Downtown: The Delhi-Mumbai Gazette

Is this water-starved Delhi’s answer to Goa’s beaches? Seems so, especiallyas it’s happening right in the height of summer. As the capital reels under thetriple layer of heat, dust and political tension, many feel the best way to check thesoaring mercury graph is to party. And with strong water content.

So Blues, a subsidiary of the Regent restaurant, has a fortnight-long beach theme witha set straight out of Goa. Accompanying the white sand, palms, fishing nets andbandana-sporting waiters are low-cost spirits, a live band and MTV lucky draws everyevening. "Water’s something that’s always at a premium in Delhi. So wethought this would be an ideal way to get the crowds," says Blues owner Samir Chawla.Girish Sharma, whose rain dance in Samrat Hotel had 20 tankers and drew more than 1,500for a show that continued for five long hours, agrees. Liquor giants Smirnoff and Seagramsare planning a series of theme parties throughout June while soft drinks major Pepsi hassimilar musical dates with school and college students. PepsiCo India spokesperson DeepakJolly says it’s the cola giant’s answer to those who can’t afford a holidayto beat the heat. "We’re just trying to chill their lives," quips Jolly.And how.

Always wanted to go to a Swiss finishing school but never quite made it? Here’s aneasy alternative. Style Inc Media, who claim to be India’s first fashion stylingcompany, has been conducting exclusive image consultancy workshops for multinationals andcorporates, airlines, hotels and the travel and tourism industry. It has now decided toaim at the commoner. So on June 7 and 8, Delhi’s cultural adda, the India HabitatCentre, will turn the venue for an intensive workshop, aimed at training the ladies in thebasics of makeup, haircare and styling. The moving force behind the venture is Jojo,India’s leading make-up artiste who has also done a stint in the Paris fashioncircuit. He shares some of his tips on personal grooming, educates the initiates about thelatest trends and helps them "enhance their image". Sounds like a good packagedeal indeed. Should you be in dire need of a makeover, now’s the time to just go forit.

When all that you are interested in are hard numbers, won’t a system that givesyou access to more than a crore people daily be just too hot to handle? So now you knowwhy all marketing men worth their mba degrees are zooming in on the Indian railways. Thenumbers are simply mindboggling: the New Delhi station alone handles 5,00,000 people everyday. Now tell me, can there be anything better for hll, Britannia, Nestle, Timex, Citibankand Big Mac? If Timex is keen to set up kiosks at select high-traffic rail zones, PizzaCorner is already eyeing a take-away counter at the capital’s junction, aptly namedPizza Corner Express. Similarly, Nescafe is setting up vending machines on board ShatabdiExpresses. It suits perfectly with any strategy model. You get high brand visibility andgreater recall and that, in marketing lingo, inevitably translates to improvedbottomlines. Moreover, Citibank has kicked off its atms in the Delhi platforms and apan-Indian model is also in the pipeline.

No more venturing out in the heat to buy tickets for your favourite movie only to bedisappointed by the Houseful board. Seeing movies in Delhi turns more convenient andaccessible with the launch of India’s first online, cross-locational ticketingnetwork. ezeetickit is a unique product, a joint venture between IT&T and Tickets.com,world’s leading ticketing software and services company. The network will initiallysell movie tickets through hi-tech booths and kiosks at strategic locations in the cityand will eventually expand to other entertainment events like theatre, concerts, sportingevents etc. "Infotech and entertainment are both sunrise industries and the potentialto generate applicable synergies is immense," says Hemant Kohli, CEO, IT&T. Theproduct is not just aimed at film buffs but theatre owners as well. "Being part ofthe network will offer them a competitive edge," says Karana Verma, COO, IT&TEntertainment Services (P) Ltd. The ezeetickit network plans to cover six cities, creatinga network of 20-25 venues in each city. The network will also be backed by a website and acall centre.

Summer’s normally a dull season for the fash frat. But two shows did enliven theDelhi ramp. Levi’s introduced its Summer of Desire range of fast and racy streetwear, tie’n’dye tees, cool body bags, mobile pouches and floppy hats. J.J.Valaya presented his Spring-Summer 2001 collection at the Grand Hyatt. The show startedoff with a collection in red and ivory, inspired by the rose. The Butterfly series wasmade of fabric specially woven on the looms of Benaras. Pastels experimented with Frenchknots, beads and crystals. Ming was a statement in blue and Greece celebrated thetraditional, fine stitch. Valaya also showcased the garments he had earlier exhibited inParis and culminated the evening with Trousseaux, his signature line of bridal attire.

When so many dead Indians have successfully lent their names to streets, airports andrailway stations, the Mumbai Cricket Association (mca) fails even to name a stand in itsWankhede Stadium after living legend Sachin Tendulkar. The little master may not beembarrassed but the mca has been deservedly shame-faced about the whole affair."After deciding to name the North Stand after Sachin, we discovered four blocks inthe stand had been allotted to the Tatas," explains Prof Ratnagar Shetty, mcasecretary. A plan to find another stand in the stadium to honour Sachin was put on hold.If this is how the mca honours its heroes, one dreads to think what they’d do todishonour someone.

Yet another dropout who never let college interfere with his education, Bob Dylanturned 60 last week.And to remind the present generation of past and present legends, theTata group decided to host a birthday bash in Mumbai’s Rangbhavan. The concert sawpeople like Louis Banks, Gary Lawyer, Suneeta Rao and Sophiya Haque, among others, payinghim tribute. The organisers couldn’t confirm if there was a move to bring the singerhimself down to Mumbai. However, one of them did point out: "Bob Dylan sent a mailsaying he would have liked to be here but he wanted to spend his birthday byhimself." While tributes to great men are welcome, the concert performed by lesserpeople mysteriously slashed the ticket prices to Rs 200 and Rs 100. Asked why, oneofficial said cryptically: "It’s not what you think." What is it then?