationery shops to equip themselves with planning paraphernalia 8212; calendars, diaries, planners. The market is flush with em and the prices range from the plebian to the princely.

For those who have or want to appear to have hectic schedules, a planner is a must. The best of them are thick as your grandma8217;s Sampuran Ramayan and elegantly bound in fine leather with renewable pages secured on a ring binder. The pages are divided up in various ways: monthly, weekly and daily with separate sections for notes, expenses and addresses and in the fancy ones sections to keep business-cards and important papers.

Of course, the prices also vary widely. At the very cheapest one can be had for about Rs 200; the top of the line 8212; extra-large in handtooled leather is around Rs 1600.

The leather-bound diaries with gold-edged papers are, if anything, a notch above the planners, status-wise since they are a one-year-use item and cannot be refilled. Prices for the classy varieties start at Rs 1475. These are clearly for those who want to make a statement. A gold-edged diary and a set of Parker pens on the desk 8230; now there is an executive who has arrived.

If you just want to be organised but don8217;t care about making an impression, Rs 30 will buy a perfectly good diary with a nice durable plastic cover and ordinary ruled paper inside.

World renowned companies and charitable organisations such as UNICEF or the Cancer Relief Fund or the Worldwide Fund for Wildlife have come out with their own attractive collection of desk calendars and planners. These collections not only promote art and culture but also attract collectors and those who like to feel that they are contributing to a noble cause.

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For the freaky, Archies Collection has bright and cheerful wall calendars priced at a decent Rs 40. These feature cartoon figures such as Mickey and Donald or flowers or dolls pictures one doesn8217;t mind looking at for 30 days at a stretch that brighten up the decor of the room. Some calendars feature icons of the silver screen perfect for the fans.

The chart or poster-type planners are becoming the rage, both with the kids and persons with simple tastes as a glance at the chart solves the purpose. These posters come with space to mark important addresses and phone numbers. The posters to mark birthdays and anniversaries priced at a simple Rs 35 duals the purpose of a picture poster and an information chart.