SHANI SIDE UP!

Blue Sapphire (Neelam) is most dreaded of the Navratna, in direct contrast to its vastly popular cousin, Yellow sapphire (Pukhraj)

Here’s how it works: Indian astrology prescribes certain gemstones (to wear for certain periods in your life) because each gemstone corresponds to a planet in the solar system, and that where that planet sits in your birthchart. Pukhraj corresponds to Jupiter (Guru), the biggest planet, and bestower of all the luck in the universe. Jupiter is the big, happy yellow blob of super-sunshine in your natal chart, that allows you to bounce back from setbacks instead of sinking further into the abyss. Naturally, all these qualities (including wisdom, a spiritual bent of mind, addictive love of travel and food) are transferred to the beautiful yellow sapphire.

Now onto the fearsome Saturn/Shani, bringing in its wake hardships and obstacles. Saturn in your 4th house? Prepare for family discord. In 2nd house? Yucky relationship with your mom (2nd house represents your Mother) 10th house? Professional life will always be an obstacle race.

These apparently undesirable qualities of Shani are transferred onto the Blue Sapphire. It is said that the Neelam can either take you to glorious heights (a certain AB we all know) or drop you into the depths of despair and misery. But that’s a very superficial interpretation. Saturn isn’t the Devil, he’s a Taskmaster. He will make you work and slog and cry tears of blood, but reward you handsomely after you last through the ordeal. Saturn makes you tough; it isn’t for sissies. Shilpa Shetty comes to mind immediately. Her number is 4, which is Saturn’s number. (Preity Zinta’s too, methinks, but not sure.) My mother is September-born (acc to basic Western Astrology, Blue Sapphire is the stone for that month) She wears a gorgeous 3-carat surrounded by diamonds, something like the one in the pic. Life hasn’t been a bed of roses, but it’s also taken her places her peers haven’t seen.

An analogy: Say you’re about to fall deep into one big fat hole. Guru frolicking somewhere in your chart will pull you out miraculously at the last minute. Shani, meanwhile, will allow you to fall in, then erect a hill when you scramble up on the other side, make sure you break a couple of bones along the way, perhaps lose an organ or two. And then, just when you’re prepared to lose your life too (not your spirit) you’ll get on top of that hill and see the most spectacular riches and comforts, far far away from the reach of the commoners below.

I can’t get into the details of natal charts and how and when to wear the Neelam, and all the silly rituals associated with it. It’s not at all my field of knowledge. I’m a bit sad when this sexy, gorgeous thing (second hardest gemstone after the Diamond and Ruby) is maligned and feared. Strength, especially that within you, can be the hardest to face!

Of Culture, Dignity, Pink lacies and Real Women

When I received an invitation to join the group, I just laughed it off as a silly-billy thing so characteristic of Facebook.

And then I see it on the front page of Times of India today. The Consortium of Pubgoing, Loose and Forward Women, launching the Pink Chaddi campaign to send a box of lacy underwear to the Ram Sene chief; there are already 3000 members of this group and growing by the hour.

I can see where the humor comes from, but I’m hardly amused. The group says its their way to make fun of the culture vultures. Er...who's the joke on?

The attack on the women at the Mangalore pub, was followed by what has become de rigueur shoo-shaa followed. “Who are these people to tell us what Indian culture is!” “Who are they to tell us what to do?" Helo. Did you fail political science in school, people? The entire operation was (an excellent) attempt by a fledgling political party to gain public mileage. And the media and public gave it to them on a platter. This was completely a police - and political - matter. Indian culture and the rights of women (yawn) are far removed from it.

Women all over India were aghast and what not! Arre kya yaar! Itna gussa ata hai aur hain dum, to tod do unke offices! I was at a pub and a crowd of men descended upon it, I’d pick up the first bottle I saw, smash it on the bar and defend myself. So you tell me, ‘It’s easier said than done’. Quite fearsome to have a crowd of unruly men attack you. Completely agree with you. But if you feel so strongly about your right to drink in pubs, you should have the gumption to defend yourself. And if you know you’re the weaker sex, then be careful of the situations you’re putting yourself in. Take karate classes! The world isn’t obliged to take care of you, Princesses! India is a country of vast divisions, in class and culture (you flunked History too, didn’t ya?) The jobless men who attacked the pub haven’t travelled around the world, are barely educated and have antiquated ideas. They are not as intelligent/gifted, or sometimes plain lucky as youth who were born in similar surroundings but moved on in life. But YOU are educated aren’t you? (What was the purpose of education, again? To bridge gaps or build them?) And if you do not understand the divisions in society and /or address them productively, at least maintain your dignity as a woman.

And that is my issue with this Pink Chaddi campaign. So undignified, it’s not funny. I can pass off this joke in an intimate setting of friends, but to bring it up on a public forum is vouching for the circus that media has become. In the wake of terrorism and an imminent economic meltdown, this seems such a pathetic issue to rake up. Awww, c’mmon da, even a baby knows that visiting pubs is not against our culture. But you have to admit, it isn’t something to crow about either! You’re not exactly on the high fringes of leisure or creativity. And I find the “I’m free to do anything I please” attitude a tad childish. If it was a fun thing between you and the Ram Sene, I can understand, but I hope to God, this isn't ment to be a serious protest against the moral police, because its not proving anything and is doing that 'nothing' in very bad taste.

l’m really quite bored of us Indian urban, uber-educated people. We travel around the world, earn so much, talk like we conquered the globe for breakfast, but we’re such sissies when it comes to real issues! Yell at me for raking up the irrelevant comparison, but whenever this entire nonsense about culture/morality/V-day/women’ rights comes up, my mind wanders back to Bhanwari Devi. My all time choice for the defining Indian woman. What guts! What an amazing sense of dignity in the worst possible surroundings life can hand out to a person. What a refreshing lack of whining! Read this http://www.anniezaidi.com/2005/05/meeting-bhanwari-devi.html

I INSIST

So it would be kind of cool if we stop this silly protest to an already silly issue. There is a thick line dividing irreverent and undignified. Let’s please recognize it. Cheers to that

TO AUSPICIOUS CINEMA.....

Last Friday, my friend Gayatri took me to Fun Republic in Mumbai to watch a screening of Bejoy Nambiar’s 40-minute film Rahu.

Gayatri was a contestant in the Sony Pix reality show Gateway that won Bejoy an internship and a chance to direct a film in Hollywood. I’m not the biggest fan of reality shows and watched Gateway only for Gayatri whose emotion-inspired short films were refreshingly different from the ‘clever’ oeuvres that other contestants (all male) experimented with. Everyone tried to be clever but Bejoy carried it off with élan! His winning short film – Soap – which starred Jackie Shroff and Raj Zutshi was a slick story about a man whose real life is bizarrely taken over by a television soap. Unlike most newbies, his work had an incredible ‘finish’ and great attention to detail.

Which is why I went along willingly to see RAHU – a project he’d shot before Gateway happened. (Else you have to drag me screaming and protesting to short film fest, arty screenings etc). The poster of the film – Rahu – showed the silhouette of a women cradling a baby against a shadowy background suggesting eclipses and buried secrets. Yikes. Some soddy tale of tragic motherhood with ghoulish overtones? Hasn't Night Shyamalam inflicted enough upon us?

The first fifteen minutes of Rahu were incoherent. Filmed in rural Kerela, it’s shot in a relaxed, luxurious manner befitting its lush rain-drenched canvas. Some shots are almost like exquisite paintings. And yet, a beautiful film is not always a good film. It took a good while to get a grip as the film broke into whimsical tangents. Rahu tells the stories of a motley bunch of protagonists whose lives are woven together in a thread of tragic circumstances under the inauspicious gaze of one of the most destructive and inauspicious planets – Rahu. A doomed couple in love, an old man aching to reunite with his estranged daughter, two children mourning the loss of a chicken (superb casting!), and a helpless family man caught in economic crises that fuel bizarre ancestral religious rituals (another finely etched performance from Sandip Kulkarni, who I thought a study in restraint in Dombivli Fast)

The stories are told in a stubbornly non-chonological fashion, using flashbacks almost oppressively. This is no party! It seems the filmmaker insists that the viewer use his brains to weave together the base cloth to a finely patchworked quilt he’s …er…patching.
I go numb at ‘clever’ films, the ones that throb with cerebral tension. I also go numb at handkerchief-oriented films that make you cry so much you crave a breath of air!
It’s very difficult to portray tragedy without lapsing into melodrama or compensating with unnecessary celebral overload. For the large part, Rahu managed to straddle both extremes, without losing its intensity.
I felt for the protagonists and the invisible hand of fate that was wringing their lives. But I wasn’t buried under their tragedies. I was allowed to be the stunned and sympathizing bystander. I could use both my brain and my heart.

Music by Prashant-Krishnan is refreshingly good. The Sufi-inspired track Betabi which burst in towards the middle of the film did jar a bit with the minimal, all-Malayali dialogues, but was eventually rather hummable.
I came out of the tiny auditorium, not blown away by cinematic brilliance but moved and shaken by a simple slice of complicated lives, intelligently told.

Rahu, I would like to believe is new-age India, which doesn’t seek to titillate or shock you with its starkness (which is what I suspect parallel cinema of the 70’s was up to). It may seem a bit excessive at times, but it certainly doesn’t make a mockery of situations that require responsible handling (religious politics, relationships, fate).

One rarely gets to see the real India in films without being repulsed by its intensity or overwhelmed by its beauty. I’m no world cinema afficiando (and an unabashed Bollywood fan) but this was good stuff. Rahu is real, beautiful, intelligent and intense.

Most important for a festival ‘type’ – it doesn’t (secretly) bore you to death :-)

Good work Bejoy. Look forward to more style and substance from you.

THE TASHAN - IT WORKS!

I don’t remember seeing the first-day-last show of any movie. There are three reasons I did it yesterday. I was craving popcorn. The word Tashan intrigued me and I liked the cast.
I ended up eating samosas, still loving the word (going to get a cat, call it Tashan) and the cast did it for me. I loved it!

Tip 1: Try seeing Tashan with a theatre full of rowdy collegians. They’ll create the atmosphere required for enjoying this type of film. Seeing it on DVD or with a bunch of world-weary or world cinema-bred types miiiiiight just ruin the party.
Tashan is an impressive directorial debut by Vijay Krishna Acharya, who scripted the Dhoom series. That should be a good cue, know what to expect. But while Dhoom was all style and glamour, Tashan is more about attitude and style (that’s what the word means), rather than just hot bodies and thumping music.
This isn’t new-Age cinema - style and substance come together seamlessly in Chak De mode. But it’s also not a wishy washy warmed over India fashion Week (which sucks even when its freshly baked). I’ll disagree strongly with critics who’re going to accuse it of being mindless. Race was mindless (a super duper howler hit but yes, mindless). Tashan isn’t. You don’t need to keep your brains outside the theatre. But make sure they’re well oiled and youthfully willing to suspend disbelief before you take them in.
I may be wrong, but this furious blast of conmen, action and comedy is going to set Yashraj’s cash registers ringing faster than Dhoom or Dhoom 2 ever did. I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t.

Tip 2: You need to like Akshay/Saif/Kareena/ Anil, preferably all of them. Else Tashan won’t work for you. I hate using all 4 of the following over-abused words but Saif and Kareena epitomize cool and hot respectively. A charming couple, that is incidentally not coupled in the film. Saif is a delight as always, shining in the most realistic and under-the-top role. His complete non-interest in hogging the limelight makes this effortlessly funny actor even more endearing. I’ve always liked Kareena, even when she didn’t sport bikinis and hot pants over that newly toned body. This is no cheap slutty starlet. The girl has blue-blooded elegance, spunk and attitude (check her out in the climax action scenes) Any other actor would be booed and hit with rotten eggs but Anil kapoor manages to carry off ghastly costumes, double entendre and a steady stream of Engindi (the dialogue writer’s gut-splitting version of Hinglish) spiked with occasional cruelty, with seasoned savoir faire. However the loudest claps and whistles were reserved for a certain denim-gamcha clad, scooter-riding, crotch scratching Ravana. SRK may be the badshah of Bollywood, what with his IPL (yucky) and panchvi-pass-fail-whatever, but my vote for superstar of our generation goes to Akshay force-of-nature Kumar. What a paisa vasool entry! Bachchan Pandey rules the screen even justifying the silly background chanting of his name everytime he does his thing. Thing includes jumps, hits, slams, slaps, dances, pelvic thrusts (with the supple grace of a born athlete) and delivery of author backed UP-bred dialogues with killer comic timing. Even with their individual bhao-khaofying, the 4 actors disply a naturally sparkling chemistry with each other,Saif and Akshay topping that list. Here's what ensemble cats are made of.

I’m not going to tell you the story, but once again, I’ll disagree with majority of critics who’ll be screaming ‘No story, No story’. I’m a big sucker for larger-than-life conmen flicks with the outlaws walking off the desert dust into the sunset, AK-57s dangling on their swinging hips ( the theme apna jeena to jeena… Tashan mein booming in the background) Crank up the Bollywood factor with Manmohan-Desai style revenge drama starring 3 criminals-with a cause, clever direction and superslick editing. Top that with wicked dialogues, and you’ll forgive the occasional crassness. Unlike dedicatedly Westernized Dhoom, Tashan add dollops of desi ghee and garam masala to the cowboy theme. Bambaiyya and UP ishstyles merge with Aki Narula’s blinding costumes (Spare us man. The bling will kill) and superb cinematography ( tell me you didn’t fall for the opening sequence of a red Merc flying off a cliff). The film delights in capturing the ‘on-the-road’ moments from Mumbai to Ladakh to Rajashan to Kerela and o yes…Greece. Mad thumping music (Vishal-Shekhar in form with Ranjot Barot adding a eclectic flavor) and fun choregraphy, especially the outstandingly outlandish firangi dance sequence in the desert.
Incidentally, Tip 3: Don’t see Tashan if you have a headache. Your skull is likely to split with high decibel adrenaline.

With a super charged first half, the film slows down post-interval with unnecessary flashbacks and love songs. But only for a few seconds, as the guns come back in all their choreographed glory, climaxing in a blood spurting sword sequence that’ll have John Woo clapping.
Before you write off Tashan (don’t break my heart) as mind-numbing masala…consider the scale of what they’ve pulled off. It’s easy to have a simple story and narrate it with understated elegance and restraint. It’s another feat altogether to string 4 top stars in an over-the-top action comedy that incessantly manages to tightrope between crudity and humour, clever dialogues and swearing, action and noise, bling and boredom. Remember a disaster called Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (from the director of the zany Bunty aur Bubli)? Another multi star-cast that tried hard to be crazy and cool, loud and Moulin Rougeish, but fell flat on its overpainted Hollywood-apeing face. Tashan sails through, because of its team effort. It's much much more than hot bodies and hot pants. Right from when Saif and Kareena bicker in the back of a truck with a sheep-cuddling Akshay Kumar in the middle, to Akshay, Kareena and Anil machine gunning back to back non stop in a dusty Rajasthani haveli, you know this is one special film.

I’m a happy woman this summer. Bollywood is growing up, fast and making magic in our lives. First U Me aur Hum, now Tashan. Both radically different, yet both worked for me. Because their teams were honest to their purpose. U me aur Hum was a heart-wrenching love story realistically and simply told, no frills. Tashan is a crazy joyride…irreverently choreographed. all frills and some more.

Realism, Hollywood aur IPL ki #$%@#. I’m very verry happy, Dil Dance Maare Re.

i

Why I think U Me Aur Hum is a better debut film than Taare Zameen Par.

I've never been a big fan of Ajay Devgan. True, he's got that intense, brooding thing going and brings a certain amount of respectability to his roles, but i've never really thought of him as an actor worth his salt. Ditto about Kajol. Never understood what the fuss was about her. Like Ajay, she's merely translated her real life image onscreen, as a charismatic individualist. But as a actress per se, she just doesn't make any effort, which to me as an audience, is insulting. Unlike her own cousin Rani, or someone like Hritik, who're constantly pushing their boundaries. She's just Kajol in every film, like Ajay is Ajay in every film. Intelligent people? Yes. Actors? No great shakes.

Which is why I wasn't exactly jumping with joy at seeing Ajay's directorial debut. Curious, yes. Excited, nah! The film started with this lame cruise flashback scene and cheesy dialogues. Within 30 minutes, we were begging for mercy. Contrived, silly, pretentious. Apart from superb supporting roles by Sumit Raghavan (so so so endearing!) and Divya Dutta (a natural, as always), nothing really grabbed attention.

Then the two get married and there's the scene where Ajay's driving with his buddies in the rain and almost runs over his wife, who's standing all askew, lost and crying, in front of her own house. That's when the movie took a sharp turn and people sat up in their seats.

Perhaps the problem with Ajay Devgan is that candyfloss romance is just not his thing! Try as he may, he just can't put his heart into it. But when the situation verved realistically to a heart-tugging story of a couple's tryst with a debilitating mental disease.....he rose to the occasion with a maturity and sensitivity that most most filmmakers in Bollywood would do well to emulate.

Post interval, the movie grabbed me and didn't let me go! I haven't read The Notebook and I don't know if Ajay has lifted scenes. But I was totally absorbed in what was going on screen. The director was extremely sure of himself and deft with technicalities. As actors, both Kajol and Ajay dug into their roles like hungry strays into leftovers. In one of the last scenes; Ajay and his buddies in the hotel just before he realizes he must get his wife back home, I though Ajay gave a restrained performance and the scene was brilliantly written without being soppy or pithy. As also the scene where Ajay rescues his baby from drowning in the bathtub. It's a tightrope trick to induce edginess and tension in a scene without breaking the emotionally connect or slowing down the pace....and the director outdid himself.

I had some serious issues with the emotional manipulation in Aamir Khan's directorial debut, which in my hugely minority opinion, was extremely over-rated. What with the smug Nikumbh and his self-righteous march against Dyslexia. Yes, TZP did touch me, i did feel for the child (probably because Aamir did his best job getting a superb performance from him) but I also realized that the filmamker had 'made' me cry. It's like Aamir got up each day of the shoot and thought, "hmm...now what can i do, how can i use this child to make my audience weep?" I mean that song about 'Maaa....' (the Dad scenes were more deftly handled), and Nikumbh's volunteering at the children's center.... DUH!! Could it get any more obvious?

In this, U Me aur Hum impressed me. The director respected my intelligence and yet touched my heart without ever resorting to melodrama (even lacing most scenes with a deft touch of humour) or manipulation. the friends' tracks was intelligently used.

By the end, the director had most of us in the theatre crying. While crying after seeing Taare Zameen Pe, I had this very sneaky feeling of being manipulated. People tell me perhaps I couldn't identify with TZP because I'm not a parent. (The only reason I liked TZP was the outstanding child artist who's being a precious pain in the ass these days on television!) But I'm not married either! And U Me aur Hum made me want to find that soulmate pronto! That's why it worked for me. Because it wasn't shouting out a statement from the galleries like Mr Khan's film did. It didn't make a conscious box-office related decision to grab my soul, dig into my maternal instincts and wring out tears. U Me aur Hum was just itself, told a story simply , stylistically, perhaps influenced by the maker's own realistic sensibilities and easy flowing yet intense approach to life, love and commitment.....

I'd rate it as one of the more mature love stories I've seen....plagiarism issues apart. If it wasn't for the miserable first half, this would have topped TZP all the way! Am looking forward to Ajay's next film. I think you've found your metier, Mr Devgan. You did a good job! Ditto for the wife:-) Keep it up!

BLING MEETS SPRING!

Thanks to Sona, I wrote after a long time for one of India's classiest fashion magazines VERVE (gracefully sparing us the kitsch and sleaze) The IIJS Signature show Goa, was a revelation in terms of grandeur and innovative design. 'Dripping with diamonds' would be a gross understatement. Read on about my experience....

AU COURANT DAZZLE
Kitsch bling laced with patriotism. Golden fruit charms strung on leather cords. Playful earrings in hammered gold. The recent IIJS Signature 2008 in Goa showcased the latest of jewelry trends from across the globe. Aparna Pednekar hobnobbed with the jewelerati to unravel the secrets to being immaculately adorned this spring.

There's something to be said about swimming against the tide. Cheesy metaphor for Goa. But to be here and not head off in the direction of the sea at any given time of the day with the haplessness of an incurable beach bum, is empowering. Here's a checklist of dos minus the sun, surf, raves and quaint culinary hideouts serving sushi and Lap Pat Dok. - Haggling with bloodsucking taxis at Dabolim airport- Traversing the landscaped rocks and greens at the Park Hyatt, which houses Goa's most expensive spa, besides being a haven of minimalism. Proof that there's life (and one of decadent old-world luxury), beyond Anjuna, Baga and Kandolim. - Partying at the Marriot with the cream of jewelry buyers, from America, Japan, Russia, Europe and China. Pandit Ravi Shari's sitar (which has played for the Queen of England) and Bollywood veteran Shyam Raj's clarinet consort as conversations see-saw between diamond (supplies falling down) and gold (prices rising up). Over dinner by the poolside, there's a collective jaw dropping exercise when Dubai-based ARY group reps let loose hush-hush plans of a humongous diamond and jewelry production and retail facility, decked with designer studios and a full-fledged jewelry academy, right in the heart of the Golden City. The project has all the hallmarks of Burj-ian Dubai showmanship. While their digital tower in (standing at 45 storeys, a proud follow-up the original developed in the UK) is in the shape of an A, the architectural facade of this new facility resembles …hold your breath and that hors de'ouvre…a treasure trunk!That blinding vision is a precursor for all things grand at IIJS, a yearly trade event coinciding with Mumbai's monsoons. This year the organizers choose Goa as the venue for an invitees-only premium luxury show, the IIJS Signature 2008. Thousands of carats of rubies, sapphires, diamonds, polki, quartz, tanzanites, topaz, tourmalines, turquoise, rose quartz set in cardiac-arresting kilos of gold, sizzling on the backdrop of susegad at the epitome of coastal cool. What could be a more charming oxymoron!Occupying center stage at Signature are India' biggest jewelers and exporters, represented by the Palampur community, big daddies of razzle dazzle boasting three generations brought up on a steady diet of cuts and carats. Their karigari has graced treasure trunks of Indian royal families as well showcases of US and Europe's most exclusive names in luxury retail, from Harry Winston to Cartier. Showcasing the latest collections of 250 exhibitors with similar credentials, my Goa weekend promises bling elevated to epic proportions.Union Budget 2008 has left the gems and jewellery industry, India's second largest forex earner sulking.The industry had rallied against duty on polished coloured gem stones, and championed the creation of a brand equity fund. The FM has responded with a duty cut only on zircons and corals, adding insult to injury over falling dollar prices and burgeoning gold costs (an expected high of $1500 this year). Nevertheless India maintains its position as an acknowledged world leader in gems and jewelry. And that's not my lay opinion. Traveling to the venue, I talk shop with Texas-based Pakistani businessman Nasru Rupani and his wife who're super jetlagged after back-to-back flights from USA, Karachi and Mumbai. Despite a sore back and gloomy industry stats, Nusru sketches a silver lining. "Since the Gujrat earthquake / riots and the stock market crash there's been a steady decline in the industry. Many merchants have sold off their businesses to invest in real estate. But in the next 2-3 years, this chaos will weed out chaff from wheat and only the best will survive."At Kala Academy which is hosting the fair, the indolent Goan air brings in whiffs of Xacuti and Vindaloo. Pairs of 4-inch patent leather heels in bubblegum colours, exhausted after one round of the fair, are recuperating at the lounges, cafeteria or the restored boat by the beach which serves as floating restaurant.Signature is not only a debutante, but also fashionably late. International trends have already been set in BaselWorld, JCK and Vicenza, followed by Hong Kong. This year, Vicenza in January focused on innovative in techniques and production to combat rising prices and diamond shortage. Design trends included Concentricism, Pop Art, Giant proportions (think rap-style rings and shield-like pendants) and Macabre Art (skulls, skeletons and black crosses!)What distinguishes the Indian experience is a visual treat, the unapologetic indulgence in luxury. Dripping with diamonds (the rose-cut trend continues blissfully), sloshed with gemstones, the look is prefixed by maxi and multi.Some international trends spill over, especially the element of 'Discovery' with ancient coins, cameos and buried treasures given a modern twist. Think Harappa and Egypt brought to life for adventurous modern women. The frighteningly done-to-death Victorian look is out, and most designers showcase hammered, patterned, textured and beaten gold, with or without gems, in large and playful earrings, jingly bracelets in 14 and 18 kt toned gold. Exploiting the malleability of gold to the max, this is the season's biggest and most fun trend. A Junagadh-based exporter showcasess youthful swinging neckpieces with beaten gold 'stones' and chains. If that's too flashy, there's a pendant with matte gold fruit charms strung on leather chords. Kolkatta-based Anindya-Parekh has used traditional Bengali filigree to create whole balls (usually there are two halves fused together) and used them in large yet fun necklaces bracelets and cuffs.There's a whiff of freshness to the show this time. The profusion of colour puts the 'Jaiselmer' collection at Fiera De Vicenza to shame. If trendspotters called that dramatic, what would they call this? A diamond and enameled gold ensemble which incorporates symbols like the national flag, Taj Mahal, chillies, elephant, swan, flanked by Hindu-Muslim-Sikh heads, a diamond paved cross screaming secularity. Luxury kitsch with dollops of patriotism. It's named…like you'd ever doubt it…Made in India, and attracts wandering eyeballs, along with de rigeur gold bustiers and bikinis. More sedate is an unusual piece, an award-winner titled Bijou D' Avenir (Jewellery of the Future). A triangular amber centerpiece is enhanced by diamonds, acrylic, gemstones - lemon topaz cup with bunches of citrine, tourmaline and lemon topaz.Among the more outstanding visuals at the show is Jaipur-based Jewels Emporium, whose collection titled Arzoo sounds deceptively desi but brings Medieval France to contemporary India. There's enamelling in more than 300 different shades using techniques like 'Basse Taille' (low-cut) 'Champleve' (troughs carved into the surface of a metal object and filled with vitreous enamel. A similar technique is used in Japan and is called known as shippou-zogan) and 'Plique-a-jour' (open to light, a filigree technique). These are combined with sumptuous Mughal motifs, kundan and mina and fused into a contemporary style.."The colour and richness of Indian jewelry and landscape is always an inspiration" sighs Anna Maccieri. Designing luxury watches for Jaeger Le Coultre under the disciplined gaze of the Swiss has somewhat controlled her flamboyant Bologna roots; being in India unleashes the Italian within. It's not just the Westeners who's enthralled. The Goan feni is putting everybody in mighty good spirits. I've just delivered a one-hour lecture to Fion Chui from Hong Kong on 'where the elephant-headed god got an elephant head', and how all Hindus are not vegetarians. She's been delightfully receptive, to my culture feeds as well as Goa. Like India, traditional Chinese jewelry is largely plain gold, with a jadeite fixation, but Fion says young and 'with it' Chinese prefer white and pink gold and pastel gemstones like pink sapphires.

Many designers stick to international soothing colour palettes, yet innovate in other ways. Chaitali Menda's brings in a strong element of Movement to her designs. I'm checking a ring with a heap of individually set diamond solitaires, which doesn't tickle me, until it’s flipped over; the diamonds tinkle downwards and collapse gently in a melodious heap. Another ring with coloured diamond petals, closes at one angle and blooms outwards when turned up. Chaitali has experimented with material ("I even tried plywood, until I finally chose rosewood, lacquered for protection) as a base for diamond setting. Targeting her designs at second buyers, who's had their fill of classic jewelry, she predicts the next season "a lot of colorful funky leather, and of course, sea-shells" Damn, I forget! We're in Goa. And still no sign of the beach!

CIN CIN CAGLIARI

The February issue of Travel Plus, (one of India's leading travel magazines from the India Today group) features my story on Italy's sunny gem: Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, one of the largest islands in the Mediaterranean.

It seems I may have some former birth connection with Italians. There's my lovely host Dr Mariana Costa Weldon, who I get along fabulously with, and all her vivacious relatives (I swear paulo looks like Paul Newman in his jawaani-ke-dinon-ki photo). And the other day at the IIJS jewelry show at goa, I met Anna Maccieri, a luxury watch designer from Bologna, who told me my mannerisms are rather Italian:-) I'm taking language lessons in Italian!