Kochi Fashion & Lifestyle

[Malayaali]

Fort Kochi - Kerala Tourism

[Malayaali]

India: Real beauty underestimated
By Belinda Henley
12:00 PM Monday May 30, 2011

I went on my first trip to India with a whole bagful of pre-conceptions. It was going to be noisy? Check. Hot? Check. Crazy? Check. And I was going to eat my body weight in spectacular curries? Check. But what I wasn't prepared for was the spectacular beauty of the country and the warmth, kindness and hospitality of the people. I was visiting the Kerala (meaning 'land of coconut trees') region, in the south west of the country. In particular, the city of Kochi, or Cochin as it is also known.

Kochi is the commercial and industrial hub of the region flanked by the western Ghats on the east and the Arabian sea on the west. It's a relatively small city by Indian standards with recent estimates putting the population at around 1.8 million. Being a port city, it has been indelibly shaped by the influence of those who have passed through, namely Arabs, British, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese. Geographically the city is made up of a series of three islands, connected by two bridges. There is the old town, 'Fort Kochi' the industrial centre, Ernakulam and Wellington Island.

The Kochi tourism sites claim it is one of India's best kept secrets, and it certainly seems to be that way. In the five days I spent there I only saw a handful of tourists, despite National Geographic magazine recently listing it as one of the 50 must see places to go.


We were staying in the stunning Ramada Resort, overlooking the famous Kochi backwaters on Ernakulam. The hotel has one of the best pools I have ever had the pleasure to dip my toes into, almost 100 metres long, curving around lush, heavily scented gardens of magnolias and tropical plants.

It offers Aruveydic spa treatments and a restaurant specializing in south Indian cuisine. Make sure you try the 'chicken hot pot' a mildly spicy soup; the Kottu Baradha, made from mince, chopped naan bread, onion, tomato and egg; the grilled fish caught right outside the hotel and cooked Indian style; the excellent vegetarian daals and the local bean dish Achinga Thoran.

The hotel also has their own swanky speedboat, which they pull up to the private jetty to take you on a tour around the spectacular Kerala backwaters. It is the ultimate way to explore the region, (ideally while singing along to T Pains I'm on a Boat.)

Up the road is the equally lavish Le Merdien hotel, currently home to the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the newest team in the Indian Premier League 20/20 cricket competition.

Other than being an enthusiastic tourist, my mission was to film a story on some of the New Zealand cricketers making a small fortune playing in this highly lucrative competition. Cricket is religion in India, and for that reason, the players are largely prisoners in their hotel, unable to leave for fear of causing a small, or in fact reasonably large, riot. Bu luckily, there is far worse places to be holed up!

Kochi is an interesting juxtaposition of these lavish resorts and a more accurate reflection of 'real' India. It is only a short drive away from these properties to Fort Kochi, the historical hub of the city to get a sense of what this place is really about.

Going anywhere in India feels like you are taking your life into your own hands, the drivers seem to have no peripheral vision, they map a path in their head from A to B and off they go, letting no scooters, trucks, pedestrians, animals or women and children riding side saddle in their saris stand in their way . The first few trips I had decidedly white knuckles, but it didn't take me long to realize that despite hundreds of seeming close calls, I was probably, bizarrely, safer on the road here than at home. There is no yelling, plenty of tooting but no road rage, and this attitude to the road and their fellow drivers is perhaps summed up in the motto of the local police force 'polite but firm'.

On the way to Fort Kochi we get a sense of what makes this place tick, commerce, industry, and how they live their day to day lives. It is the weekend and it seems like every spare patch of dirt has been taken over by groups of young men tossing a cricket ball around, they may be barefoot, with the most basic of equipment and on a dusty pitch, but some of them are highly skilled.

The waterfront of Fort Kochi is first port of call, our incredibly well spoken and knowledgeable guide Arnold takes us to see the local fisherman work their Chinese Fishing Nets (the only place outside China you can see this). It is believed that traders from the court of Chinese ruler Kublai Khan introduced these nets.

With five men working each net, they slowly lower them into the muddy waters, with no bait and then manipulate huge levers and pulleys to raise them up again - hopefully full of mullet, crabs, prawns and sardines. The fishermen make around 400 rupees, roughly $11 NZD a day, in line with the average wage for a mason or carpenter. It may seem like little by our standards, but the Kerala region has untypically high standards of living with wages, employment, education levels all well above the national average.

While there is not the haggling culture of some Asian destinations, the waterfront of Fort Kochi is the place to go if you want to indulge in some banter with well meaning salespeople and pick up some souvenirs. There are some stunning scarves, bags and locally made jewellery to be bought, but, like anywhere be careful who you buy from.

Our second destination is the St Francis church, the oldest European church in India.

On his 3rd visit to Kerala, Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese trader who reached India from Europe by sea, fell ill and died in Kochi. He was buried in St Francis church but later his remains were taken back to Portugal. However, his burial spot inside the church has been clearly marked out and is still regularly visited.

The church was once a lavishly decorated baroque style place of worship, much of the ornate detailing has now been removed, but it is no less impressive. The day I visited, the congregation were celebrating Sunday service in the local 'Malayalam' language.

St Francis church is surrounded by stunning trees, many of them hundreds of years old, including one of India's most precious trees, the Sandalwood. Previously used to carve thrones and furniture, it's rarity and worth now means it is used only for carving religious idols and crucifixes and for its scented oil.

Kochi is also home to the oldest Jewish synagogue in the Commonwealth. Built in 1568, it is magnificently decorated with individual hand painted Chinese tiles and Belgian chandeliers.

Many years ago, Kochi was a hub for almost five thousand Jewish families who fled to India to escape persecution at home. Sadly, the Jewish community has now almost completely dispersed and there are now just four Jewish families left in the city. This mix of religions and cultures has shaped the patchwork of Keralan society. Arnold tells me it is these influences, which has made the region one of the most 'worldly, welcoming and hospitable' places in India to visit. I'll certainly be back.

Belinda Henley's trip was aided by Singapore Airlines, Kerala Tourism Board and the Kochi Ramada Resort.

NZ Herald

[Malayaali]

Bollywood Fridays & Commercial Saturdays AvA Lounge

The AvA Longe, Kochi, presents the Best of Bollywood remixes on Fridays and Commercial Dance Music on Saturdays with their in house DJs… dj Raish, dj Jovin and dj Neil to set some mesmerizing music mood for you this weekend. And guess what. Couple Entry is FREE !!!
Timing: Friday, 3rd June 2011 9:00pm to 4th June 2011 1:30am.
For More, please contact : 0484 4129999

[Malayaali]

Anupam Kher’s autobiography, ‘Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’ @ JT PAC

Autobiography of the very well known actor of Bollywood, Anupam Kher, will be played at the JT PAC, Kochi on Sunday, 5th June 2011. Its going to be an ‘Audi’ exclusive night at the JT PAC on the 5th. There are a very few seats remaining. So grab them soon.
About ‘Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai’:
This is a journey of a man who should have been a failure; one who manipulated his destiny and forced it to become a success. Never before, in the history of theatre, has the autobiography of an actor been dramatised on stage, especially when he is still practising his craft.
Anupam Kher, with over 300 feature films to boast, is perhaps the most versatile and prolific actor the Indian Cinema has ever seen. In recent times all the biggest blockbusters bear his name in the credits. e.g. Hum Aapke Hai Kaun, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaiyenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Kya Kehna, and now, Bend It Like Beckham. Some dub him as a lucky charm.
At the zenith of his career and crossroads of his life, he pauses to reflect and share his pain, joy, tears and laughter, and Anupam’s struggle seems like a shaky Hindi film finding some coherence by the sheer determination of the protagonist and interesting twists and turns that life provides in fits and passion.
The play will be staged as a full production with Anupam narrating and dramatising the important events in his life, e.g. first romantic encounter, failure at Gandhi audition, casting in Saaraansh, awards, personal relationships etc.
Although the play will tell the story of a small town man making it big in the Hindi Film Industry, the audience will identify with him and find snatches of their lives being played on stage.
This is a play that celebrates life and reaches out to all, with honesty and rare candour.

[e_arunsid]

Kochi's date with Fashion Week

Thulasi Kakkat Judges at the Kochi Fashion week audition
Priyanka Shah, former Pantaloons Femina Miss India Tourism (2007), and one of the judges for the audition of the Kochi International Fashion Week, gives a thumbs up to the models for the event

Kochi, here comes the fashion week and preparations seem to have begun in right earnest. This past weekend auditions for models for the Kochi International Fashion Week were held. The fashion week is scheduled to be held in July. Among the panel of judges was Priyanka Shah. She is a former Pantaloons Femina Miss India Tourism (2007); she also won Channel V's ‘Get Gorgeous II' (2005) and Miss Tourism World (2007). As far as the beauty biz goes she has been there and done that.

A veteran of beauty contests and reality shows (she was on Shahrukh Khan's ‘Zor Ka Jhatka…' as a celebrity contestant), Priyanka knows a thing or two about being judged and probably which is why she empathises with those on the ‘other side.' Being a judge and being judged are two entirely different things, she says and adds that she prefers the side she is on and ‘not being judged'. It takes a lot of courage to put oneself out there in front of perfect strangers who are probably going to make you feel like there's nothing right about you. “I remember what it is like being on the other side…but it all boils down to how one handles it and putting your best foot forward.”

Priyanka belongs to that tribe of pageant winners which takes its education seriously. She is a mechanical engineer, but that is another aspect to her. The glamour industry as the fashion/film industry is collectively referred to was her choice because it is her ‘passion.' She is acting in a film about which she ‘is not permitted to reveal too much'. But she has already acted in a Tamil film ‘Kalla Kadhalan'. She is pragmatic in her approach to the glamour business, and agrees that as far as women actors go they (generally) come with a very limited shelf life unless extraordinarily talented.

Since she is a qualified professional, does she believe that education is a must for this profession? “One should be educated, but that holds good for everybody, not just actors. I don't think it is absolutely necessary that an actor should be educated and have that as a backup before taking a plunge into the glamour industry. There are actors/models who may not be too educated but have done well or are doing very well and vice versa.” She, however, believes that an education is necessary so that people would be more aware about what they are getting into, “that is not just for this field. Every profession has its pitfalls and traps.”

When Priyanka says that she was the captain of the Indian women's netball team, one can't help but do a double take. She is the tomboy that became a beauty queen. Fitness is another ‘passion' and the other interest for this certified Pilate trainer. In her spare time that is what she indulges in, she says.

She is familiar with the modelling/fashion industry in Mumbai and Delhi.

So what is her take on this fledgling cottage industry in Kerala? Lack of exposure is one big minus point, says Priyanka. We have our Joey Mathew, Nina Manuel, Laxmi Menon etc… But the models that she got to see were lacking in exposure, understandably so as opposed to their counterparts in Mumbai, Delhi etc. “But they are all good.”

Since Priyanka, seemingly, has all the right and diplomatic answers it is very tempting to pose that one question any beauty pageant winner worth her sash and tiara dreads… “How old are you?”. Her answer is a ready “Eighteen till I die!” thank god for Bryan Adams. And she has been 18 for sometime now.

THE HINDU

[e_arunsid]

Kochi all set for a makeover



KOCHI INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK

[sanjupalayat]

Feel good to see a Calicut girl being the face of KFW....

[manukarukail]

Originally Posted by sanjupalayat

Feel good to see a Calicut girl being the face of KFW....

I read in Vanitha sometime back that she has already moved to Kochi

[sanjupalayat]

Thanks a lot for your info... thats like Asin relocated to Mumbai..

And to add, Mamtha just have roots in calicut, she was raised abroad... and her family now lives in Skyline flat near Jawaharnagar, calicut.

[Malayaali]

Originally Posted by sanjupalayat

Thanks a lot for your info... thats like Asin relocated to Mumbai..

And to add, Mamtha just have roots in calicut, she was raised abroad... and her family now lives in Skyline flat near Jawaharnagar, calicut.

Great discussion!

[manukarukail]

Originally Posted by sanjupalayat

Thanks a lot for your info... thats like Asin relocated to Mumbai..

And to add, Mamtha just have roots in calicut, she was raised abroad... and her family now lives in Skyline flat near Jawaharnagar, calicut.

Yes. Its obvious. Like Mumbai is home to Bollywood Kochi is now home to Malayalam film industry. Also it is the most happening city in Kerala. Hence Mamtha moved to Kochi

[Malayaali]

Originally Posted by sanjupalayat

Feel good to see a Calicut girl being the face of KFW....

Feel good to have her as face of KIFW, there aren't too many gals in the Malayalam industry with a "MODEL" figure!

[sanjupalayat]

Originally Posted by manukarukail

Yes. Its obvious. Like Mumbai is home to Bollywood Kochi is now home to Malayalam film industry. Also it is the most happening city in Kerala. Hence Mamtha moved to Kochi

[cabo shark]

Hi,
I didn't know she was from Kozhikode, she was great in അൻവർ and ദി ത്രില്ലർ.
There are other nice girls in Malluwood: Bhavana and Nayantara.

[DileepKS]

I have a suspicion that she is not fully out of the myloma. She looks terrible often. I wish her a speedy and complete recovery, and back to her normal self.

[mohammedirshad06]

An hour before his much-awaited autobiographical play Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, Anupam Kher sat backstage at JT Pac Hall, nervous.

It was the 238th time that he was staging this two-and-a-half-hour play, yet the talented actor was still worried about how his audience would respond to it.

“It is a different place, a different audience and I never take my audience for granted,” says Anupam, who took his play to various countries before coming to Kochi.

He was also apprehensive about the Kochiites’ comfort level with a Hindi play. But after three hours of non-stop applause and a hall full of audience in splits, he was back to his cheerful self, once again effortlessly winning the love and respect of hundreds who watched him perform.

The story revolves around a north Indian boy who had an intense desire to act and after facing many ups and downs, makes it big in Bollywood. Anupam single-handedly spoke all the dialogues of the 137-page script without boring the audience, running across the stage, changing costumes in a jiffy, entertaining his audience every single second.

“That is the format of the play, it is meant to be like a bed time story where a parent would take the different roles as it is narrated to a child. It is difficult because I am competing with myself. I am always addressing the audience and a lot depends on how they respond.”

And the response was overwhelming! He established a connection with his audience as soon as he stepped into the hall and walked its entire length taking a dig at someone, shaking hands with another, directing someone else to his seat. And when he finally went on stage, the first big applause thundered across the hall.

The audience sat glued as every other line, every expression and every action was laced with humour. At times, he indulged in self-mockery. He had no qualms revealing the secrets of his life in a hilarious manner.

“Not all my secrets, but what I choose,” he said. These included his first love, break-up, failure to get a role in the film Gandhi (“I have vowed never to see it and to this day, I haven’t!”), his first break and so on, often repeating the line, “Don’t fear failure. Zindagi mein kuchh bhi ho sakta hai (anything can happen in life).”

The actor has been in Kochi to shoot for noted Malayalam filmmaker Blessy’s latest venture Pranayam.

“Blessy is brilliant and looks at cinema with a sense of poetry,” says Anupam.

“Regional cinema has earthiness while mainstream cinema is more about technology or concepts from the West.”

He is also full of praise for Mohanlal who is part of Pranayam. “He performs effortlessly. I think both of us are similar in some ways.”

Actors Mohanlal, Jayaprada, Anoop Menon, Rima Kallingal and director Blessy were present to watch Anupam’s play. Mohanlal lauded his performance, which he termed ‘quite enlightening for an actor like me’.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tablo...nce-splits-840

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by DileepKS

I have a suspicion that she is not fully out of the myloma. She looks terrible often. I wish her a speedy and complete recovery, and back to her normal self.

I too felt, seeing her in last award nite. But she is really amazing. How effectively she concealed her illness before others. Rather she it a style statement, be it her short hair post chemotherapy..... Really we all must salute her high spirits. Wishing Mamata for a speedy recovery

[mohammedirshad06]

Audi with a big bang in Kochi with the A7 Sportback.


Sandeep Madan, Audi’s South Asia sales head, and Mithesh Patel, Kochi director, launching Audi A7 Sportback in Kochi.

It unites the grace of a saloon, the functionality of an avant and the dynamism of a coupe.

Priced at Rs 64 lakh, the carmaker targets individuals who seek luxury and the sense of freedom in customising the vehicle in a way they want. Audi launched its beautiful new five-door executive sports coupe in the city on Saturday.

V shaped lines define the bonnet under which the powerful engine is waiting. The sprint from 0-100 km/hr takes just 6.3 seconds while the top speed is limited to 250km/h. Audi India is claiming a whopping 16.6 KM/l fuel consumption. The attractive Aluminium wheels create individual highlights.

Audi has kept its LED daytime running lights of the headlights in A7 also. The cockpit is designed with the driver in mind while the centre console leans towards him.

Considering the technology Audi has included an innovative, touch sensitive Multimedia Interface (MMI) touch, which enables the driver to control media playback and make calls all with just one finger and without taking eyes off the road.

The technology will be available on request. The generous loading space amounts to 1,390 litres with the rear bench seat folded down.

Sandeep Madan, Head of Regional Sales of Audi India, while launching the new Audi, stated that the company has registered a 110 percent growth in Kerala during the last fiscal. Audi India has upwardly revised its sales projections at about 5,000 cars for this year, as against 3,000 last year, he added.

Audi has sold 2,394 units in the first five months of the current calendar. So, if you are looking for a car with elegant and sporty proportions, your wait ends here.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/chann...ve-mileage-842

[mohammedirshad06]

It's early afternoon. Things are just warming up inside Gold Souk, but at Amoeba, the mall's gaming alley things are happening. A couple of groups of teenagers are busy bowling to their heart's content.

Step into the place any time of the day and any day of the week the chances are you will find a few people devoting their time and energy on 10 pins. Bowling has come to Kochi, and how! Those of us who grew up on a diet of Archies comics would be familiar with bowling, the bowling alley was Archie and gang's hangout. Youngsters can now boast of ‘some' bowling in nammude Kochi.

Bowling championship

The ball, in a manner of speaking, was set rolling by Amoeba Bowling Alley in Gold Souk. Boomerang followed suit with Boomerang Klub. About what brought bowling to Kochi? B. Syed, manager operations (South), Amoeba and Johnson Baby, managing director Boomerang unanimously declare that bowling as entertainment is catching up in the city. Amoeba is planning to conduct a bowling championship. Is it that popular ? Syed agrees that the trend is picking up, going by the number of entries that have come in for the competition. It is a trend that is fast picking up.

“There is more exposure now. People have seen it and are familiar with bowling in other places such as Bengaluru etc, and they want the same experience here,” says Syed. Amoeba, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, has 25 such ‘leisure' outlets in India but this is their first one in Kochi for the time being.

Johnson elaborates that there are games for young kids but nothing for those above 16. “This is a population that is still young but not young enough for the games for kids.” There are videogames, of course but those induce boredom after a point and these are essentially one person-at-a-time kind of games, but a ‘sport' like bowling is different. It is not vigorous, it is relaxed and you can play with more than two pals. “It is not just the college-going crowd which enjoys a round of bowling. Even the young working crowd enjoys this,” says Johnson Baby. He goes on to add that Boomerang Klub in Oberon Mall boasts of “a 60 feet alley, which matches international standards.”

The bowling competition organised by Amoeba is on at Gold Souk on June 11 and 12.



http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-sty...cle2087689.ece

[mohammedirshad06]

Most travel shows tread the beaten path but here's one that is definitely different. "What's With Indian Men?" features supermodel Indrani Dasgupta and actress Sugandha Garg attempting to understand Indian men while journeying across the length and breadth of the country.

The show premiered on FOX History & Traveller June 4 and depicts the two women encountering men from different walks of lives, regions and tastes on their way.

"Most shows are scripted, but this one is not. All of us want to know about Indian men - and imagine being paid for it," Sugandha, known for her roles in films like "Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na" and "Tere Bin Laden", told IANS.

"A good travel show is very hard to come by. The reason why I call ours a good show is because it is not just travelling with voiceovers and montages of people travelling in different cities. In our show, we bring out the flavour of the places by making a local taking us around. We met a lot of locals and got to know about men from different regions," she added.

The show, which will every Saturday, will take Sugandha and Indrani to 10 Indian cities, including Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, Guwahati, Kochi and Ahmedabad.

They have taken this trip to understand what makes Indian men tick and how these cities have shaped their menfolk.

"Being a part of the show was like doing a doctorate on Indian men. We left all our inhibitions aside while interviewing the guys and were amazed with their candid confessions," said Sugandha who is married to Rahgu Ram, the man behind MTV's popular show "Roadies".

The two women met men from diverse backgrounds, but they found one thing common in all of them.

"India is a totally diverse country and the men living here can be very different, but one thing is common and that is the sense of being providers. They still want to look after their families whether they are rich, poor or live in any part of the country.

"Their situation or tastes in food and girlfriends are very different, but one thing is the same that they want to be an important member of the family and the kind of a head of the family," said Sugandha, who also found out that the Indian men have an insane sense of humour.

"I never thought this about Indian men before and I never thought I'll attribute them with this ever, but Indian men are very funny. They have an insane sense of humour. They are very quirky. I was pleasantly surprised. I laughed my lungs out in the show," she said.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?news...ana::lol::lol: