Happy Birthday Shiamak Davar..!! My personalised interview with an ace choreographer..!!

I have been Shiamak’s dancing and choreography ever since I was a kid, when I saw Mohabbat Kar Le and Dil Toh Pagal Hai.. my love and respect for Shiamak grew multi-folds. Then as I grew up and joined the event industry, I started understanding choreography, dancing and stage shows even more, as I myself organised lots of events and still do. Shiamak is synonymous with dancing for me and he is the ultimate. I am not much of a dancer myself but have always fancied joining his dancing school and may be I can learn to dance as well.

Today being Shiamak’s birthday, I wish him all the luck and love for his life.. I have been fortunate to get to interview him personally, I don’t know how reasonable my questions have been, but to ask questions to such a big celebrity is a task in itself, so I just tried to do my best, here it is…

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Aditi: How did you decide to become a choreographer? Was it something you always wanted to do or is it something that happened suddenly?


Shiamak: Dancing happened to me much later. My first love was singing and I used to act in a lot of musical productions. I chanced upon dance classes at the Pineapple Studio in London where the teacher thought I had prior training. She was shocked to know I had never learnt ballet before that. I took the training forward and then decided to come back and start western jazz dance classes in India. I realized my mission was to spread joy through dance. Thirty years later, it’s a pleasure to watch the same people send their kids to my class who back in the day used to wonder what am I doing dancing and conducting classes!


Aditi: Was there any person that had great impact on your decision to become a choreographer?


Shiamak: It was my spiritual guides, the Bhavnagris and their book – Laws of the Spirit World that made me realize my mission to spread the joy of happiness through dance.


Aditi: What influences you?


Shiamak: There is inspiration in everything – music, movement, nature, animals, silence. There is an emotion, a feeling that each piece of music communicates, this is what I translate into movement.


Aditi: Can you choreograph a dance without music?


Shiamak: Of course. There is movement in even silence.


Aditi: What kind of body is able to dance? Do you believe that the type of body can be one obstacle for someone who wants to dance?


Shiamak: My motto is ‘Have Feet. Will Dance.’ which reiterated the fact that everyone can dance. Through my dance academy, I wanted to create a platform for people to come and express themselves through movement, without being judged.

Whether they are four or eighty four, everyone learns and performs on stage. The sense of achievement and fulfillment they get is greater than any other feeling. It’s been over thirty years and it’s great to see the impact it has had on people. Through my NGO Victory Arts Foundation, I took the motto one step further to ‘Have Spirit. Will Triumph.’ And you can see people with crutches or on wheelchairs, people with mixed needs all performing on stage. Dance truly heals.

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Aditi: Who has been your most favorite student from Bollywood?

Shiamak: You know it is amazing how hard working and professional our actors are in Bollywood. Right from legends like Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Govinda to current stars like Ranveer, Sushant, Shahid and Varun. My dream came true when I choreographed Madhuri in my very first film, and in the latest actresses, the likes of Deepika, Priyanka, Alia… all are just so talented and hard working!

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Aditi: What do you enjoy most directing stage shows or choreographing in movies?


Shiamak: I enjoy choreographing! Whether stage or film. But yes, stage is closer to my heart. There are no second chances, it is live and you receive the audience reactions instantly. I feel more at home on stage. There is a lot of movement you can create it is it all continuous, without any retakes. The energy of a stage show is something else!

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Aditi: What’s your message for aspiring dancers, what does it take to become a successful dancer/choreographer?


Shiamak: You have to work hard and be patient. Before you think of becoming professional, take time to train and learn. Most importantly, be original! Dance requires a lot of dedication, but if you love what you do, you will smile your way through!

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Here is wishing Shiamak a very happy birthday.. and someday I will go to his dancing school and enrol myself.. because I have feet..so will dance 🙂

Special Dinner Buffer at Hang Out Diner & Bar, Cyber Hub, Gurgaon

Colorful Treat for your Palate

Exciting Range of Buffet Dinner & Cocktails @ Hang Out Cyber Hub

Bored of eating regular food? Take a break and savour the menu at Hang Out!

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Come out with your family and friends and enjoy new dinner buffet menu @Rs.499 plus taxes every Friday & Saturday along with amusing rides and exciting games.

Relish your days at Hang Out Cyber Hub in style with Chef’s Daily Special ,signature drinks like Gamers Fix, Gin Soaked Jungle , Wild Fire and many more

So, let the good times roll!!

Visit at:

Hang Out Cyber Hub, Gurgaon

Cyber Hub: 9560700811/9821496971

 

Hell O Hello.. Waiting Eagerly for this Short Film

Short films have their own charm, I have always felt that these films focus more on the content and messaging rather than the star powers. I find them to be more real and closer to life than the larger than life imagery created by most main stream films. But to conclude, both have their own respective place in the industry. An another interesting short film will be coming our way soon and I am eager waiting for the same, its called Hell O Hello, and the name itself has made me curious.


SYNOPSIS


They say they empower the consumer! They say that Customer is the King! Offers, packages, special discounts they sell him a lot of ‘schemes’! From a paltry chaiwaala to the owner of a car showroom everybody has a product to sell! Welcome to the hilarious world of ‘Consumerism’.

Competing organizations create all the possible noise to lure a consumer. But in the midst of this all what happens to the voice of an innocent consumer is the essence of this short satire – Hell..O..Hello.

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INFORMATION


Hell O Hello is directed by Pratik Rajen Kothari, son of veteran DoP Rajen Kothari, and he has been mentored on this short by legendary film maker Shyam Benegal. The short film is a part of the anthology ‘Shor se Shuruaat’. This anthology presented by Humaramovie is a part of Spotlight Premiere section of Jio MAMI with Star 2016. Shor Se Shuruaat will also release in theatres soon.

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The film stars Suchitra Pillai and a bunch of exciting theatre actors including Jay Upadhyay, Abhishek Pandey, Sahitya Sahay, Suyash Joshi, Anand Alkunte and Surya Rao.

The film features a theme song penned by Gulzar and sung by Rekha Bharadwaj. The song has been composed by veteran composer Amod Bhatt.

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Keep watching this space for more updates regarding the film..!!

What are you gifting this festive season…??

With the festive and wedding season approaching, we always are thinking on how to make our gifting experience more unique. We all want to move away from the usual gifts, and make our loved one feels special with something that is different, unique yet inexpensive. So here is our hand picked list of all beautiful gifting options that you can consider for this festive season.


Chocolates and Desserts never really go out of fashion, so how about gifting your loved ones a box of handmade chocolates, or donuts or beautiful dessert jars or cupcakes and many more delightful sweets. Ikreate has been into the business since 10 years and have been gifting partners to brands like Colgate, Marico, Sarda Plywood etc apart from private elite clients. Their chocolates and desserts have not just got rave reviews from the clients, but also repeat orders for years together. The best part about Ikreate is the love and passion that the put into everything they make, maintaining the quality over the years and yet being very very reasonable.

Donuts


Price Rs 400/dozen


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Cupcakes


Price Rs 400/6pcs


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Chocolates


Price Rs 650/kg onwards


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For more, check out their Zomato page


Handikart.co.in, an online handicraft’s store that offers assorted range of genuine and original handicraft products across India, has announced its exquisite range of products across categories to celebrate its first Diwali. These exclusive products are designed by the untouched & rural artisans from various parts of India and showcase the undying spirit of the artisans’ and their creativity.

The mesmerizing range of gifting options from handikart.co.in has you covered this festive season with idols of lord Ganesha, goddess Lakshmi, eye catching puja accessories like diyas, t-light holders and amazingly genuine brass ware products, terracotta, pattachitra, leather lamps, marble products and more.

With array of lamps, lanterns and decorative accessories, Handikart’s latest collection is about dreamy luminescence and shimmering brilliance.

The collection is priced between Rs. 100 and Rs. 5000 and will be up for grab from 5th Oct till 30th Oct with home delivery across India.

Over 1000 handcrafted products across 27 categories are available from traditional local artisans across the country. From Gorara Stone’s fine carvings to intricate Zardozi boxes of Old Agra; from Sambhal’s hand-made camel bone jewellery boxes to north east’s eco-friendly bamboo and cane products; from Orissa’s Palm leaf art and Pattachitra art to Bhadohi’s Shikauli baskets, Handikart is truly a place where Indian essence comes alive.

Price – Rs. 770

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Price – Rs. 1,800

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Price – Rs. 1,009

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Price – Rs. 198

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Check more on their website


Surprise Someone.in is another wonderful online portal where you can get beautiful boxes, photo frames, handmade bags and a lot of other gift items, which will help create an element of surprise for your loved ones. The price range is very affordable and a lot of times you will double check the price, because the moment you will look at an item you will assume a higher price, but when you will see the rates surprise someone is charging, you will be amazed. They are so pocket friendly. I have personally used this portal a lot of times to gift my loved ones, on father’s day (check post here), to surprise my son (check post here), on rakhi (check post here) and other occasions (check post here).


Hut Shaped Box


Price- Rs. 499

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Folding Rack Box


Price Rs. 399


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House Warming Green Goodie Box


Price Rs. 100


Get more options on their website


So make the most of this festive season by gifting your loved ones these beautiful gifts, have a great season ahead!

Cancer Yenna Rascala..!!

Oxford Bookstore hosted the fifth exchange in the Pink Tea Cup Conversation Series titled “Cancer yenna rascalla!” with Honorary Joint Secretary, Indian Cancer Society, Indra Jasuja, Director, Cancer Healer Centre, Dr. Deepika Krishna, Medical Director, Can Support, Dr. Reena Sharma and Nutritionist, Kavita Devgan in conversation with communication specialist, Kaanchan Bugga on 12th October, 2016 at Oxford bookstore, connaught place.

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The conversation revolved around Breast Cancer, October being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The talk aimed at creating awareness in society for actively fighting breast cancer by helping people understand what breast cancer is, how to detect the disease , its treatment options and ways to cope with the physical and emotional side effects . The talk bought out real life stories of breast cancer survivors who shared their experiences as to how to deal with the deadly disease as a patient, family or caregivers.

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Indian Artisans Amplify Diwali Shopping

On the onset of the festive season, Hast Karigar Society rendered a lasting impressions on the shopaholics culture of Mumbai. The Delhi based NGO has been organizing the 6 day event for years now and this time too they hosted the annual property “Impressions” from Oct 12th-17th. Hosted at Coomaraswamy Hall, Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Fort, Mumbai, the exhibition had artifacts and handicrafts made by traditional painters, jewelers, weavers, craftspeople and hand block printers across India and sported their skill and creativity.

“Impressions” presents


Rhymes & Rhythms of Life


Reflecting the Harmony of Tradition, Colour and Creativity of our Weavers and Artisans


What: Impressions – an exhibition-cum-sale – Reflecting the Harmony of Tradition, Colour and Creativity of our Weavers and Artisans


Date: October 12 to 17, 2016, from 10.30 am to 7 pm daily


Venue: Coomaraswamy Hall, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly Prince of Wales Museum of Western India), M.G.Road, Fort, Mumbai – 400023 (Near Colaba).


Summary:


Hast Karigar Society, a Delhi based NGO founded by a group of artisans, designers from Tribal areas of India present Impressions – an exhibition-cum-sale – Reflecting the Harmony of Tradition, Colour and Creativity of our Weavers and Artisans. This is the eight year running where Hast Karigar Society is bringing together 35 National & State awardee artisan members in Mumbai for its annual exhibition.

Hast Karigar exhibitions emphasize on reviving and redefining the traditional skills of traditional artisans to recreate a market that showcases Indian tradition and heritage while being sensitive to the present day requirements of the connoisseurs. Traditional artists, jewellery makers, handloom weavers, craftspeople and hand block printers from all over India participate in this exhibition expressing their skills weaved in motifs and symbols.

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This year’s exhibition showcased a collection of hand woven organic cotton (Popala, Karnataka) tussar and silk and khadi sarees, dupatta, stoles and fabrics from Benaras, Bhagalpur, Chanderi, Maheswar, Phulia, Sambalpur (Ikkat), Phalodi, Machilipatnam, and Kutch. Laheria, Batik, Shibori, Kalamkari, Indigo and Tie and Dye using vegetable and natural colours were the added attractions this year.

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Sanghaner, Bagru, Dabu, Ajrak, and Machilipatnam hand block prints on sarees, dupattas, stoles, fabric and home furnishings combined traditional shades of colours with a fusion of intricately cut traditional and contemporary designs and patterns.

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Colourful Durries from Uttar Pradesh and intricately woven Mats from West Bengal will also be on sale.Presence of Pattachitra, Miniature art, and Madhubani painting added style and colour to the exhibition.

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Lambani, Kantha, Rabari, Ari, Desert embroidery, Chikan and Applique reflected the skill of deft hands of our women artisans.

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Colourful dupattas, stoles and wrap-arounds adorned with hand crafted traditional motifs; woven by the tribal women residing in the forests of North Bengal were stunning to look at.

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Unique collection of hand crafted Lambani jewellery, Rajasthan stone and silver jewellery, leather bags and candles from Pondicherry, Dhokra from Chhatisgarh, pottery & ceramics from Maharashtra leather puppets and lamp shades and block printed stationery was colourful and a joy to look at and buy.

Parsi Food Festival at Made In India Restaurant by Radisson Blu, Noida

A Parsi Food Festival is going on at the Made in India restaurant of Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida and a special bloggers meet was organised for the launch of the same.

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The menu for this ten day long culinary festival has been specially curated by Master Chef Kaizad Patel, with some of the most authentic and traditional signature dishes from the Parsi kitchen, including a great mix of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delights, like Bhujeli Kaleji, Kid Gosht and Chapat, amongst many others mouth-watering delicacies. Parsi food has its roots in Persian and Gujarati cuisines and much of the food is a meat-lover’s dream come true.

Commenting on the Parsi cuisine and the special menu for the Parsi Food Festival, Master Chef Kaizad Patel said, “Parsi cuisine is a mélange of different flavors and has an eclectic mix of hot and sweet, sour and spice. This delectable cuisine is deeply influenced by various parts of the country that the community has travelled to and its soul lies in the ingredients used to make the mouth-watering delicacies. We are delighted to bring back the traditional recipes and recreate the authentic flavors at the Parsi Food Festival at the Made In India restaurant in Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida”.

Chef Kaizad Patel held a Parsi cuisine Masterclass also at the event, where he shared his experiences and also the recipes for mouth watering Parsi Dishes. Chicken Farcha made in a tomato based gravy with special Parsi masalas and the ever popular Patra nu Paneer or Paneer cooked in Banana leaves were the highlights.

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Being brought up in a Parsi Caterers family, Chef Kaizad says he always knew someday he would always take up this family business. He have always had a different approach on views and always wanted to exceed expectations. This has been his drive and what keeps him going.

Upon completing catering college, He joined the Ratan Tata Institute, Mumbai, as he wanted to broaden his horizon on Parsi food. He came across interesting people who shared their views on Parsi food. After completing almost a year; He joined the Oberoi Hotel’s, Mumbai and worked his way up the hierarchy. After his 3 ½ year employment with the Oberoi Hotel’s, he decided to go and study further in Culinary Arts. He joined the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, which is affiliated with “ Le Cordon Bleu”. He joined the Ritz Carlton, San Francisco as an intern and upon completing his internship, he was hired and trained by the Ritz Carlton values, which changed his life, truly.

On his return to India he decided to take over his family business as he felt the need to revamp the image of the business without changing the core values of the community and the business, which were instilled into him. He always looks at a glass full and not the other way around. He has just begun his journey as a Caterer (for the last 10 years) and has a long way to go…..

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After the masterclass, the journey of exploring Parsi Cuisine started with Murghi Na Farcha, really crisp outer with succulent chicken within, this was an absolute winner.

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The next on the menu was Bhujeli Kaleji absolutely soft and delicious. The Makai Cheese Na Pattice, a cutlet made from cheese and corn was an absolute delight as was the Kera nu Cutlets, made from banana.Both very crisp and absolutely delicious.
The main course consisted of Tarapori Prawn Patio, shrimps in a gravy.
Salli Jardaloo Murghi was another delightful chicken creation garnished with crisp n thin slices of Jardaloo.
Then there was Wafer per Eedu, an egg dish made with wafers, coriander and green chilles fried till golden brown and it turned out to be a really delicious dish.
To accompany this was the ever so delicious Patra nu Paneer an absolute delightful dish.

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Then there was the Bhindi Sambhariya, crisp thin Bhindi deep fried and made with special Parsi sambhar spice.
The almost mashed brinjals in a light gravy was another mouth watering dish.
The above were accompanied with some crisp breads.
There was also the Vegetable Pulao Dal for the rice eaters.
The food all in all was good but slightly on the sweeter side to my liking.
For dessert there was the Chapat with Parsi Peg Ice Cream which was really out of this world. Then there was the Lagan nu Custard another winner.

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All in all a very satisfying experience and strongly recommended. Really worth a visit. To indulge in an eclectic mix of hot and sweet, nice and spice, which sums up the Parsi cuisine, make sure you head to ‘Made In India’ restaurant, the home grown name popular for being the pioneers of traditional cuisines and reviving cultural heritage through the medium of culinary art.


What: Parsi Food Festival


Where: Made in India, Radisson Blu Hotel, Noida


When: 14th-23rd October


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Made In India - Radisson Blu Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Ironman’s Furnace – A hidden gem, the world needs to know about!

Many of us are familiar with Milind Soman, the Ironman from India. Little do we know that there are a number of other Indians as well who have completed the endurance race. Saurabh Aggarwal is the man wrought in iron and designed to run, swim and cycle ultra long distances. Married to a mountaineer like himself, Saurabh single-handedly runs a startup and balances work, life and play.

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While most people would fret for getting a white collared job and a 7 figure salary after graduating from IIT-D, Saurabh decided to explore his love for the outdoors. He took up Basic and Advanced Mountaineering course and also trained himself as a paragliding pilot. He then attempted to summit Everest through the North ridge in 2015 but the ascent had to be stalled at 6400m due to an unprecedented earthquake. The event did not discourage him to become the first Indian to complete the 111 km long La Ultra- one of the most gruelling ultra races on the planet.

Keeping his entrepreneurial bent in mind, Saurabh recently co-founded FITSO. A mobile application which helps fitness enthusiasts track and plan training, connect with like minded people, and find other fitness related services. Ever since the inception of the company, Saurabh has found a better way to integrate work and play.

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Having run the Ironman in 2014, Saurabh continually works on his training regime, nutrition requirements and knows when to switch off. A man of undaunted demeanour, Saurabh is now gearing up for Bintan half Ironman.

Here is a video of his story in his own words..

The video is created by 4 Play. 4Play is India’s first adventure sports channel which curates stories from the outdoor extreme and adventure sports. They are the outcome of roughing it up in the outdoors, living on the cutting edge of what may be termed as extreme, and basking in the experiences that came along.

“31st October” Movie Uncensored Scenes leaked

In the light of the On going PIL filed against the film “31st October” starring Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das over the alleged use of certain political leaders lookalikes making inflammatory statements, a video has surfaced on the Internet that shows the alleged scenes . In a video of about a minute , you can see the lookalikes of two politicians from a political party inciting the crowd to target people of a particular religion and “finish” them.
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Film 31st October is based on the aftermath of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi Assassination and the 1984 Anti Sikh riots that followed which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives. The film was stuck for months in censors and had gotten a clearance to release only after multiple cuts. The PIL against the film was filed on September 28 and was rejected as the petitioner did not approach the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) before moving the court. A few days a later a video started doing rounds on social media with title ” Leaked Scenes of “31st October” Movie exposed Congress hand in 84 Sikh Riots”
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Writer Producer Harry Sachdeva claims that this “leak” is a conspiracy to help the petitioner to refile the PIL and to create delay in the release of the film. He has however declined to confirm whether the scenes are a part of “31st October” film.
Incidentally , Same day on Wednesday the PIL was resubmitted to the court. However the petitioner Ajay Katara , who is also the prime witness in the famous Nitish Katara Murder case has denied any involvement in leaking the alleged video.
This year has seen a lot of films being leaked and even though censor board has claimed to have opted for more security measure, the films continue to be leaked at will. Film “31st October” which was scheduled to release on October 7th has already been pushed two weeks to October 21st . The producers havn’t announced any further change in date so far.
Here is the video of the leak

Flavothon at Cha Bar, Head Straight There For A Surreal Experience..!!

Cha Bar, Delhi’s favourite tea cafe organized “Flavothon” a food lovers meet with Executive Chef Abhishek Basu from The Park sharing tips on multi-dimensional cuisines complemented with some exclusive teas from the extensive Cha Bar menu. Flavathon introduced some mouth watering dishes in their new menu.
Cha Bar, a brain child of Ms Priti Paul, backed by the decades of experience of the Apeejay Group. Cha Bar was created as an integral part of the 90 year old Oxford Bookstore.
Cha Bar provides its customers the experience of browsing through the wide selection of books at leisure, sipping a cup of tea of your choice with some savory snacks being served.

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There was the Erachi Pathri which was really delicious. The Turkish Sigara was another crisp one with both veg n non veg variety. The Cocktail Sausage Roll was a delight.
Absolutely wonderful was the Dahi Bhalla, very soft and the curd was really refreshingly delicious.
They also had the Spinach and Feta Cheese Quiche and Some delicious Chicken n Cheese Toasties which were absolutely mouth watering.

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There was a wide range of desserts like Gulabjamun Cheese Cake, Flurry’s Heritage Chocolate Boat, Pineapple Colada Muffin, Coconut Cookies and Chocolate Rum Balls to name a few paired with some exotic teas like Arabic Spice, Bollywood mix, Cha Bar Blend, Moroccan Mint and a host of other varities to choose from.
A special mention here for there Filter Coffee which was really superb.
From desserts, for me the most delectable was the Gulabjamun Cheese Cake,really worth dying for followed by Rum Balls which were a real treat.
The quite ambience and the mouth watering snacks provided a great sense of tranquility. Highly recommended for a really surreal experience.

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About Cha Bar:


Cha Bar is the first of its kind urban contemporary space that created a rage in Kolkata in year 2000, turning tea from a dry page in history to a lifestyle drink! Ms Priti Paul’s brain child backed by generations of Apeejay Surrendra group’s experience in tea plantation business, Cha Bar was created as an integral part of more than 90 years old iconic Oxford Bookstore in city centre Park Street. The concept was expanded pan India integrated into Oxford Bookstores and customers loved the experience of being able to browse at leisure, leafing through the books of their choice, over a cup of tea from the wide selection available at the Cha Bar or simply unwinding with friends sipping the rejuvenating beverage, iced or piping hot!


Whether one prefers a rich, full-bodied, strong flavor, or a light fragrant taste, the Cha Bar offers a wide and enviable choice. Cha Bar believes that there is indeed nothing quite like a good cup of tea so every cup of blend we serve has journeyed, be it from the dhabas in India or from across the Globe from other cultures. Today, Cha Bar offers this experience at Oxford Bookstores across multiple stores in Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi.


From the Flowering Teas, Organic Teas, Herbal Teas, Diet Teas, Fruit Teas, to an exclusive range of Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim and Oolong, complimented by the best in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Moroccan, Russian, Sri Lankan, South African and Thai Teas – make up more than 150 varieties on offer to create pure joy for our customers as they browse through a book by their favourite author. Cha Bar’s Menu boasts of exotic and cultural blends like the Moroccan Mint, South African Rooibos, Decaf Teas, Green Teas and Ayurvedic Teas with healing powers and all of them are popular amongst our patrons. Special category of ‘Chai Hindustani’ and the Cutting Cha has been reinvented here at Cha Bar. Single Estate Virginal Teas from our Plantations in Upper Assam are also served here in a truly contemporary setting delivering an experience that has made Cha Bar a preferred destination. It was in April 2007 that we first brought Bollywood Masala Mix Cha, Truck Drivers 100 Mile Ki Cha, Katakali, Formosa Oolong, Yellow Tea, Emerald Green, Vervain Blue, Jasmine Pearl, Chinese Lapsang Souchoung, Verbena Tea, Licorice Tea, Fruit Melange, and Japanese Genmaicha to our Menu.


To complement the collection of Teas, Cha Bar offers a wide selection of Ala Carte savories such as fresh wholesome salads like the Mediterranean salad, classic Caesar salads with a choice of dressings that are perfect for a nutritious meal. Scrumptious finger foods like muddled nachos, chilli cheese toasties, keema samosas, onion pakoras, sev tikki pav are the ideal appetizers to share with friends and family. Other tit bits include the classic English tea sandwiches, pita wraps and rolls, house special soft centered muffins, freshly baked cookies and cupcakes, home-style special cakes and pies like the carrot and walnut apple and cinnamon pie is perfect to round off tea-time or take away. Other delightful savories include Falafel Hummus in pita pockets, Lebanese Choley Frankie in spiced pita wrap, vada chutney, chicken and vegetable pot pie, potato fry basket, Chocolate Croissant Roll, Muesli and Parmesan cookie and Seasonal Fruit Tart.


The stylish and relaxing ambience of Cha Bar can make hours go by browsing through our huge collection of books while one is spoilt for choice with an assortment of Teas blended and prepared with precision, and after exhaustive research, with personalized and informed service. The space dedicated to the Cha Bar adds to the experience. The natural colors of all material generate a serene, placid, refreshing and a comforting environment. The unique design and concept incorporates the original textures of wood, steel, glass, aluminum, onyx which are uncoated and exist in their original beauty and contours. The predominating color white used in our latest Cha Bar in Connaught Place offsets the brilliant mélange of hues of the Oxford Bookstore Connaught Place – the active space brimming with energy.


A unique feature of the environmental graphics across all Cha Bars is the Tea-Pot wall which displays the different traditional tea-pots from across the world. This not only creates awareness about the tradition of tea-serving across different continents but also adds an interesting design element adding to the ambience of the space. It also showcases how different Teas in our menus are served and promotes the dying truck art of Pakistan and the Bollywood poster art of India, for which special artists are commissioned by, Ms Priti Paul, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and herself an art aficionado.


Oxford Bookstores which houses Cha Bar is fiercely passionate towards raising funds, raising public consciousness and sharing responsibility towards one horned rhino conservation in India’s North Eastern state of Assam. Oxford Bookstores and WWF-India Partnership seeks to enroll customers of Oxford Bookstores and Cha Bar in the cause of conservation. When customers of Cha Bar choose our Single Estate Assam Teas, a portion of sales of every cup they sip, matched by Oxford Bookstores, helps preserve the life of one-horned rhino and their habitat in Assam as part of one horned rhino conservation efforts by WWF- India. Every time they buy a book, they directly but voluntarily donate towards ‘Give Back to Nature ‘programme of WWF-India, specifically supporting the Wild Wisdom quiz, India’s only national level quiz to sensitize and generate awareness among children by fostering a sense of competition, pride and knowledge of Indian biodiversity.


Cha Bar Menu is refreshed regularly with additional varieties of exotic Teas and scrumptious snacks with in-house experts at Apeejay Tea Group with experience of nurturing tea in our plantations dating back more than a 100 years and renowned Chefs of the Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels with nearly 5 decades of experience in fine hospitality and award winning Food & Beverage offerings.


About Apeejay Tea Group:


Apeejay Tea Group is amongst the largest producers of tea in the country with 17 estates spread over 50000 acres in Upper Assam producing 25 million kilograms (approx.) of tea. It is a matter of great pride for us that Harrods, London has appointed Apeejay Tea as its sole India partner for sourcing Indian Teas. An exclusive collection of our single-estate teas, Sessa, Khobong and Pengaree, are on Harrods’ prestigious shelves. Typhoo, our FMCG brand is UK’s third largest tea brand and an over 100-year-old iconic British brand retailing in nearly 50 countries globally including India. London Fruit & Herb, Heath & Heather, Melroses and Ridgeways are some of our other International brands.


About Oxford Bookstores


Established in 1919 Oxford Bookstore is the best equipped ‘base-camp’ for journeys of the mind offering its customers the widest range of outstanding titles and consistently courteous and informed service for close to a century. Today, with India’s first dedicated Children’s bookstore, Oxford Junior, India’s first of its kind tea boutique, Cha Bar, India’s only literary festival created by a bookstore, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, Oxford Bookstore offers booklovers access to the very best in publishing enhanced by a variety of events which salute books, visual & performing arts and celebrate the word. Oxford Bookstore measures its success by the smiles on millions of happy customers that the brand has served over the last 9 decades. There are a few treats as sumptuous as a visit to Oxford Bookstore in India. Each time you walk into our iconic store in Calcutta where the brand started in 1919, its charm leaves you wanting for more. Our fleet of 200 happy to help expert booksellers and informed hosts work day and night to bring to customers world class reading experience be it through our books or our fine teas and live by the brand’s motto – Much more than a bookstore – at every store, be it Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore or Bhubaneswar. In December 2012 Oxford Bookstore took a chapter from its growth story in India by launching, Katakali, its first overseas bookstore in the luxurious Taj Palace Hotel at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains in the exclusive palm-filled oasis of the Palmeraie, Marakkech. In April 2013, with the opening of its most architecturally crafted retail store in a stunning new destination in Delhi’s historic centre, Connaught Place, Oxford Bookstore carved out yet another incredible space for quiet browsing, reading and contemplation. Its growth story continues…


For more information, please also log on to:

www.oxfordbookstore.com


http://www.apeejaytea.com/

 

Cha Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato