Best Lifestyle Blog of Goa
All thanks to my blogging and journalism, I am often bestowed upon opportunities to experience things and meet different people and celebrities that I might not have been able to do as a regular person. One of the recent and most cherished opportunities was a lovely interaction with ace actor Manoj Bajpayee and an amazing writer Apurva Asrani.
I think, there would be a hardly a person whose life would not have been inspired by films. At some point or the other, we relate to the situations in films, or their characters and these films sometimes prove to be a lesson for life. Whether we implement those lessons or not is a different story, but it does move us a bit. I am listing out 10 films that have inspired me somewhere or the other.
TV Shows are a great way to kill time but finding a good one takes more time than the show itself. Strange, isn’t it? There are numerous TV shows that exist in India. With the inception of the internet, you have the luxury to watch them on the go. This has encouraged many into stepping into the online streaming services. One such OTT platform that has been doing it better than many is ZEE5. They have constantly added new interesting TV shows to their constant library. So, today we are listing the sheer variety of shows that is enough reason to prove that ZEE5 is the best platform to watch TV shows.
I was keen on exploring ZEE5. To my amaze, I stumbled upon this new show called, ‘Lockdown’, a ZEE5 Original. This is a musical show, which has an extraordinary concept that rules out the stereotypical concept of music shows. It features various artists, both from Bollywood as well as digital who join hands to recreate 2 songs. The challenge is that the songs have to be created within a span of 24 hours.
The first episode has rapper Badshah and singer Jonita Gandhi who come together in the beautiful town of Chandigarh and create a new version of the song ‘Tip Tip Barsa Paani’ and ‘Kala Jora’, which is a Punjabi folk song.
The second episode featured Kailash Kher and Raja Kumari, who in the town of Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh crafted a new version of two songs with their talent.
Episode 3 features Benny Dayal and Bryden and Parth, who follow the same concept of coming together and crafting a beautiful melody for the audiences. They are amongst the beautiful beaches and bylanes of Goa. Apart from the limited time frame given to the artists to create the song, another tough challenge is for them to choose the right song. But what marveled me was their unique way of choosing the right songs through a little game they play. They chose Gilheriyaan from Dangal and Gulaabo from Shaandaar to recreate with their magic touch.
The entire idea of this show focuses on the fact that the artists have to seek inspiration from the exotic locales that they visit and recreate the melodies, making it completely different from the already existing one. If you want to watch something interesting then this show on ZEE5 is a perfect mood lifter for you, especially after a tiring day.
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So, you’ve been rehearsing with your band mates for several weeks now, you have a set together and are finally feeling ready to start gigging. But what can you do to make sure everything runs smoothly?
As someone with 10 years of gigging experience, I would like to share some first gig: dos and don’ts with you, to ensure that your first gig is memorable for the right reasons!
Read it here
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From Asha Khatau’s kitchen to yours! With the thought of “expressing herself” in mind, the gourmet queen Asha penned her book, Nouvelle Indian Cuisine, which officially released on 30th November 2017.
“The book was a great way to express, what I believe is my unique style of cooking. I was not worried about what people would think. I played around with flavors, had fun, experimented, and at the end of it, tried to bring the world together on a plate” said Asha Khatau
Ms. Anuradha Paudwal said “Asha ji is family, she is like a little sister to me. She has done a great job in this book. I would also like to thank Amruta ji for removing some time from her hectic schedule & marking her gracious presence on our request. I wanted the best lady for the launch of this book. This book is not special just for its content but also the fact that she has entered her 60th year makes it even more special. As far as Amruta ji is concerned, all I can I say is that we have the very best lady as or the first lady, we are proud of you”
Chef Vicky Ratnani said “Definitely this book must go international because there are many people around the world who aspire to cook Indian food. I think the kind of dishes this book has are very trendy easy to make at home. This book is fabulous and one day I will surely cook these recipes”
Nouvelle Indian Cuisine by Asha Khatau, the latest book in The Best of Epicure series, Nouvelle Indian Cuisine by Asha Khatau, is a modern and experimental approach to traditional Indian cuisine.
Nouvelle Indian cuisine, which was inspired by French nouvelle cuisine, began over a decade ago and is now on its way to becoming mainstream. The hallmarks of this cuisine are dishes plated aesthetically in a modern style that are also lighter on the palate.
The recipes featured in this book use the best of traditional Indian flavours while combining them with modern culinary trends. In other words, Indian food prepared with western sensibilities and a modern style of plating and serving making it distinctively unique.
With over hundred delicious recipes to choose from, this book is sure to please the gourmets, foodies, and the young generation. These recipes are easy to master and equally impressive.
About Asha Khatau- Asha Khatau is a well-known figure in the field of gourmet vegetarian cooking. After twenty years of experience in providing memorable meals for her family and friends, Asha was persuaded to start her own cooking classes about eighteen years ago, which run under the name of ‘Epicure’. The classes feature regional cuisines from all over the world. She has also conducted cooking demonstration all over India as well as different parts of the world. During her extensive travels in India and abroad, she makes it a point to visit local bazaars and restaurants to taste authentic flavours and ingredients.
The success of her cooking classes inspired her to write her first book The Best of Epicure’s Vegetarian Cuisines of the World, which was awarded the ‘Best Vegetarian Book in the World’, at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2002, considered to be the Oscars of the cookery world, in the cookbook category.
She has delivered ten more books so far and each one of them is super-successes. Her book, Delectable Desserts of the World, has received an honorable mention at the World Media Awards 2006 in the Best Foreign Cookbook in the World category. Exciting Vegetarian Cuisines of the World placed her among the ‘Top Ten Chefs in the World’ for her research on vegetarian cuisines, at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards at Paris Book Fair 2011.
At a show celebrating 20 years of Gourmand World Cookbook Awards it was announced that Asha’s first book Vegetarian Cuisines of the World was chosen as one of the ‘Top 20 Books in the World’ and is amongst the ‘Best of the Best in the World’.
Her latest activity includes consulting to eminent caterers and restaurants in Mumbai, for menu planning as well as training people in international cuisines, designed to client needs. Her cookery videos are now available on YouTube. She also volunteers at SPJ Sadhana School and Om Creations.
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Kingdom of Dreams, the first to introduce a unique, Broadway style theatre in the country are now taking it a step ahead. KoD has now added four new shows to their schedule, which are performed on ice. Called ‘Theatre on Ice’, the first performance is on the childhood fantasy tale, Alice in Wonderland. Ice Vision, a troupe from St. Petersburg, Russia, is bringing the theatrical extravaganza to life. Ice Vision is famous for their unique style of performance and has worked with leading music composers like Gennadiy Gladkov and Alexsey Rybinkov. The troupe consists of more than 25 actors and stars, known world-wide like Alexey Urmanov, Irina Slutskaya etc.
We caught a preview of this musical extravaganza, and have to say that the performances, the choreography, the graphics and the way entire show was put up demands an applause. The hardworking that has gone into making it a success is evident when you see the show. The entire show is performed on ice where in the artists are wearing ice skates. Wearing ice skates, and gliding on the snow as they act and dance in itself is a treat to watch.With a healthy mix of projections and props, the performers told us the tale of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland.
Speaking about the new shows, Mr. Anumod Sharma, MD, Kingdom of Dreams said, “We are proud to bring such unique art form to India. Performance on Ice needs a lot of practice and precision and the ICE Vision does it brilliantly. Such story telling is being performed for the first time and we can’t wait for the audiences to come and experience this grand performance. It is something the audiences will never forget.”
The troupe will also perform 3 other stories namely, ‘Dracula – The story of eternal love’ , ‘Arabian Nights’ and ‘Nutcracker and lord of the darkness’.
“We always give our audiences something unique and artistic. The Theatre on Ice is another one of our attempts to live up to our reputation off being pioneers in promoting Broadway style shows,” Sharma added.
Speaking about the performance, a member of Ice Vision said ‘ We are excited and thrilled to perform in India and looking forward to an amazing experience. We have performed in a lot of countries but never in India before. We hope we get a great response from the audience and look forward to receiving some great Indian hospitality”.
These shows will be added to the current schedule of Kingdom of Dreams. Zangoora and Jumbo will continue to be performed. The Theatre on Ice shows will be performed only for a limited period at the Nautanki Mahal. So please make the most of it while it snows.. don’t forget to watch these timeless tales in a new avatar and enjoy these moments with family and friends.
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“If the criminal was once a saint and the saint was once a criminal, then who is a criminal and who is a saint?”
Some lines just hook you, isn’t it.. these lines printed at the back cover of this book made an instant connection with me, and all I wanted to do was grab the book, a cup of coffee and just sit down in leisure to read through it, and thats exactly what I did.
Based on true events of the mishaps in Kashmir, its one of the most sensitive books I have ever read in regards to Kashmir and the issue people face there. Though the start of the book is slow and doesn’t go as expected, but if you manage to hold on for sometime, the book starts gripping you and taking a very enthralling shape.
The three main protagonists tie you in an emotional tale and take you through the ups and downs of both their relationships and life in general. How they meet after 20 years after their respective lives have been shattered, makes for an interesting yet sensitive read. From being a beautiful valley to a bloodshed valley of unpredictable circumstances, the author has beautifully captured the essence of Kashmir. Reading the book one can very well imagine and relate to the changes Kashmir has gone through over a period of time and also how it has affected the lives of people who once lived there or still continue to.
Unlike the beginning, you may find the climax of the book little rushed up, especially when the story shifts its base to Bombay. The ending also may seem slightly filmy, but yet the overall experience of reading this book has been a pleasant one. Though a work of fiction, but one knows exactly when the author has depicted true events. Normally the books that I have read in past which focus on Kashmir miseries, haven’t encapsulated a story in them, they have been pure work of true incidents much like documentaries, but this book by Sanchit, will satiate both your needs as a reader. It will give you a beautiful and emotional story to connect with and also give you a gruesome insight into the realities of Kashmir.
Definitely a must read.
My Rating 4.5/5 Stars
Its available on Amazon
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Music for me is something that soothes my soul, it sets me free, lifts up my mood and helps me unwind in the most relaxing manner.
Music doesn’t provide just entertainment, but also has lots of positive effects on our health. I came across this wonderful article on Music for Well Being: 11 Positive Effects of Music on Health.
Read the full article here
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