Who are you

I was happy
in my own sweet world
when you knocked at my door,
you wanted my friendship,
I refused, you insisted
And I wondered
Who are you?


Then came a day, I realised
It was you, who made me smile
when I was in tears ~
It was you, who made me cry
When I was all smiles~
And I wondered
Who are you ?


You said I'm soft,
you said I'm sweet~
you praised me high,
you made me fly~
And I wondered
Who are you?


You showed me the path,
to reach for the moon,
if not the stars.
You promised you will be there
through the thorny bed of life
whenever I needed you.
And I wondered
Who are you?


Then came a day,
you said me rough
you said me harsh~
you praised me low
you wanted to break the bonds~
bonds of faith,
bonds of friendship
And still I wondered
Who are you?

Inspirer

Love being the motto
of your life
You relieve every pain
with a smile.

Your eyes reflects the softness,
of the clear blue skies
Ready to condense
every drop of tear.

You inspire each time
you give the strength ~
To conquer
every battle of life.

Brother dear

The smile in your eyes
the melody in your voice
is enough to bring harmony~
in my chaotic world.

VEILED WORLD

Droprs of ocean
drip down unknowingly ~
no one to care for,
no one to understand.

All so colourful
all so bright,
yet are hazy
with beautiful veils~
obstructing the transperancy of innonence.

All are near
all are dear,
yet so far
with barriers of thorns~
between the mind and the soul.

They fail to realize
they fail to understand,
the loud cries
the wild screams~
of this heart.

WEDDING SHOPPING UNDER ONE ROOF

AUGUST 30, 2005

STORY : "Matches are made in heaven but celebrated on earth". And when it comes to Indian way of celebrating a wedding, it's all the more an extravagant affair.

As all eyes are set on the bride and the groom, wedding dresses and accessesories becomes the top most priority. Shopping starts months before the marriage, and people are ready to spend a huge amount of money.

Keeping all these in mind and with just two months to go for the wedding season, a three-day Bride and Groom Exhibition, with fashion and jewellery designers from India and Pakistan recently concluded in the capital.

The exhibition which showcased everything under one roof, made it easier for the shoppers to choose from a wide range of products.

Some of the bridal wear and casuals were simple, while others had trendy cuts and delicate and attractive embroidery with thread, zari and semi-precious stones.

With the changes in the trend, there is also a craze for Pakistani bridal wears since they are heavy and colourful. Besides, there is a collection of jewellery to add to the bridal wear.

"People have appreciated our designs as they are different from those of the Indians. We also have latest designs and materials. People have liked them and we have sold all that we have brought. Now we are taking orders so thatwe can make the stuff later and get them delivered," said Wasim, a Pakistani designer.

The Pakistani designers were introduced to this bridal show in 2000 and since then the show has been reflecting the styles and trends of these designers.

As people now prefer getting their bridal clothes stitched, local designers such as Renu Dadlani feels it gives her a platform to showcase her work to a larger group of people.

"I get a lot of exposure. I am always adding to my existing list of clients," said designer Renu Dadlani.

Women of all ages wear colorful sarees with funky blouses, making them look sensuous and elegant at the same time, currently Indo western is the word. Bridal Sarees are worn with pants and draped in a different ways keeping the essence of the sarees.

Characterised by fine fabrics, exquisite embellishments, and silk, the clothes range from 2000 to one lakh rupees and cater to the taste of all classes.

"I think there is so many things under one roof, lot of expectations. You can get different kinds of things of different varieties. You have the simple and you have the heaviest so that the best that we have all under one roof," said Mamta, a buyer.

Its not only clothes, people have the option of choosing the latest designer jewellery and bags too.

"My daughter, she is getting married in December. So I have come here to see what is the latest and what is the trend," said Mrs Bajaj.

Wedding is an industry that is inflation proof; it's an industry that people invest in without thinking of returns; and it's an industry where figures are extremely hard to come by.

Organisers are targeting the wedding market in a big way.

Conservative guesstimates put the wedding industry at anything between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore.

"The response from the people are enormous. As you can see about 30,000 to 40,000 visitors everyday and they are the who's who of the industry. Not only consumers, housewives or brides-to -be but everybody which includes retailers and whole sellers who come and source their product from here," said Mukesh Sharma, managing director, International Trade and Exhibition Group.

Even though the wedding industry fails to throw up clear figures, that it is an industry on an
upswing cannot be denied.

All in all, it was an event to remember. Marriages are made in heaven but designed at the Bride and Groom Exhibition, sounded like an apt adage.

TVS INTRODUCES THREE NEW MODELS OF TWO WHEELERS

SEPTEMBER 03, 2005

STORY: The two wheeler industry in India has become very competitive and a battle ground for global players.

India is the second largest manufacturer of bikes, mopeds and scooters in the world, next only to Japan and China in terms of the number produced and domestic sales.

And the market is expected to continue to grow at a high rate, over the next few years as competitions among the manufacturers continue.

Two wheeler major, TVS motor company on Saturday (September 3, 2005) announced the launch of three new generation two wheelers – Victor Edge, StaR City and Scooty Pep+.

The three new offerings are targeted at different segments of users with emphasis on superior styling and engine capabilities.

Prasad Narasimhan, Vice President, Marketing, TVS, said that the companies are eyeing the lower income groups of the market which is expected to grow rapidly.

"The first view of the market we are taking is that the bottom end of the market is going to grow quite dramatically. It has already grown very healthy last year much higher than the overall market. But I think there is a lot more room to grow because it should be a very pyramidal kind of market in a country like India. At the moment it is the middle that is heavier than the bottom. So we expect that the bottom will grow much more," said Narasimhan.

TVS Motor Co. Ltd. India's third largest two-wheeler maker, sold around 60,000 motorcycles in August, up 25 percent on year.

The company, which also makes scooters and scooterettes, sold a total of 105,000 two wheelers in August.

The new fleet of two wheelers are considered to be stylish with a happening look and considered to be a smart and trendy form of transportation.

The motorcycles are designed to ensure proper seating geometry as also to provide good comfort.

Emphasizing on future strategy, Narasimhan said he is optimistic that two wheelers will have a stronger impact on a consumer’s mind.

"Much strengthened for sure. We will look at higher shares for sure. We will look at strengthening our existing brands for sure because that is the first thing that we have to do. We need to be much stronger in consumer’s minds. And one year later we will also have the entry of one or two new brands," said Narasimhan.

Customer user conditions in India are quite different and unique. Fuel economy is of paramount importance to the customer.

In the motorcycle market, the consumer preference has tended to be skewed in favour of four-stroke models. With petrol prices ruling firm, it is not all that surprising to find the growing consumer's preference for four-stroke bikes that offer superior mileage.

Out of total motor vehicle population of above 60 million in India, more than 60 per cent are two wheelers.

AN EXHIBITION OF AUDIO AND VISUAL PRODUCTS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2005

STORY :Don't have time to research a universe of home theater products? A visit to the audio video exhibition in the capital could solve the problem.

A whole range of audio video products of different brands to choose from can help you cut the chase.

Of all the products in the market today, the ones exhibited here are said to be the cream of the crop. They aren't necessarily the most expensive, but they're the best for their price range and category.

"It is not the general stuff off the shelf which is available in the market. There are lots of brands that are present here which is not normally present in retail outlets, very exclusive brands. Almost there are 104 brands out here. Seventy percent of the brands people have not even heard of. Thats the kind of thing. These brands are high prized one plus you see a lot of plasmas on because plasmas are almost going to replace the colour Tvs. So this is like a platform for all the high end stuff," said Manish Mohan, Event Coordinator, Times AV Revolution.

One can witness amazing mix of Audio-Visual Equipment, remarkable blend of home entertainment and superb class choice of commercial gizmos for theatres, hotels and commercial performance. All under one roof.

The three day unique event opened its doors to retailers, connoisseurs of AV Consumers, electronics and specialized trade media to disseminate a real audio visual equipment, services or technology show before the tech lovers of the country.

"The response has been quite overwhelming just for the single main reason that the audio video end is now on a boom and the kind of interest that has been generated is quite high," said Rajiv Jain, CEO, Play.

"To basically showcase our new product and our new technology that people do not know. Because electronic products change very soon and people are not aware of that. So the idea is to show the people the product range over here," added Sanjeev Ratra of Panasonic.

Ranging from Rs 2000 to Rs 5,00,000 there were stuffs for people of all section to choose from

Not only were they updated about the technological developments in the sphere but also could avail discounts buying products of their choice.

"We can see a wide range of products here everything under the same roof. Plus I wanted to buy something. I just had a deal for a plasma TV. They are also giving good discounts," said Sandeep Verma, a visitor.

"I like this creative stall very much. They have come with new speakers and new MP3 players and it is affordable for the middle class also," added Romit Dua, another visitor.

Though no one was ready to comment on the business they have had, but according to guesstimates, players like LG, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, Hitachi etc could post a turn over of around 1.5 crore during the three day exhibition.