Spiceroute dec 13

Volume VII Issue XII December 2013

www.spiceroutemag.com

The inflight magazine of SpiceJet

Celebrate this season

with SpiceJet

Watch the crew in action How: Turn to page 10

56

Wondrous vizag History, museums, miracles of nature...

116

fashion flavours Warm up with the right clothes and accessories

140

welcome New Year

Celebrities’ plans to ring in 2014

Season’s

greetings Dear SpiceJet customer, As 2013 draws to a close, we invite you to celebrate the year that was, and welcome the New Year with us. Make us a part of your travel itineraries as you plan holidays with loved ones during the Christmas break. SpiceJet has introduced a host of new international routes recently including Pune-Bangkok, Bangalore-Bangkok and Madurai-Dubai. Our domestic connections have also grown, and we plan to include many more to give you a range of travel options.

Our market share in October 2013 was 20 per cent, making us the No. 2 domestic airline in India by size.

We are proud to announce that we just took delivery of our 42nd Boeing 737NG aircraft, the 11th with state-of-the-art Boeing Sky Interior. The average age of our 57 aircraft is only 4 years, making it one of the youngest fleets in the world. The older aircraft in our fleet will also be going through a cabin interior refresh soon.

Starting this issue, you will find much more about the people and products of SpiceJet in addition to destinations in Spiceroute. This month onwards, a member of the SpiceJet management team will write about what is being done in his/her area of focus to improve customer commitment. Keep sending in your feedback and suggestions to customerfirst@spicejet.com, and a member of the management team will personally respond to you.

Happy flying!

Kalanithi Maran Chairman

GROUP

1

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December 2013 4 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Contents 20 HOT DATES December happenings across SpiceJet network

Cover story 44

on a high note Enjoy a month-long of celebrations

56 City guide 48 hours in vizag Well-known busy port town

64 Quick getaway Dubai by night Head to happening clubs, lounges, cafes

70 Theme holiday Culinary fiesta Amritsar’s delectable food & shopping

78 Festive flavour fairs & celebrations Cultural festivals this December

DECEMBER 2013 Volume VII Issue XII December 2013

90 Spice trail

www.spiceroutemag.com

The cover in this magazine has been enriched with ARplay and contain digital content that you can view using your smartphone.

The inflight magazine of SpiceJet

94 Gourmet delight

HOW IT WORKS: 1

2

3

heartwarming soups Rich & healthy soups for winters

Celebrate this season

with SpiceJet

100

Scan

Watch the crew in action How: Turn to page 10

56 Step 1: Download the free ARplay app for iPhone or Android.

Step 2: Open the ARplay app, hold the phone on the magazine cover and tap to scan it.

Step 3: See the SpiceJet crew come alive on your smartphone.

spicy superfood Add taste to your food with Ginger

WONDROUS VIZAG History, museums, miracles of nature...

116

FASHION FLAVOURS Warm up with the right clothes and accessories

140

christmas spread Celebrate the festivity with traditional dishes

WELCOME NEW YEAR Celebrities’ plans to ring in 2014

Photograph by Anil Chawla Makeup & Hair by Monsoon Salon Prop Styling by Amandeep

106 In Conversation of notes & words Teté-a-teté with Amit Chaudhuri

SpiceJet now offers over 150 connections on its existing network For details log on to www.spicejet.com December 2013 10 www.spiceroutemag.com

Alstone International

E: info@alstoneindia.com • www.alstoneindia.com Toll Free No. 1800-1233123 • SMS ACP TO 56161 Branch Offices: Ahmedabad • Bangalore • Chennai • Delhi • Indore • Kochi • Kolkatta • Lucknow • Mumbai • Noida • Pune • Ranchi

Contents 22

110

singing sensation Meet the melodious & humble Kailash Kher

spicejet buzz

116 Glam world

travel buzz

28

‘warm up’ your wardrobe Must have winter essentials

168

122

170

GADGETS

choose click, buy!

Online shopping – the new rage

FilmS

172

128 Well-being

BOOKS

organic wear Healing clothes and shoes

182

Games

134

186

fight the flab New-age weight-loss programmes

zoom in

192

140 Culture canvas

Predictions

welcoming new year Read to know what celebs plan for 31st

201

management letter

202

SPICEJET family

204

SPICEJET DESTINATIONS

146

magical music Sing along at the Madras Music Festival

150

216

Snapshots

220

artistic potpourri Delhi – the new cultural hub

Fleet Guide

156 Good samaritans

SPICEJET SCHEDULE

loving cure Solution to heart ailments for children

222

Routemap: see tab

162

pantomime benefits Know more about The Little Theatre

174 Kids’ corner kids wanna have fun Fun and frolic for children

SpiceJet now offers over 150 connections on its existing network For details log on to www.spicejet.com December 2013 12 www.spiceroutemag.com

FOR TRADE/DISTRIBUTION ENQUIRIES, CONTACT +91.9810814852

SpiceJet mail

Letters from

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ber emem 41 from r o t day S G 32 ctober B i r t h e d f l i g h t n o. l e a g u e s o n O e r s I board i with 40 col g staff memb day. a n Chenn of your you in made our ay a o t w thd p T a 12. the C n made a bir helped h t i w g , u alon nd Ivy Sh lleague assengers o c a a u r t t fo ll p ns Nee cemen ies to a nisatio a n n o u n a ke a n d c o o k y s o n g . O rg a u t s o m e ser ve c g the birthda and you’ve p d wishes , and sande by people he skies. Goo . t a are m eople up in etLife Kerala great p from PNB M a for all – , K e ra l n a r a k Sudha Rajesh

December 2013 14 www.spiceroutemag.com

HOT DATES

1

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Pune Marathon Pune International Marathon Committee organises 28th Pune International Marathon 2013. The annual event billed as the country’s richest race has become a show combining the glamour and glitter unsurpassed in sports. Marathon starts from Khandoji Baba Chowk to Nehru Stadium on December 1.

Kid's day out Ryan Foundation in association with ICCR and National Bal Bhawan presents International Children’s Festival of Performing Arts. This will be held from December 5 to 8 at multiple venues in Delhi.

11 Dance along The Ballet Festival will showcase two of Shovana Narayan’s ballets namely Jehan Ara: The Enigmatic Mughal Princess and Kadambari: The Poet’s Muse at the Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi on December 11 and 12 respectively, from 7pm onwards. Rabindra Sangeet is by Rita Sen and scripting is done by Zakia Zaheer.

2 For a cause A chance to see great installations on environment issues along with some paintings. Solo show by Umesh Kumar on till December 2 at Rabindra Bhavan, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi

December 2013 20 www.spiceroutemag.com

19 Speed thrills Sponsored by Coffee Day in association with Volkswagen and organised by Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC), the seventh Indian National Rally Championship will be held under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). The Rally will cover a total distance of 279.70km. It will commence its fifth round at Chikmagalur on Thursday, December 19 and will see about 40 rally cars challenge each other.

DECEMBER

20 Yummy in my tummy The Sukhothai Bangkok is excitedly preparing a host of special dining experiences to help you celebrate the Christmas and New Year period with your family and friends. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they are hosting a festive chocolate buffet at the Lobby Salon with mouth-watering cakes, pastries and other scrumptious treats. Dates: December 20, 2013 to January 5, 2014.

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Gala Festival Mumbai Film and Comic Con 2013 is back with its second edition. Be a part of this festival and enjoy activities such as costume play, book fair, movie session and much more. This will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon, Mumbai on December 21- 22.

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Art y affair Chalat Musafir, a solo exhibition by Sangeeta Singh, will be held at Azad Bhawan Art Gallery in New Delhi where her recent paintings of acrylic and oil on canvas will be displayed. This collection is a tribute to the hard-working migrant class and will be held from December 27.

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SpiceJet buzz

SpiceJet update Madurai-Dubai flights Madurai has become the fifth Indian destination to be connected to Dubai as SpiceJet has announced non-stop daily flights between the two destinations, providing direct and convenient access to two vibrant markets for both business and leisure travel. The airline is offering an introductory fare of just `6,999 one way (inclusive of all taxes) and a return fare of `13,999 (inclusive of all taxes) on the

Student discounts For students belonging to a recognised university, SpiceJet offers a 10 per cent discount on all the bookings made online. So when booking your reservation on the SpiceJet website www. spicejet.com, do not forget to tick your category which is Student Discount. Do remember that bookings made under Student Discount are non-cancellable. When flying, the student needs to bring along a valid ID card which will be verified at the time of airport

Madurai – Dubai route. The airline will be deploying its New Generation Boeing 737-800 (189 seater aircraft) on this route.

The airline already operates daily direct services to Dubai from Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Ahmedabad. Bookings are now open for the Madurai-Dubai route. You can book your tickets by logging on to the airline’s website www.spicejet.com or via the toll-free reservations service by dialling 09871803333.

entry and check-in. If you are not carrying your ID card, you will have to pay the change fee and difference in fare.

December 2013 22 www.spiceroutemag.com

International baggage allowance on domestic flights Book your connecting flight with SpiceJet the next time you are planning an international trip, and get set for international travel minus the worry of baggage allowance. SpiceJet has streamlined the baggage allowance for its guests having an international connection.

Under this policy: 1. For guests travelling on SpiceJet domestic sector to a SpiceJet international sector or vice versa, the free baggage allowance for the international sector will be applicable.

2. For guests travelling on a SpiceJet domestic sector with a connection on another airline to/from an international destination where SpiceJet does not operate, free baggage allowance up to 30kg maximum will be provided.

Free Baggage Allowance must be reflected on the itinerary of the international flight.

This allowance would be applicable for adult/child bookings. Infant bookings does not qualify for the allowance. Any Baggage weight exceeding 30 kg would be charged the normal applicable excess baggage charges.

Book a hotel Planning a trip to celebrate the new year?

Instead of spending time and effort looking for a travel agent, simply log on to www. spicejet.com. Your preferred airline offers you the convenience of booking a hotel at your destination much before you travel, and pay only when you stay. The website offers a choice of 3,67,843 places to stay worldwide – be it at hotels, guest houses, apartments, villas, hostels or resorts. And there are almost 4,500 options within India.

Just log on to www.spicejet.com and click on the ‘Book a hotel’ tab. You can feed in the city, region, district or specific hotel name in the space provided and find out availability and tariffs, with just a few clicks of the mouse. With best prices guaranteed on hotels across the SpiceJet domestic and international network, you pay no booking fees and enjoy free cancellation on most hotels.

SpiceJet on mobile

Spice Add-ons

Now you can log on to spicejet.com on the go and book or review your itinerary any time, even if you are on the move.

You can view the mobile version of SpiceJet’s website on your smartphone – simply log on to m.spicejet.com and you will get the option to book a flight, to check your PNR and take a look at SpiceJet’s destinations.

Every journey feels special with the flexibility to choose. SpiceJet Add-ons let you choose the services you want.

Excess Baggage Allowance: You can book excess baggage allowance up to 12 hours before departure of you flight at a discounted rate.

Preferred Premium Seat: Reserve Premium Seats in the first and emergency exit rows and give your legs a little more room to stretch.

Hot meals: Indulge in our all-new Flavours of India menu on board. Prebook your meal on www.spicejet.com at a discounted price.

Travel insurance: Be it business or leisure travel, feel at ease with insurance against unforeseen circumstances.

December 2013 24 www.spiceroutemag.com

Travel buzz

Travel news 1. ‘Mahadventure’ in Maharashtra Mumbai-based luxury experiential travel company, Ecomantra has launched an alliance called ‘Mahadventure’ in which they have collaborated with hotels in 16 destinations and travel trade members, to form a classic circuit, for providing quality accommodation and unique experiences within Maharashtra. Being a specialist in experiential holidays, Ecomantra aims to deliver the unique experiences and adventure offerings, besides wildlife, camping, art and culture, vineyards tours and more, through the ‘Mahadventure’ alliance. Revealing details about the alliance, Ravi Goel, Founder and Director, Ecomantra, said, “Under Mahadventure, we would like to offer adventure, wildlife, beaches, heritage, culture and nature activities. This will help boost tourism in the state in its entirety. We have created 50 excursions and day trips, covering 16 destinations in the Mahadventure collection. We have tied up with a few hotels and are in discussion with some others at these 16 destinations (Mumbai, Alibaug, Kolad, Murud, Ganpatipule, Ratnagiri, Malwan, Sindhudurg, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Matheran, Bhandardara, Nashik, Aurangabad, Tadoba and Pune) in the Mahadventure tourism circuit.”

1

3. More coupon counters at Vaishno Devi

3

Three counters for issuing coupons to visit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra have been opened at the Jammu railway station, making visits more convenient for devotees. These counters will work as an extension of the main registration counter at the base camp – Katra. The registration requires a photograph of the pilgrim, which will be imprinted on the coupon. A similar photo registration coupon service was started at Katra in October, 2013.

December 2013 28 www.spiceroutemag.com

2 2. UK’s bouquet of new services for tourists The UK has announced plans to introduce a VIP mobile visa service in India and to pilot a ‘passport pass-back’ service in South India besides launching a ‘Great Club’, a visa initiative aimed at 100 global business leaders. Passport pass-back is a service for business travellers and some tourists that allows customers to keep their passport while their visa is being processed. This means they can travel or apply for another visa if they need to, reducing the time it takes to get two visas. The Great Club is an invitation-only service from January 1, 2014 that will provide personalised support to 100 global business leaders who use the visa service and have strong links to the UK. They will be provided with an account manager to ensure their journey through the visa and immigration service is swift and smooth.

Travel buzz

4. Destination Monaco for Indians Monaco, one of the smallest countries in the world which shares its border with France and Italy, receives over seven million visitors every year. It is expecting a 200 per cent increase in tourist inflow from India in the next three years. Indians are among the top five spenders at EUR 600 a day per person as the average expenditure, according to media reports. “Most Indians who come here choose to stay in our most luxurious of accommodations. India is a prominent market for us,” said Guillaume Rose, Director, Monaco Government Tourist and Convention Authority. Of a total of 8,50,000 room nights, 4,718 were generated from India in 2012. From the Grand Prix to billion-dollar yacht cruises, Monaco is positioning itself as the überluxury destination.

4

5 5. Promoting Uttarakhand After the flash floods in July, tourism in Uttarakhand has been at an alltime low. In a bid to revive this sector, around half a dozen places of tourist interest in Dehradun and others across Uttarakhand will be developed to bring in visitors. Attractions in Dehradun like Assan Barrage, Tiger Falls, Lakhmandal Temple, Hanol Temple, Vriksha Samadhi and Adventure Sports Centre will be developed. These decisions were taken at a recent meeting of the Second State Level Empowered Committee of Infrastructure Development and Investment Programme for Tourism. Also on the anvil are development are tourists home in Bhimtal; a trekking trail from Naikuchiyatal, Pithoragarh to Chandak; Mastamanu Temple; Pithoragarh fort; and Adventure Sports Centre. A tourism site will be established at Corbett’s northern edge in Kotdwar, an adventure sports destination in Tehri Lake and Ganga Canal in Haridwar, while beautification of Jagjitpur would also be taken up.

December 2013 30 www.spiceroutemag.com

6 6. Travel high It may not be boom time for the economy, but that has not altered travel plans for 70 per cent of India’s youth. According to findings of a recent online survey, 70 per cent of young Indians will travel on a holiday irrespective of the economy/ currency. The survey was carried out to present to the young students the realities that they, as next generation travel professionals, would have to deal with.

Young Indian travellers want an option to connect with their travel service providers, online as well as offline with 66 per cent travellers preferring a flexible mix of online and offline touch-points, the Survey revealed. Forty three per cent of young travellers make at least one international trip annually and 66 per cent said that they would take two short-haul trips in a year instead of one long-haul trip annually.

Travel buzz

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9 7. Kerela’s popularity soars Kerala has been named among the world’s 10 Best Family Destinations for 2014 by Lonely Planet at the World Travel Mart ( WTM) 2013 in London last week, joining the likes of New York City, Denmark, Prague and Italy. The Kerala delegation at the travel trade show included 12 co-exhibitors representing the hospitality industry from the state. Several key members of the world’s travel trade industry visited the Kerala pavilion at the event, which showcased the state as the home of Ayurveda. Kerala has a host of attractions for all tourists, starting with the famed backwaters – cool and refreshing rides on houseboats take your breath away as you gaze at nature’s green bounty that surrounds the canals here. Verdant beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, traditional Ayurvedic treatments, and delicious local eats ensure that a visitor to the state keeps coming back for more.

8. New Zealand’s ‘festival of football’

9. West Bengal strides ahead

The schedule for FIFA U-20 World Cup New Zealand 2015, the biggest celebration of world football, was recently announced in Wellington. It will kick off with an opening ceremony at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium – the official home of New Zealand football – on May 30, 2015, followed by the opening clash featuring the New Zealand U-20 team. Football fans around the world who are keen to catch some of the biggest rising stars in world football can start planning their trip to watch the game. Seven cities from the North Island and South Island of New Zealand have been chosen to host games, giving visitors a chance to experience a range of adventures and landscapes across New Zealand. During the three-week tournament (May 20 - June 20, 2015), New Zealand will play host to 24 international teams, with a total of 52 matches played.

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December 2013 32 www.spiceroutemag.com

Unique and beautiful, handicrafts from West Bengal have always been appreciated. And now a chosen few they have got their due, with the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) registration, and become part of the newly launched “Viswa Bangla Brand”. These include Darjeeling tea, NakshiKantha (embroidered quilts), Santiniketan leather goods, Santipur sarees, Baluchari sarees and Dhaniakhali sarees. Three types of mangoes too have got the GI registration.

This was announced by Dr. Amit Mitra, Finance Minister of the State, at a press conference on “West Bengal Day” held at India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan recently. He said he has received an offer from the India Trade Promotion Organization, the organisers of the IITF, to be a part in four foreign fairs where the ITPO would participate – in Sao Paulo, Perth, Osaka and Chile. He also announced the offer from Oxford Book Store, a venture of Apeejay Surrendra Group, to display and sell the products from Bengal under the Viswa Bangla Brand at their 35 stores across major Indian cities. Both proposals will help promote the unique creations by West Bengal artisans. West Bengal state too has recorded remarkable improvement in the three pillars of growth – GDP, tax revenue collection and Index of Industrial Production (IIP) – and is receiving ‘encouraging’ offers of partnership from top organisations, he added.

Travel buzz

13. ANNUAL PEACH DROP

10 11. Tourism on film

10. New Year in Hong Kong Traditions dating back thousands of years are practised alongside cosmopolitan events as part of the Hong Kong Chinese New Year. Whether you are squeezing into festive flower markets, incensefilled temples or gasping at breathtaking pyrotechnics or the International Chinese New Year Night Parade, this fiesta promises to be festive, traditional, and spectacular.

The party kicks off with the International Chinese New Year Night Parade – a spectacle of dazzling performers from home and abroad that turns the whole harbour-front area into a giant outdoor street party. On the second day, the city literally marks the new lunar year with a bang, with fireworks and firecrackers (traditionally to scare away evil spirits).

The stunning parade and pyrotechnic show at Victoria Harbour includes exploding zodiac creatures, auspicious numbers and smiley faces. Visitors can impress locals by learning to say the traditional festival greeting, “kung hei fat choy”, which loosely translates as “congratulations and be prosperous”.

12. Candlelight evenings in the US As daylight fades into dusk, candlelight and firelight light up Biltmore House in North Carolina, USA, known for its delicate ornaments and priceless treasures.

They promise extravagant holiday décor, accented by live entertainment and outside illuminations. Carols from choirs and ensembles fill the halls with festive sounds.

Candlelight Christmas Evenings tickets are available by reservation only, and include a self-guided candlelight tour of Biltmore House, next-day visit to the gardens, Antler

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been joined by renowned Film School, Whistling Woods International ( WWI) and author Durjoy Datta to unveil its yearly marketing campaign, adapting snippets of Hold My Hand into short films to raise awareness of Hong Kong as an exciting, vibrant and romantic travel destination among Indian consumers. This is a unique promotional that links literature and cinema to promote a destination in India.

Using digital platforms to drive traffic to www.discoverhongkong.com, the HKTB has also collaborated to develop a special Hold My Hand travel package for winter that features romantic places visited by the novel’s protagonists.

Just before the clock strikes midnight, an 800-pound peach (the famous 8ft tall peach is made out of fiberglass and foam) begins its descent at Underground Atlanta in Atlanta, US. Get ready to ring in 2014 at the 25th Annual Peach Drop, the largest New Year’s eve celebration in the southeast. When the countdown begins, it takes the peach 58 seconds to descend the 138 foot tower of lights to its resting place at the bottom. People can head down to Underground Atlanta early for a day that will be jampacked with activities leading up to the main event, including games for the kids, an area dedicated to sports lovers, dozens of talented musicians and Abbey Road Live will be headlining the event, bringing some of the iconic songs in music history to the stage. On December 31.

11 Hill Village and Biltmore Winery. Advance reservations are required. Celebrations are on till January 4.

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13 December 2013 34 www.spiceroutemag.com

Travel buzz

14

15

14. Chennai’s landmark lighthouse reopened Some historic landmarks stay alive in people’s hearts and the Chennai lighthouse is no exception. The 46-metrehigh Chennai lighthouse was recently reopened for visitors after nearly 20 years

by Mr G.K Vasan, Minister for Shipping, Government of India. Due to the shutdown, local people and tourists could not take a view of Marina Beach from the top of the lighthouse, Vasan said. The charges for visitors, after the reopening, are reasonable. They have been fixed at `5 for a child and `10 for an adult. Apart from the lighthouse, the minister inaugurated a technical museum in the lighthouse complex for which, again, the entry fee is a reasonable `10. The Ministry of Shipping, Government of India, has decided to convert 15 lighthouses in the country to tourist spots. This is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Chennai lighthouse is the first one to be reopened. It will be followed by the Mahabalipuram lighthouse in January next year, added Vasan.

15. Dinosaur experience

16. Singapore sailings

Jurasik Park, a dinosaur-themed park situated on NH1 national highway in between Sonepat and Murthal in Haryana, is spread over 17.5 acres. It has a children’s section with multiple rides and an entire area full of dinosaurs and gorillas. There’s a giant dinosaur model that moves and growls, and a bucking bronco bull which children can ride. The four water rides include a pool with giant (four-floor high) slides, a pool with medium slides, a wave pool, and a kids slide pool with sprinklers.

Swings include a 10 metre free fall, a huge giant wheel and two merry-go-rounds.

Jurasik Park has its own dinosaur-themed restaurant called the ‘Fiery Grill’ that serves buffet lunches. There’s also a gokarting area. Tickets are priced at `1,000 per couple on weekdays and `1,200 per couple on weekends, and gives you a full day’s fun in the water park, and unlimited rides in the amusement park.

Here’s a unique way to celebrate this December. TIRUN Travel Marketing, India representative for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., has announced Christmas & New Year special Singapore sailings onboard the largest ship based in Asia – Mariner of the Seas – for Indian vacationers. The ship can carry 3,807 guests and stretches more than a thousand feet in length. It brings 15 decks of activity, first-at-sea innovations, luxurious staterooms, entertainment and dining options. They have an ice skating rink that doubles up as a sensational 900-seat venue for ice show productions with world-class figure skaters. A variety of dining options, sports facilities including a jogging and inline skating track, Royal Caribbean International’s signature rock-climbing wall, a mini golf course, Broadway-style entertainment, 3D screenings and much more is on offer on board this ship.

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December 2013 36 www.spiceroutemag.com

Travel buzz

Eat

in

t g ou

17. Under twinkling stars...

Dine under the stars at Skky, Restro Lounge, a 4,000 sq ft open-air rooftop restaurant with charming water bodies, frangipani, and a 47ft long bar – the longest in Mumbai. Serving up Pan Asian cuisine, including Thai, Burmese, Singapore & Malaysian, from an open kitchen, Skky’s speciality is a sushi counter offering octopus. Drinks are all crafted from fresh fruit. Wood-fired pizzas and tandoori kebabs are also on offer. For Christmas eve, they have dinner with complimentary wine for `1,600. On December 25 is a poolside brunch with live music at Cafe Ambrosia for `1,599.

Dinner includes complimentary wine at Skky for `1,599. All X-mas celebrations will have some live stations including turkey carving with cranberry sauce and tawa parantha station. On December 31, a lavish dinner spread and unlimited alcohol is on offer to bring in 2014. At Ramada Hotel, Powai, Mumbai. Tel: 022-67776000.

18. Fio all the way!

Remarkably, the calm surrounds of Fio Cookhouse & Bar at Delhi’s Nehru Place metro station are classy and high-end yet close to nature. Outdoor seating is eclectic; interiors are welcoming. For starters, try the spit fired grilled chicken with a zingy sliver of chilli. Wash it down with hot wired, a tangy concoction of fresh blackberry, lime and lemonade. The bread basket comes with a serving of powdered nuts and a secret ingredient to be mixed with olive oil and used as a dip. For main course, roasted hunter chicken – baked creamy layered potatoes, thyme and orange jus – is satisfying. As is the olive crusted rawas – a grilled rawas fish fillet served with couscous salad, baked aubergine and salsa verde. Among the Indian selection, try the hing matar ki tikki or tandoori badami broccoli, both starters, and grand trunk mutton curry for main course.

End with melt-in-the mouth tiramisu and banoffee jars, the toffee cream and caramel banana medley in the latter guarantees a gastronomic high. They promise a feast for the soul for the festive season. Approximate cost of meal for two: `2,500 plus taxes, excluding alcohol. At Fio Cookhouse & Bar, Epicuria Mall, Nehru Place Metro Station, Delhi. Tel: 011-26281026.

17

18 19. Expect the best True to its name, Eggspectation, the 24-hour resto café at Jaypee Group of Hotels offers a delightful array of 160 items, and a classic-yet-innovative range of beverages. It has recently launched a menu with an expansive choice of savoury appetisers, salads, beverages and desserts.

A refreshing tropical teaser followed by a delicious and cheesy nova scotia poutine does wonders. A must try here is the signature Eggspectation salad made with sliced ham, smoked chicken and cheddar cheese mixed with vinaigrette over mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber and a boiled egg. Vegetarians can try the Greek country salad which includes tomato, cucumber, black olives, peppers, red onions, seared feta cheese and watermelon, tossed with vinaigrette. Tofu still has not been able to make its place in the Indian palate but at Eggspectation the mushroom melt burger, served with thyme-aioli sauce, sautéed mushrooms and melted provolone cheese, is sure to change your opinions about tofu.

To end the lavish meal try the delicious raspberry lava cake. Approximate cost of meal for two: `1,800 plus taxes, excluding alcohol. At Eggspectation at Jaypee Vasant Continental, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. Tel: 011-26148800.

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December 2013 38 www.spiceroutemag.com

Cover story

On a

high note

Santa caps and X-mas trees herald the ringing in of 2014.

This month promises festivities galore across India.

WORDS

|

f l or i n a

sor e n

December 2013 44 www.spiceroutemag.com

C

ome December and one can almost hear festivity ringing in the air. While Santa caps emerge at traffic lights, shop windows get adorned with Santa masks, and suddenly one can see Christmas trees outside almost every shop. People from all faiths come together to celebrate the spirit of Christmas, and plan umpteen ways of ushering in the New Year. While hotels and restaurants allure with special packages and menus, it is also a time for winter vacations and family get-togethers.

Christmas is celebrated in most states with equal gaiety. However, the North East, Kolkata with its sizeable Anglo-Indian population and Kerala which perhaps has the maximum number of Christians, are perfect places to be at during Christmas time. Goa, with its huge Christian following and churches at almost every corner, reverberates with celebrations from early December, that continue way into the New Year.

For Christians across the world, the preparation begins much in advance; be it choir practice, cake mixing or getting the elaborate decorations in place. In India,

I remember my childhood days when Christmas planning started in October itself (a good chance to escape study time too!). For the women folk, it would be

45

Warm traditions

Cover story

Clockwise from right: Members of the Shillong Chamber Choir; Roast turkey is a must-have on the X-Mas table; Treats galore

People from churches visit orphanages with gifts buying and soaking in the ingredients for cakes and stocking their bars with wine and rum. The more energetic ones, like my mother, prepared their personal mulled wine which would be served to every guest who came home during the season.

Christmas also means sharing; collecting and distributing clothes and

eatables for the underprivileged was always the responsibility of the church youth. Many churches make it a point to send representatives to old-age homes and orphanages with gifts during this season.

Neil Nongkynrih, conductor of the Shillong Chamber Choir (which is a world name after winning a popular television show) says Christmas is about spreading the joy of Lord Jesus Christ.

Sharing their plans for this Christmas season, Nongkynrih says, “The high point is an exclusive show at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 15. We have a whole repertoire of songs, and this time I have composed a song which talks about

December 2013 46 www.spiceroutemag.com

leaving behind footsteps of peace for our children. We will be singing in many regional languages besides English.” For him, Christmas is about “being a gift” to others and spreading the message of peace and harmony. Nongkynrih recalls that in Shillong, his hometown, Christmas is a simple affair where they go on carol singing rounds among friends and family.

They take care to visit the poor and those who are unwell. Till New Year and a week after, the atmosphere is one of merriment.

Markus Lesinski, a German pastor in Delhi, tells us about how Christmas is celebrated in German-speaking Protestant churches. The preparation period – called

Cover story

Shoppers turn Kolkata’s famous New Market into a carnival Advent – starts four Sundays before Christmas. “It’s a period of thinking, Bible reading, fasting and praying. Different congregations invite people for a special Advent and Christmas service with the reverend to listen to words from the Bible, sing traditional hymns and just be together as a community,” he says. A unique event is planned for the German community this year. “St. Nicholas, the holy man who was looking for beggars and children, will come to visit children riding an elephant (traditionally, it’s a horse) for a special celebration. He will listen to what children have prepared for him, ask what they want for Christmas, and hand small presents to them,” he says.

special dinners to singing competitions and Sunday school events. Antao says, “In good old days, people would start baking their own Christmas cakes much in advance, while today most of us pick them from bakery shops. Even the cribs have become larger and more elaborate.

The spirit is same, but has got a little commercialised on the way.” The cribs (glimpses of Jesus’s birth) are one of the main attractions here. Youngsters from

different organisations and churches decorate attractive cribs across the city.

In some places, people dressed as Joseph and Mary, shepherds, the three wise men and other characters from Christ’s birth are interesting sights. Celebrations continue till New Year and Goans attend the midnight mass on New Year’s eve dressed in their formal best. The service is followed by fellowship over coffee and cake.

Of cakes and carols Arlit Antao, who has spent many summers in Goa, has been part of the changing milieu and looks back at Christmas celebration with nostalgia. He still waits the year round to revel in the spirit of merriment. “Goa gets all dressed up, right from the beginning of December. Cribs are decorated in every neighbourhood, cakes are being baked everywhere and there is partying and carol singing all around,” he says. The churches in Goa have week-long programmes; from

Clockwise from top left: Christmas decor abounds in shops; Adorning the tree is a family affair; Kolkata during the festivities

December 2013 48 www.spiceroutemag.com

Cover story

party time Buy your chocolate Santa in advance (shops usually run out of them).

Hang small gifts on the Christmas tree.

Keep confetti ready to add extra shine.

Make it a point to visit an orphanage/ old age home (you will feel at peace).

On New Year eve, call friends over and organise fun night parties.

Make resolutions, and make them happen!

While households make their own preparations, hotels across the country take part in their share of Christmas preparations. Kayomarz Bharucha, executive chef, The Leela Goa says, “We have a cake-mixing event every year to mark the beginning of Christmas festivities. This is a common tradition in Christian households like the wine-making ritual prior to Christmas in Goa. All family members come together and have a fun

time soaking dry fruits in spirit and liquor.

Since our dear guests are a part of our family, we invite them to be a part of it.”

Far East Kolkata is another place where the Christmas frenzy takes over the city centre. Last-minute shoppers turn its famous New Market into a carnival – the central circle transformed into a temporary bazaar selling all-things

Christmas, while Nahoum’s – the old Armenian store that defines old ‘Calcutta’ – has a mass of humanity straining at its walls and counters demanding guava cheese, stick-jaw or marzipans. Park Street is lit up from one end to the other, with half of the city’s population landing up to push their way into one of the many eateries, and the other half just there to ‘see the lights’.

We wrap up with a peep into what the excitement is all about. Every house is bustling – Christmas is four weeks away, three, two... And the frenzy continues till the New Year. Then it’s time for barbecue parties, calling friends over for a cozy meal, lazing in front of the television and watching the countdown live, and making a list of resolutions. The more adventurous and young-at-heart can venture out on the streets welcoming 2014. You can also welcome the New Year in a different city, enjoying a short holiday in the bargain. Or visit a church for a special midnight mass.

But sleeping it off is definitely not an option.

Top: Cakemixing session in progress Right: Glitter and sparkle all around

– With inputs from Jane De Suza December 2013 50 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Zoom in

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crew for th t e J Left to right: Christina Maria; Manpreet Singh; Reena Pathania; Jai Singh Sadana; Priya Jaydas; Vritti Mehra; Anushree Varma; Roshika Chettri

un

December 2013 52 www.spiceroutemag.com

48 Hours

December 2013 56 www.spiceroutemag.com

in Vizag

City guide

I Enjoy verdant hills and beaches, and have your fill of history at this port town.

t’s well-known as a beach holiday spot as it is famous for its shipyard, industries and one of India’s busiest ports.

Visakhapatnam or Vizag has much to offer: including historic sites, hill destinations, tribal villages and beautiful beaches.

DAY ONE

07:00 AM Morning walk Start your morning with a walk along Beach Road to see its parks, public art and beaches. If you are an early riser come at dawn to witness the sunrise on the Bay of Bengal. Tuck into a sumptuous breakfast at The Gateway Hotel on Beach

WORDS | Anil Mulchandani PHOTOGRAPHS | Dinesh Shukl a

57

City guide

Road. The all-day dining restaurant also offers traditional Andhra specialties like pesarattu and a section of ‘active foods’, which they claim have mood-enhancing and energy balancing properties.

10:00 AM beach drive

The Visakhapatnam-Bheemunipatnam Road is probably the longest beachside highway stretch in India; it runs for more than 25km offering breathtaking views of dunes and the Bay of Bengal.

Along this highway are a Buddha statue and the Buddhist archaeological site of Thotlakonda, where a monastery flourished about 2,000 years ago. This hilltop site has the remains of tupas, chaityagrihas, pillared halls, viharas, store room, refectory, a drainage system and the tank that once provided water to the site.

Though the monuments are in ruins, the complex is impressive, with sea views from the hilltop. The highway then brings you to Bheemunipatnam, a port and settlement of the Dutch East India Company along the Coromandel Coast between 1610 and 1798. After the Anglo-Dutch Wars, this port was controlled by the British East India Company. Visit the Dutch cemetery with its obelisk-shaped tombs, and see other European colonial remains like the ruined fort, colonnaded houses and a clock tower.

SpiceJet flies to Vizag.

See schedule, page 222.

call in at Rushikonda (also Rishikonda), one of the finest beaches on India’s east coast, for a variety of beachside and water-based activities. Check for surfing, swimming and paddling conditions. Sea Inn (well-known as Raju ka Dhaba) is an iconic place for seafood buffs. A popular restaurant is Vihar. Hotels and resorts nearby also have good restaurants.

04:00 pM Museum time Drive back to visit the Visakha Museum, managed by the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, near the Ramkrishna Beach. Its sprawling campus has outdoor

exhibits like engines, anchor, torpedoes, ground mines, projectiles and missiles dedicated to the armed forces. The Maritime Museum building has a variety of archaeological finds including ancient seals, visuals and information about India’s maritime and naval history from the Harappan dockyard of Lothal to the Maratha fleet, the British ship taken by Hyder Ali and more. The Heritage Museum is interesting with exhibitions of musical instruments, fibre sculptures showing local life, weapons and artifacts from various princely states and zamindari families of eastern India, books and so on.

Clockwise from top left: Obeliskshaped tombs at the Dutch cemetery in Bheemunipatnam; Beautiful beaches near Rushikonda; Visakha Museum

01:00 PM sea activities

Drive back on the highway to Vizag and December 2013 58 www.spiceroutemag.com

City guide

There are impressive sea views from the hilltop at the Buddhist site of Thotlakond in a tamarind gravy or sautéed with grated coconut and spices. Don’t miss the rice dishes like the coastal-style pulao or the Hyderabadi biryani.

DAY two A little ahead is the Submarine Museum on Ram Krishna Beach (named after the Ramkrishna Mission Ashram here), which offers an opportunity to explore the interiors of INS Kursura, a naval submarine. The guides show you torpedo tubes, equipment and life-saving systems, and talk about life onboard a submarine where officers and sailors share limited bunk space, two cooks prepare meals for the crew in a tiny kitchen, and activities like wireless communications and maintenance are undertaken.

People come to the beach to eat, drink, stroll and enjoy the sea breeze.

There is a good view of the rocky outcrop

called Dolphin’s Nose and the Bay of Bengal sunset from here.

08:30 pM Dinner at Bamboo Bay From Ramkrishna Beach, drive to Sandy Lee Bar for a drink and snacks before strolling down to the much-awarded Bamboo Bay Restaurant at the Park Hotel. At Bamboo Bay, sit outdoors just off the beach and tuck into specialties from Andhra’s north coast districts and the Rayalseema region of Andhra, Telengana and the erstwhile Hyderabad Princely State. The menu is strong on seafood cooked in the Uttarandhra style of northern Andhra, while vegetarians will enjoy the aubergine/brinjal dishes cooked

Clockwise from top: Haritha Jungle Bells is about 2,000ft above sea level; Borra caves are among the deepest in India; Green surrounds of Araku

December 2013 60 www.spiceroutemag.com

08:00 aM Andhra breakfast

Start your morning with a vegetarian breakfast at Dharani Restaurant in Daspalla. This is a good place to have Andhra morning favourites like the pesarattu, which is a green gram (moong dal) crepe like a dosa or adhai (upma pesarattu is a version made or served with upma) in a modern hotel.

09:00 AM Nature's miracles

After breakfast, take the highway to Araku – a 114km journey through a scenic landscape with forests, fields and plantations. One of the attractive stops on the way is Tyda where Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation has set up Haritha Jungle Bells, with wooden

Right: Folk crafts for sale at Araku Below: A tribal woman

cottages among fine forests, perfect for bird spotting. Travel on to the Borra Caves, one of the top attractions in north-eastern Andhra Pradesh. Discovered in 1807 by William King of the Geological Survey of India, the caves have extensive natural subterranean chambers with superb limestone formations. Water trickles into the cave from streams creating stalactites and stalagmites. The fascinating formations are well-lit and at places natural sunlight filters into the cave. Some of the stalagmites shaped like lingams are worshipped by locals. Continue on the journey to Araku passing the coffee plantations of Ananthagiri.

01:00 pM Explore Araku

Araku has beautiful surroundings and valley views. One of the best places for a local food lunch is Haritha Mayuri Resort, run by Andhra Pradesh Tourism.

Near this resort, the Museum of Habitat, though not very large, offers an insight into indigenous life – visuals, artifacts and folk arts of tribal groups in the eastern Ghats like Valmiki, Bagata, Khond, Kotia, Bonda, Maria and Muria can be seen in this museum (ask about local markets called shante or haat in this region for a further look at tribal life). Tribal handicrafts and Ananthagiri coffee can be bought around the museum. Araku also has botanical gardens. Visit Galikondalu for superb views from one of the highest points in Andhra before driving back to Visakhapatnam.

December 2013 62 www.spiceroutemag.com

09:00 pM Hip hang outs Siripuram in Visakhapatnam has wellknown pubs, bars, cafes, coffee places and restaurants frequented by the city’s hip young crowd. Enjoy drinks and dance at 10 Downing Street, The Chrome and other hot-spots before heading for dinner at the well-known Kebabri at Siripuram Junction known for tandoori specialties ranging from paneer tikkas to tandoori chicken and prawns. End the day with a comforting round of chocolate brownies, cheesecakes and coffee at Pastry, Coffee ‘n’ Conversation, one of the well-known hangout spots in the Siripuram Junction area.

youmeandwe.co/MN/Dec13 MUMBAI - Bandra (W) - Turner Road, Tel: 26559000 Andheri (W) - Lokhandwala Tel: 26345090 www.maheshnotandass.in

Quick getaway

Dubai by

night

There’s a lot that this city has to offer apart from shopping, especially after dusk...

C

lubs, lounges, bars and cafes... all are brimming with people out to experience this Arabian city in all its glory.

And with the upcoming Dubai Shopping Festival 2014 (DSF) – from January 2 to February 2, 2014 – Dubai is one of the most in-demand places in the New Year.

While the 19th annual edition of this internationally acclaimed festival promises a lot during the day, it also means fun galore during the night. The festival’s slogan – One World. One Family.

One Festival – truly paints the city into a celebratory spirit for all. People revel by indulging in entertainment, events and activities that are lined up; international concerts, musical shows, sports, outdoor activities, fashion events and the like, all promising great experiences in the after hours. It also offers an opportunity to know about the Arabian culture and tradition upfront.

options galore With over 70 malls and 6,000 shops December 2013 64 www.spiceroutemag.com

throughout the city, people get a range of options to shop. DSF offers many chances to win big there are numerous deals and discounts of up to 75 per cent on a range of merchandise. The largest collection of international retail brands under one roof, low trade tariffs and plenty of tax-free shopping makes the city an attractive place to shop. The range of products is huge, starting from jewellery to electronic products to sports cars and more. Another night-time must: DSF’s opening ceremony, an enthralling event to watch that

Quick getaway

photos | courtesy DTCM

SpiceJet flies to Dubai. See schedule, page 222.

With attractions for children, souks promise family fun time showcases spectacular fireworks stretching for many kilometres. The music and lights are synchronised, and cast a spell.

There are certain things that you would not like to miss during the festival period. For instance, the night souks, which are characterised by various cuisines and products from diverse cultures. One can explore a wide variety of items like handmade products, popular handicrafts, paintings, clothing materials, shawls, leather goods, scarves and more. If you are lucky you might get good bargains on traditional artefacts. With special attractions for children, souks are perfect for family outings, even at night.

The DSF Desert Camp is focused on the Emirati heritage and culture. It includes a food court that serves local cuisine, horse and camel rides and barbeque options as well under the stars.

You can also buy traditional artefacts at a select shop in the area. The Street Carnival which is filled with live music, performances, fireworks, laser and more is among one of the top attractions in Dubai.

The glamour quotient gets added up with the presence of some famous personalities and celebrities. You can surely look forward to the food and hospitality offered which is unmatched.

Clubbing time On any given day, Dubai promises a unique nightlife, with unforgettable experiences at its numerous clubs, lounge, bars and cafes. But there are many rules to be followed – you must be 21 years of age to drink alcohol and 25 years old to enter a nightclub. All nightclubs have to close by 3am, and the revelry usually starts only by 11pm. Interestingly, membersonly clubs cannot refuse you entrance; only charge a hefty fee for walking in.

Some of the high-end clubs include the well-known and unique Cavalli Club, launched in collaboration with celebrated

Clockwise from top left: The popular Arabic coffee; Spectacular fireworks; Carnival atmosphere during the Dubai Shopping Festival

Al Rigga Street is another ideal location for family fun, despite the fact that it’s night time. There are various packages that allow you to check out street performances, night souks, fun fair area tent and the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival.

December 2013 66 www.spiceroutemag.com

Quick getaway

The revelry starts by 11pm, and goes on till 3am in clubs

designer Roberto Cavalli. There’s also the Cirque Du Soir, with a secret entrance that has attracted many a celebrity since it opened in 2011. Guests are paraded with live world-class circus performances by a mind-boggling cast including stilt walkers, midgets, contortionists, tattooed dancers, jugglers, drummers, sword swallowers, magicians and fire eaters. You can also pay a visit to the Armani Privé located in the world’s tallest tower Burj Khalifa or head to Movida, People and VIP ROOM for great experiences. There are also clubs dedicated to themes like Bollywood and places like Morocco, France, Thailand and more. The looks of the bar Boudoir

in Dubai Marine Beach Resort evokes the luxurious feel of a French court. Rock Bottom Cafe at Regent Palace Hotel evokes the 60s and early 70s feel of American culture. Among the regulars are Al Pasha Restaurant & Keyclub on Airport Road that offers live entertainment, shisha and theme nights. With the weekend falling on Friday and Saturday in Dubai, Thursday and Friday night see the maximum crowds.

Tuesdays are special for women as the Dubai nightlife scene turns into the famous Ladies Night. Free drinks are offered to the ladies at several venues, making it the perfect opportunity to party

with your close friends and bond over a few drinks and snacks.

Even at night, outdoor and beach clubs are popular. Some of the best known Dubai clubs and bars are in leading hotels. A majority of the clubs are located inside beach hotels and on Sheikh Zayed Road. Many of them transform into active nightlife venues with live music. Once the night clubs close, you can head home in the taxis that are readily available outside.

Remember, drinking and driving is strictly prohibited. Also keep in mind that dress codes are generally applied fairly rigidly at all venues, barring a few outdoor ones.

Music on the cards Along with world-class DJs, many of these clubs and bars host live bands and theme nights on a regular basis, another reason to visit the city once the sun goes down.

You can check the local listings through Timeout and Mumtazz, online guides to the happenings in Dubai.

The list of international artistes who gave performances in Dubai in 2012 includes some big names like Snoop Dog, 50cent, Joackim Garrault, Bod Sinclar, Nelly, Wiz Khalifa, Nina Sky, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Vandik, Swedish House Mafia, Usher, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown and more. Some clubs even offer comedy show evenings.

Clockwise from top left: Gold souks are popular destinations; Shopping galore; Vibrant nightlife

With inputs from Alakananda Bhattacharya

December 2013 68 www.spiceroutemag.com

Theme holiday

Culinary

fiesta

Try some of these favourite eating joints of Amritsar and spend a day exploring the numerous bazaars housed around the Darbar Sahib....

W ords

|

G u neet

C

O b e ro i

runchy Amritsari kulcha with oodles of butter, mouth-watering phirni best described as a sweet with a character, spicy and tender kebabs.... the list goes on.

This and much more make the Amritsar food experience unique. Furthermore,

the warmth and hospitality of a gregarious Punjabi community, the sites and sounds of this historic city, the great shopping experience and the wondrous smells of its spice markets makes a week-long tour to Amritsar worth your while.

December 2013 70 www.spiceroutemag.com

Born in a traditional Sikh family, going to the Golden Temple was mandatory every year. But this time I wanted to explore Amritsar in its true essence, not just visit the Harminder Sahab aka Golden Temple. With a focused aim to discover the

Theme holiday

Fact file

✓ Getting there: The nearest

railway station is Amritsar Junction.

The nearest airport is Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International ✓ Airport which is 11km from the city.

Clockwise from top left: Traditional phirni with vark on it; Hawker selling kulchas; Stuffed paranthas at Kesar Da Dhaba

real Amritsar, three of my friends and I set out into the many narrow lanes or katras to satiate our tastebuds and enjoy some retail therapy...

Tastes galore It is no secret – a true foodie (veg or nonveg) can spend days in this land of ghee and butter, satiating the palate on rich, gourmet delights that have given Amritsari cuisine its very own niche. Some of Amritsar’s dhabas and restaurants have no ambience to write home about, but have become the stuff legends are made of. Do

not miss these places whenever you are on a visit to the city. Our first stop was Kesar Da Dhaba. Winding through small alleys and bylanes you’ll reach this vegetarian restaurant that goes back nearly a century.

When our cycle-rickshaw guy dropped us to this dhaba, we were in a contemplative mood – whether we should try this or go back to the other fancy and more commercial dhabas on the main road. But then, the thought of fulfilling our desires to experience the raw and real Amritsar guided us and we entered the Kesar Da Dhaba and placed ourselves at the last table comfortably. And I have to admit that they have got their basics bang on – the

lachcha paranthas are crisp yet tender; the maa ki daal has been simmering for 24 hours and comes with dollops of ghee; the lassi, served in a tall brass glass, is so rich you have to wade through a creamy layer to sip the drink. It’s almost like a treasure hunt. And if you still have a wee space left in your stomach, try the famous phirni served in earthen bowls.

If you are a hardcore ‘chickenitarian’, you need to head to Beera Chicken on Manjitha Road. Take a bite of tandoori chicken at this tiny roadside joint and chances are you won’t be able to enjoy this north Indian dish anywhere else. Not tarnished with orange food colour or too many spices, it is made the way tandoori chicken was meant to be – soft, succulent and nearly dropping off the bones.

Squeeze a bit of lemon and have it in your car, because the seating may not be quite to your liking.

And last but not the least – how can we forget the sweet tooth? After hours of lip-smacking culinary delights we decided to call it a day with crisp and

If you are a hardcore ‘chickenitarian’, head to Beera Chicken on Manjitha Road December 2013 72 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Theme holiday

SpiceJet flies to Amritsar.

See schedule, page 222.

One must try fresh pipinghot desi ghee jalebis at Gurdas Ram jalebiwala situated at Katra Ahluwalia golden desi ghee jalebis made fresh at Gurdas Ram Jalebiwala. Katra Ahluwalia was at a walking distance from our hotel therefore we decided to walk through the lanes and reach this quaint corner where world-famous jalebis were being fried in a kadhai full of pure ghee. Gobbling down a couple of them quickly we were lured by the piping-hot gulab jamuns as well.

Sublime and divine are the best adjectives I could use to describe the city as well as the food here.

Bazaar time After our foodathon, the next day was dedicated to the colourful phulkaris, Punjabi jootis and Patiala salwars.... Young, and over-enthusiastic, the four of us – all girls – set out early next morning to the famous Kapra market to enjoy a day of ‘shop till you drop’. The best thing about Amritsar is that the city has designated areas for shopping. So one doesn’t have to spend time in travelling from one corner of the city to the other. Katra Jamil Singh has the famous Kapra market where

there are numerous shops selling various articles made in Amritsar. You would be surprised to know that you won’t be able to find the collection of phulkaris these shops have anywhere else in the country.

Myriad colours and styles can be found in phulkari duppattas. The ones which are machine embroidered are a little cheaper while the hand-embroidered ones demand a reasonable price. The friendly and warm shopkeeper Ravi greeted us in a heavy Punjabi accent as we entered the first shop

in that lane. The bundles and thans of the many phulkari duppattas were brought down for us to choose. The intricate handwork on these duppattas is done by traditional Punjabi women and then sold in the markets.

The more styles we saw, the more confused we got. Finally there was an onion-coloured phulkari duppatta with green and golden hand embroidery and sequins scattered throughout. I picked up

Clockwise from top: Colourful Punjabi juttis; Religious items being sold outside the Golden Temple

December 2013 74 www.spiceroutemag.com

Theme holiday

You cannot leave Amritsar without picking up lip-smacking Amritsari papads and wadiyans

that piece without any second thoughts.

The friendly Ravi, seeing our enthusiasm, suggested we get a kurta and Patiala salwar made to go with each of the phulkari duppattas we picked up. The tailor, better known as masterjee, came and took our measurements and promised to stitch the suit in just two hours. The Patiala salwars made in Amritsar are the best and we were glad to get some of them from the shops.

Next on our list was Punjabi juttis.

Colourful, mirrored, embroidered – Punjabi juttis are of myriad kinds. After trying a few of them, we finally picked up the rounded embroidered ones as well as ones with little ghungroos attached to them. When in Amritsar remember to also pick up some woollen garments like shawls, sweaters and mufflers. These high-quality items are found in Hall Bazar.

Blankets and carpets woven by the rural women of Punjab are also must buys.

You cannot possibly leave Amritsar without picking up the lip-smacking Amritsari papads and wadiyans. Moreover, the rural women of the region make a variety of pickles, jams and jellies – also

mementos that you can carry back home.

I was told the best place to buy the famed spicy Amritsari wadis and papads was right outside the Golden temple. I picked on one that claimed to be dealing in these commodities for over a 100 years.

Seemed like they would know what a good wadi should be.

Wadis are available with varying degrees of ‘spicyness’. I naturally asked for the spiciest ones. Then I had to pick between ‘with or without plums’. Hmm… with plums sounded nice, but plain ones are classic. So I got both. The wadi finds its way into many vegetarian preparations in the traditional cuisine of Punjab. But wadi-aloo is a classic dish.

Religious paraphernalia like khandas (Sikh religious symbol), karas (Sikh religious bangle), swords, daggers and Sikh symbols made in metal are popular as take-homes among pilgrims visiting the Golden Temple.

Apart from all these, there are many more things to buy in Amritsar, all December 2013 76 www.spiceroutemag.com

Clockwise from top left: Pilgrims at the Golden Temple; Tourists at Jallianwala Bagh; Martyr’s well at Jallianwala Bagh

displayed in attractively at the shops. A good-to-know fact about the city: most of the world markets source wooden chess sets (boards as well as pieces) manufactured in Amritsar. Now, that can be quite a thing to shop from Amritsar, don’t you think?

While in Amritsar, praise the timeless (Sat Sri Akaal), enjoy parikramas of the Golden Temple, feast on the langar, and eat everything Amritsari you can find under the sky.

Festive flavour

Fairs and

celebrations

Music and fun-filled festivals reign supreme across the world to add warmth to your days.

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Konark Dance Festival This five-day festival of dance and music is a well-attended event showcasing the different traditional dance forms of Orissa. Is is held annually in Konark, best known for the majestic Sun Temple which dominates the town. Talented dancers and their troupes descend on Konark to display their skill and mastery over age-old dance forms ranging from the classic Bharatanatyam, the graceful

Odissi and Manipuri, to the expressive Kathakali and Sattriya dance styles among others. Some of the artistes who would be performing this year include Madhavi Mudgal & group (Odissi), Guru Raja Radha Reddy (Kuchipudi), Bharati Shivaji & group (Mohiniattam), Meera Das & group (Odissi), Kasturi Pattanaik & group (Odissi), Mallika Sarabhai & group (Bharatanatyam), Anita Sharma & group (Sattriya), Nrutyagram (Odissi) December 2013 78 www.spiceroutemag.com

and Dr. Malabika Mitra & group (Kathak).

A jugalbandi of painting and music will also be held daily. A crafts mela displaying sculptures and other handicrafts is also organised alongside. Situated 35km away from Puri in Orissa, the Sun temple is a world heritage monument and serves as a backdrop to the scintillating Festival.

When: December 1-5 Where: Konark, Orissa

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Festive flavour

Sunburn Festival Experience the adrenalin rush of being part of one of the biggest electronic music festival in the country – The Sunburn Festival in Goa. This annual three-day event is held between the Christmas and New Year celebrations, a time when Goa is a veritable paradise for tourists.

International artistes from all around the world come to perform all genres of music; from house to bass and drums.

Some big names including Alive, Afrojack, Alex Miles, Bay Beat, Boombaba and many more are likely to perform. Sunburn is also getting top musicians like Above & Beyond, Jalebee Cartel and Shaan to perform this year. An added attraction of the festival is the ‘Sunburn After Dark’ party. The festival also provides scrumptious fare, excellent entertainment and a great shopping experience.

carnival processions, pageantry and an encapsulation of the true spirit and zeal of Kutch inhabitants. Live in tents, enjoy evening bonfires and watch artisans at work. Shake a leg with the local folk dancers and go on camel safaris. You can pick up some beautiful traditional and ethnic stuff displayed by local artists and NGOs. The wild, raw beauty of the region is simply amazing. There are many attractions in and around Rann of Kutch such as the museum and royal cenotaphs of Bhuj, the beaches and palaces of Mandvi, the holy lake of Narayan Sarovar and the craft villages of Banni.

When: December 15, 2013 to January 31, 2014 Where: Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

When: December 27 to 29 Where: Candolim Beach, Goa

Rann Utsav Rann Utsav is a cultural extravaganza that celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the Kutch district and highlights the cultural splendour of Gujarat. Organised by the Gujarat Tourism Department, the annual Utsav takes place at various locations within Kutch during full-moon time in winter. It includes cultural and folk dances, music, craftsmanship, December 2013 80 www.spiceroutemag.com

Hot-Air Balloon Festival Here’s a novel and fun-filled way to enjoy the year end – relax on lush green grounds and watch colourful serene hot air balloons floating in the sky. Just head to Karnataka. Karnataka Tourism is gearing up to organise a grand Hot Air Ballooning Festival starting from December this year to January 2014. This mega event will take place in three different regions; Mysore, Hampi and Bidar; where several hot-air balloon enthusiasts from India and abroad will be participating. The sheer experience of flying high in the sky in a huge basket attached to a colourful and gigantic hot-air balloon promises to be breathtaking!

When: December 2013 - January 2014 Where: Karnataka, India

Launch pad

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Drape yourself in classic cream, white, black, blue and grey, or play it up a notch with vibrant aqua, canary yellow, fuchsia and gold.

Electrolux Sterling RO Water Purifier is an under-the-counter water purifier with a built-in water storage tank. apt for modular kitchens. Its RO+UF+Mineral controller technology ensures your water has all essential minerals. Its an ideal companion for a double door side-by-side refrigerator.

Safari Industries (India) Limited, introduces the new Novatec Trousseau collection for newly wedded couples.

This range of stylised bags is made of fine fabric. Available in six vibrant styles and colours, they have dependable locking systems and wheels that ensure your luggage is safe.

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December 2013 82 www.spiceroutemag.com

Launch pad

St ylish foot wear

Dance along

Luxury shoe brand AurumCo has come up with limited edition collection of coloured shoes for the connoisseurs of style. Ideal for leisure evenings, occasions and casual outings, this tailored shoe collection from AurumCo is perfect for style-conscious men looking for chic and trendy footwear.

JBL Pebbles plug-and-play stereo speakers are designed to easily connect to your computer through its USB port. They come with digital signal processing and SlipStream™ Technology for outstanding audio, as well as an award-winning design that looks as good as it sounds.

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Be winter ready Capes are no longer for super heroes; welcome the chilly winter with these stylish capes from Wrap Studio. Available in colours like royal blue, berry red, fuchsia and beige, in different cuts and styles.

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Dress up!

Aks Jewels by Designer Alka Kumar brings its latest traditional yet modern collection.

With focus on the ‘new’ Indian woman, the collection showcases lightweight, elegant and striking pieces of art in gold, with diamond, blue sapphire and rubies.

Featuring modern twists on timeless style, the CK sunglass collection presents a fresh take on the aviator, crisp reinventions of titanium and zyl combinations, and daring shapes that employ straight brow bars.

109°F brings to you the ‘Black Forest’ collection for a fashionable autumn-winter look in black and white. You can choose from dresses, tunics, blouses, tops and printed jumpsuits.

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December 2013 84 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Launch pad

Wheel of time

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TBZ’s Apollo Collection for Men comprises a sophisticated automatic watch. This elaborately designed Swiss-made watch in 18K yellow gold comes with a power reserve indicator day/date and sapphire crystal. The hour markers are in Roman numerals, while the TBZ logo adds to the grandeur and magnificence.

Colorbar’s skincare range introduces a potent, multi-action night crème that works through the night to give you a beautiful, well-rested appearance.

Enhanced with an excellent mix of ‘hyaluronic acid’ and ‘AH-8’, it hydrates, protects and fights against wrinkles to tone up dull skin.

The scent of Oriflame Fresh & Nature Cardamom and Vetiver Eau de Cologne for men exudes contemporary sophistication and freshness. Aromatic cardamom adds a spicy, fresh facet while masculine characteristics of vetiver evoke sophistication and sensuality.

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December 2013 86 www.spiceroutemag.com

Spice Trail

Spicy superfood Once a currency of trade, ginger today is not just a flavourant but a must-have preventive against some of the deadliest ailments.

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G

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inger is one of the most widespread culinary spices used in every cuisine worldwide. Yet, if one has to look at the history of ginger, it is hard to trace when and how the use of ginger came into existence. A probable answer to this could be that ginger, unlike other spices, was never found in the wild – it was grown.

Ancient trade records show ginger was used as a currency, much like cloves, and

would be taken from one port to another as potted plant. The earliest mention of the use of ginger dates back to the Mahabharata, where ginger was liberally employed in the preparation of the meat; and for medicines.

the base of all kinds of savory sauces, chutneys, relishes and marinades. The fact that ginger can be used both in fresh and dried form to give layered flavourings makes it a unique spice.

Today, it is an important condiment of every cuisine, and is known for its beautiful pairing with garlic that forms

Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, which belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, a parentage shared

December 2013 90 www.spiceroutemag.com

where it ORIGINates

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Spice Trail

Ginger stays best when it is stored unpeeled in a ziptop bag, without any wrapping

OLD-FASHIONED GINGER CAKE Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 1/2 tsp fine salt 3/4 cup light molasses/ black honey 3/4 cup vegetable oil 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup water 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup minced fresh ginger 2 large lightly beaten eggs Powdered sugar and whipped cream

by turmeric and galangal as well. Thought to be originating from India, ginger today is cultivated in most regions of South Asia, East Africa and the Caribbean. The Manasollasa literature shows that ginger has been used to flavour buttermilk since 11th century AD. Its use as a food became much more widespread by the 13th century with the advent of Muslims in India. It became popular for preparing meat dishes and drinks in the form of a paste, and as a spice for fruit juices, tea and curd products. In fact, by the medieval period, ginger was used in sweets as well.

Interestingly, at that time, one pound of ginger was as expensive as one sheep!

HERBAL POWERHOUSE Ginger is composed of several volatile oils that provide its characteristic flavour and odour; namely, zingerone, shogaols and gingerols. These oils are powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, antiparasitic agents that help inhibit many forms of ailment, including cancer cell formation, while firing up the body’s own immunity. No surprise then that the incredible herb/spice features 13th on the list of Superfood Herbs with an

Method In a bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and keep aside.

Blend in molasses, oil and sugar until smooth in another bowl.

In boiling water, add baking soda and molasses mix. Remove from heat.

Using a rubber spatula, stir the ginger into the molasses mixture.

Pour the dry ingredients, a little at a time, into the batter until it attains a porridge-like texture. Whisk in the eggs.

Pour in a pre-coated, pre-heated pan and bake for about 50 minutes at 175˚C. Dust with powdered sugar; serve with whipped cream.

ORAC score of 28,811. Traditionally used to improve digestion, ginger is known to reduce fever-related nausea, motion sickness, as well as morning sickness.

Additionally, it helps aid in the production of bile, making it particularly helpful in digesting fats, helping in effectively losing the kilos.

Ginger is also an important part of a de-inflaming, natural pain-relief program.

High in potassium, which aids in electrical energy production and detoxification, ginger is a great source of manganese that protects the lining of the heart blood vessels and urinary tract. It also contains silicon, which enhances skin, hair, teeth and nails.

BUYING AND STORING Fresh ginger should be firm, almost hard, with unwrinkled skin, and must possess a strong aroma. The best picks are usually the mature, tough-skinned type, which have most intense spicy flavour. For storing ginger, unless you are a big fan of soaking it in spirits (preferably vodka), ginger stays best when it is kept unpeeled in a ziptop bag without any wrapping. This way ginger stays fresh, firm and wrinklefree for entire eight weeks. Jamican and Kenyan ginger are thought to be the best.

CULINARY EXPLORATION Its sharp taste makes ginger a versatile spice that goes with everything – sweet, savoury, meat, vegetable and even with tea! Add raw ginger to stir-fries or curries, use in marinades, grate and add to tea.

Dried ginger works well in puddings, flapjacks and fruit cakes or stewed fruits, particularly apple.

Served with green chilli, it becomes an excellent digestive combination for heavy masala food like nalli nihari and other ‘heavy’ dishes.

December 2013 92 www.spiceroutemag.com

Gourmet delight

Heartwarming

soups

Bubbling, rich and packed with wintry flavours, an aromatic hot brew can be the healthy precursor to any meal.

W ords

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R i b e i ro

hile woollens give you warmth, it is the hot bowl of soup that provides the comfort. A hearty soup is the ultimate convenience meal. A variety of ingredients can be combined to make a simple, yet tasty and nourishing bowlful. Soups can be clear or with vegetables, meat and sea food, depending on your preference.

Interestingly, every Indian and global cuisine offers soups. Of course, winter soups are a little different, with ingredients meant to keep the body warm and strengthen the immune system.

about a nice winter soup, I prefer hearty, creamy soups as they are easy to cook and of course, filling. These provide muchrequired fats and carbs to keep the body warm in this season.�

Kedar Bobde, executive chef, Hyatt Regency Mumbai, analyses, “When we talk

It is all very well to give in to your fat

December 2013 94 www.spiceroutemag.com

Global Options

Gourmet delight

Root vegetables and aromatic herbs in your soup help boost metabolism during winter cravings in winter, but while the soup must be satisfying, it should not be filled with calories. Potato and spinach soup with garlic and olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper or the Goan bokdiacho caldo (mutton soup) made from mutton bones, onion, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander leaves, dices of potato, salt and pepper, are some great options for winter.

aromatic herbs of the season help to boost metabolism during winter, and broths and chowders are nutritious. Tomato, beans, potato, lamb, country chicken, mushroom, garlic, corn, carrot, wasabi are some of the must-use ingredients.

Thukpa, a Tibetan soup made with mixed vegetables, mixed meats and noodles, is another alternative. And then there is something for every palate in global cuisines. Mulligatawny, tom kha, tom yum, miso soup, lobster bisque, the list is endless.

Taste and variations apart, a soup is goodness and health personified. Soups keep the body hydrated. Sandeep Pande, executive chef, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Center Hotel feels that soups are ideal for winters as they are easy to digest, making it a great way to get valuable nutrients into one’s diet. A soup can replace two meals a day for five to seven days, without any side effects.

Mayank Kulshreshtha, executive chef of ITC Sonar, Kolkata, suggests a flavourful consommé, tuberous/root vegetable purée soup, or bean broths. These soups help keep the body warm. Root vegetables and

Whatever be the health quotient, taste is critical. And, normal is boring. Gone are the days when one had to have a basic tomato or chicken soup. Some imagination and the use of seasonal vegetables and

herbs can give an interesting twist to the usual soups. Moroccan carrot soups can do wonders in winter. One can use egg yolk instead of cream to impart a silkiness in the texture. The mint brings a fresh lightness to this soup, balancing the filling rice. It is a complete meal in itself. And if exotic soups are what you seek then Chef Pande suggests asparagus with white chocolate, which spreads a warm zing, or a wild duxelle. The woody, earthy and nutty flavours fill your body with warmth and put a smile on your face!

Desi concoctions

Top: Moong dal soup is a healthy desi alternative; Left: Miso soup makes a great global option

December 2013 96 www.spiceroutemag.com

It is not as if only global cuisines offer interesting and robust winter soups.

Our own Indian cuisine is replete with rich, flavourful soups. Who can resist the famed paya soup on a chilly night? Girish Krishnan, Executive Chef at JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity recommends murg zaffrani badam ka shorba because this soup is made with good-quality chicken stock along with saffron, almond and fresh herbs. A good meat stock is ideal in winter since it gives instant heat to the body. And when saffron and almond are combined, the effect is doubled. Tamatar shorba is yet another eternal favourite in Indian cuisine.

Gourmet delight

Asparagus,white chocolate soup Ingredients 25gm butter A little vegetable oil 350gm asparagus spears, stalks chopped, woody ends discarded, tips reserved 3 shallots, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 large handfuls spinach 700ml vegetable stock ( fresh, if possible) 50gm white chocolate Olive oil, for drizzling (optional) Method Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan until foaming. Fry the asparagus tips for a few minutes to soften. Remove and set aside.

Add the shallots, asparagus stalks and garlic, and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened but still bright in colour. Stir through the spinach, pour over the stock, bring to a boil, and then blitz with a hand blender.

Season generously and add hot water to loosen if needed. Ladle into bowls and scatter asparagus tips over each. Drizzle with olive oil and melted chocolate.

(Recipe courtesy: Renaissance Mumbai Convention Center Hotel)

Lentil soups are legendary. Moong dal soup also helps nourish the body with vital nutrients for this season. Chef Manoj Keni of Swad Shakti, Mumbai, known for its Ayurvedic food, feels it is important to consume the right kind of vegetables in winter in the form of soup to maintain the balance of the doshas in one’s body.

the best bet. Minestrone, chicken and rice soup, pumpkin and rice soup are popular low-calorie soups. Always limit the salt by preparing your own stock from scratch to ensure health value.

Chef Kedar Bobde opines, “Green peas are starchy, but high in fiber, protein and minerals; they also have less ability to scavenge on free radicals. Pumpkin is low in saturated fat, and very low in cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E, thiamin and a very good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese.” For vegans, a rich, creamy soup with Indian spices, yam and coconut milk can be a great choice.

Presentation does enhance the appeal of a soup and is as important as the flavour. So, garnishes and a dollop of cream are important, but the use of fresh seasonal vegetables is crucial.

Taste Plus Health For the health-conscious too soups are

Top: Crab and green pie soup is a tasty innovation Left: Garnish makes a big difference

December 2013 98 www.spiceroutemag.com

Soups are the perfect one-dish meal so usually one does not need anything to go with it. But Chef Kulshreshtha feels winter soups are quite versatile and may be paired with crusty bread, melted cheese, egg and pasta. He reiterates that the ingredients must be delicately used to bring out the aroma, even before serving the dish, which greatly adds to its flavour and appeal. And the soup must be served piping hot.

So go ahead, stock your kitchen with the best of seasonal vegetables and treat yourself to some heart-warming soups on cold winter nights.

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Gourmet delight

Christmas

spread

Forget waistlines; get into the spirit and whip up (and gorge on) traditional X-mas goodies to celebrate the festival.

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oaked your fruit yet?” is a common query across phone lines in early December. Which isn’t a code, but one of the food rituals that go into making Christmas as exciting as it is... The soaking of dried fruits, candied peels and nuts in rum, to get them ready for that aromatic

Christmas cake which every family will put out on their table, and compare proudly with their neighbour’s. When at a single bite, some unfortunate cakes will disdainfully be proclaimed to be ‘storebought’. When every hand in the house, right down to the six year old’s, will be

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put into use pummelling dough, shaping kalkals on a fork, frying rose cookies, stuffing neurios, chopping meat, crushing raisins, stirring batter ‘five hundred times clock-wise and then another 500 anti-clockwise!’ When the kids are never trusted with this task, because half the

Gourmet delight

Chocolate Yule log cake 200gm flour/maida; 4 eggs, beaten; 250gm sugar, powdered; 3tbsp icing sugar; 200gm sugar; 3tbsp cocoa powder; 2tsp instant coffee; 125gm fresh cream; 50gm chopped walnuts; 1tsp baking powder; ½tsp salt Sift the cocoa powder, coffee, flour and baking powder together. Cream the butter and sugar together well.

Add eggs one by one and mix well. Add vanilla essence, then sifted flour with the other ingredients. Fold in the mix to form a smooth, thick consistency.

Pour into a greased and papered long cake tin and bake in a hot oven for 30 to 35 minutes till slightly golden on top.

Remove from cake tin; turn it out on a sheet of paper liberally sprinkled with icing sugar.

Roll the cake tightly with this paper to form a log. Keep aside to cool.

Beat the fresh cream with 3tbsp of icing sugar and 2tbsp of cocoa powder till peaks form.

Unroll the log cake from the paper and place on a suitable plate. Using a spatula, cover the cake with the icing. With a wet fork make long lines across the surface to create a bark effect. Refrigerate.

Before serving, dust with icing sugar and decorate with some fresh small leaves.

Recipes are passed down generations, and eaten in days

Guava Cheese 6 ripe guavas, preferably the pink variety; ¾ cup sugar; 50gm unsalted butter; ½tsp vanilla essence; a drop of cochineal colouring Wash and cut the guavas into quarters and boil them well in a little water till nice and soft. Mash well.

Strain through a thin cloth and throw away the skin and seeds. Boil the strained thick juice with the sugar and keep on stirring till the mixture turns slightly thick.

Add the butter, vanilla essence and cochineal. Simmer till nice and thick.

Pour onto a buttered plate. Cut into squares when cold.

cake batter goes into drooling mouths.

When the grandmother supervises the work, with a discerning lick, and adds a bit of vinegar here or jaggery there. When recipes are passed down generations to be devoured in days.

a flamboyant stuffed Turkey for lunch; a sampling of the tea-time sweet guava cheese (which isn’t a cheese at all – read on!) and of course, the must-have wine – ginger, it is, this time. Do try your hand at all of these.

Bridget White Kumar from Bengaluru, a celebrated Anglo-Indian chef, food consultant and author of seven cookbooks, has shared some of her lip-smacking recipes here. An absolutely marvellous Yule log, which is as Christmassy as it gets;

‘Tis the season to be jolly, tralalala’ goes the Christmas carol. So, like Santa, everyone forgets their waistlines for the season, and focuses on their taste buds instead. And the extravaganza of goodies just goes on and on.

Top: Guava cheese made from fresh fruit; Right: Cookies can be decorated in various ways

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The fruits and peels for the cake are soaked in rum and kept in a jar covered in muslin cloth, stirred once in a while to make sure every single raisin is happily drunk! The wine is made almost a year in advance – ginger, grape, banana, even beetroot. And the last week is mayhem.

After mass where the air is crackling with excitement, the family comes home to kick off their shoes, finally cut their own cake, uncork the wine and open their gifts. The Christmas season has officially begun!

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Gourmet delight

Roast Turkey with Stuffing 1 whole small dressed turkey; ¼ cup vinegar; 3tsp pepper powder; 2 cups breadcrumbs; 2tsp dried mint powder; 2 eggs, beaten; 1 cup of boiled peas and carrot; ½tsp grated lemon rind; ½ cup oil; salt to taste Wash the turkey, rinse the insides well and keep aside.

Wash the liver, heart, gizzards and other edible internal parts of the turkey well.

Cook all these parts with a little water, salt and pepper powder till soft.

Remove from flame and chop into very tiny bits once cool. This is known as the turkey giblets mince.

Mix the cooked giblet mince with the eggs, bread crumbs, vinegar, mint powder lemon rind, salt and the boiled carrots and peas.

Now slit the turkey near the neck just above the chest and fill it well with the giblet mince mixture, packing it firmly and tightly.

When the turkey is stuffed well, close the opening. Rub oil well all over the turkey.

Place the stuffed turkey in a large vessel or pressure cooker and add sufficient water to cook.

Keep on flame till the turkey is tender.

Keep simmering till all the water dries up and the turkey turns a lovely golden brown all over.

The stuffed turkey can also be roasted in an oven if desired.

Serve hot or cold with boiled vegetables and mash potatoes and bread.

The Christmas table laden with turkey and baked potatoes is the stuff that Hollywood has stereotyped, but the Indian Christmas table is way more imaginative, colourful and vast. The Goan Christmas is incomplete without a resplendent sor potel or baffath, pork dishes swimming in spice, followed by a sampling of pinag, bibinca and dodol, with the Mangalorean one offering a spicier variant of the same.

Seafood is the reigning deity of the table in Kerala, in many forms – fish curries and prawns in coconut milk. Plum cake and a variety of rice powder, coconut and jaggery-based delicacies – achapams, unniappams... make up the sweet platter.

Ginger Wine 200gm fresh ginger; 1kg sugar; 6 limes (extract the juice); 3 pieces cinnamon; 1 red chilli, deseeded; 3 litres water Peel and wash the ginger and cut into thin slices. Make lime juice and set aside.

Put all the above ingredients together with the water and bring to boil for at least 2 hours, first on high then on low heat till slightly thick. Remove from heat and add the lime juice.

When cold, strain through a thin cloth, then bottle. Use whenever required.

Recipes by: Bridget White

Top: Use roast turkey as a centrepiece on the X-Mas table Right: Ginger wine for warmth & good cheer

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Anglo-Indians count the minced ball curry among their all-time meal favourites during X-Mas, along with fudge, guava cheese and marshmallows making up the sweet contingent.

And East-Indians enjoy their moile and bobil (Bombay duck) with bhakri or arros. And these are just a few of the regional slants. The common denominator of course is an excellent glass of wine or the favoured liquor – toddy or feni.

That really rounds off the meal. ‘Merry Christmas, until next year then,’ say the guests when the lunch goes on to extend into dusk. Wish you all a great festive season! Cheers! And burp!

In conversation

Y

Of notes &

words

A professor of literature by profession, there’s more to Amit Chaudhuri than what meets the eye.

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ears back, I had met Amit Chaudhuri, the author who had just released one of his novels, and he had announced the next would be a book of poems – that alone intrigued me; how can someone so easily shift between prose and poetry. Little did I know he had more up his sleeve, and now it is his music band that is making news across the world.

With Chaudhuri, it is creativity and innovation which are supreme; be it for poetry, essay, prose or music with all its influences. Trained in Hindustani classical music, his melodies have strands of Western, and together they create magic. He once said, “I came to Indian classical music via the Beatles.” He had long ago realised that in music – be it Hindustani, Blues and even the Beatles, there is some common code somewhere – and that is when Chaudhuri’s experimentations began.

He often comes back to India, his birth place, along with his band spreading the joy of world music. He was recently part of The Park’s music festival which toured the Indian metros.

From writer to musician...

Music has been in my DNA. My mother Bijoya Chaudhuri is a

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In conversation

You grew up in Mumbai.

Share your feelings about the city.

I get quite nostalgic about Mumbai as I see the change the city has experienced in so many years. It has emerged to be a world city and I do like the throbbing energy that the city vibrates with, but one can also see the eroding intellectual milieu. With the onset of free market, the predominance of money is evident.

Any Indian city/place that you wish to visit?

I have been visiting India for long, but somehow have not been able to visit Kerala. I hope to go to this state soon.

‘I get quite nostalgic about Mumbai as I see the change the city has gone through in so many years’

well-known Rabindra Sangeet singer and I have always dabbled with music in different forms.

Share a little about your musical journey.

Growing up in a musical family, I have been connected with music since my childhood. Firstly, I learnt Hindustani classical, then there was a time when I wanted to become a Western singer, and 70s was the time of disco. I have experimented a lot with music and I am glad the audience has taken it well.

You were recently on an India tour. Tell us about it.

I was part of The Park’s music

and art festival and enjoyed it.

I visited four different cities, and much to my surprise, the response was phenomenal. One has to keep experimenting with music and that is exactly what we had done.

Tell us something about Kolkata, one of your favourite cities...

Kolkata, erstwhile Calcutta, will always remain close to my heart. I have spent hours walking around Park Street, Hindustan Park and so many more lanes and bylanes. In fact, I still do whenever I am in Kolkata, I love seeing life pass by in this charming city.

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What do you have to say about the current Indian music scenario?

Of course a lot is being done, and there is more to be done.

However, it is interesting to know that innovations are being tried out in the Indian music scene.

Who is the one Bollywood filmmaker whose work you find interesting?

Vishal Bhardwaj, he is doing interesting work.

Indian author whose work you like reading?

I think Indian authors are doing great work and there are many whose writings are really interesting. Vikram Chandra is one author I like reading.

In conversation

Singing

sensation

Humble, earthy, melodious are just some of the adjectives to describe this soul-stirring Sufi singer. Kailash Kher captivates all hearts with aplomb!

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hey say good things come in small packages, and who better than Kailash Kher as an example? A native of Kashmir and born in Meerut, Kher is a brilliant artist and has captured hearts across the world with his dynamic, soulful voice. In earlier years, his father, Mehar Singh (a folk singer) taught him music. However Kher was inspired by legendary Pakistani Sufi singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. After a struggle with business, he moved to Mumbai, where he took his singing sensation to professional heights. His song Rabba ishq na hove from the movie December 2013 110 www.spiceroutemag.com

In conversation

‘I want to prove that item numbers can also be classy, and yet have mass appeal’

The spectacular singer performs with his band; Kher steals a million hearts with his soulful voice

Andaaz was well accepted by the listeners. In 2002, Kher’s Allah ke bande was a smash hit, and from there on, he became pretty much a household name.

know more Favourite sport: Cricket Favourite artiste: Ajay Devgn Favourite past time: Spending time with my four-year-old son, Kabir

A powerhouse of talent and most known for his Indian folkinspired style this versatile singer speaks his heart out about his upcoming performance at NH7 Weekender, his delving into the ‘item number’ genre, and most of all, about his passion for singing.

Read on to know more about Kher, whose voice is truly a gift of the gods...

You are penning down an item number. What made you decide to try your hand at this genre?

Not only an item number, I am composing all six tracks and December 2013 112 www.spiceroutemag.com

the background score for the Bollywood film Desi Kattey. I have taken it on as a challenge, I wanted to prove that item numbers can also be classy, and yet have the same Bollywoodstyle mass appeal.

What are you looking forward to now?

I will be performing at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata. Expecting lots of madness, enthusiasm and loads of real music lovers.

Japanese jazz singer Richard Bona sang your song on a world platform.

How does that feel?

I feel a sense of pride that Hindi non-film music is also being played on a global platform.

In conversation

The Kailasa band practicing; Kher with his wife and son Kabir

Ghoshal, and the entire journey was captured for an online campaign. The thought behind the campaign was to deliver the perfect sound.

Among your contemporaries, whose work do you like the most?

The list is long, but some of the names are A.R Rahman, Shankar Mahadevan and Sonu Niigaam.

‘When you start living for your passion and not just your daily bread, that is success for me’

How much time do you take to compose each song?

It depends from song to song.

Sometimes I take a few days and sometimes weeks – until I’m satisfied with the track.

Do you prefer performing on stage or in a studio?

Performing live gives me an instant high, while recording music in a studio creates it for life.

How was the experience of working with Mr. Bachchan in your album Rangeele?

Actually, that track was composed by me for (the game show) Kaun Banega Crorepati, keeping in mind Mr. Bachchan, which we later included in our album. The aura that he has is impossible to find elsewhere.

His professionalism and zest for perfection impresses to the core.

Tell us more about your musical campaign titled Project Resound?

That was a unique idea by Sony Headphones. We were supposed to compose a track with Shreya

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What are your new projects in the pipeline?

Quite a few. I’m working on two Bollywood films as music composer with Paresh and Naresh; a fusion folk album; and a Bangla album. I have also sung a couple of Bollywood and other language tracks.

Which country would you like to visit again?

Norway; it was great.

What does success mean to you?

When you start living for your passion and not just your daily bread, that’s success for me. It is not easy to be noticed in this competitive industry, but with the right talent and hard work, it can happen.

Glam world

‘Warm up’

your wardrobe

Make sure these essentials are there on your ‘to-buy list’ for the winter, and venture out looking stylish yet weather-proof !

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ith the drop in temperature, chill in the air, increasing hunger pangs, and lethargy seeping in, it is evident that winter is knocking on the door.

While most women would have already revamped their wardrobe for the season, there would be some lazybones still busy making their lists. Hurry up! It’s time to stylise you winter wardrobe as days are getting colder day by day... With the ever-changing fashion trends, it’s time we realise that winter is not all about layering with warm woolen clothes. It is more about looking stylish and fashionable while staying warm and cozy.

Trench coats, long sweaters, turtleneck tees and sweater dresses are some of the winter essentials we all know of.

But what we forget are the small add ons which are equally important in keeping us comfortably warm in this season, while ensuring the glam quotient is high.

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Glam world

ideal! Craft House at the Metropolitan Hotel and Spa in New Delhi has recently launched a range of pashminas in intricate weaves, with exquisite embroideries, and incandescent crystal embellishments in myriad colours. The design options are many – try reversible, shaded (ombrey) and more. For timeless style and enduring warmth, opt for stylish woolen scarves from Wrap Studio which are available in vibrant colours.

It is time for girls to follow new fashion drifts and to overhaul their wardrobe with new trends, brought in by various designers and brands in India.

Scarves & Wraps Jazz up your winter outfit by wrapping a nice printed scarf or muffler around your neck. For a formal look go for simple, sophisticated silk scarves. For a relaxed feel, opt for bright woollen scarves in funky colours and soft fabrics. These days, you must have noticed women wearing scarves and mufflers around their neck in different ways. You can also try out some innovative ideas to wrap your neck, to keep you warm, while looking trendy.

As winter approaches it is also time for weddings and festivities across the country. So for Indian outfits you could try the legendary pashminas – they are

You can team up colourful long leggings with dressy shirts, winter tunics and sweater dresses

Tights & Leggings

Vibrant accessories – socks, gloves or mufflers – can glam up dull grey winter mornings

Wear super-cool opaque tights with snug short dresses. Complete the look by putting on leather boots! It is better to avoid bright and large prints, but a well-recognised pattern in retro style fits perfectly into the framework of the trend.

If you love polka-dot tights do not give them up, because this pattern has been in fashion so long that it has become a new classic. Team up colourful long leggings with dressy shirts, winter tunics and sweater dresses.

Groovy gloves Elegant gloves are a great choice for cold evenings as they are both functional and fashionable. One of the accessories that every woman should own, it goes without saying that black leather gloves are an essential accessory in your wardrobe.

Timeless and classic, you’ll be able to December 2013 118 www.spiceroutemag.com

wear them in future years too. Consider investing in a nice, well-made pair that will last longer. If you wish to add colour to your overall monochromatic look, don bright-hued woollen gloves with geometric patterns. This would add a fun element to your otherwise staid outfit.

Haute hats Studies show that 20 to 40 per cent of body heat is lost through the head. So it is important to keep your head covered this winter. Stylish hats and caps, available in a wide variety of designs and colours, are a hit this winter. Designers suggest newsboys, berets, beanies and cloches to top up your style well. The newsboy hat can be worn at casual as well as dressy events. The beret is also a classic yet relaxed headgear. Try darker toned hats with a pop of colour. You could also

Glam world

choose from cute thermal beanies made of soft fleece that keep your head warm without feeling too suffocating. Other winter headwear you could consider include earmuffs earflap hats and cashmere headwraps.

These can be chosen according to your requirements. The length of socks depends upon your outfit and boots. Plain and printed knee-high socks have become one of the most popular accessories in the last few months. Apart from these, ladies also opt for leg warmers – if worn right, these can help you make a unique style statement while keeping you warm.

Warm toes Socks are the next winter essential.

Top: Boots always make a style statement Left: Pashmina scarves work well with Indian attire

Boots make the last and of course the most essential winter accessory! Winters give a chance to flaunt the most exclusive styles of footwear. Ugg boots remain a hot pick of the season for both men and women. You can check out other knee-high boots in rubber and quality suede leather.

So the next time you’re walking the mall aisles looking for a stylish jacket or warm overcoat, don’t forget to pay attention to the shelves that hold the small but essential winter accessories.

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Glam world

Choose

click, buy!

Why bother with traffic jams, parking hassles and long queues? Just log on to the Internet and shop for all that you want, online.

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nsembles, footwear, jewellery, cosmetics, electronic goods... you name it and you’ll get it – on one of the many e-commerce websites that now populate the World Wide Web. It started with Amazon.com and Ebay.com, both launched in 1995. Amazon.com, a US-based site which used to sell books, is today touted to be the world’s largest online retailer and has diversified into offering DVDs,

Sinh a

video games, apparel, furniture, food, toys, jewellery and more. Ebay.com too has grown to become a shopping website plus an online auction house.

With smart phones, tablets and other such fancy gadgets, the Internet is at your disposal 24x7. So you may order your little one’s diapers lounging on the sofa or choose your best friend’s birthday gift on

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way to office. Little wonder then that now even brands with retail outlets have also launched websites for selling their wares.

Whatever is available on the shelves, is also on offer online, at times with discounts and more options to choose from.

Even though it is at a relatively nascent stage, the ‘online market’ is all set to grow. “E-commerce accounts for less

Glam world

than 1 per cent of the total retail market in India as compared 10-12 per cent market share in developed markets like US and UK,” shares Aasheesh Mediratta, CEO, Fashionandyou.com, a popular online fashion and lifestyle store. “But it is just the beginning. As the big set of window shoppers start transacting online, we will see tremendous growth,” he predicts.

Variet y galore Many of these websites are playing on the tried-tested model of offering a whole host of options – be it in terms of the variety of products, or of the choices (style, colour, sizes...) available within limited categories.

Says Praveen Sinha, co-founder, Jabong.

com, “Assortment build-up is high in an e-commerce site. There are almost 1 lakh options on our website, so the probability of getting what you want is higher. And in case you haven’t decided on anything, there is a huge selection to help you reach a decision.”

Another website that works on focussed selling is FabFurnish.com.

Specialising in home decor, it was launched in March 2012. “While the largest organised player is only $200-300 million, Indian home furnishing market in itself is worth more than $18 billion!

Besides, shopping for home in local Indian markets, even in metros, is quite a painful process owing to its largely unorganised setup. This is where the idea of by helping people beautify their homes, by venturing into this huge untapped segment, clicked to us,” explains Vaibhav Aggarwal, M.D & Co-founder, FabFurnish.com. Within their product line, interestingly, ‘newer’ products which are not easily available offline such as collapsible furniture and bakeware are more popular.

Even a seemingly niche Fashionand you.com deals in a broader category base and offers product lines across luxury and high street brands, designer wear and exclusive international merchandise along with artisans and regional brands.

With Internet connectivity reaching smaller towns, the customer base is growing

Bigger benefits The convenience of sitting in a chair and buying whatever you want is unparalleled.

Many products available online have aspirational value, and with Internet connectivity reaching smaller cities and towns they are available to this customer base as well. “Due to lack of infrastructural development, many brands are physically unable to reach these places or set up retail outlets. Online, we are able to overcome this barrier to a certain extent,” explains Sinha.

From home products to haute styles, you can get all online

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Price competitiveness is another big plus. “We offer free delivery over a certain basket size. At times the products are cheaper than what is available in the

Glam world

It is a business of scale and overheads will be more or less constant, however much they expand

Your mobile can also be your mall, with options like books, kids products and clothing

market. Certain costs like what is paid for the property and sales executives’ salaries do not exist for us. Also, it is a business of scale and the overheads will be more or less constant however much we expand,” he explains.

Some challenges Companies are still working on acceptance by the customers. “People need to learn to trust portals. One of the biggest worries is that the product will not be up to the mark, so now companies are going overboard to ensure quality. For instance, we have a “no-questions asked” return policy,” says Sinha.

The fact that the product is seen, not felt tends to make many customers wary.

But Aggarwal from Fabfurnish.com feels that the modern shopper is smart enough to get what she wants, despite such limitations. “With a better buying power, our customers – mostly well-informed and internet-savvy women – are now willing to invest large sums in online home products.

Also, we ensure proper product display with over 10 images per product and a thorough 360˚view, to help our customers make an informed choice. Many times, our prompt customer service and impeccable product quality gets us good word-ofmouth publicity,” he says.

That little extra Most websites put in a lot of effort to December 2013 126 www.spiceroutemag.com

give a great shopping experience to their customer, including sales, free gifts, delivery before expected time, and many more innovative ‘attractions’.

“We are overly sensitive about creating ‘delight’. Jabong.com offers customers a lot, which is why even though we started late we have higher customer recall. We give one of the fastest delivery times too. So if you order before noon, you usually receive your goods before 6pm on the same day if you are in Delhi,” says Sinha. “Our customer response time is 15-30 seconds. If you call on our helpline for an exchange for instance, you can also find out information about whether a product is available in other colours or sizes – there’s no need to log on to the website. Also, we keep all trends in mind and provide the latest in fashion, not just products at discounted prices,” he adds.

Fashionand you.com feels creating a buzz works, and they do so everyday, at frequent intervals to engage customers.

“We have 15 new showcases/events every day across fashion apparel, handbags, watches, footwear and lifestyle and thrive on freshness and value we offer daily.

Since we are a member-based club and have a strong repeat customer base, 70 per cent of the sales still come from our registered members and 30 per cent from new acquisitions,” says Mediratta.

Well being

Organic

wear

Wearing the right clothes and shoes is probably the easiest way to feel good and high on energy, especially ones infused with healing herbs!

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ollution, heat and dust take a toll on our skin. And wearing clothes made out of synthetic fabrics doesn’t do much to alleviate the problem either. In fact, often, they can aggravate the malady. So it makes sense to opt for natural fabrics like cotton as far as possible for your shirts, t-shirts, trousers, tops et al. Technology here has proved to be a boon; you can consider

going a step further and invest in organic clothing. Organic cotton is grown without using pesticides, from plants which are not ‘genetically modified’. Clothes made from this cotton can be dyed with herbal colours, and/or infused with beneficial herbs. These promise a host of benefits: from providing comfort to increasing stamina to actually preventing diseases December 2013 128 www.spiceroutemag.com

such as hypertension, heart ailments, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism and skin infections.

Natural colours The concept of herbal clothing is not new – it has been derived from our 5,000-year-old system of Vedic healthcare.

Our ancestors used to often wear clothes

Well being

Raw materials for dyes include banyan bark and pomegranate peel

nature’s own true-tones. Our customers have come back to us saying that they find synthetic colours too harsh after being introduced to the natural colours. We work on bringing international sensibilities in the quality and designs of our products,” says Sonal Baid, Founder - Director, Aura.

Woven benefits A recent launch is Tatha Vastram designed

by Jattin Kochhar and conceptualised by Divita Kanoria, Chief Wellness Officer, The Vedic Collection. This organic cotton collection has been permanently infused with selected herbs for various benefits.

“The healing value of herbal clothing and its usage is based on the principle of touch: by coming in contact, the body loses toxins and its metabolism is enhanced. Herbal clothing helps in fighting many common and prevalent diseases,” says Divita.

dyed with herbal colours, obtained from flowers, leaves, insects, bark roots and the like. Earlier, these natural colours used to be applied to the fibre without any pretreatment of the dye material or the textile. In the middle of the 19th century, introduction of synthetic dyes marked the decline in the use of natural dyes. But now they are coming back with a bang. Raw materials used today also include banyan bark, neem bark, pomegranate peel and other suchlike.

Made of comfortable, breathable fabric, herbal clothes come in soothing shades

Ahmedabad-based Aura Herbal Wear is one company that manufactures organic cloth and treats it with colour that has been extracted from herbs via eco-friendly processes. The cloth passes through several stages including bleaching in the sun using a special mix of grass and animal manure before it becomes ready to wear. Colours used include turmeric, sea salt and castor oil. “We have a wide range of beautiful earth tones which we call December 2013 130 www.spiceroutemag.com

Ayurvastra, which derives from the holistic system of Ayurveda in Kerela, is another such initiative. You can simply switch over to turmeric cloth, or holy basil cloth or any of the 70 variations of herbal-dye-infused textile suited to your skin or body type, produced at this notfor-profit society – The Handloom Weavers Development Society at Thumbod, on the outskirts of Trivandrum. Their products go through lengthy processes – they are dyed in infusions of potent plant extracts which is held fast by a secret formula handed down in confidence. Then the cloth goes into a herbal infusion of a number of ingredients predominantly flavoured by the wellness component intended to create a certain effect. Like turmeric or sandal tinged cloth lengths. These are then left to season for over a fortnight, washed again, and seasoned for another fortnight.

Problem-specific cures There are five different types of clothing for the various diabetic conditions from Ayurvastra, and for people suffering from skin cancer or undergoing chemotherapy, there are Ayurvastra options to make them cope better with the trauma and also feel cooler. They also have clothing for the newborn, aimed to improve and sustain the natural immunity a baby is born with.

Well being

The advice is to use only such fibre for at least a fortnight after the baby is born, rather than the chemical and artificial cloth which is commonly available nowadays.

Environment plus Cotton production uses more chemicals per unit area than any other crop and accounts for a total of around 25 per cent of the world’s pesticides. The chemicals used in processing cotton also pollute air and surface waters. Residual chemicals may also irritate skin when you physically wear the clothes.

All herbal wear is free of synthetic chemicals and toxic irritants. It is sustainable and biodegradable. The process of producing herbal clothing is

carefully monitored and no chemicals are used for dyeing or processing the fabric.

Organic agriculture uses crop rotation instead of agrochemicals along with artificial fertilisers and biological pest control instead of pesticides. Nearly all of the herbs used in the fabric are sourced from local tribal communities who gather these from the country’s rich forest areas and this sustains them economically.

India for centuries that was overtaken by the thoughtless industry. We innovated techniques and have India and US Patents on the process and methods for modern-day industrialisation and global acceptance, keeping very strong vigil on our process cycles and keeping the productions clean,” says Baid.

Varied uses Ayurvastra offers a range of fabrics – jute, silk, wool, linen, flax, and even coir, which can be used to make a variety of products – bedding, bed linen, chappals, mats, rugs, towels, carpets and more. Aura too offers a wide range of lifestyle products.

Their collections include womenswear, menswear, baby clothing, intimates, bath and home ranges.

Aura is a good example. “When we started Aura in 2000, it was our first-hand experience in recycling industrial waste, mainly textile and dyes. It made us realise that recycling is not the solution; finding alternative methods is. During this time we were introduced to ancient dyeing techniques used very intelligently in

Eco-friendly shoes to make your feet comfortable

Another recent launch is eco-friendly shoes from AurumCo. “These shoes are called vegan cause they don’t contain any animal product. They’re made of poly urethane, and more durable. These products are eco friendly as they can be recycled,” explains Dharan Shah, founder AurumCo. Polyurethane is porous like leather – it allows the shoe to breathe and eliminates heat-trapping, solving problems like blisters, rashes and so on.

Surgical Masterpieces in Cardiac Surgery Heart Surgery goes keyhole – MICS CABG, a novel technique eliminates the fear of heart surgery.

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eart ailments in India are worsening. For most families being told that a dear one requires coronary bypass spells disaster. CABG or bypass as is commonly referred to the surgery for restoring blood flow in blocked heart vessels.

With the advent of new skills acquired, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore has started a novel cutting edge technology called MICS. Traditionally in heart surgery, the breast bone is cut to do the operation. This causes significant pain, a risk of bone

infection, delayed recovery (3 - 4 months), blood loss and a long scar on the chest. If this is not enough it adds significant financial loss both from operative & the inability to work up to 3 months. Imagine undergoing a heart operation and not experience any of the problems.

Although it seems impossible MICS or minimally invasive heart surgery does just that. MICS CABG or bypass is done through a small hole on the left just below the nipple. No bones are cut and

all blocks irrespective of the number can be bypassed. Most patients don’t even require a blood transfusion, as blood loss is negligible. The cut is so small that pain is minimal and near scarless. Infection is near zero

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as tissue damage is negligible and this makes it ideal even for diabetics who are prone. Says Dr Nambala, Chief Cardiac Surgeon at Apollo Hospital, Bangalore “this is the best thing to happen to heart surgery since it’s beginning and is almost like magic to patients requiring a heart surgery.

The best part is that both young and old benefit irrespective of how old or weak they are”. MICS is not just limited to CABG, valves requiring repair or replacement can also performed without cutting any bones.

Well being

Fight

the flab

Weight loss does not have to involve strange diets, vigorous exercises or even the `magic' of pills or fitness gadgets...

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eight loss is a constant worry that haunts many every day. Whether it is to look your best on your D-Day or shed some kilos to fit into that old pair of jeans again – reasons are many, but how often do you see the results? If you too suffer from lack of motivation to get up and hit the gym, then here are some ideas that will

help you lose weight without much trouble. If you think this is about crash diets and starving yourselves, then you are wrong. There are various other healthy ways to lose weight, slowly but surely.

Obesity has become common these days. Lavish restaurants and their delicious

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food have paved way for a nation of foodies, both adults and children.

Reducing weight has always been a challenge. There are various fad diets which claim to help people lose weight quickly but they are harmful because they eliminate certain essential nutrients

Well being

A simple way to start is by monitoring your diet and keeping a count of calories from your body, resulting in decreased immunity. A simple way to start off is to monitor your diet and keep a count of the calories you consume and burn. This way, you will be more aware and conscious of your diet and fitness and it will help in shedding those kilos quickly. Just by keeping active throughout the day and eating mindfully goes a long way. Here are a few more tips that can help you get started...

Healthy habits Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a simple way to remain healthy. With the growth of corporate jobs, we have become couch potatoes sitting in front of the computer screen for long durations. As a result our bodies have become inactive and redundant. Something as simple as using the staircase can make a difference to our not-so-active lifestyle.

Light walking can also do the trick.

It helps you burn 36 calories in 10 minutes. Also, it is important to indulge in fun leisure activities on weekends. These will help you remain fit and make you feel less lethargic.

Eating right Apart from a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy is also equally important.

If you think starving the entire day will make you lose weight, you are completely wrong. One needs to know what to eat and in what quantity. First and foremost, one should have a healthy breakfast. Well-known nutritionist Shikha Sharma informs, “The cardinal rule to any weight-loss programme is never to miss breakfast.

And oatmeal, a complex carbohydrate, is the ideal start.

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It is a satisfying breakfast cereal, and compared to any other grain, it provides more protein per serving. The fact that it takes longer to digest and hence releases energy slowly makes it perfect because you feel full for longer. Oats also keep blood sugar and insulin levels stable, which helps prevent fat storage. Have it with skimmed milk or yogurt.�

Cutting salt intake is something one needs to be aware of as well. Eating more than the recommended 2,500mg (1 tablespoon) of sodium each day will cause water retention and weight gain. Keep unhealthy snacks out of sight. Fried and canned food should be a complete no no for you if you are working on a weightloss regime. Instead, stock up on healthy snacks instead such as roasted nuts like walnuts and almonds. A handful of these can keep hunger pangs at bay and provide

Well being

Weighty Tips!

Weight loss is 80 per cent about eating habits and 20 per cent about working out.

Aim to lose both body fat as well as overall weight.

Be regular and with your yoga practices.

Keep the metabolism active by having 5-6 small meals every 2-3 hours.

Be 100 per cent with the food on the dinner table; avoid watching TV or chatting over the phone. Have a balanced diet.

Remember the 3’Ds – discipline, determination and dedication.

If you think starving the entire day will help you lose weight, you are completely wrong you the much-required roughage, fibre and energy.

Burn fat on yoga mat Jennifer Aniston does it. So do Shilpa Shetty, Madonna and Dia Mirza. The “it” is yoga, a sophisticated mind-body exercise that many believe can do everything – from tightening your body to changing your outlook on life. But can this no-strain, work-at-your-own-level exercise really help you lose weight? Dr Krishna Raman Founder of Krshn Yoga states, “Yoga done very dynamically can alter BMR and help reduce weight. A sequence of asanas done in jumping sequences can speed up the BMR. If the BMI is very high ( > 40 per cent) a cross training by utilising the gym six days a week and practising yoga in tandem six days a week can be beneficial.

The sleep-wake pattern has to be synchronised with exercises as it alters the hormones beneficial to reduce weight.”

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Über cool techniques People who have worked hard to get into shape after an inappropriate weight gain can try this revolutionary technique to lose stubborn fat. We spoke to Neeta Sethi who has undergone CoolSculpting by Dr Chiranjiv Chhabra, leading dermatologist, SkinAlive Clinics: “I underwent this treatment in September and it is a completely safe technique unlike liposuction. Basically, it sucks your fat through a vaccuum and is an extremely cool procedure. There is no pain at all during the treatment. Once, when the sucking equipment is put on to the problematic area, you feel little pulling of the skin but in the next two minutes everything gets cool, and you can fall asleep and let the change take place.” Any side effects of this procedure? “Not at all! I started seeing the results of CoolSculpting in the next 15 days and I was quite happy with the outcome,” she says.

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Welcoming

new year

Spending quality family time or partying with friends, celebrities share their plans...

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estivities are in the air. And the chill notwithstanding, our select celebrities are gearing up to celebrate Christmas and ring in 2014 with gusto. Read on to know more about what they intend to do, take a few cues, and draft out your own special programme for the season of celebration, surrounded by the warmth of love from family and close friends... We wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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I would like to cherish the last moments of the passing year with my dear ones - Sonakshi A time for myself!

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1. Geeta Chandran 2. Suchitra Pillai 3. Alesia Raut 4. Sonakshi Sinha 5. Salman Khurshid

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New Year’s eve is a time purely for myself.

It is a moment of inner engineering! On the 31st of December, I will drive down to Vrindavan where I find unusual peace and solace. I can meditate at the Gambhira Ashram where I stay. New Year’s eve ends early. But then 1st January begins very, very early! The first visit is to my temple is at day-break. Then a walk to the Yamuna river bank. Usually, there is a lot of mist over the river, which makes it ever so beautiful .The whole experience charges my inner batteries, and I return ready to face another hectic year of creativity and taking forward my agenda of ‘en-dancing’ the universe!

Geeta Chandran Star dancer and choreographer

In foreign locales For Christmas I will be at my in-laws’ place in Denmark with my husband Lars and daughter Annika. We love to celebrate the

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white Christmas there every year. We will be back for the New Year as my daughter’s school will resume.

Suchitra Pillai, actor

playing santa For Christmas, I plan to play Santa and give gifts while I spend the day with my family at a resort in Mumbai. Since 1st January is my mom’s birthday, we will bring in the New Year at home, like almost every year.

Alesia Raut, supermodel

Family time The year has been very busy for me with many new releases on New year’s eve. I’m now looking forward to spending some personal time with my family and friends.

When my folks are all together, why would I be elsewhere? Such occasions are family time and I would like to cherish the last moments of the passing year with my near-and-dear ones only. So maybe a quiet family dinner is the best way to bring in 2014 for me.

Sonakshi Sinha, Actor

`I don't disown the old year...'

I don’t disown the old year. I like to hang on to it, and I like things not to be divided into the old and new... I like to continue in a process. I often end up doing something that happens on that day. I don’t plan too much. Sometimes my family, my kids are young... they would like to go to Goa and assemble there. So I also was dragged to Goa once. I may end up there, or may not.

I’ve sometimes spent New Year’s eve in my constituency where nobody celebrates New Year. When I’m there I try to bring in some sense of the new year. So it could be anything...

Salman Khurshid External Affairs Minister

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`I always spend Christmas at home' - Dino Morea Taking a break I always spend Christmas at home with my family. That’s when we all get together here in Mumbai. For New Year, I prefer to go to some nice destination with my close friends. Last year we were in Phuket; this year, the place is not decided yet.

Dino Morea, model and actor

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Plans afoot Christmas will be with family in Pondicherry. For New Year’s, I do not have a plan in place yet.

Kalki Koechlin, actor

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Beach celebration For New Year, I was at our beach house in Madh island with family and close friends last year. Though we have not really planned anything so far, it will largely be a repeat of the same.

Mandira Bedi, actor

Holiday fun I will certainly be with my family for both Christmas and New Year, but our holiday spot has not yet been decided.

Pritam, music director and composer

Indulgence galore Last year I was in Alibag for New Year at a friend’s bungalow by the beach. We had a nice dinner till morning with friends and it felt amazing. This year, I might plan to go to Goa with friends to bring in the new year. For Christmas this year, it will be lunch at a friend’s place who makes divine ham legs.

Nimrat Kaur, actor

1. Dino Morea 2. Kalki Koechlin 3. Mandira Bedi 4. Rohit Roy 5. Nimrat Kaur 6. Pritam

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Family Vacation We are flying out to Hua Hin with the family as we haven’t done it in a long time.

Usually all of us take separate holidays depending on time of shoots but this time me, my wife Manasi, her brother Sharman, Prerna, their parents and a truckload of kids are off to Hua Hin for a week for the Christmas and New year break.

Rohit Roy, actor and producer With inputs from the Spiceroute team.

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Magical

music

It is a month of soulful melody that brings enthusiasts from across the world to the cultural hub of Chennai.

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ndia, they say, is a land of festivals.

In that case, the performance season in Chennai (formerly Madras), is known as the ‘Mecca’ of performing arts in the south of India (rather like Varanasi is in the North), must be the festival of festivals!

Close to a century, the city has been celebrating classical music and dance during Margazhi (corresponding approximately between December 15 and January 14), a month in the Hindu calendar associated with worship of the divine through ritual and singing, and

particularly with the saint poetess Andal.

It has grown into an extravaganza where cultural organisations called sabhas organise festivals of anywhere between a week and a fortnight or longer, and artists from across India and the world flock to the city, competing to perform and draw audiences. Bharatanatyam, Carnatic music, Odissi, Kathakali, Kathak, Mohiniattam, Hindustani music, theatre – these are some of the general categories in which you could place the hundreds of shows happening simultaneously across the city.

Art lovers know this is a great time to visit Chennai, and hotels and guest houses are booked months in advance. In fact, the influx of visitors is so visible that it is strange this ‘explosion’ of arts has not been given any formal structure over the decades. No centralised agency runs it, either from the point of view of regulating

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programmes, disseminating information, organising tourism inflows, or planning and infrastructure.

Yet, year after year, the ‘Season’ comes to life because hundreds of different groups just do their own thing. There is a lot of commercial activity too, since tickets are sold and most sabhas have their ‘canteens’ selling food and snacks as well.

And there are sales of audio and video recordings, art-related books, instruments, electronic music aids, sarees and more. It’s chaos, and lots of people complain, but next year they’re back again. Art patrons and performers talk about what draws them to the Season every year…

Shashank Subramanyam, Flautist Music season is a wonderful opportunity for artists to present their works and also

to bond with their fans from around the world. I would call it a one-of-a-kind of celebration of music, and an extremely important one at that for all concerned including students, performers and the audience. It also is a great time to taste some fine food that is served in the cafeteria of every sabha. Overall, a wholesome experience.

Janaki Rangarajan, Bharatanatyam; Lives between Chennai and the US It is every Bharatanatyam dancer’s dream to share his or her art during the Season.

It is a time for performing, sharing, growing, learning and creating. For this year’s performance, I have choreographed a traditional Bharatanatyam repertoire including a rarely performed “Varnam” composed by Sri Ponniah (one of the Tanjore Quartet brothers) dating from

the early 19th century. My approach to my Season performances is to explore the beauty of traditional pieces by choreographing them in a unique way that makes them new and fresh.

Anita Ratnam, Scholar, Dancer & Choreographer What is the Madras Magnet all about? Why do dancers want to do anything, spend resources and somehow, somewhere perform in this city I call home? Forget historical reasons about classical dance and music being the pastime of the affluent during the December month of Margazhi.

Today, it is visibility, respect, status – a sign that if you are dancing in the Season, you have arrived as a dancer. There is an air of expectancy, of discovering some amazing new talent, of finding a revelation during a dance performance... of feeling that ‘AHA’ moment.

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VP Dhananjayan, Kathakali & Bharatanatyam It is fun during season to hop between sabhas and their canteens, if you don’t mind the unruly traffic congestion.

When you come to Chennai, the disappointments apart, do not miss attending the morning sessions of lecture demonstrations at the Music Academy and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and Karthik Fine Arts. You will richly benefit. This is for both musicians and dancers.

Nadhi, Bharatanatyam Chennai is to classical dance, what Broadway is to musical theatre. As a rasika, I return to Chennai year after year to watch seasoned performers contribute to the great artistic vibe of the city. As a dancer, I am grateful for the opportunity to perform for an audience that is both appreciative and critical of Bharatanatyam.

Left to right: Shashank Subramanyam, Janaki Rangarajan, Anita Ratnam, VP Dhananjayan

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1. Nadhi 2. Navia Natarajan Menon 3. Neena Prasad 4. Shijith & Parvathy 5. Vidhya Subramanian 6. Unnikrishnan 7. Mythili Prakash

These elements contribute to an atmosphere where Bharatanatyam dancers can continue to grow. Chennai puts Bharatanatyam in a colourful context for me – the temples, the sabhas, the dancing, the shops, the food, the crowds – all make Chennai the vibrant city that it is. These aspects of Chennai are what inspire me to keep coming back.

Navia Natarajan Menon, Bharatanatyam

to choose where to go and watch whom. It feels like the city of Chennai is celebrating a festival with beautiful music everywhere, the best dance performances happening, canteens with delicious food and meeting and greeting people who are otherwise busy with their own work. The Margazhimaasam is a time people visit Chennai to witness the rich culture of our country as we get see all the classical art forms of India in one city.

Participating in the season is very important for one and all. Especially if you are a serious artist and want to move ahead, making your presence felt is crucial. Receiving constructive criticism on your work from gurus, peers and press alike is essential as it helps you reflect on your quality/body of work. Rushing for programmes amidst rehearsals, meeting up with peers, exploring ideas, collecting materials which can help me in my future presentations, and above all the whole process of rejuvenating one’s senses in India, is what I look forward to every year at the Season.

Vidhya Subramanian, Bharatanatyam

Neena Prasad, Mohiniattam

I have been associated with the Chennai Music Festival for the last 26 years and nothing like this happens anywhere in the world. So many musicians, so many sabhas, so many concerts, so many rasikas. What a celebration of classical music and dance! Looking forward to trying out at least one vivadhi raga elaborately in my concerts this year, and to presenting some new tillanas. A great platform where young and new talents are born and identified.

Think of Margazhi and only one thing I recollect is my growing years. I have spent all my learning days under Lakshman sir and Vempatti sir in Chennai and Margazhi month used to be awaited because we got to see many dance forms held by sabhas. Today, as a professional, I am called for regularly by organisations like Music Academy and Karthik Fine Arts to mention a few. And personally it is highly rewarding for me to see that over the years Mohiniattam too gained popularity.

Though, as a performer, I enjoy dancing in Chennai any day.

For the last 20 years or so, I have made my home in the U.S, although my heart has been in India. Going back and performing has been more than staying in touch with my dancing. I go back to rejuvenate, learn, perform, watch, absorb and breathe in the beloved Chennai ambience. This December is no exception. I look forward to presenting a traditional repertoire that the Chennai audience loves and that I enjoy presenting.

Unnikrishnan, Carnatic Vocalist

My thili Prakash, Bharatanatyam I think what attracts people to “Season” is

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Shijith & Parvathy, the buzz of so much classical art going on Bharatanatyam & Choreography in one place. It’s probably the largest, most It is an opportunity for us to watch all our favourite dancers and listen to our favourite musicians. With the increase in the number of sabhas and number of artistes performing, it becomes difficult

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extensive festival the world over. From start to finish, the day is filled with so many options and possibilities.

The writer is a well-known flautist

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Artistic

potpourri

With its strong history of culture, Delhi has grown to become a popular hub for artists, musicians and theatre persons.

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lmost two years ago, A.R Rahman staged his first orchestra at New Delhi’s Siri Fort Auditorium, with German Film Orchestra, Bablesberg. Despite a meagre number of western symphony listeners in Delhi, the venue was jam-packed. Now it seems that the culture capital Delhi has come a full circle. And this despite the fact, as most visitors say, that Delhi doesn’t have a culture of its own — quite ironical.

It was a bustling centre of culture during the times of Bahadur Shah Zafar, himself an accomplished poet, a music and art devout. Close to the country’s independence, with the arrival of Punjabis from Pakistan, Punjabi culture dominated.

The 1970s, 80s and 90s saw, perhaps the

best of art, culture and music in Delhi, with the liberalisation of the economy.

Premier institutions like Lalit Kala Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi did few, but good shows.

Delhi saw a host of art exhibitions, music and dance festivals, literature and youth programmes, but primarily by governmentrun institutions. For over a decade now, Delhi is witnessing innumerable art events, many by private players. Auditoriums are over-packed. Delhiites don’t mind sitting on stairs or the floor, peeping through the exit gate and what not. Be it National School of Drama’s theatre festival Bharat Rang Mahotsav, Mahindra Theatre Fest, or fests by individual playwrights like Alam and Aziz Qureshi or Arvind Gaur,

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audiences throng in. Even stalwarts like Habib Tanvir and Girish Karnard have barely ever been disappointed.

Delhi had long forgotten the Urdu storytelling method of play – the dastangoi. But it saw a revival recently by actors/writers Danish Husain, Mehmood

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Farooqui and Anusha Rizwi. Stalwarts in the visual art and theatre arena in Mumbai always felt Delhi is not the best place for theatre or art. Now they swear by its receptive audience. Recently Nadira Babbar Zaheer’s hilarious play Hi Buddy saw a jam-packed auditorium. “I would have missed this cheer and reception if I had not come to Delhi. Earlier I wouldn’t think of doing a play here,” she says.

Clockwise from left: Rock band Featherhead performs at the North East Fest; NSD members at Bal Sangam children’s theatre festival; RLP band musicians at the Fest

Delhi has audience for khalis Urdu plays like Lal Qile Ka Aakhri Mushaira or Qureshi’s Akbar ki Mehbooba Anarkali and shuddh Hindi plays in the form of nautanki like Malvikagnimitram, or English plays like the ones Lillette Dubey or Sohaila Kapur do.

Art Delhi now has roughly more than 3,000 art galleries, mostly private, and they do back-to-back shows for stalwarts as well as young talents. Art festivals like Indian Art Fair, Delhi Art Fair and United Art Fair have inculcated people’s interest in at least visiting the shows and forming an opinion.

They also have discussions, seminars and interactive sessions. Interestingly, a few art galleries were also open to either give the artworks on rent or make imitation works on demand. Now even Delhi’s small shops sell artworks by unknown artists. Delhi

also saw major sales in art in the early and mid 90s – both physical and online, to the worth of crores.

Festivals Delhi’s festival culture has caught on like wildfire. Recently, Delhi Government’s Department of Art, Culture and Languages hosted a three-day festival of dance, music and theatre organised by the Sindhi Academy. Punjabi Akademi’s festival also recently treated people with its food, craft and music and dance, as it does every year.

Delhiites don’t mind sitting on stairs or on the floor in theatres

Films No film has released without a press conference in Delhi for at least the last 14 years. Stars visit malls, interact with audiences, attend art and theatre festivals and come for charity. Shah Rukh Khan has recently accepted there’s no harm in making another Bollywood in Delhi now!

Music Muzaffar Ali’s Qutub Festival or Jahan-eKhuasro is now the musical festival that audiences wait for a year to visit. It has given space to few more Sufi fests in Delhi.

A recent and perhaps Delhi’s first North East Festival at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts was a hit.

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in Delhi and honours him, Egyptian Embassy shows interest in playwright and Minister Salman Khurshid’s historical play Sons of Babur, a two-and-a-half hour soliloquy by Tom Alter on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad sees huge audience, a pop show by Mika Singh and Sonu Niigam sees elderly people swaying at Ramlila Ground and Mahesh Bhatt releases newcomer Farrukh Baig’s ghazal album in Delhi.

Right: Felicitating performers Extreme right: A play in progress

Delhi had been a constant comeback platform for the late Jagjit Singh, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. India-Pakistan had a good share of its programmes through the Routes to Root platform. Interestingly, a lesser-known face like Mr. P.N Naidu received huge response when he organised a tribute to Geeta Dutt recently.

Various film festivals starting with a big one like Neville Tully’s Osian, to smaller ones like Lightcubz always have people from all age groups thronging in.

It’s pleasant to note that the main person responsible for Jaipur Literary Festival William Dalrymple sits in Delhi, German Embassy invites Zubin Mehta for a concert

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The Capital will now see some interesting events like Theatre in Motion, featuring famous theatre exponents like Soumitra Chatterjee, Rajit Kapur and Nadira Zaheer Babbar. Art and music festivals are lined up till April March 2014. The good news: Despite lack of theatre and rehearsal spaces, poor care for artefacts and artworks mounted in public-private buildings, single-screen cinema halls, issues of taking No Objection Certificates for smaller events, Delhi remains a buzzing and vibrant art hub.

Good samaritans

Loving

cure

Underprivileged children with heart defects get a new lease of life...

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ew technology and facilities mean more and more children born with heart defects now survive surgery. However, underprivileged children in India often do not get access to either first-class hospitals or doctors.

Dr Sanjiv Nichani knows this all too well, having to tell frantic parents the cost of surgery and watch the dejection

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on their faces. He decided to do his bit for society and disadvantaged families by setting up an NGO – Healing Little Hearts (www.healinglittlehearts.org.uk) – in 2007 so that poor parents can get access to cardiac care and save the children they love dearly.

Dr Nichani is a consultant paediatrician in Leicester, England. He is December 2013 156 www.spiceroutemag.com

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the lead consultant for paediatric intensive care and high dependency care for the University Hospitals of Leicester and the East Midlands region. He trained in paediatric cardiac intensive care at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USA. Despite his demanding schedule, the doctor finds time to send teams of surgeons and specialists from

Good samaritans

the UK to India every year to perform lifesaving operations on babies and children of parents who cannot afford their care otherwise. Mending broken hearts is now his life’s mission and passion.

He completed his MBBS degree from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune in 1984. And then worked in Bombay Hospital for some time before arriving in the UK 25 years ago.

“During my tenure in Mumbai in the late 1980s, I found that deprived children with heart problems in Mumbai, and probably throughout India, faced these possibilities – they would either die waiting for treatment or they would get operated in a hospital that did not have the expertise to look after them following surgery. This resulted in high mortality rates of 40 to 50 per cent for the more complicated procedures,” he says.

Shocking statistics “Some children were lucky and would get referred to renowned hospitals in Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Cochin. These centres were already inundated with referrals and only the lucky few would

get access to such hospitals,” he adds.

Unfortunately, the shocking state of affairs is still true today!

“Around 2,50,000 to 3,00,000 babies are currently born in India with heart defects each year. Around 80,000 of these children require surgery or intervention, but only about 20,000 infants are fortunate enough to receive it. So that leaves around 60,000 children each year with no access to the required expertise that will save them,” says the paediatrician.

These statistics increase because of lack of infrastructural development in many places across India. “Almost 90 per cent of these children live in remote areas where medical aid is unavailable or inadequate. Time is also precious as the longer surgery is delayed for these children, their hearts become irreversibly damaged,” he explains. The good doctor puts this into context: “The UK, with a population of around 60 million, is served by 12 modern, fully functional children’s heart centres, whilst India – with a population of 1.2 billion – has exactly the same number of centres. In the UK, most defects are detected when the child is still

Around 2,50,000 to 3,00,000 babies are currently born in India with heart defects

in the mother’s womb and are corrected within the first year of birth,” rues the medic. Which clearly means the need for proper care is high.

Creating a balance “I set up Healing Little Hearts keeping this gross inequity in mind. We try to address this huge imbalance by flying out teams of doctors and nurses to the Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai once in six weeks to perform heart surgeries on children with correctable, congenital heart defects. In the past, teams have also been sent to Hinduja Hospital at Mahim and Asian Heart Institute at Bandra in Mumbai. We hope to send doctors to Gujarat soon. During each trip, we hope to operate on at least 10 to 12 children,” says Dr Nichani.

Dr Nichani himself accompanies the teams at least three times a year. The cardiac surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists

Clockwise from top: Medical care for the heart, from the heart; A mother looks fondly at her child recuperating; Post a surgery

December 2013 158 www.spiceroutemag.com

Dr Sanjiv Nichani (extreme right) with his team of good doctors

They plan to open a cardiac centre at BJ Wadia Hospital for Children in Mumbai next year who travel to India are staff members of the University Hospitals of Leicester and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital at Liverpool in England, Mater Children’s Hospital at Brisbane in Australia and from Perth in Australia. There are plans to open a cardiac centre at BJ Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel, Mumbai next year.

“Till date, the teams sent by Healing Little Hearts have operated on nearly 350 children and achieved a success rate of 94 per cent. We operate on children with Fallot’s Tetralogy, Ventricular Septal Defect, Coarctation of the Aorta, Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection, Atrioventricular Septal Defect, Transposition of the Great Arteries and Aortic Stenosis,” Dr Nichani adds.

Problem solving Finances can be a problem and the busy specialist uses whatever time he has left December 2013 160 www.spiceroutemag.com

to raise funds. “It costs between £5,000 and £6,000 to send a team to Mumbai each time. This means that it costs around £500 to £600 to give a child a new lease of life.

We are fortunate to have many enthusiastic volunteers on our rolls who willingly donate their time to assist sick children.”

He also carries on regular efforts in Leicester, where he is based. “I have been residing in Leicester since 1996, and luckily, it has a huge Indian presence. So we try and raise funds during festivals such as Navratri. We also organise charity walks, dinners, Christmas and Bollywood galas,” says the paediatrician, who holds a third degree black belt in karate and lifts weights at his local gym at least once a week to keep his energy levels up.

Why is he working so hard to provide a lifeline to destitute children in India?

“Apart from the worrying statistics, I want to give something back to society since I believe most of us in the West lead comfortable, healthy and relatively stressfree lives. For me, there is no greater contentment than watching the beaming faces of overjoyed parents taking their child home after a successful surgery.

Moreover, in this day and age, it is not too difficult to mobilise teams of doctors and nurses and fly them out to India. I want to look back many years from now and feel satisfied knowing I have been able to improve the lives of hundreds of children, if not thousands.”

Good samaritans

Pantomime

benefits

The Little Theatre raises funds through its plays to provide scholarships to bright students from marginalised sections of society.

W ords | J e n c y S a m u e l P H O T O G R A P H S | Co u rt e s y

C

T h e

L i tt l e

hristmas and the pantomime are what I look forward to in December,” says Kevin, a school student in Chennai.

Interspersed with rib-tickling humour, foot-tapping music, dance and songs, Christmas Pantomime is a favourite in this city, not only among young audiences but adults as well. Be it shouting “hisaboo” or “no you don’t” to the drag dame’s question of whether she looked pretty, the audience

T h e a tr e

participates with equal enthusiasm. And audience participation is an integral part of the pantomime, a very English form of theatre. In the Christmas Pantomime, an annual feature in the Chennai theatre scene, spoofs of well-known tales are presented with imaginative names such as Pirates of the Curried Beans, Rip Van Wrinkle, The Free Musketeers and the like.

The 19th edition, The Lord of the Bling,

December 2013 162 www.spiceroutemag.com

premiers in the first week of December this year.

Aysha Rau started the Christmas Pantomime, but the aim was not just entertainment. She wanted to support her scholarship scheme for bright students from the marginalised sections of society.

A strong champion of enhancing education through arts, Aysha started The Little

Good samaritans

Theatre in 1991. Having grown up and lived in various cities across the world given her father’s job with the UN, Aysha got to imbibe and practice arts on a huge scale, with great gusto.

When she settled in Chennai, she found no avenues for children to hone their creative expressions. Thus was born The Little Theatre, a workshop where children learn drama, music, dance, mime, art and craft, puppetry and more.

For a good cause When Aysha took the workshops to the government-run Corporation Middle School (CMS) in her locality, scholarships

and spoken English classes got added.

A substantial amount given by sponsors got the scholarships going initially. To make the scholarship as self-sustaining as possible, she started the Christmas Pantomime as a fundraiser.

Every year, eighth standard students in CMS write a simple test in English and Maths that gauges their aptitude.

Irrespective of their performance, every student is interviewed, so that they get a fair chance. Based on their aptitude, zeal for studies and family background, two boys and two girls are selected and given scholarships for seven years – from their ninth standard through college. Besides

More than 130 students have been supported so far

books, school and college students are given uniforms and clothes respectively.

Creating success stories The soft-hearted trustees, all women, often end up selecting a few extra students. “Which simply means raising more funds,” quips Aysha. So far, more than 130 students, some of whom have grown up to become medicos and engineers, have been supported through the Little Theatre scholarship.

“When I tire of fundraising, I think of Rajesh, Dinesh, Sasikala and the others,” says Aysha. The son of a daily wage labourer, Rajesh has become a software engineer, making it to IBM in Singapore.

Effervescent Sasikala Shanmugham, the daughter of a plumber and a proud mother, is working as a receptionist in a reputed diagnostic centre. Dinesh, who lost his mother as a toddler, grew up under the care of his grandmother. Presently the manager of The Little Theatre, he gushes on about what he and the others have gained through the scholarships. “Their concern and encouraging words boosted our confidence; they got us clothes from a high end brand, to make us feel equal to the others,” he says.

As there had been a few dropouts, parents are now asked to sign an agreement stating that they will not get the girls married before they completed their education and that the wards would not be sent for work. As the one keeping tabs on the students, all that Aysha demands of them is that they study well and take care of their parents.

Clockwise from top: Scene from Pirates of the Curried Beans; From the 2008 pantomime Robinson Crusoe; Christmas Pantomime 2012 in progress

December 2013 164 www.spiceroutemag.com

Good samaritans

Clockwise from top left: With the cast of Robinson Crusoe; Aysha Rau, the woman behind The Little Theatre; From a 2012 production; A still from The Free Musketeers

Complete support Conversations with the scholarship recipients reveal that Aysha does not just stop with distributing funds. She tries to get them jobs, if necessary. When Aysha learnt that sponsored students Dinesh and Paneerselvam were doing part-time manual labour jobs while in college, she asked them to work part-time for Little Theatre.

Allocating a small room and a computer for them, she taught them to handle the computer, accounts, administration and more. So much so that Dinesh runs The Little Theatre with occasional guidance from Aysha and Paneerselvam works as the accessories manager in a mobile phone company.

Sriram, whose father Palani is a loadman in a gas cylinder agency, is working as a mechanical engineer. He counts getting the scholarship as a turning point in his life. “When I was in CMS, I hardly knew anything. I learnt a lot when I joined MCC school, thanks to the scholarship. Fortunately I could do engineering, though circumstances were difficult. Except in my second year, when the funds were insufficient, Little Theatre partially supported my studies,” says Sriram. His sister, who is currently doing her M.Phil in commerce is also a Little Theatre beneficiary.

“But for the Little Theatre scholarship, my life would not have turned

Aysha does not stop with fund raising; she tries to get them jobs

out this way. I am sure I would have become a construction labourer just like the other men in my family,” says Dinesh.

Karthikeyan, in his school final year, aims to be a chartered accountant. His father Sridhar, a painter, says that the scholarship has helped him enroll Karthikeyan in a good school.

With the CMS students who attended theatre workshops, The Little Theatre conducted street theatre performances in many slums addressing issues such as child marriage, girls’ education, pollution, AIDS and bonded labour. Sriram says that acting in these plays taught him the practical aspects of life.

Talent pool Registered as a trust with 80G tax exemptions, The Little Theatre presents a good CSR opportunity for companies.

Aysha runs it on an honorary basis, freelancing as a model coordinator and casting director. In fact the Christmas Pantomime is where many directors scout for talent. Aysha reels off names from pantomimes’ cast and The Little Theatre stable who have established themselves as actors and RJs – Andrea Jeremiah, Mirchi Shiva, Suchitra, Sundar, Evam Karthik, besides others.

The number of sponsored students may seem small. But the difference the scholarship has made in their lives is huge.

There appears a total transformation in their self-esteem, confidence and outlook towards life, besides financial empowerment. Second, each student in turn, supports another family member, causing a ripple effect, the laugh riot of pantomime contributing to it.

December 2013 166 www.spiceroutemag.com

Gadget guru

Hot gadgets for winter!

Keep hands, feet and ears warm, and clothes dry and crisp this season with these smart gizmo WOR D S

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As h i s h

Bhati a

Zippo Hand Warmer Winter’s here... And as George R.R. Martin says in A Game of Thrones, “nothing burns like the cold.” A rugged, metal hand contraption, the Zippo Hand Warmer is an easy way to keep your hands snug in the colder months, even when you’re outdoors and on the move. You can carry the slim device in your pocket and use it whenever you need. The heat emanates from the holes on the upper part of the container. Instead of being loaded with a depletable cache of harmful chemicals, this hand warmer carries a dollop of easily and commonly available standard lighter fluid, so you can easily top it up. One refill lasts up to 12 hours and the fluid is virtually odourless.

Specs: Compact, slim, durable metal body, reusable, standard lighter fuel consumable,

12-hour burn-time duration on single refill, odourless filler cup and warming bag included, lifetime warranty.

Price: `1,500

Ear Muff Headphones They look like any other pair of ear muffs, don’t they? Well, they aren’t. Concealed in the fluffy thermal polyester earpieces is a pair of built-in stereo headphones as well.

The headphones are compatible with any kind of music or MP3 player that supports the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone socket. The cozy slip-on ear warmers are collapsible and can be removed, but they’re not washable.

Specs: Stereophonic headphones, thermal polyester wool ear muffs, slip-on design, available in black and snow colours.

Price: `4,000 December 2013 168 www.spiceroutemag.com

USB Heated Slippers Getting cold feet about enduring the winter in your hawai chappal? Don these heated slippers, plug the attached cables into your laptop’s USB port and start feeling snug as a bug. Of course, be prepared to shuffle around everywhere along with your laptop. And you will also have to be mindful about not tripping over the tangle of wires you will be trailing along each time you open the door for someone. Going to the loo may be impossible too.

Specs: USB powered, USB 5V carbon fibre heater element, infrared heat, 2-level heating, full slipper shoe, foam cushioning, non-slip sole, 65-inch USB cord, easy disconnect switch on cord, washable, 408gm weight.

Price: `3,500

SanDisk Extreme microSD/ SDHC Cards Memory cards are quite the de facto requirement in most smartphones, tablets, camcorders and definitely all cameras today. Since we carry these mobile devices almost everywhere, they are prone to the vagaries of all kinds of inhospitable and unfavourable conditions. SanDisk’s Extreme range of memory cards are built to be not just temperature proof but also waterproof, X-ray proof, and shockproof.

So although your device may die of

extreme cold or a dunking in icy waters, a memory card like this one will survive.

Specs: Up to 64GB capacities, shock proof, X-ray proof, waterproof, can operate in a vast -25°C to 85°C temperature range.

Price: `2,275 onwards

DryGuy Widebody Boot and Glove Dryer If you live in a cold and wet part of the country, you will know how difficult it is to get your shoes and gloves dry and ready for the next wear. DryGuy takes less than two hours to dry out a couple of totally soggy pairs of shoes, gloves, liners, and other accessories. Its four heating chambers use gentle warmed “forced air” technology to ensure that there are no offensive odours in the items either.

Another advantage – it eliminates all residual moisture and prevents growth of bacteria and mold.

169

Specs: 80,000 hour-rated rotary blower, four tall heating chambers, 38°C air temperature, dries two pairs of shoes or gloves at a time, drying time 1-2 hours, three-hour timer.

Price: `7,000

Silver screen

Films releasing in

December 2013 Upcoming Bollywood caper Dhoom 3 Dhoom has an impact in the name itself and it just got better with every sequel.

In its third avatar, there is a fresh set of characters with a blend of popular actors coming together for the first time.

Aamir Khan is known to be a stickler for perfection and his screen presence is already creating a buzz in the promos.

Katrina looks fitter than ever and is going to add glamour to this action-packed drama like never before. Director Vijay Krishna Acharya promises to spin an engaging story this time and capture the best visuals of Chicago in this muchawaited film that will set the holiday season buzzing.

BOLLYWOOD

R... Rajkumar Release date: December 6 Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha Director: Prabhu Deva

Kochadaiiyaan Release Date: December 20 Cast: Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra, Abhishek Bachchan Director: Vijay Krishna Acharya

Upcoming Hollywood caper The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug For The Hobbit movie series lovers, here is an interesting one coming up. The Desolation of Smaug is the sequel that promises to thrill and entertain. After being able to successfully cross the Misty Mountains, Thorin and Company has more to deal with in terms of unforeseen

adventures. It is expected that the film will take Thorin and Company to Beorn’s house, through Mirkwood and into Smaug’s lair, but what follows is what the audience need to really watch out for. They must seek help from a powerful stranger, and that too well in time, before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest as they are not going to have support from their Wizard. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins will have to fulfill his contract with the dwarves, if they are able to reach the human settlement of Lake-town. But no matter what follows, they need to complete the journey to Lonely Mountain where burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door, that will allow them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug.

Release date: December 13 Cast: Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen Director: Peter Jackson

Release date: December 12 Cast: Rajinikanth, Deepika Padukone, Shobana, Naseer, Jackie Shroff Director: Soundarya Rajnikanth

Creature Release date: December 12 Cast: Bipasha Basu, Imran Abbas Director: Vikram Bhatt Holly wood

The Last Days On Mars Release date: December 6 Cast: Liev Schreiber, Romola Garai, Elias Koteas, Olivia Williams, Johnny Harris, Goran Kostic Director: Ruairi Robinson

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (3D) Release date: December 20 Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte, Kristen Schaal, Terry Crews, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt Director: Cody Cameron

by Sayanti Banerjee

December 2013 170 www.spiceroutemag.com

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Book shelf

Interesting reads Taste: 7 Michelin Star and Celebrity Chefs It’s not just a cookbook, it’s actually a journey across several continents showcasing tastes and locations. A pictorial depiction, the book takes the reader on an unforgettable gastronomic tour across India, Australia, the UK and the US. The contributors to this eclectic book include Anjum Anand, Ian Curley, Vineet Bhatia, Vikas Khanna, Frances Atkins, Laurie Gear and Marcello Tully.

Compiled&Edited: Anand Kapoor Publication: OM Books Price: `1,500 The Royal Udaipur RR GLK 21 This book is about the love for the wheels power. Through pictures the book traces the rise of the Rolls Royce Tourer 20.

It has rare images of this royal car at Wimbledon, England in 1925. Tracing the royal journey of this royal carriage, the book brings history to the forefront through rare photographs.

Compiled: Anu Vikram Singh Publication: Mapin Price: `3,999 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hard Luck Another in the immensely popular Wimpy Kid series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hard Luck is here to entertain children once again. This time round Greg Heffley’s on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task.

Does luck favour him, to change things for the better? One must read this unputdownable fiction to know more.

Author: Jeff Kinney Publication: Puffin Books Price: `350 Madras Then Chennai Now The book is a nice pictorial glimpse of the changing city of Chennai (erstwhile Madras). Capturing important events like the construction of the artificial Madras harbour, the book also features images from the private collection of prominent families. It opens a whole new world which makes Chennai interesting to every reader.

Author: Nandita Krishna, Tishani Doshi Photo Editor: Pramod Kapoor Publication: Roli Books Price: `2,975

by Florina Soren December 2013 172 www.spiceroutemag.com

Kids corner

Kids wanna have fun From the thrill of India’s biggest roller coaster to the finesse of edutainment, we have world-class options.

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S HIBANI

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oday’s busy lifestyle, full of competition, creates a lot of stress among individuals. It is believed that even in times of recession, the entertainment industry continues to thrive to keep up people’s morales. That is why multiplexes are going houseful despite the increasing prices, and Indians have been spending increasingly on eating out as well. Fortunately,

entertainment in India is no longer limited to these two activities.

As more and more people are on the lookout for refreshing ways of having fun and relaxation with their families, it is fast becoming a lucrative business to invest in theme parks and recreational zones, especially ones aimed at children.

December 2013 174 www.spiceroutemag.com

Kids are the next big thing. Children benefit from engaging in exploratory and thrilling activities. Little wonder then that fun and adventure zones offering international standards of thrill and edutainment targeting various age groups are thriving in the major metros. Novel theme parks and play areas combining education, adventure and the newest fun

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Kids corner

Adventure zones offering international standards of excitement are thriving in metro cities zones are offering complete entertainment for the whole family. Take a look at a few fun picks...

Adlabs Imagica, Mumbai-Pune Expressway Adlabs Imagica is a mega tourist destination conveniently located on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, and easily reachable from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune and Nashik. Spread over 110 acres, the theme park is located 90 minutes from Mumbai and 60 minutes from Pune.

India’s answer to Disneyland, it boasts of 21 rides targetting various age groups and offering varying degrees of thrill, including Nitro that is expected to be India’s largest roller coaster. The park has been divided into zones for different age groups. ‘Scream’ features some thrilling

adrenaline-boosting roller coaster rides.

The section for smaller children has fun rides like bumping boats, interactive water fountains, mini roller coasters, a carousel with carriages, horse and airplane shaped seats. Families can choose the ‘Gold Rush Express’ roller coaster, while the more adventurous can go for the ‘Scream Machine’ which rotates and swings wildly.

tourist attractions through a film shown on a 90ft wide screen. In the one inspired by the Bollywood movie Mr. India, visitors are taken through a park, where they are confronted by Mogambo, the film’s villain.

A haunted house becomes a haunted kila or fort, in a ride called “The Curse of Salimgarh,” named after a Mughal-era fort in Delhi that was converted into a prison under Emperor Aurangzeb. There’s also a river ride inspired by the ‘Rajasaurus’, a dinosaur discovered in India. The wide variety of restaurants inside the theme park include an American-style diner, Indian buffet, an Italian bistro and an African safari-themed barbecue restaurant.

There are many rides inspired by India, and Indian movies. ‘I for India’ takes people on a 12-minute ride, offering them panoramic views of the country’s top Top: Children are always on the lookout for thrills Left: At Kidzania in Mumbai

Tickets: Adults `1,200 onwards and Children (ages 3-12) `900 onwards.

Contact details: adlabsimagica.com, 9122-42130405/4068000; 30/31, Pali-Khopoli Road, off the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Khopoli, Raigad, Maharashtra.

KidZania, Mumbai This indoor park, on the third floor of R City Mall, Ghatkopar West, is a city built to scale for children complete with paved roads, cars, city buildings and establishments such as a bank, a fire station, a cinema theatre, a university, food and beverage outlets, an industrial area where goods are manufactured, a town December 2013 176 www.spiceroutemag.com

Kids corner

square and shopping outlets. It empowers, inspires and educates children between 4 to 14 years of age through real-life roleplaying activities.

KidZania allows children to work in adult jobs and earn currency in establishments that are commercially sponsored and run by real-life brands; Yes Bank (ATM), Coca-Cola (bottling plant), Hyundai (driving school), Kellogg’s (cereal factory), Central (superstore), Big Bazaar (department store) and so on. Children pick up real-life skills by working professionally at the Big Bazaar departmental store or Cadbury’s chocolate factory, learn the functioning of television channels at the Star TV studio or even train to be a journalist at the Times of India newspaper office.

Unique to KidZania Mumbai, children can also experience the Bollywood Acting Academy, Pottery Studio, KalaShetra Art (Culture Club) and Dabbawala (boxed lunch delivery service). A team at the

employment centre conducts tests to understand their skills and interests, helps them build a resume and guides them towards jobs based on their talent and passion. The children earn KidZos (KidZania’s currency) while performing the tasks, and the money is kept in the KidZania bank for children to spend at the gift shop, on KidZania activities.

Tickets: `800 onwards for every five hours at the park.

Contacts: mumbai.kidzania.com; 91-2241253700; R City Mall, Ghatkopar ( West), 3rd Floor, North Wing, LBS Marg, Mumbai - 400 086.

Smaaash, Mumbai Easily the finest in India in the field of sports simulation technology, Smaaash is home to highly interactive simulators where one gets the opportunity to test their skills by stepping into the shoes of some of the world’s greatest players in a showdown with the most formidable opponents. Be it football, hockey, under

Smaaash in Mumbai is home to highly interactive simulators where kids can test their skills

December 2013 178 www.spiceroutemag.com

Clockwise from right: Creative activities keep minds busy; Smaaash in Mumbai is a big hit; Exploration educates and entertains

arm cricket, basketball, volleyball or car racing – Smaaash literally offers something for everyone. Apart from the simulators, there is a host of leisure activities including a lounge, a spa, arcade gaming and more for the entire family spread over 40,000 sq ft in the heart of Mumbai.

In the 360° cricket simulator you can face the bowling legends of international cricket. State-of-the-art ball tracking system powered by Hawk Eye Technology evaluates, on a real-time basis, all the shots played and calculates the outcome in real time including adjudicating wickets.

People passionate about motorsports can drive the car that professional racers train on. Smaaash offers a Six Degrees

Kids corner

Parents can share fun-filled moments with the children as they learn something new

of Freedom Platform, the world’s most advanced motorsports simulator for the first time in India. Costing more than two motor racing cars, the machine simulates the feel of G-force on a racing course with accuracy up to a 2mm bump on the road.

Bowling enthusiasts can enjoy perennial twilight in the UV Lit Bowling Alley.

With over 30 different activities including mazes, tunnels, slides and more, Hoopla Zone is the perfect space for children from ages 2 to 10 years. And the arcade featuring games like Pac Man Air Hockey, Deal or No Deal, Simpson’s Soccer, Connect 4 and Fruit Ninja will keep you enthralled for hours. You can even try your hand at the war paint ball or find your way in and out at the Laser Maze.

Tickets: Vary depending on your choice of activity.

Contacts: smaaash.in; 91-22-49143143; City Studio, Gate 4, Oasis Complex, Next to Kamala Mills Compound, Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Lower Parel West, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013

Stellar Children's Museum, Gurgaon The Stellar Children’s Museum is spread over 10,000 sq ft and has about 40 hands-on interactive exhibits designed for children in the age group of 2 to 8 years. There are seven main zones of interactive learning: Create it!, Invent

Right: Stellar Museum in Gurgaon helps up imaginations Below: Stacking colourful blocks develops cognitive skills

it!, Build it!, Discover it!, Live it!, Explore it! and Splash it!, to engage children in arts and crafts, science and experiments, design and construction, geography and culture, water fun, pretend play and social skills. Catering to the target age group, most areas have low-lying sinks with soap dispensers, so children can wash up after the activities.

The exhibits are hands-on and offer experiential learning through recreation.

Children can thus experience and understand concepts such as gravity, aerodynamics and magnetism through games. The Invent It! gallery has an Air Wall where children can see how scarves and paper cups behave when a gust of wind blows in a confined space. The Build It! gallery gives them a chance to build objects with pieces of cardboard, giant, foam-enclosed blocks and small blocks.

The area has five different activity zones, including a Formula 1 (F1) pit stop where children can put tyres, nuts and bolts on the skeleton model of an F1 car.

The Live It! zone, which targets children up to four years, has a market area, a make-believe cafe, and even a doctor’s clinic. The drum, which mimics December 2013 180 www.spiceroutemag.com

the heartbeat, is a huge hit, as is the X-ray table, where children can see X-rays of various bones in the human body and even work out a jigsaw game of the skeleton.

The Create It! zone has a glass wall that children can paint on. Splash It! is a big hit with its water table where children can learn about dams and how the energy from water can be used to work turbines.

There are many small zones all around the centre, such as a Tube Chime Organ with jars, plates, pans, pots and drumsticks, to enable children to explore the musical sounds made by different elements; and a fascinating Pin Frame where children can sculpt their own designs by pressing into the wall with their hands.

Tickets: `300 onwards Contacts: stellarchildrensmuseum.com; 91-124-4665373; S-221-226, The Ambience Mall NH-8, Gurgaon - 122016.

So whenever you parents have extra time to spend with your children, what better way to engage in classic fun with family and friends than to visit the nearest fun zone? Sharing fun-filled moments is not only great for the kids but also refreshing for the parents.

Games

Mind teasers Solutions TREASURE THEM

APRIL 7, 2013

POCKET HAMPER UNWISE LATELY FLAVOR MOSTLY When it came to the gemstones dating back to the days of pirates, he would —

Answer : THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

PRINT YOUR ANSWER IN THE CIRCLES BELOW

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

PRINT YOUR ANSWER IN THE CIRCLES BELOW

©2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

RALFOV

STOYLM

CEPTOK

WINSUE

TALYEL

Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jumble

WINSUE

TALYEL

STOYLM

CEPTOK

©2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jumble

MAHREP

RALFOV

Unscramble these six Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form six ordinary words.

MAHREP

Unscramble these six Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form six ordinary words.

Find the difference

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

Answer : POCKET HAMPER UNWISE LATELY FLAVOR MOSTLY When it came to the gemstones dating back to the days of pirates, he would —

TREASURE THEM

APRIL 7, 2013

December 2013 182 www.spiceroutemag.com

Launch pad

Shop hopping

Surprise your kids with these products.

Guardian angel Sajavat Group’s unique collection of angels are handcrafted using an Italian technology called Polyall which makes them strong, durable, weatherproof and washable.

Place one holding a book in your teenager’s room to encourage positive vibes.

Surface Perfect Square Foot, a leading company in flooring solutions, has launched its latest range of vinyl flooring for your child’s room. In cheerful tones, this flooring comes with an underlay to ensure sounds of your child jumping and running are minimised. Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, this durable flooring is slip resistant and easy to clean.

Price: `1,000 to `8,000 Availability: Sajavat Group, 8, N Block, Greater Kailash, New Delhi

Price: `100 per sq ft onwards Availability: Across Square Foot stores in Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad and Delhi

Mini treats Choose from a range of novelties at The Body Shop - Gingerbread Man Sponge to make bathtime fun, Born Lippy Fruity Lip Balms packed in a fun lollipop box, Chocomania Mini Cupcake box with mini treats and Mango Lip & Softening Gift Set of treats with the exotic mango scent.

Price: `750 onwards Availability: At all The Body Shop stores across India

St ylish little feet Polo by Ralph Lauren’s latest footwear collection offers a choice of both casual and smart styles to suit all occasions, at reasonable prices. You can choose from five different styles, all with textured rubber soles and featuring fun motifs, embellishments and cut-outs. In pink, red, white, khakhi, navy and earthy browns.

Price: `2,595 onwards Availability: At leading stores across India

December 2013 184 www.spiceroutemag.com

Part y wear

Fun furniture

Eye candy

With X-mas and New Year round the corner, it’s party time for kids too. Marks & Spencer has introduced its all-new partywear collection for children that includes a selection of pretty frocks for the girls and smart trousers and shirts for the boys.

Give your child’s room an edge with comptemporary furniture from Living in Style. Available in bright colours with interesting motifs like buses, cars and cartoon characters.

Esprit sunglasses are child friendly, with the highest 100 per cent UV protection for sensitive young eyes. These stylish, high quality, snugly fitting eyewear makes a great accessory for fun-loving kids, all year round.

Price: On request Availability: At l­eading stores across India

Price: `300 onwards Availability: All M&S stores

185

Price: `2,250 Availability: At leading stores across India

Zoom in

Temple

town

Divine blessings on your baby’s mundan, fulfillment of wishes... Tirupati promises all this and much more PHOTOGRAPHS

|

1

5 December 2013 186 www.spiceroutemag.com

V i sw a pr a s a d

Raju

3

2

4

1. Kiritam – headgear for the goddess.

2. T he omnipresent elephant at the temple can’t be missed!

3. A statue of Garuda in the premises.

4. A devotee at the Temple.

5. T irumala, the abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara, the most-visited place of worship in the world.

187

Zoom in

5 December 2013 188 www.spiceroutemag.com

2

1

3

1. The drive up the ghats is green and scenic.

2. C hildren get tonsured (mundan) in their first or third year, traditionally.

3. Alipiri route.

4. Some

pilgrims prefer to climb up the hills on foot.

5. Around

50km off Tirupati, there’s a divine place for nature lovers: Talakona, a combination of two words in Telugu – tala (head) and kona (hills).

4 189

Zoom in

1. Young devotees.

2. Many names: Balaji, Srinivasa, Venkateswara, Malayappa, Elumalaiyaan, Edukondalavadu and Venkatachalapathy; one highly revered temple... a priest on his way for puja.

3. Temple Museum. Here you can get valuable information about the history of the Tirumala Temple.

2

1

3 December 2013 190 www.spiceroutemag.com

Predictions

Forecast for December 2013 By

D r . P r e m K u m a r S h a rm a

Aries You’re restless; channelise energy into something constructive.

Set new goals mid of the month.

Balance between leisure and work is good. Excesses have an adverse effect on health. Freelance to augment income. Romance is good; your lover sticks to promises. Pay attention to finances; be conservative to enhance security.

Taurus A colleague poses difficulties. You need to fend for yourself and turn to spirituality. A moody family member spoils the mood. Try tact; avoid fiery words. Budgeting goes awry with impulsive buying.

Make a budget to avoid spiralling expenses in a home improvement project. Lover will be accommodating. If unwell, stay indoors.

Gemini You find ways to increase earning. Excellence is guaranteed. A future domestic issue worries you.

Financial security encourages big dreams. Things move slowly on the romantic front, but it’s steady.

Singles come into the social spotlight. Reassess investments with the help of a financial advisor; avoid speculations.

Cancer Work pressures increase; but colleagues and friends help. Listen to your partner. Family is supportive, but makes you do their bidding.

Leave is granted. Negatives disappear and you start on a clean slate.

Be upfront about love; don’t carry on behind parents’ backs. Your health is excellent, that of a family elder may cause concern.

Good Luck Tip: Tape three coins underneath a plant in your house to encourage financial growth.

Good Luck Tip: Replace low wattage light bulbs with brighter ones to facilitate energy flow.

Good Luck Tip: Clean lampshades in your work area to brighten growth prospects.

Good Luck Tip: Set a large stone just inside your back door to help hold onto money.

Leo You’ll be in a competitive mood.

But be diplomatic, especially with influential people. An investment opportunity comes your way.

Professional guidance helps. Good news spreads excitement in the family. Your help is appreciated.

Bonds grow strong; you find love.

Avoid junk food.

Virgo Disruptions and interruptions make it harder to focus. You may be impatient and irritable; avoid losing your temper. You win over the one you love. Take advice in a domestic matter. A celebration can adversely impact your savings. Try to conserve money. Study financial proposals in greater detail.

Libra To make headway with projects, build consensus with colleagues and take suggestions. Projects initiated now bring recognition soon. Expected cash does not materialise. Promotion prospects fizzle out as competition grows stronger. A minor ailment bugs you temporarily; see the doctor.

Scorpio Be proactive, use opportunities.

Your sense of fair play and pragmatism make you a conflict mediator.

A real-estate transaction is a good investment. You cope with additional work. A pet hobby keeps you happy. A marriage proposal brings joy. Aches disappear. Togetherness strengthens bonds.

Good Luck Tip: Place a small red envelope with rice in the kitchen for good luck and prosperity.

Good Luck Tip: Replace a washer in a leaky kitchen faucet as it can cause the money to slip away.

Good Luck Tip: Clear passages to and through your home or office to encourage prosperity.

Good Luck Tip: Tie 3 I-ching coins with red ribbon. Hang above the stove to increase wealth.

Sagittarius Do not take on too much. Be diplomatic with seniors. You’ll spend what you earn. Be careful if driving at night. Don’t weigh everyone on the same scale in an attempt to be just – it can affect your output at work. Avoid making unrealistic promises; it will go against you.

Pay attention to your health.

Capricorn Be flexible and diplomatic with colleagues and seniors. A major emotional transformation is unsettling, but you recover. A raise or bonus for those on the financial downswing; good learning opportunities. An honour or reward is expected. A positive outlook sweeps minor ailments aside.

Aquarius Creative projects bring out your best. Colleagues ease workload.

You’re fit, but lethargy and boredom set you back. An evening out is spoiled over a trivial issue.

Unexpected payments deplete bank balance. Avoid legal issues; don’t sign documents in a rush.

Be careful on the road.

Pisces Be alert for valuable information.

Don’t get drawn in by office gossip. Sudden guests upset routine; you’re burdened with chores.

Increments are delayed. Finances are good but windfalls jeopardised due to carelessness. You don’t get leave easily. Take care of health.

Keep romance on the backburner.

Good Luck Tip: Display a golden star in your work area to succeed financially and professionally.

Good Luck Tip: Hang a wind chime in a window directly across the front door for positivity.

Good Luck Tip: Put a plant in your kitchen or workplace for financial and career growth.

Good Luck Tip: Keep a plant (not cactus) in a red pot in the kitchen to increase income.

December 2013 192 www.spiceroutemag.com

Advertorial

Luxe living Lalco Residency’s unparalleled hospitality is a unique find.

L

alco Residency, a fully furnished serviced apartment, is among one of the few establishments in suburban Mumbai, which caters to both corporate and leisure travellers. Recently many building societies have started to prohibit corporate guesthouses from occupying their buildings due to security concerns. With the recent demise of many corporate guest houses, companies are left with limited options. Lalco Residency provides the perfect solution for this problem—a standalone serviced apartment building which

provides all of the amenities and space of a corporate guesthouse while offering all of the luxuries of a professionally run hotel.

The accommodations at Lalco Residency are all apartments: one bedroom, two bedrooms, three bedrooms or six bedrooms.

This additional space allows corporates to meet with colleagues in the comfort of their own home.

They also also cater to families travelling on vacation. The luxurious complex provides a full range of lavish facilities and amenities including a state-of-the-art health club

with a fully equipped fitness center, swimming pool, squash, basketball and tennis courts, game room and children’s play area, daily housekeeping and butler services and 24-hour front office and security. Each apartment is contemporary in style and includes plasma TVs

with cable, WiFi Internet access and more. All of the apartments have a fully equipped kitchen and washing and drying facilities.

Proximity to large shopping malls, the airport and the Nesco exhibition grounds offers numerous activities to keep your family entertained.

Keep food fresh

Goodbye to hair loss

Fresh containers from Roxx Pure lock range to delight you.

Find a solution to your hair loss problem with Advanced Hair Studio.

T

he Roxx Pure Lock range of food containers from East Coast Distributors is every homemaker’s delight. Pure Lock airtight technology keeps food odour free and safe from spilling. This technology, popularly known as silicon sealing, comes with the approval of the FDA, the American food standards regulatory body. Moreover, the entire range of Pure Lock products are manufactured from 100% virgin PP. The containers can be kept in both refrigerators and microwaves without worry and can withstand temperatures from –20 degrees to 140 degrees.

Pure Lock containers

are certified 100% food grade and designed especially for food storage purposes. This excellent product manufactured through cutting edge technology is extremely durable and break proof. That’s the reason it lasts much longer than any other container in its class. The containers come in prices ranging from just `60 to `1,000.

T

his is the time of the year when we take vows to quit the odd and pick the good habits. Most of us start the New Year with full determination to work on the things which we were meant to last year but didn’t quite get around doing it. As the year draws to a close, many of us think about making positive changes to our lifestyle, usually to improve our health or appearance or both.

But would hair loss fit in your resolution? Does the receding hair line worry you and is long pending in your list of ‘to do’s?

Take your hair loss problem out of this list and initiate action with the onset of the New Year and adorn a complete new and fresh look.

Gift yourself 10-15 years younger look by getting a full head of hair

December 2013 194 www.spiceroutemag.com

back! Advanced Hair Studio being the most premium brand in hair replacement and hair regrowth industry and truly a One Stop shop for hair loss solutions can help you to accomplish your New Year’s hair resolution.

Advertorial

Indulge in sheer luxury Stay healthy Ramada Alleppey is truly a paradise in God’s own country.

T

he towering 7 storied Ramada Alleppey hotel located close to Alleppey city, on the lake side of Punnamada very close to the Nehru Trophy boat race finishing point happens to be the largest property in Alleppey. Spread over 3acres of landscape overlooking the dreamy and poetic

Mr Reji Cherian,

Owner, Ramada Alleppey

backwaters, it offers a heaven of comfort and stylish ambience catalyzing ones stay in God’s Own Country. The hotel is one of the very few that can be accessed by road, water and air, the roof-top helipad comes as a thoughtful addition.

The property has a huge and neatly arranged lobby, 121 well appointed rooms for one to choose from, 24 hour restaurant, bar, Swimming pool, rooftop restaurant, conference halls, board rooms, health club and a spa. Overlooking the famous Punnamada Lake, The hotel offers you a wide choice of guest rooms, where ultimate luxury is defined in every detail. Be it for business or pleasure, Ramada – Alleppey offers all of the modern amenities that one would like to have.

Success story of Sheth Brothers’ Kayam Churna of Bhavnagar.

W

ith this initial success in 1977 Kayam Churna made from innocent ayurvedic ingredients were introduced which was useful in chronic constipation, gas, acidity and headache. It became an identity of sheth bros. initially, only 200 to 300 bottles were sold per month, because of its quality and a formula which had no side effects, today Kayam Churna has become the leading brand in the market. Today Kayam Churna holds more than 50 % market share in this category.

Company is planning to expand

Elegance personified Jade reveals first Ulysse Nardin manufactured Caliber for ladies.

U

lysse Nardin launches its first in-house designed and produced selfwinding caliber for women’s watches, paying tribute to the female clientele who appreciate its quest for innovation. Unique in its concept, it is designed and built in such a way that it does not call for pushing or pulling of the crown to set the date and time, meaning no more damage to the ladies’ manicure. With Calibre UN-310, there is a pusher at the four o’clock position on the watch case which is designed to change the function of the crown:

winding; setting the date forwards and backwards; and setting the time. Each manipulation is then simply made by turning the crown forwards or backwards without any need to pull it out. There is also no more fiddling to get to the right position for adjusting the date or time. Stunningly simple but superbly practical: This UN-310 caliber is another ‘First in the World’ innovation by Ulysse Nardin; and will in fact be welcomed by men and women alike. Calibre UN-310 reminds one of the elegance of simplicity with Ulysse Nardin’s signature GMT

Dual Time — a worldwide best seller which has the unique function of pushers that makes it easy to adjust the watch across time zones without ever taking it off the wrist. It had been a singular and long-term success supported by the wise and intelligent clientele Ulysse Nardin is fortunate to have.

UN-310 is yet another uniquely functional innovation Ulysse Nardin is proud to present to save one time, and to make life just a little simpler and more beautiful.

December 2013 196 www.spiceroutemag.com

its production capacity to meet growing demand. Company is also planning to reintroduce it’s previous success mantra Komla Gutika. In addition, company is also planning to introduce 4 to 6 over the counter products in near future. These products would be related to health and ayurvedic.

Kishanbhai Sheth, Rasikbhai Sheth

Advertorial

Glitz & Glamour Experience elegance and grandeur with Renu Oberoi’s festive collection 2013 for Mahesh Notandass.

Y

oung and doué jewellery designer Renu Oberoi announces an exquisite Festive collection for Mahesh Notandass which is bound to capture the essence and beauty of every modern woman. This alluring collection characterizes striking statement pieces including earrings, cuffs, bracelets, rings, neckpieces which are eye catching yet economical to ones pocket.

These eye-catching pieces are an epitome of style and

sophistication, the ensemble of traditional and modern. The collection is a small range of 20 exquisite pieces to suit an individual’s fashion taste and lifestyle. Renu Oberoi also has an exquisite range of diamond and precious stone jewellery as usual.

Different yet important the jewellery has inimitable textures and shapes to add mesmeric jazz and sparkle with an aura of its own, making any outfit look glamorous.

The collection is a range of 20 exquisite pieces to suit an individual’s fashion taste

Comfortably cozy Hotel Formula 1 promises a rest assured stay at the best price.

H

otel Formule1, a budget hotel by world’s leading group Accor is a hotel for your comfort stay. Renowned for delivering a great sleep and shower experience at an affordable price, this budget hotel offers 100% cotton sheets and soundproof rooms. The hotel also offers complimentary Wi-Fi to its guests. Hotel Formule1 is a budget concept, with a design comfort for Indian customers. Bringing a unique experience in the low-cost segment, the rooms are cleverly

designed and more stylish. The soft, relaxing colours and new enhanced approach to light, space and materials give it an inviting and modern atmosphere.

Hotel Formule1 Bengaluru Whitefield is its first opening in the south of India. Strategically located amidst the business and IT hub of Whitefield, the hotel is aimed at the budget and quality conscious traveller seeking accommodation at an affordable price.

The hotel design concept steers

Formule1 creates a new atmosphere that brings life and fun into the spaces

away from conventional budget hotels, which are usually very basic. The generous use of natural materials, fresh colours and attractive lighting takes Formule1 a step above traditional budget hotel models. Using contemporary furnishings, clever layouts, and a whimsical twist of designer graphics, Formule1 creates a new atmosphere that

December 2013 198 www.spiceroutemag.com

brings life and fun into the spaces.

Hotel Formule1 Bengaluru Whitefield features modern, sound-proof rooms with en suite bathrooms, flat screen TVs with international channels and complimentary bottled water.

With 24/7 security access, keycard-operated lifts and door locks and CCTV cameras, guests can be assured of excellent safety.

Our customer commitment A letter from our Chief Operating Officer Dear SpiceJet customer, Season’s Greetings! As the new Chief Operating Officer of SpiceJet, I want to thank you for flying with us today, and would like to take this opportunity to highlight a few aspects of the ‘new’ SpiceJet that we are working hard to bring to you. This new SpiceJet is embodied in a spirit that is captured in the cover of this issue of our Spiceroute magazine.

We believe what sets SpiceJet apart from other airlines is its people – the warm, natural, caring and diverse personalities that come together to make our airline.

SpiceJet people are individuals who take their work very seriously, but still have independence of spirit and are not afraid to have a sense of humour.

Individuals with distinct personalities but who are proud to wear their shared uniform. Professionals who are 100 per cent committed to the job, but at the same time are free to let their hair down. That is the spirit of SpiceJet. These wonderful people of SpiceJet will, over the coming months, deliver to you a customer experience that will be second to none. They will be empowered to solve your problems on the spot. To take out unnecessary hassles from your everyday travel experience. And who will see you as individuals like they themselves are, not just as numbers. You will see this aspiration manifest itself in multiple ways in the coming months.

On the physical product side, we are enhancing our in-flight meal options as well as giving you greater freedom and choice to pre-select your seats and meals at the time of booking. We are investing in small but meaningful ways to create moments of delight in our interactions with you. Because at the end of the day we know that without happy and repeat customers, no business can succeed, least of all a customer service business.

For us and for you, it is the small things that can make the biggest difference.

On the operational side, we will run the airline according to ‘SOCCH’, which stands for Safe, On-time, Clean, Courteous and Hassle-free. These are the fundamental metrics on which we will mark our operations.

I am hopeful that you will begin to notice a change on this very flight and in future ones. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please do email us at customerfirst@spicejet.com, and a member of the management team will personally respond to you (we promise, no formal letters!).

Thank you again for flying SpiceJet.

Sanjiv Kapoor Chief Operating Officer

This is a monthly column, where the department heads will write about the initiatives taken by them to improve customer commitment.

GROUP

201

SpiceJet family

All in a day

There is more to a SpiceJet employee’s life than what meets the eye...

Praveen Kumar Sharma Manager - Maintenance Control Centre and Line Stations

What are your responsibilities in your current role?

Maintenance all across the network including rotations/ planned /unplanned maintenance activities. Opening and setting up all new international/domestic stations including maintenance contracts with other Airlines.

Fitness mantra.

Like to take a walk; actively involved with Spicejet Cricket team for last eight years.

When did you join SpiceJet and what do you love the most about working here?

March 11, 2005. Opportunity to bring a change for betterment.

How do you balance your work and personal life?

Work at workplace and family time at home.

What excites you about your role and working in the Aviation Industry?

Challenges and a sense of fulfillment to see a flight depart with 200 passengers... Safe and On Time.

Good things of working in Aviation industry.

Chance to meet/visit different people/countries. Air travel.

Challenges associated with flying people safe each day, every time.

Tell me something about your family My wife is a full-time expert homemaker. I have an adorable six year old child.

Your idea of a holiday, your hobbies?

Simply lazying around; love to indulge in water sports.

Which is your favourite SpiceJet destination?

Would be Srinagar and Male.

A proud moment with SpiceJet. Spice going International. First flight in May 2005.

What keeps you motivated to do the same job everyday?

Challenges to fly people safe every day.

Your everyday work and how does it impact the day-to-day operations?

Almost 24*7 operational involvement with respect to maintenance.

Ideal day starts at 06.00 hours, taking stock of maintenance activities across the network.

10.00hours: Conduct daily delay/defect meetings to discuss the last 24 hours’ maintenance performance across the network and challenges faced, including looking for efficient/timely solutions to manage operations.

Planning maintenance activities all across the network, providing solutions to the flight and maintenance crew.

Overlooking manpower/ resources all across the network for scheduled/unscheduled maintenance and operations.

Interaction/communication with airplane manufacturers like Boeing/ Bombardier over short and long term technical issues.

Liaisoning with internal departments for technical issues and more.

Reporting of incidents/ accidents to nominated post holders. Arranging Ferry/ Maintenance/Test flights.

Handling & recovering Aircraft on Ground situations. Fleet defect control fleet & management for dispatch reliability.

December 2013 202 www.spiceroutemag.com

Destinations

Where SpiceJet flies

Agartala

Ahmedabad

ALLAHABAD

AMRITSAR

Airport: The Singerbhil Airport is about 12km away from the city centre. Taxis are easily available.

Airport: Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport is located 15km from the city centre.

Airport: Allahabad Airport is 12km from the city. Taxis are available.

Must See: In the heart of the city of Agartala lies the Ujjayanta Palace, a royal house carved and sculpted in Indo-Greek style.

Must See: Kankaria is an artificial lake that dates back to the time of the sultans.

Must See: The Allahabad Fort, built from the year 1583 onwards

by Akbar, stands at the junction of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga.

Airport: Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport is located 11km from the city.

Must Stay: Ginger Agartala on Airport Road offers convenient accommodation and services.

Must Stay: Experience a stay with all possible contemporary and plush comforts at The Gateway Hotel Ummed Ahmedabad.

Must Stay: Enjoy your time in the great city of Allahabad by staying at Guest House Bungalow, which offers well-furnished rooms.

Airport Manager: Avishek Kar Email: avishek.kar@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Johnson George Airport Incharge: Vijay Yadav Email: johnson.george@spicejet.com Email: vijay.yadav@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Deepak Anand Email: deepak.anand@spicejet.com

Aurangabad

Bagdogra

Bangkok

belgaum

Airport: Aurangabad Airport is 10km from the city centre.

Airport: Bagdogra Airport serves the towns of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok. Take a bus or private/ shared taxi to these regions.

Airport: The Suvarnabhumi International Airport is 17km away.

Airport: Belgaum Airport is 10km from the city centre.

Must See: The dark tunnels, passages and archways at the Daulatabad Fort, 13km away from Aurangabad, speak of its history.

Must See: Visit the famed floating market in Old Bangkok and also Must See: There are several tourist visit The Wat Pho temple to see the activities that you can engage in at reclining statue of Buddha.

Must Stay: Hotel Vits is a luxurious Darjeeling, Dooars and Siliguri.

Must Stay: The Banyan Tree business-class hotel located on the Must Stay: Situated on the Bihar hotels & resorts houses the Vertigo Railway Station Road.

More in Bagdogra, Marinas Motel restaurant which offers a spectacular offers finely furnished rooms. view of the city from the 61st floor.

Airport Incharge: Ajay Chib Email: ajay.chib@spicejet.com

Must See: Jallianwala Bagh is reminiscent of the Indian freedom struggle and is a well-known historical site in Amritsar.

Must Stay: Enjoy your time in the spiritual city of Amritsar by staying at Radisson Blu, a fine hotel.

Must See: Belgaum Fort is a huge fortress situated in the centre of the city. Dating back to 1519, the fort stands tall by telling the tales of the era gone by.

Must Stay: Relax at Hotel Adarsha Palace, situated on the College Road in Belgaum.

Airport Incharge: Saurav Raj Thapa Station Incharge: Gavin Jeffries Airport Incharge: Komal Jani Email: saurav.thapa@spicejet.com Email: gavin.jeffries@spicejet.com Email: komal.jani@spicejet.com December 2013 204 www.spiceroutemag.com

Bengaluru

Bhopal

CHANDIGARH

Airport: Bengaluru International Airport is 40km from the city’s business district. Taxis and Volvo buses are easily available.

Airport: The Raja Bhoj International airport is located in Bairagarh, 15km from the city.

Airport: Chandigarh Airport is 8km Airport: Chennai International from the city centre. Taxis are easily Airport is 7km from the city centre. available.

Must See: Marina Beach is a 12Must See: Sukhna Lake is an artificial km stretch of pristine beach, the reservoir and a recreational spot. second longest in the world.

Must See: Ulsoor lake is spread over a huge area and dates back to the time of Kempe Gowda I and II.

Must See: Bhimbetka, about 50km from Bhopal, is home to ancient rock shelters with cave paintings.

Must Stay: Experience a stay with all possible comforts at the JW Marriott Chandigarh, a plush five-star hotel.

Chennai

Must Stay: The Residency is nestled in the shopping hub of the city. It is strategically located near the airport, railway station and city centre.

Must Stay: Hotel Formule1 Bengaluru Whitefield is close to shopping and corporate hubs.

Must Stay: Revel in royal luxury at the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel in the upscale Shamla Hills area in the city.

Airport Manager: Panakaj Handa Email: pankaj.handa@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Rajul Srivastava Email: rajul.srivastava@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Manmeet Singh Barham Email: manmeet.barham@ spicejet.com

Coimbatore

Colombo

DEHRADUN

Delhi

Airport: Coimbatore Airport in Peelamedu is located 13km away from the city. Taxis are available.

Airport: Bandaranaike International Airport is Sri Lanka’s only international airport.

Airport: Jolly Grant Airport is located some 30km from the city centre. Taxis are easily available.

Airport: Indira Gandhi International Airport is 20km away.

Taxis are easily available.

Must See: An exciting journey to the centre of a forest brings you to the Kovai Kuttralam waterfalls.

Must See: Gangaramaya Temple is not only a place of worship for Buddhists, but also a centre of learning for the religion.

Must See: Situated 8km from the city centre, Guchchu Pani is a beautiful picnic spot.

Must See: The Purana Qila is an old fort or rather the remains of the 16th century Shergarh.

Must Stay: Madhuban Hotel is a beautiful option with aesthetically designed rooms featuring modern amenities and culinary delights.

Must Stay: At a convenient distance from the airport and NH8, Lebua New Delhi is a fine five-star hotel situated in Dwarka.

Must Stay: Le Meridien Coimbatore sets a benchmark in modern luxury and offers comfort with extravagance.

Airport Manager: Santosh Kumar Nair Email: santosh.nair@spicejet.com

Must Stay: The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden, near the airport.

Airport Incharge: N. Kalidassan Email: n.kalidassan@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Sujith Menon Email: sujith.menon@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Manish Pandey Airport Manager: Nelash Godara Email: manish.pandey@spicejet.com Email: nelash.godara@spicejet.com 205

Destinations

dharamshala

Dubai

Goa

guAngzhou

Airport: The Gaggal Airport also known as the Dharamsala Airport, is located 14km from the city.

Airport: Dubai International Airport is a major aviation hub in the Middle East.

Airport: Dabolim Airport in Vasco is 30km from Panaji, Goa’s capital.

Taxis are available.

Airport: Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is the main airport of the city.

Must See: One of the major tourist Must See: Check out the Jumeirah attractions of Dharamshala is the Beach a famous beach resort located Kangra Art museum. just 15km from central Dubai.

Must See: Sri Mangeshi Temple in the Priol area is a beautiful temple in refreshing natural surroundings.

Must Stay: Himachal Tourism Hotel Dhauladhar, in the heart of the town, offers a commanding view of the mountains.

Must Stay: Atlantis The Palm is a luxury resort built on the scenic Palm Island.

Must Stay: Bid farewell to your blues and relax at the White Pearl Suites situated near Baga Beach.

Must See: The Pearl River flows through the Guangzhou city. Take a boat tour on the river to admire the breathtaking night view.

Airport Incharge: Rahul Garg Email: rahul.garg@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: J. Venkatramakrishnan Email: j.venkat@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Anish Dubey Email: anish.dubey@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Vrushiket Bhise Email: vrushiket.bhise@spicejet.com

Guwahati

Hubli

Hyderabad

Indore

Airport: Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is 25km from the city.

Must Stay: Crowne Plaza Science City is a plush hotel.

Airport: Hubli Airport is the Airport: Rajiv Gandhi International airport currently serving both Hubli Airport is 25km from the city. and Dharwad in Karnataka.

Must See: Mecca Masjid is a Must See: Assam State Museum Must see: Panoramic view of the heritage mosque in the old city of is located near Dighalipukhuri tank. city of Hubli, Nrupatunga Betta, Hyderabad, close to the historic 5km from Chennamma circle. landmark of Chowmahalla Palace.

Must Stay: Located in Madhab Nagar, Khanapara, Greenwood Must stay: Hotel Clarks Inn on the Must Stay: Radisson Blu Plaza Resorts offers a relaxing retreat.

Gokul Road is a modern-day retreat Hotel, Banjara Hills offers 155 complete with all the amenities. rooms with world-class facilities.

Airport Manager: Bhaskar

Airport: Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport is located at a distance of 8km from the city.

Borgohain Email: bhaskar.borgohain@ spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Pavitra Shukla Email: pavitra.shukla@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Mahavir Gaur Email: mahavir.gaur@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Raghunath Singh Email: raghunath.singh@spicejet.com

December 2013 206 www.spiceroutemag.com

Must See: Rajwada is a remarkable mansion that sings the glory of the heritage of Indore.

Must Stay: Radisson Blu Hotel, located in the heart of Indore’s business hub.

Destinations

Jabalpur

Jaipur

Jammu

Airport: Jabalpur Airport, also known as Dumna Airport, is 11km from the city centre. Prepaid taxi services are available.

Airport: Sanganer Airport is 13km from the city centre. Prepaid taxis are available.

Airport: Satwari Airport is 8km from the city of Jammu. Prepaid taxis are easily available.

Must See: The mesmerising Dhuandhar waterfalls near Jabalpur call for a visit for sure.

Must Stay: Kalchuri Residency is a plush three-star hotel in Jabalpur.

Airport Incharge: Jaimin Premasawala Email: jaimin.premasawala@ spicejet.com

Must See: Hawa Mahal is a beautiful historical monument.

The surrounding area is great for souvenir shopping.

Must Stay: Gateway Hotel Ramgarh Lodge, Jaipur offers a royal experience.

Khajuraho

Airport: Tribhuvan International Airport located in Kathmandu is the only international airport in Nepal. Taxis are easily available.

Airport: Khajuraho Airport is just 3 km away from Khajuraho town.

Must See: Darbar Square, an ancient square strewn with palaces and temples.

Must Stay: In the heart of Diplomatic Enclave and Durbar Marg stands Hotel Shangri-La. Airport Manager: Rajendra Krishna Joshi Email: rajendra.joshi@spicejet.com

Airport: Kabul International Airport, also known as Khwaja Rawash Airport, is located 16km Must See: Mubarak Mandi was the from the city centre. royal residence of the Maharaja of Must See: Built in the late 19th Jammu and Kashmir during the century, Bagh-e Bala is preserved Dogra rule. and the area around the palace has Must Stay: Fortune Inn Rivera is a been turned into a large park. cosy retreat, perfect for a business stay as well as for a family vacation.

Airport Manager: Brijendra Sinsinwar Airport Manager: Deepak Koul Email: brijendra.sinsinwar@ Email: deepak.koul@spicejet.com spicejet.com

Kathmandu

KABUL

Kochi

Must Stay: Make your stay memorable by choosing to stay at Kabul Intercontinental Hotel.

Airport Incharge: Sunil Rehman Email: sunil.rehman@spicejet.com

Kolkata

Airport: Cochin International Airport Airport: Netaji Subhash Chandra is situated just 30km from the city Bose International Airport is 20km centre.

Taxis are easily available. from Kolkata city. Prepaid taxis are Must See: The prestigious Khajuraho easily available. temples which are ornamented Must See: Fort Kochi is a small with most striking, erotic and village located near the large city Must See: The Marble Palace at aesthetic sculptures that expose the of Kochi. It is home to untouched Chorbagan is now a museum, home philosophy in the Hindu religion. picturesque beaches. to precious art by Rubens and Sir Joshua Reynolds.

Must Stay: Make yourself feel at Must Stay: Relive the past at home at Hotel Clarks, Khajuraho Cochin Heritage Home, located just which is located at a convenient next to the Bishop’s House in the distance from the Khajuraho temples. Fort Kochi area of the city.

Must Stay: Chrome Hotel offers relaxation in the tech-savvy interiors, latest amenities and fine food facilities.

Airport Incharge: Jai Prakash Singh Airport Manager: Shamon P.S Email: jai.singh@spicejet.com Email: shamon@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Sagarnath Das Email: sagarnath.das@spicejet.com

December 2013 208 www.spiceroutemag.com

Destinations

Kozhikode

Lucknow

Madurai

MALE

Airport: Calicut International Airport is located at a distance 25km from the city centre. Taxis are easily available.

Airport: Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport is located about 11km from the city centre. Taxis are available.

Airport: Madurai Airport is located about 10km from the city centre.

Taxis are available.

Must See: Bara Imam Bara, is one of the most popular monuments in Lucknow city.

Airport: Ibrahim Nasir International Airport is the main international airport in the Republic of Maldives.

Must See: Sri Meenakshi Temple is one of the most popular temples Must See: The National Museum in the city that is dedicated to Shiva in Sultan Park and the Jumhoree and his consort Parvati.

Maidan with its green grass and lush vegetation are must-sees.

Must Stay: The Gateway Hotel

Must See: Krishna Menon Museum dedicated to diplomat V K Krishna Menon, exhibits his personal belongings.

Must Stay: Choose to relax at the Gateway Hotel, a brand from the Taj Group, situated on the beach road in Kozhikode.

Airport Incharge: Sajith Kannoth Email: sajith@spicejet.com

Must Stay: Vivanta by Taj, Gomti Nagar offers splendid standards in accommodation and is equipped with all the modern facilities.

Airport Manager: Janardan Sahai Mathur Email: janardan.mathur@ spicejet.com

Pasumalai offers high standards in accommodation and is equipped with latest amenities.

Must Stay: Cerulean View Boutique Hotel is one of the best hotels in Male.

Airport Manager: Balaji Ramanan Email: balaji.ramanan@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Hemanth Kumar Email: hemanth.kumar@ spicejet.com

mysore

Mangalore

Mumbai

muscat

Airport: The Mangalore International Airport is about 20km from the city centre.

Airport: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is 30km from downtown Mumbai. It is advisable to take prepaid taxis.

Airport: Seeb International Airport Airport: Mysore Airport, also is located 32km from Muscat, the known as Mandakalli Airport, is the capital of Oman. main airport serving the city. Taxis are available.

Must See: The Grand Mosque

Must See: About 15km away from Mangalore city is the Pilikula Nisragadham, a beautiful lake with boating facility.

Must See: Take a walk in upscale south Mumbai. Visit Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Church Gate and Colaba Causeway.

Must Stay: Elegance and luxury go hand in hand at Gateway Hotel, Old Must Stay: Luxurious home away from home is the plush Novotel on Port Road in Mangalore Juhu Beach.

Airport Incharge: C.M.Biddappa Airport Manager: Tarun Kalwadia Email: biddappa@spicejet.com Email: tarun.kalwadia@spicejet.com

which displays modern Islamic Must See: Gumbaz is the burial architecture also houses the chamber of Tipu Sultan, father world’s largest carpet (70m X 60m). Haider Ali and his mother Fatima.

Must Stay: With a great location near the beach and a cluster of little restaurants, Omani Beach Hotel is the best place to stay.

Must Stay: Overlooking the breathtaking Brindavan Gardens, Royal Orchid Brindavan is a fourstar luxury Heritage Hotel.

Airport Manager: Rohit Rajput

Airport Incharge: KP Bopanna

Email: rohit.rajput@spicejet.com

Email: bopanna.kp@spicejet.com

December 2013 210 www.spiceroutemag.com

Destinations

puducherry

Port Blair

Pune

Rajahmundry

Airport: Puducherry Airport is located at Lawspet in Puducherry.

Taxis are available.

Airport: Veer Savarkar International Airport is located 2km from the city centre. Taxis are easily available.

Airport: Pune International Airport is situated at a distance of 10km from the main city. Prepaid taxis and auto rickshaws are available.

Airport: The Rajahmundry airport is located in Madhurapudi, 18km north of the city.

Must See: Cellular Jail, a revered shrine dedicated to Indian freedom fighters, is situated at Aberdeen near Port Blair.

Must See: Saras Baug is a major landmark and has a Ganesh Temple. The place is a famous recreational site in the city.

Must See: The stylish French War Memorial, located in the renowned Goubert Avenue, is a monument for the soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.

Must See: Sir Arthur Cotton Museum and the barrage at Dowlaiswaram give some interesting insights on history.

Must Stay: The Dune is a Must Stay: Try your hand at fascinating eco-beach hotel situated snorkelling and deep-sea diving at in vicinity of the sun-kissed sea. at the Kaala Pani Resort.

Must Stay: Relax in the lap of luxury at the Four Points By Sheraton, a five-star hotel.

Must Stay: Simple, elegant and cosy rooms are what you can be sure of at Akanksha Inn, one of the best hotels in this city.

Airport Incharge: S Mahesh Email: mahesh.s@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Arun M Email: arun.m@spicejet.com

Airport Manager: Adil Palia Email: adil.palia@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Amit Naraian Email: amit.naraian@spicejet.com

Riyadh

Sharjah

Srinagar

Surat

Airport: Riyadh King Khalid International Airport is located 35km north of Riyadh.

Airport: Sharjah International Airport is situated some 15km from central Dubai. Taxis are available.

Airport: Srinagar International Airport is situated some 12km from the city centre.

Airport: Surat Airport is located in Magdala around 11km southwest from the city centre.

Must See: The National Museum of Saudi Arabia is a must see. It offers excellent information on Arabia’s history, culture and art.

Must See: Souq al-Arsah is one of the oldest souks in the country.

Must See: Hazrat Bal in Srinagar is a well - known shrine where a hair strand of the Prophet Mohammed is treasured.

Must See: Sardar V Patel Museum and Planetorium represents the rich history and eclectic ethnic mix of Surat.

Must Stay: Offering panoramic view of the Dal Lake, Vivanta by Taj is a good option.

Must Stay: The Gateway Hotel Athwalines in Surat is known for offering plush accomodation along with latest amenities.

Must Stay: Offering picturesque view of the city, Radisson Blu Resort Sharjah is a nice hotel.

Must Stay: Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre is a Airport Manager: Debasish stylish business and leisure hotel Choudhury located high in the Kingdom Tower. Email: debasish.choudhury@ Airport Incharge: Azhar Shaikh spicejet.com Email: azhar.shaikh@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: Sartaj Ahmed Mantoo Email: sartaj.mantoo@spicejet.com

December 2013 212 www.spiceroutemag.com

Airport Incharge: Harin Rajguru Email: harin.rajguru@spicejet.com

Destinations

thiruvananthapuram

Tirupati

Airport: The Trivandrum Airport is located at a central location.

Airport: Tirupati Airport is situated Airport: Tiruchirapalli Airport or at a distance of 14km from the Trichy Airport is 5km from the city Tirupati city. centre.

Must See: The interactive Kerala Museum, opposite the Napier museum, is the first of its kind, with touch-screen terminals.

Must Stay: Former home of Royal British Officers, Mascot Hotel is now a heritage hotel offering luxurious stay and amenities.

Airport Incharge: A.C.Ratheesh Email: ratheesh.ac@spicejet.com

Udaipur

Tiruchirapalli

Must See: The Sri Venkateswara temple is considered one of the holiest temples.

Must Stay: Having served some prominent personalities who Must Stay: Situated on the Mc thronged the holy town, Hotel Bliss Donald’s Road in the heart of the serves good comforts and food. city, Breeze Residency is one of Trichy’s premier hotels.

Airport Incharge: N Nagaraju

Must See: The Palayamkottai Road area surrounds the Lord Bhagam Priyal temple, Lord Shiva and Lord Perumal temples.

Must Stay: SRM Hotel offers an enticing home-away-from-home experience with its services and rooms.

Airport Incharge: Narasimhan S.R Email: narasimhan.r@spicejet.com

Airport Incharge: C.N. Kishore Email: c.n.kishore@spicejet.com

Varanasi

Vijayawada

visakhapatnam

Airport: Vijayawada Airport is located in Gannavaram, just 20km from the city centre.

Airport: Visakhapatnam Airport is located about 7km from the city centre. Taxis are easily available at all times.

Airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport is 18km from the city. Taxi and auto-rickshaw services are Must See: The splendid City Palace easily available. is one of the most beautiful palatial Must See: Take a boat ride at the structures here.

Dasawamedh Ghat to enjoy the divine ambience of Varanasi to the Must Stay: The Leela Palace fullest.

Udaipur, located on the banks of

Airport Incharge: R. Shyam Sharma Email: shyam.sharma@spicejet.com

Airport: Tuticorin domestic airport is located 16.9km from the city.

Email: n.nagaraju@spicejet.com

Airport: Udaipur Airport or Maharana Pratap Airport is situated at a distance of 22km from the city.

Lake Pichola, offers a spectacular view of the tranquil lake.

Must See: The landmark of the Trichy town is the Rockfort temple, a beautiful structure perched atop a hillock.

Tuticorin

Must Stay: Offering comfortable stay, Clarks Varansi is one of the best options in the city.

Airport Manager: Rajesh k. Singh Email: rajesh.s@spicejet.com

Must See: Mogalarajapuram caves near Vijayawada are among the three cave temples known for the magnificent carvings of Shiva.

Must Stay: Haailand Buddhism-based theme park and resort is a unique holiday destination that evokes the mystique of South East Asia.

Airport Incharge: Srikanth Yalla Email: yalla.srikanth@spicejet.com

December 2013 214 www.spiceroutemag.com

Must See: Kambalakonda is a wonderful nature reserve, located about 20-25 minutes away from the city.

Must Stay: The Gateway Hotel, is a comfortable hotel. Enjoy southern delights here.

Airport Manager: Digvijay Wala Email: digvijay.wala@spicejet.com

Snap shots

Aiming high

SpiceJet’s vast fleet boasts of the latest in technology and design, along with flying comfort.

December 2013 216 www.spiceroutemag.com

1

2

4

3

1. SpiceJet aircraft stand out in trademark red, white, along with their vibrant logo 2. Control wheel.

3. High-tech instrument panel in the cockpit.

4. Blue Sky Interior of the generouslyproportioned Boeing 737.

217

Snap shots

1

4

1. R eady to serve with a smile – the SpiceJet crew.

2. T he propeller aircraft used for short-haul flights.

3. B ombardier – the new domestic king.

4. State-of-the-art software promises a comfortable flying experience.

December 2013 218 www.spiceroutemag.com

2 3

Manufacturer l Wholesaler l Exporter

Dress material l Readymade Dresses l Kurties l Mix-n-Match l Available at more than 1500 stores across india Head Office : Span House, Opp. Vodafone house, Stadium Char Rasta, Ahmedabad-380009 spanapparels.com l facebook.com/spanapparels l spanapparelsblog.wordpress.com l Inquiry No. : 9099609000 Buy Online At :

SpiceJet fleet

December 2013 220 www.spiceroutemag.com

Spice schedule Destination

Agartala Bengaluru (Via-CCU-HYD) Bengaluru (Via-CCU-BOM) Guwahati Hyderabad (Via-CCU) Kolkata Kolkata Mumbai (Via-CCU) Ahmedabad Bengaluru Bengaluru (Via-BOM) Bengaluru (Via-PNQ) Chennai Chennai (Via-HYD) Chennai (Via-HYD) Chennai (Via-BOM) Coimbatore (Via-MAA) Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Goa Guwahati (Via-BOM-BLR-CCU) Hyderabad Hyderabad Jaipur Kolkata Kolkata (Via-BOM-BLR) Kolkata (Via-DEL) Mumbai Mumbai Port Blair (Via - DEL-CCU) Port Blair (Via-HYD, MAA) Port Blair (Via-HYD, MAA) Pune Pune (Via-JAI) Allahabad Delhi Delhi AMRITSAR Delhi Delhi Delhi Mumbai Srinagar Aurangabad Delhi Delhi Bagdogra Chennai (Via-CCU)

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-872 SG-874 SG-873 SG-872 SG-872 SG-874 SG-874

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1505 1610 1325 1505 1505 1610 1610

2035 2300 1415 1855 1605 1710 2030

SG-285 SG-528 SG-345 SG-281 SG-917 SG-913 SG-206 SG-281 SG-104 SG-106 SG-106 SG-178 SG-137 SG-528 SG-917 SG-913 SG-912 SG-331 SG-528 SG-104 SG-528 SG-206 SG-104 SG-917 SG-917 SG-345 SG-912

1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,7 2,6 Daily 1,2,3,4,5

0945 0555 2120 0550 0610 1855 1905 0550 0605 0955 1005 2200 1505 0555 0610 1855 1055 0730 0555 0605 0555 1905 0605 0610 0610 2120 1055

1155 0935 0040 0815 0955 2215 2315 1000 0725 1125 1210 2330 1655 1435 0800 2035 1205 0955 1245 1030 0705 2025 1250 1235 1350 2250 1420

SG-2358 SG-2358

1,2,3,4,5,6 7

0935 1220

1125 1405

SG-2514 SG-2114 SG-2354 SG-443 SG-442

Daily Daily Daily 1,3,5,6 1,3,5

0825 1605 2050 1615 1310

0945 1725 2210 1850 1410

SG-162 SG-142

Daily 2,4,6

0810 1550

1010 1800

SG-324

Daily

1405

1835

Destination

Coimbatore (Via-CCU, MAA) Delhi Delhi (Via-GAU) Guwahati Kolkata Bengaluru Agartala (Via-BOM-CCU) Agartala (Via-HYD-CCU) Ahmedabad Ahmedabad (Via-PNQ) Ahmedabad (Via-BOM) Belgaum Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi (Via - BOM-STV) Goa Guwahati (Via-BOM-CCU-IXA) Guwahati (Via-CCU) Hubli Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Jaipur Kochi Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata (Via-BOM) Kolkata (Via-HYD) Kozhikode Mangalore Mangalore Mangalore (Via-BOM) Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Pondichery Pune

flight no.

freq

December 2013 222 www.spiceroutemag.com

arrival

SG-324 SG-885 SG-881 SG-881 SG-324

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1405 1040 1620 1620 1405

2015 1305 2040 1720 1525

SG-873 SG-871 SG-286 SG-342 SG-529 SG-3301 SG-2902 SG-3006 SG-3302 SG-3416 SG-3002 SG-502 SG-224 SG-224 SG-186 SG-229 SG-216 SG-152 SG -875 SG-873 SG-528 SG-1084 SG-871 SG-1124 SG-1074 SG-1109 SG-1098 SG-1088 SG-101 SG-2,4,6 SG-528 SG-524 SG-873 SG-871 SG-1073 SG-3231 SG-3231 SG-344 SG-873 SG-344 SG-152 SG-529 SG-3415 SG-342

Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily 6 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,3,4,5,6,7 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily 2,4,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 2 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily

0610 0925 1235 0555 1940 0805 0750 0920 1150 1800 2135 0635 0845 0850 1510 1600 2105 1520 1155 0610 1005 1935 0925 1120 1520 1855 2210 2240 0725 1140 1005 1910 0610 0925 1230 1035 1400 1015 0610 1015 1520 1940 1340 0555

1255 1435 1435 0915 2300 0925 0835 1030 1245 1900 2235 0925 1130 1130 1755 1840 2350 2115 1310 1415 1435 2050 1035 1235 1640 2015 2310 2340 1010 1245 1245 2135 1125 1305 1330 1130 1455 1405 0740 1155 1705 2130 1440 0725

SpiceJet now offers over 150 connections on its existing network For details log on to www.spicejet.com

dep

Destination

Pune Pune Srinagar (Via-DEL) Srinagar (Via-DEL) Surat(Via - BOM) Tuticorin (Via-MAA) Vijayawada Vizag BelgAum Bengaluru Chennai (VIA - BLR) Tuticorin (Via-BLR, MAA) Bhopal Delhi Delhi Hyderabad Hyderabad (Via-IDR) Indore Chandigarh Delhi Delhi Mumbai Srinagar Chennai Ahmedabad Ahmedabad (Via-BOM) Ahmedabad (Via-BOM) Ahmedabad (Via-HYD) Ahmedabad (Via-HYD) Bagdogra (Via-CCU) Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Belgaum (Via-BLR) Coimbatore Coimbatore Coimbatore Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi (Via-BOM-AMD) Delhi (Via-BOM-AMD) Delhi (Via-PNQ) Goa Guwahati (Via-CCU)

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-228 SG-228 SG-224 SG-224 SG-152 SG-3302 SG-3303 SG-245

1,3,4,6 2,5,7 6 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily

2125 2200 0845 0850 1520 1150 1035 0745

2230 2325 1330 1350 1840 1445 1150 0915

SG-3302 SG-3302 SG-3302

Daily Daily Daily

0955 0955 0955

1105 1245 1445

SG-2227 SG-2226 SG-1053 SG-1063 SG-1063

2,4,6 2,4,6 1,3,5,7 2,4,6 2,4,6

0825 1955 2050 1940 1940

1015 2150 2230 2230 2030

SG-2112 SG-2116 SG-532 SG-531

Daily Daily 2,4,7 2,4,7

0835 1920 1615 1310

0940 2025 1850 1410

SG-282 SG-106 SG-106 SG-912 SG-916 SG-323 SG-3301 SG-3013 SG-2903 SG-3415 SG-1084 SG-3148 SG-3158 SG-3301 SG-3012 SG-281 SG-324 SG-312 SG-182 SG-304 SG-306 SG-308 SG-325 SG-106 SG-106 SG-208 SG-454 SG-321

Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily 1,3,4,5,7 Daily

1225 0525 0530 0710 1955 1010 0620 0750 0955 1210 1805 2015 2050 0620 0610 0845 1915 0635 0805 1150 1655 1900 2020 0525 0530 0515 1555 0520

1450 0925 0935 1025 2330 1335 0715 0850 1050 1310 1905 2115 2145 0925 0720 1000 2015 0925 1055 1440 1940 2150 2305 1125 1210 0930 1720 0925

Destination

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Jaipur (Via-HYD) Jaipur (Via-HYD-AMD) Kozhikode Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata Kochi Kochi Kochi Madurai Madurai Madurai Madurai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai

SG-912 SG-3015 SG-1004 SG-916 SG-1012 SG-912 SG-912 SG-3251 SG-321 SG-323 SG-188 SG-3263 SG-3241 SG-3243 SG-291 SG-305 SG-303 SG-311 SG-106 SG-106 SG-273 SG-307

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily 1,3,4,5,7

0710 1100 1745 1955 2135 0710 0710 1320 0520 1010 2150 0600 1050 1930 0835 1330 1710 2110 0525 0530 0830 1325

0815 1210 1905 2105 2250 1045 1205 1505 0745 1205 2355 0725 1210 2055 0950 1440 1810 2210 0730 0730 1035 1515

Mumbai

SG-268

1,3,4,5,7

1535

1735

Mumbai

SG-296

Daily

2010

2155

Mysore Pondichery (VIA - BLR) Port Blair Port Blair Pune Pune (Via-HYD-AMD-JAI) Pune (Via-HYD-JAI) Tiruchirapalli Thiruvananthapuram Tuticorin Tuticorin Vizag Coimbatore Ahmedabad (Via-MAA) Chennai Chennai Chennai Delhi (Via-HYD) Delhi (Via-BOM) Guwahati(Via-HYD-DEL) Hyderabad Hyderabad Mumbai dehradun Delhi Delhi delhi Ahmedabad

SG-3261 SG-3415 SG-917 SG-917 SG-208 SG-912 SG-912 SG-3165 SG-3307 SG-3597 SG-3302 SG-3277

Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 1,3,4,5,7 2,6 Daily 1,2,3,4,5 7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

0925 1210 1025 1135 0515 0710 0710 1035 1835 0715 1320 1705

1020 1440 1235 1350 0650 1420 1420 1140 2000 0835 1445 1855

SG-282 SG-3022 SG-282 SG-284 SG-234 SG-110 SG-234 SG-234 SG-1022 SG-110

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 2,3,4 Daily Daily Daily 2,3,4

1050 0740 1050 2045 1020 1515 1020 1020 1920 1515

1450 0850 1155 2140 1430 1955 1730 1140 2105 1655

SG-2413 SG-2325

Daily Daily

1130 1625

1240 1730

SG-171

Daily

0525

0700

223

Spice schedule Destination

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Allahabad Allahabad Amritsar Amritsar Amritsar Aurangabad Aurangabad Bagdogra Bagdogra (Via-GAU) Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru (Via - STV-BOM) Bhopal Bhopal Chandigarh Chandigarh Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai (Via-AMD-BOM) Coimbatore (Via-HYD) Coimbatore (VIA BOM) Dehradun Dehradun Dharamshala Goa Goa Goa Goa Guwahati Guwahati Guwahati (Via-IXB) Hubli (Via- JLR-BOM) Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Hyderabad Indore Indore Jabalpur Jaipur

flight no.

SG-206 SG-883 SG-2356 SG-2356 SG-2410 SG-2113 SG-2352 SG-161 SG-141 SG-881 SG-885 SG-501 SG-223 SG-185 SG-209 SG-509 SG-151 SG-2327 SG-2326 SG-2111 SG-2115 SG-301 SG-305 SG-303 SG-315 SG-184 SG-309 SG-206 SG-211 SG-109 SG-2328 SG-2223 SG-2382 SG-261 SG-253 SG-257 SG-255 SG-885 SG-234 SG-881 SG-2441 SG-211 SG-231 SG-233 SG-221 SG-239 SG-2327 SG-2326 SG-2441 SG-133

freq

Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,6 7 Daily Daily Daily Daily 2,4,6 Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 2,4,6 2,4,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 2,3,4 Daily Daily Daily 6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,5,7 1,3,5,7 Daily Daily

For bookings, visit our website at www.spicejet.com

dep

1705 1850 0810 1040 0640 1415 1900 0545 1330 1345 0555 0605 1050 1145 1610 2030 0600 0610 1710 0710 1755 0635 1005 1350 1645 1830 1915 1705 0540 1010 1010 1505 1100 0835 1020 1250 1455 0555 1510 1345 0735 0540 0730 1345 1520 2030 0610 1710 0735 0715

arrival

1835 2020 0915 1200 0805 1545 2030 0740 1520 1550 1010 0855 1330 1430 1855 2315 1125 0805 1900 0815 1900 0915 1245 1640 1935 2120 2150 2315 0950 1430 1110 1605 1225 1105 1300 1525 1720 0820 1730 1720 1410 0755 0950 1555 1730 2240 0805 1900 0945 0805

Destination

Jaipur Jammu Jammu Khajuraho (VIA-VNS) Kochi (Via-BOM) Kochi (Via-HYD) Kochi (Via-PNQ) Kochi (Via-BOM) Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata Lucknow Lucknow Madurai (Via-MAA) Madurai (Via-MAA) Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai (Via-STV) Mumbai (Via-JAI) Mumbai (Via-JLR) Mumbai (Via-AMD) Port Blair (VIA-CCU) Pune Pune Srinagar Srinagar Srinagar Srinagar Srinagar (Via-IXJ) Surat Tirupati (Via-HYD) Thiruvananthapuram (Via-BOM) Udaipur Udaipur Udaipur Varanasi Varanasi Varanasi Varanasi Vizag (Via-HYD) Dharamshala Delhi GOA Ahmedabad Bengaluru

flight no.

freq

dep

SG-135 SG-851 SG-857 SG-2394 SG-131 SG-231 SG-217 SG-103 SG-104 SG-606 SG-607 SG-517 SG-417 SG-305 SG-303 SG-131 SG-411 SG-109 SG-103 SG-852 SG-119 SG-458 SG-151 SG-133 SG-2441 SG-206 SG-104 SG-217 SG-219 SG-853 SG-868 SG-224 SG-224 SG-851 SG-151 SG-233 SG-109 SG-2437 SG-2437 SG-2446 SG-116 SG-2394 SG-114 SG-127 SG-221

2,4,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 3,5,7 1,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily 6 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily 1,5,6,7 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,4,6 Daily

1845 0845 1410 1145 0535 0730 0840 1120 0810 1555 1850 1045 1945 1005 1350 0535 0740 1010 1120 1555 1720 1855 0600 0715 0735 1705 0810 0840 1925 0730 1050 1200 1220 0845 0600 1345 1010 0810 1040 1810 0855 1145 1325 1920 1520

1950 1010 1525 1435 1100 1220 1310 1600 1030 1810 2055 1155 2105 1440 1810 0740 0930 1215 1315 1805 1935 2100 0920 1015 1210 2025 1250 1045 2140 0850 1205 1330 1350 1120 0755 1725 1425 0925 1210 1940 1010 1320 1435 2045 1915

SG-2384

Daily

1245

1430

SG-138 SG-876

Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7

1725 1340

1905 1450

Note: Schedule subject to change and regulatory authority approvals.

1- Mon, 2-Tue, 3-Wed, 4-Thu, 5-Fri, 6-Sat, 7-Sun. December 2013 224 www.spiceroutemag.com

arrival

Destination

Chennai Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Hyderabad Hyderabad Kolkata (Via-BOM) Mumbai Mumbai Guwahati Agartala Ahmedabad (Via-CCU-BLR-BOM) Bagdogra Bengaluru (Via-IXA-CCU-BOM) Bengaluru (Via-CCU) Chennai (Via-CCU) Delhi Delhi Delhi (Via-IXB) Jaipur (Via-CCU) Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata (Via-IXA) Mumbai (Via-IXA-CCU) Mumbai (Via-CCU-BLR) Hubli Bengaluru Delhi (Via-BOM-JLR) Hyderabad (Via-BLR) Jabalpur (Via-BOM) Mumbai Hyderabad Agartala (Via-CCU) Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bhopal Bhopal (Via-IDR) Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Coimbatore Coimbatore Delhi

flight no.

freq

dep

Destination

arrival

SG-455 SG-262 SG-254 SG-258 SG-256 SG-1104 SG-1072 SG-804 SG-247 SG-804

1,3,4,5,7 6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1750 1135 1330 1555 1750 0745 1520 1650 1330 1650

1915 1410 1555 1825 2015 0915 1655 2130 1440 1800

SG-874 SG-529 SG-885 SG-874 SG-529 SG-322 SG-881 SG-894 SG-885 SG-525 SG-525 SG-529 SG-322 SG-874 SG-874 SG-529

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1445 1505 0905 1445 1505 1845 1750 1800 0905 0955 0955 1505 1845 1445 1445 1505

1540 2300 1010 2300 1910 2250 2040 2040 1305 1345 1105 1615 1955 1710 2030 2130

SG-1088 SG-2452 SG-1088 SG-2452 SG-2452

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

2110 1430 2110 1430 1430

2210 2035 2340 1815 1550

SG-871 SG-912 SG-916 SG-1031 SG-1073 SG-1108 SG-872 SG-1063 SG-1053 SG-1262 SG-917 SG-1275 SG-3016 SG-1258 SG-913 SG-211 SG-1048 SG-116

Daily 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily 2,4,6 1,3,5,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1105 0845 2135 0605 1040 1700 1930 1720 1720 0600 0830 1305 1605 1910 2110 0825 1725 0605

1435 1025 2330 0725 1200 1820 2035 1920 2030 0720 0955 1425 1720 2030 2215 0950 1900 0820

Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Goa Goa Guwahati(Via-DEL) Indore Indore (Via-BHO) Jaipur Jaipur (Via-AMD) Kochi Kochi Kolkata Kozhikode (Via-BLR) Madurai Madurai Mangalore Mumbai Port Blair (Via-MAA) Port Blair (Via-MAA) Pune Pune (Via-AMD-JAI) Pune (Via-JAI) Rajahmundary Tirupathi Tirupati Varanasi (Via-DEL) Vijayawada Vizag Vizag Indore Bhopal Delhi Delhi Hyderabad Hyderabad (Via-BHO) JABALPUR Delhi Hubli (Via- BOM) Mumbai Jaipur Ahmedabad Bengaluru Chennai (Via-AMD- HYD) Delhi Delhi Guwahati (Via-CCU) Hyderabad (Via-AMD) Kolkata Mumbai Pune

225

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-226 SG-234 SG-108 SG-236 SG-1103 SG-1071 SG-234 SG-1053 SG-1063 SG-912 SG-912 SG-231 SG-1051 SG-871 SG-1073 SG-3313 SG-3313 SG-1023 SG-402 SG-917 SG-917 SG-3015 SG-912 SG-912 SG-1061 SG-1041 SG-233 SG-116 SG-1001 SG-401 SG-221

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,3,5,7 2,4,6 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 3 1,2,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,7 26 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5 7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1030 1210 1435 1925 0555 1330 1210 1720 1720 0845 0845 1020 1930 1105 1040 0900 0950 0710 2130 0830 0830 1240 0845 0845 1040 0720 1625 0605 0805 0715 1800

1250 1430 1715 2140 0725 1500 1730 1920 2030 1045 1205 1220 2115 1305 1330 1100 1150 0850 2315 1235 1350 1400 1420 1420 1145 0835 1725 1010 0900 0820 1915

SG-1053 SG-2227 SG-2226 SG-1063 SG-1053

1,3,5,7 1,3,5,7 1,3,5,7 2,4,6 1,3,5,7

1940 0825 1955 2050 1940

2030 1015 2150 2230 2230

SG-2452 SG-2441 SG-2441

Daily Daily Daily

1835 1005 1005

2035 1410 1210

SG-913 SG-102 SG-913 SG-134 SG-218 SG-526 SG-913 SG-526 SG-133 SG-912

Daily 2,4,6 Daily 2,4,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7

1710 2020 1710 1050 2210 1415 1710 1415 0835 1235

1825 2245 2215 1200 2305 1815 2035 1625 1015 1420

Spice schedule Destination

Jammu Delhi Delhi Mumbai (Via-DEL) Srinagar Kochi Bengaluru Chennai Chennai Chennai Delhi (Via-BOM) Delhi (Via-HYD) Delhi (Via-PNQ) Delhi (Via- BOM) Hyderabad Hyderabad Mumbai Mumbai Pune Vizag (Via-BLR) Khajuraho Delhi (Via-VNS) Varanasi Kolkata Agartala Agartala Ahmedabad Ahmedabad (Via-DEL) Ahmedabad (Via-BLR-BOM) Bagdogra Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru (Via-HYD) Bengaluru (Via-BOM) Chennai Chennai Chennai Coimbatore (Via-MAA) Delhi Delhi Delhi Goa (Via-BOM) Guwahati Guwahati Guwahati Guwahati (Via-IXA) Hyderabad Jaipur Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai (Via-BLR) Port Blair

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-852 SG-858 SG-852 SG-851

Daily Daily Daily Daily

1315 1600 1315 1040

1455 1720 1805 1120

SG-245 SG-3264 SG-3242 SG-3244 SG-112 SG-108 SG-214 SG-118 SG-108 SG-1052 SG-112 SG-118 SG-214 SG-245

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily

0615 0745 1800 2115 1130 1250 1340 1835 1250 2135 1130 1835 1340 0615

0715 0905 1925 2240 1625 1715 1815 2310 1405 2325 1340 2040 1530 0915

SG-2395 SG-2395

Daily Daily

1455 1455

1750 1550

SG-873 SG-871 SG-332 SG-883 SG-529 SG-323 SG-523 SG-529 SG-872 SG-874 SG-181 SG-324 SG-322 SG-324 SG-608 SG-605 SG-883 SG-803 SG-321 SG-528 SG-526 SG-873 SG-872 SG-525 SG-803 SG-874 SG-529 SG-104

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1200 1335 1840 1555 1645 1235 0715 1645 1640 1740 0525 1605 2030 1605 0730 1030 1555 0830 0815 1325 1700 1200 1640 1135 0830 1740 1645 1100

1255 1435 2120 2020 2300 1335 0945 1910 2035 2300 0730 1835 2250 2015 1005 1255 1810 1300 0925 1435 1815 1415 1855 1345 1120 2030 2130 1250

Destination

Mumbai Mumbai Mumbai (Via-BLR) Port Blair Kozhikode Bengaluru Chennai Hyderabad (Via - BLR) Lucknow Delhi Delhi Delhi Madurai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Delhi (Via-MAA) Delhi (Via-MAA) Hyderabad Hyderabad Mumbai Mumbai ( Via-MAA) Mangalore Bengaluru Bengaluru (Via-BOM) Hyderabad Hyderabad Mumbai Mumbai Agartala (Via-CCU) Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Amritsar Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Chandigarh Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Chennai Coimbatore Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi

December 2013 226 www.spiceroutemag.com

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-803 SG-874 SG-529 SG-104

Daily Daily Daily Daily

0830 1740 1645 1100

1120 2030 2130 1250

SG-1074 SG-3252 SG-1074

1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7

1350 1525 1350

1450 1700 1640

SG-418 SG-518 SG-419

1,4,6 Daily Daily

0825 1225 2150

0930 1335 2300

SG-304 SG-307 SG-306 SG-307 SG-296 SG-304 SG-306 SG-3317 SG-3317 SG-297 SG-296

Daily 1,3,4,5,7 1,3,4,5,7 2,6 Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,7 3 1,2,4,5,6,7 2,6 Daily

1020 1130 1510 1700 1840 1020 1510 1600 1645 1130 1840

1120 1225 1615 1810 1940 1440 1940 1800 1845 1330 2155

SG-3232 SG-341 SG-1024 SG-1024 SG-341

Daily Daily 2 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily

0910 1435 1200 1515 1435

1005 1830 1335 1650 1610

SG-873 SG-106 SG-106 SG-529 SG-442 SG-528 SG-151 SG-341 SG-874 SG-531 SG-291 SG-274 SG-276 SG-311 SG-206 SG-109 SG-851 SG-114 SG-112 SG-136 SG-118

Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily 1,3,5,6 Daily 1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily 2,4,7 Daily Daily 1,3,4,5,7 1,3,4,5,7 Daily 2,3,4 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

0835 0810 0810 2200 1000 0735 0950 1645 2120 1000 0605 1110 1545 1835 2110 1250 0555 1045 1415 2010 2110

1255 0925 0935 2300 1230 0935 1125 1830 2300 1235 0755 1250 1745 2040 2315 1430 0810 1245 1625 2220 2310

Spice schedule Destination

Delhi Delhi (Via-AMD) Delhi (Via-AMD) Delhi (Via-JLR) Delhi (Via-STV) Delhi (Via-LKO) Delhi (Via-JAI) Goa Goa Guwahati (Via-BLR-CCU) Guwahati (Via-CCU-IXA) Hubli Hyderabad Jabalpur Jaipur Jammu (Via-DEL) Kochi Kochi Kolkata Kolkata Kolkata (Via-BLR) Lucknow Madurai Madurai (Via-MAA) Mangalore Srinagar (Via-DEL-IXJ) Srinagar (Via-ATQ) Srinagar (Via-IXC) Surat Thiruvananthapuram Varanasi (Via-DEL) Vizag (Via-HYD) Mysore Chennai Pondicherry Banglore Chennai (Via-BLR) Port Blair Chennai Chennai Delhi (Via-CCU) Kolkata Pune Ahmedabad Ahmedabad (Via-JAI) Bengaluru Bengaluru Bengaluru Chennai Chennai Chennai (Via-JAI-AMD-HYD) Delhi

flight no.

SG-110 SG-106 SG-106 SG-2452 SG-152 SG-419 SG-218 SG-803 SG-248 SG-528 SG-873 SG-2441 SG-401 SG-2452 SG-218 SG-851 SG-131 SG-103 SG-873 SG-804 SG-528 SG-419 SG-298 SG-291 SG-344 SG-851 SG-442 SG-531 SG-152 SG-109 SG-114 SG-401

freq

Daily 7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily 2,6 Daily Daily Daily 1,3,5 2,4,7 Daily 1,5,6,7 Daily Daily

dep

1745 0810 0810 1620 1740 1925 1955 1205 1520 0735 0835 1240 0520 1620 1955 0555 0850 1350 0835 1850 0735 1925 1415 0605 1235 0550 1000 1000 1740 1250 1045 0520

arrival

1955 1125 1210 2035 2115 2300 2305 1300 1620 1435 1415 1410 0640 1815 2140 1010 1100 1600 1125 2130 1245 2120 1615 0950 1405 1120 1410 1410 1840 1425 1435 0820

SG-3262

Daily

1040

1135

SG-3416 SG-3416

1,3,4,5,6,7 1,3,4,5,6,7

1530 1530

1625 1900

SG-272 SG-272 SG-883 SG-883

1,3,4,5,7 2,6 Daily Daily

1305 1420 1320 1320

1525 1640 1810 1515

SG-342 SG-913 SG-227 SG-227 SG-345 SG-359 SG-359 SG-913 SG-208

Daily 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5,7 6 Daily 2,5,7 1,3,4,6 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily

0755 1450 0645 0645 2320 2230 2300 1450 0720

0915 1825 0820 0815 0040 0010(+1) 0040(+1) 2215 0930

Destination

Delhi Hyderabad Hyderabad (Via-JAI-AMD) Jaipur Kochi Rajahmundry Hyderabad Srinagar Amritsar Bengaluru (Via-DEL) Bengaluru (Via-DEL) Chandigarh Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi (Via-IXJ) Jammu Mumbai (Via-IXJ-DEL) Mumbai (Via-ATQ) Mumbai (Via-IXC) Surat Bengaluru (Via-BOM) Delhi Mumbai Tirupathi Hyderabad Delhi (Via-HYD) Hyderabad Tiruchirapalli Chennai Thiruvananthapuram Chennai Delhi (Via-BOM) Mumbai Tuticorin Bengaluru (Via-MAA) Chennai Chennai Hubli (Via-MAA-BLR) Udaipur Delhi Delhi Delhi Varanasi Delhi Delhi Delhi Delhi Hyderabad (Via-DEL) Khajuraho Mumbai (Via-DEL)

December 2013 228 www.spiceroutemag.com

flight no.

freq

dep

arrival

SG-214 SG-3016 SG-913 SG-913 SG-217

1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5,7 1,2,3,4,5,7

1600 1420 1450 1450 1115

1815 1540 2035 1640 1310

SG-1062

Daily

1205

1300

SG-443 SG-209 SG-209 SG-532 SG-854 SG-869 SG-209 SG-209 SG-852 SG-852 SG-852 SG-443 SG-532

1,3,5 6 1,2,3,4,5,7 2,4,7 Daily Daily 6 1,2,3,4,5,7 Daily Daily Daily 1,3,5 2,4,7

1445 1400 1420 1445 0920 1235 1400 1420 1155 1155 1155 1445 1445

1545 1855 1855 1545 1050 1405 1525 1535 1455 1245 1805 1850 1850

SG-151 SG-152 SG-151

1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily Daily

0825 1920 0825

1125 2115 0920

SG-1042 SG-236 SG-236

Daily Daily Daily

0855 1755 1755

1010 2140 1855

SG-3166

Daily

1200

1255

SG-3308 SG-110 SG-110

Daily 1,5,6,7 1,5,6,7

2020 1455 1455

2150 1955 1655

SG-1084 SG-3598 SG-1084 SG-1084

Daily Daily Daily Daily

1525 0855 1525 1525

1905 1020 1645 2050

SG-2436 SG-2436 SG-2447

7 1,2,3,4,5,6 Daily

0950 1235 2000

1125 1405 2130

SG-128 SG-233 SG-119 SG-2395 SG-233 SG-2394 SG-119

2,3,5,7 Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

0815 1055 1505 1610 1055 1340 1505

0950 1230 1640 1750 1555 1435 1935

Spice schedule Destination

Tirupati (Via-DEL-HYD) Vijayawada Bengaluru Hyderabad Vizag Bengaluru Chennai Delhi (Via-HYD) Hyderabad Hyderabad Kochi (Via-BLR) Mumbai (Via-HYD)

flight no.

SG-233

freq

Daily

dep

1055

1725

SG-3304 SG-1002

1,3,4,5,6,7 Daily

1210 0920

1330 1010

SG-246 SG-3278 SG-226 SG-226 SG-402 SG-246 SG-402

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

0945 1915 0900 0900 1945 0945 1945

1110 2100 1250 1000 2100 1245 2315

INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE Destination

Ahmedabad Dubai Muscat Bengaluru Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok Bengaluru Bengaluru Pune Pune Chennai Colombo Colombo Chennai Madurai Madurai Delhi Dubai Guangzhou Kabul Kathmandu Kathmandu Kathmandu Riyadh

flight no.

freq

dep

INTERNATIONAL SCHEDULE

arrival

arrival

SG-015 SG-061

Daily 1,4,5

1635 2130

1825 2300

SG-091 SG-091

1,3 5,7

0335 0335

0905 0915

SG-092 SG-092 SG-094 SG-094

1,3 5,7 1,3 5,7

2010 2030 1005 1015

2235 2235 1245 1245

SG-001

Daily

0100

0220

SG-002 SG-3316 SG-3316

Daily 3 1,2,4,5,6,7

0320 1350 1435

0450 1450 1535

SG-011 SG-081 SG-021 SG-041 SG-045 SG-041 SG-031

Daily 1,3,5,7 2,4,6 1,3,5,7 Daily 2,4,6 Daily

0855 1720 0900 0840 1550 1745 0220

1140 0035 (+1) 1020 1040 1750 1945 0515

Destination

DUBAI Ahmedabad Delhi Kochi Madurai Mumbai Guangzhou Delhi KABUL Delhi Kochi Dubai Male Kathmandu Delhi Delhi Delhi Lucknow Sharjah Madurai Colombo Colombo Dubai Male Kochi Mumbai Dubai Muscat Ahmedabad PUNE Bangkok Bangkok Sharjah Riyadh Delhi Sharjah Lucknow Pune Varanasi Varanasi Sharjah

flight no.

freq

arrival

SG-016 SG-012 SG-018 SG-024 SG-014

Daily Daily Daily Daily Daily

1925 2330 2045 0350 1250

2330 0420 (+1) 0225 (+1) 0945 1725

SG-082

1,2,4,6

0155

0545

SG-022

2,4,6

1120

1420

SG-017 SG-3901

Daily Daily

1710 1255

1950 1410

SG-042 SG-046 SG-042

1,3,5,7 Daily 2,4,6

1140 1850 2045

1315 2025 2225

SG-055

3,5,7

2200

0100 (+1)

SG-3314 SG-3314 SG-023

3 1,2,4,5,6,7 Daily

1200 1245 2335

1300 1345 0220

SG-3902

Daily

1445

1715

SG-013

Daily

2015

2225

SG-062

2,5,6

0030

0420

SG-093 SG-093 SG-051

1,3 57 1,3,4,6

1340 1340 2230

1910 1930 0025 (+1)

SG-032

Daily

0615

1250

SG-056 SG-052 SG-054

1,4,6 2,4,5,7 2,3,5,7

0145 0125 0145

0635 0600 0705

SG-053

1,2,4,6

2155

0100 (+1)

* All Time In Local. (+1) - Next Day.

• SpiceJet flies to 46 domestic destinations covering the north, south, east and west of India. Whether you are flying for business, visiting friends or planning a holiday, SpiceJet is the smart way to travel. • SpiceJet now flies to 10 international destinations.

December 2013 230 www.spiceroutemag.com

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The inflight magazine of SpiceJet Vol I • Issue IV • june 2013

A

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Days are Bright Nights Brighter Celebrate this season

with SpiceJet

Watch the crew in action How: Turn to page 10 crossings.in

56

WONDROUS VIZAG History, museums, miracles of nature...

116

FASHION FLAVOURS Warm up with the right clothes and accessories

140

WELCOME NEW YEAR Celebrities’ plans to ring in 2014

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HOW THE

CAVE-D IN A dive to the Earth's core for fun!

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