Khao Pivo ne Jalsa karo 

Every Ahmedabadi knows how to do that, inst it? Ahmedabad is a foodie’s paradise. We love our food and everything that comes with it – including the calories, lethargy and paying huge bills too! Every event in this city revolves around food. Keep a food stall and you are sure to make business from that, even if your event doesn’t turn out very well. Ahmedabadis love trying new cuisines’. Recently hosted ‘Largest Potluck Party’ by ‘Foodaholics in Ahmedabad’ was a record breaking event, now featured in Guinness Book of World Record. Around 2500 people shared homemade meals and participated in this amazing event.

You can enjoy both Delhi’s chat and Mumbai’s vada-pav here. In fact, you get better versions of these dishes in comparison to their places of origin. Ahmedabad also celebrates more festivals than most other cities in India. We have Diwali mela’s, Navaratri shopping markets and even lots of other exhibitions all-round the year for the enthusiastic people here.

Also, being home to IIM-A and a lot of well-known educational institutes like NID, CEPT and MICA, there are many educational seminars and events happening in the city. In short, Ahmedabad is a very happening city when it comes to events and exhibitions. With a wonderful combination of art, culture and modern outlook, it is fast emerging as a hub for meeting interesting people all around the world. The business perspicacity of Gujaratis further encourages the event scenario as they are a great place to network.

Organizing such events is a big feat and sure requires not only good management skills but also a goodwill in the market.

Sharva Ad and Events has been organizing such events since three years now and is a renowned name in the event industry with benchmarking quality events. They not only establish the brand presence of their exhibitors but also cater to the demands of the changing needs of the people.

Bridal and designer wear exhibition

They have an expertise in analysing the changing trends and organize events at par with the international standards. They have curated best of the events and exhibitions in Ahmedabad. The events and exhibitions are based on research on the suitability and availability of the crowd (walk-ins). This expertise ensures quality and quantity both in generating walk-ins for the events. They are active all-round the year.

Events, live performances and exhibitions 

This summer, Sharva Ad and Events brings an ocean theme based flea market - D’ocean. A beach in the scorching heat of Ahmedabad sounds great, isn’t it? Come and join the fun from 29th April to 1st May at ‘The Green Pearl’. With an expected foot fall of more than 7000, this is a great place to see new brands launch and to shop for home decor, top designer wear, fashion accessories and unique items for purchase. And of course, there are food stalls too. Check this space for more!

A sharp satire of our society

I hardly get into political discussions. I don't even read the newspaper regularly. Lot of people ask me what kind of books do I read. I read things that would make me think. Not merely debate. Like news channels and newspapers make you do. Just debate. Will your debate change anything? Are you making a difference in the society by sitting and debating about the so called 'current issues'? Do we even have any media which throw light on what is actually happening with this world? The reason I don't get into such discussions is because I am apolitical. When you read the history of the world (of which politics is a part) you just know that nothing has ever changed really.

The world was, is and will continue to be controlled by the 'elite'. What we think is the change, in fact, might be changing us - by indirectly influencing us to follow that change. We have all read about Freemasonary, The secret society, and all different sects which have an upper hand on the society as they have the information and the power. Powerful information anyway, cant be disclosed to the world as it would result in chaos. It needs to be in the hands of a trusted and responsible few. But, the question is, would those few remain responsible once they get a hold to that power? Power changes everyone, doesn't it?

Zanane Rajsingh's new video talks about this very phenomenon that we have been witnessing since ages now, though all we do is ignore it. He has also sung and featured in it. I first met him when I interviewed him for Femina, for his movie which was selected to be premiered at Cannes. His perspective is fresh and narrative makes you feel you are watching some foreign language video, though he makes all his videos/movies in Ahmedabad -right from shooting to editing and all post production activites. The treatment is a relief from the same old stuff we see being marketed as 'urban' films. He hopes to see more cult, offbeat stuff happening in his city. So do I.

'Mad world' might come across as a stylish video with skimpily clad women and men smoking like there's no tomorrow (YouTube is blessing when you want to show what you need to for creativity's sake) but it aptly depicts what has become of our society. You can see alter egos of the protagonist - a woman who dresses up eagerly for a party she isn't really going to like later on; a man who smokes the same way though his T-shirt keeps changing(depicting the scenario we live in, wherein all do the same thing) and the protagonist himself - who knows very well about all of this, still walks into the party, clad in suit and boots, hiding his fear of that power- which controls him as well.

We don't realize that we are living in a continually growing dark world when we give little girls bikini clad Barbie dolls to play with, or when we clap our hands on seeing young children dancing with their chests bouncing on reality shows - but it is a mad, dark world - which is portrayed in a dark light in this video. If you cant protect children from these issues, they would surely grow up to be the kind of people who simply want to 'fit in'. Even though they know that they cant. This video shows the ugly in a  beautiful way - a sharp satire of our society.

Watch it here: https://youtu.be/mz8-2J3kNe4

Let’s shop, window-shop and see others shop

With spring round the corner and holidays in full swing, flea markets are the flavour of the season. While in the olden times, flea markets were organized to sell goods and also offered barter merchandise, now these are theme based events selling handicrafts, apparel, food items, jewellery, home decor items and also have live DJ’s, food courts, games and competitions. Flea Market is a translation of marché aux puces, which literally means, an outdoor bazaar in Paris.

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An old story goes that, people used to come to exchange all sorts of goods in these flea markets. Some old furniture resold would be laden with fleas and hence the name ‘Flea market’. Today, however, the scenario has changed. Flea markets are not only the one stop destination to buy interesting handicrafts and all sorts of other items, but also a place where you can meet and network with the most interesting people.

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Mumbai is no doubt one of the most happening places. There are a lot of events happening this month. While there is a quiz at Doolally Brewery, (and of course the winner gets free beer) there are some Night Cycling rally’s too, for outgoing people. There is one very interesting event wherein people get together and talk about their failed businesses in order to inspire others to not give up called ‘FuckUp Nights’.  I love going to Flea Markets as they have all kinds of activities one can indulge in, like the ones mentioned above. It’s fun to shop, window-shop and see others shop! I remember we used to go to these exhibition-cum-amusement-parks during summer vacations when we were in school. Flea markets are a modern version of those exhibitions (though they have been popular since many years in some western countries).

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‘The Lil Flea’ at the BKC Ground in Bandra last weekend (11^th to 13^th March) was one of the most happening events in the city. The 7^th edition of this amazing flea market saw PopUp Shops, Curated Foods and Artisanal Desserts, Performances by Live Bands, Poetry Club, Standup Comedy, Kids Arena, Games Zone and The Lil Books Exchange. People flocked together to the Lil Flea these three days and bought all sorts of handicrafts and gorged on scrumptious food.

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There is one very interesting, similar event in Ahmedabad from 29^th April to 1^st May. Organised by Sharva Ad and Events, D’ocean is an ocean theme based flea market to be held at The Green Pearl. With over a 100 people all over India showcasing their products, it is an event which is bound to have something of your interest. D’ocean will have a delectable spread of food, amazing stalls and live band performances!

If you are interested to showcase your products, book your stall till 31st March to get an early bird discount. For inquiries, please call on 9099065993/7874762882 or drop an email at sharva.add@gmail.com

The city of Aurangabad

We left for an apparel store selling the famous Paithani Silk Saree and other scarves and handicrafts like Himroo. Paithani Saree comes from a town Paithan in Aurangabad. We left for the Daulatabad fort, which is built on a 200m high conical hill. ‘Daulatabad’ means ‘the city of wealth’; this city was also the capital of India for a short while. It has been handed over time and again from one king to another and hence it holds a prominent place in history.

The defence system was superbly built consisting of moats and glacis. It is also the place which played an important role in the spreading of Sufism that time. As a result, this the Daulatabad Fort became a matter of pride and prestige for all the kings that time. One can see a lot of canons in this fort which have been used to fight wars like Durga cannon, Kala Pahad cannon and Mendha tope.

The Bharat mata temple

We discovered a little wonder just behind this fort – The Bharat-mata temple – which is a temple of the Bharat mata! There is an idol of the Bharat mata which people worship. We met a caretaker outside this temple, who said that people from all religions come to the temple and pray to the Goddess of our country. I have never seen such a temple before in India, but I really hope to see more of these in the future.

We left for the Bibi ka maqbara(the mausoleum of Aurangzeb’s wife), which is an imitation of the Taj Mahal, made by Aurangzeb’s son for his mother. It is known as the ‘Taj of Deccan’. It is almost like the Taj Mahal and we reached just before evening fell. A trip to these magnificent caves is a must if you live in India or even if you are planning a long trip here.

Ellora and Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga

The next morning we woke up (Rashmi, me, Kavita and Nirupama) and left for the Sri Ghrishneshwar Jyotirlinga in Aurangabad. We had hired a cab for the entire day and pre-decided the places we wanted to visit. The twelve Jyotirlinga’s are supposed to be the places where Lord Shiva was Himself present. On reaching there, we had to deposit our mobiles outside the temple. We bought the usual things needed for the puja and went inside.

There was a big queue as it was not only a Monday but also ‘Somvati Amaas’, which is considered an important day for worshipping Lord Shiva. We were lucky that we visited the temple that day, though it was a coincidence. Rashmi and I decided to offer ‘Abhishek’ to the Jyotirlinga, which is a puja in which you worship Lord Shiva with water, milk, honey, chandan, panchamrut and offer the Prasad and flowers. A pujari chants the mantras and you follow his instructions. The Pujariji Anil Joshi asked us the name of our Gotra, which I didn’t know and hence I felt bad, sad and embarrassed as Rashmi knew hers and said it out loud proudly :P

The first thing I did after I came out of the temple was get my phone, switch it on and Whatsapp mom asking her about our Gotra. I came to know it was Lohitaksh, meaning red eyed people. I checked my eyes, in the car’s rear-view mirror as we left for Ellora caves, but couldn’t find any red (I can see some red in my eyes at times when I am clicked using flash in the dark, but everyone gets that!) So what is it that makes me different? I kept thinking and realised how important things like Gotra are, though we think them to be trifle and learn them only when we feel embarrassed, miles away from home – as they differentiate us and our clans, help us to trace back and know where we came from. For those who don’t have the slightest idea about Gotra, please Google it.

Ellora caves are very striking and are a confluence of Buddhist and Hindu caves. There was a shooting going on in one of the caves. I saw Kunal Kapoor shooting with some others who looked as if dressed from medieval times.  It was some grand multilingual movie. It was very tiring, but we enjoyed indulging in history. 

Ajanta, Jalgaon

Ever since I first studied about Ajanta and Ellora in 6^th std., I wanted to go visit these magnificent caves. Luckily my roommate Rashmi and her friends planned a trip to Aurangabad to visit these and I decided to join them. We left from Mumbai on 6^th Feb and returned on 9^th, in two days. In spite of the little time we had, we covered a lot of places to see across two cities – Aurangabad and Jalgaon, thanks to Rashmi’s planning. Rashmi and I were joined by her friend Kavita and Kavita’s sister Nirupama.

We left for Jalgaon at night by train and reached there the next morning. Ajanta caves are situated near Jalgaon, hence we set off for the caves early morning. It is easy to reach Ajanta by the bus from Jalgaon – it takes about 1.15 hours.

We hired Mr. Sarang Deshmukh as our tour guide who has done a PHD and specialises in this field and hence we got to learn a lot from him. We saw a few paintings on the ceiling which had Egyptian women standing with Indian men – this reflects how art overlaps across boundaries. We were explained, that the Silk Route passed through Ajanta and Ellora caves. It is indeed interesting how art also gets exchanged along with goods and money. In those days, people loved the famous Roman Silk, which was exchanged in gold.

With Mr. Sarang Deshmukh, the tour guide

I strongly advise getting a tour guide if you happen to visit these caves, as every painting and every sculpture has a story behind it. I had read that the famous painting ‘Bodhisattva’ is in one of the caves over there, but I couldn’t find it anywhere as the caves were dark. Then we got the tour guide and he showed us the painting with his torch which was right behind us! Need I say anything more about getting a guide?

Every sculpture and picture has a story behind it- and they are really interesting; they not only give you an insight to the history but also help you understand how times change and how different things impact art. I won’t write about those stories, as I would want everyone to go and visit these caves. Few things which just struck me were -  one painting with a girl in a short skirt, another one with two Indian men wearing English socks and the best one – a small baby which stares at you wherever you go, something like ‘hollow face illusion’.

Half made sculpture

The sleeping Buddha

A ‘Sleeping Buddha’ statue is really striking - with the people on earth crying as His soul has departed and the people in heaven rejoicing as He has joined them, is truly conspicuous. The vegetable dye paintings are really wonderful and make you feel proud of your history. We had lunch and left for Aurangabad by bus. Aurangabad is home to Ellora caves and one of the twelve Jyotirlingh’s of Lord Shiva.