A tropical island in Ahmedabad

The D’ocean flea market was a successful showdown with stall owners as well as the visitors enjoying themselves. The stall owners made profits while people were thronging to see the interesting stalls lined up. I had fun to beat the heat with some cool fashion and also the amazing oceanic theme of the flea. The Green Pearl party plot was very nicely decorated with synthetic ships, beach and cut outs of beach items like surfboards.  The Hawaiian natives’ cutouts on the sand definitely made you feel like you were on some tropical island.

With fashion, art pieces, food and some awesome new products, I was excited to be at the flea. It was fun to interact with fantabulous stall owners and the eager, fun loving Ahmedabadis. Here are some glimpses-

Rogan Art

Inncrafts had this amazing print on bags and mobile covers called the ‘Rogan Art’. This 300 year old art now prevails in only one family in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said to have gifted US President Obama a wall hanging of this art, which he has displayed in the White House.

Tathya is a famous brand for kurtis – they had a very nice collection.

Handy Mandy Creations by Preeti Panchal was a wonderful stall with unique handmade home décor items.

Prason Chakraborty from Mumbai had some awesome coasters and sketches on display.

Mihika with her mom - visitor

Prachi Talreja is one of my favourites. She had her wonderful collection of apparels in tow.

Inshape – a very interesting product, it is a detox powder which needs to be consumed like a juice by adding water. It helps you detox your system, thereby aiding weight loss in a completely natural and easy way. I tried it and surprisingly it even tasted good!

Zoci Voci is this fun brand selling personalized lamps. This stall lighted up at night and was quite the centre of attraction.

          

                                       

TeaZahn by Hinesh Kotecha is an awe inspiring concept – they sell luxury green teas and white teas with some wonderful brewing products which they have created by themselves.

This kettle with the little candle brewing the tea tenderly is my favourite.

Dhruvit Zaveri from CEPT wowed the audience (and me too) with a new musical instrument that he has invented by himself! The ‘Pip-o-phone’ is a derivative of alto saxophone. It has this sweet sound which mesmerizes you each time you hear it. He also teaches people to play this instrument, while naming this initiative ‘Kund’.

Some pictures from an impromptu photo shoot. 

Thank you Harshil for candid yet wonderful pictures. Harshil Shah Photography is your one stop destination for wedding, portfolio and any other event photography. This event was definitely a great one - hope to see many more by Sharva Adds in future.  

The buzz is on 

The D’Ocean Flea is happening next week! Have you wondered what goes into the preparation of an event? With hundreds of participants, it is surely an event to look forward to, isn’t it? Let’s find out what’s happening in Ahmedabad, a week before this gala flea market.

Sharva Adds, as we know has been working steadfastly in organizing events and exhibitions. This Flea Market brings the Hawaiian theme to Ahmedabad. The owner of Sharva Add’s, Bhrugesh Bhatt says, “We decided to bring something new to Ahmedabad- which has never been done before. D’Ocean stands for the ocean of fashion, food, music and fun. The theme also works as people long for a beach in the blistering heat of summers in Ahmedabad.” There are some cool Hawaiian surprises planned for this flea market.

Priyanka Agrawal and Nikita Chawla are all set and have booked a stall for their brand Inncrafts. Priyanka says, "We are super excited as this is the first time we are participating in a flea market. We will showcase a variety of handmade items, creative boxes and plates, paintings and potteries; collected from Rajasthan and Kutch. We also have some self crafted products by Nikita."

Empress Foods is handling the catering. The owner Dipen Vyas says, “We have lot of food stalls with Ahmedabadi favourites like Khichu, Dhokla, Bhaji Pav, Chinese dishes, South Indian food, Pani Puri, Chat and an Ice Cream Wagon – The Ice Cream Buggy.”

Falguni Purohit, the owner of F collection, an apparel brand says, “I will have palazzos, summer kurtis and crop tops at my stall. They are all going to have painted fabrics, which is the USP of our brand.”

I am excited too! Can’t wait to see the ocean themed flea in Ahmedabad for the first time and indulge in some awesome fashion and food. See you all soon!

We blog, therefore we are

I was invited to attend this wonderful event - Quaker Bowl at JW Marriot in Juhu. It was for all the Mumbai based bloggers for the launch of Quaker Oats in India by PepsiCo. It was one of the best events I have ever attended. Thanks to the Indiblogger team, we all had great fun.

Zainab, Disha and me

The morning took off with Mr. Taher Shah’s latest video ‘Angel’. He is a sensation on YouTube. (Make sure you watch his videos) This classic video, shot with (totally)-out-of-this-world angles features him dressed up as Fairy godmother, yoga-instructor-who-loves-bathrobes and at last, an angel himself to win over his angel. Don’t miss it! As the hall erupted into an uproarious laughter, we were made to warm up with some jumping and dancing for various rounds of competitions and quizzes to follow. The best part was certainly the interaction session with celebrity chef Vikas Khanna. He kept cracking us up with really funny gags and one-liners.

He introduced himself and then hosted a little quiz wherein he asked everyone questions about different foods; the correct answers fetched gift hampers. Then on, all were divided into groups and the ten different groups were asked to prepare a dish with oats. Two best recipes got prizes.

Mostly when one goes for events, they are asked to keep their phones switched off or to refrain from using them. In a sharp contrast to that, we were asked to tweet using the hashtag  #QuakerBowl. There was also a quiz all over India using the same hashtag, which also (largely :P ) helped. We could see the tweets with the aforementioned hashtag on the live screen in front of us. As the numbers increased, we had a shout out - #QuakerBowl was number one on twitter trends.

Blurred selfie

Taken hurriedly

Finally got a nice picture!

For the first time in my life, I asked a celebrity (a celebrity chef here) to pose for a picture with me at this amazing event. So the third time I asked Vikas Khanna for a picture with me (as I didn’t get a good picture), he said, "Please check the photo before you leave, I will pose until you feel it is OK. (To others) Only a woman has the right to decide if a picture is good enough. Men have no say in this, so we simply do what we are asked." I never ask anyone for a picture, but I guess I just like chefs... as they give you food. And food, I love.

I met some other bloggers - Disha, Sumeet, Zena and Dipesh. We had a great time interacting with each other.

I got this super cool oats recipe book and a pack of Quaker oats. But hey, honestly I don’t like oats at all :P Though I am sure lot of you like them, so grab a pack and tell me about it! 

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players

These lines in William Shakespeare's ‘As You Like It’ are one of the most popular one’s ever. These are from Shakespeare's most frequently quoted passages of all time - Seven ages of man. We all play different roles at different times in our lives. In fact, we play more than one role at any given time.  I love watching theatre, though I am biased towards camera. You can edit, add special effects and totally make people believe the make-believe. However, theatre is a wonderful platform to tell your story in an amazing way – while getting instant reactions from the audience.

Though I am not even mid-way when it comes to living my seven ages according to Shakespeare, I have enjoyed theatre at different stages in my life. Here are seven dramas close to my heart, which I have been watching ever since I was a child.

1.  Solid sapna (Gujarati)

Directed by my dad’s dear friend and one of the most fun loving persons I have ever met, Shailesh Uncle (Shailesh Prajapati), I watched this one when I was twelve. It was about a woman who dreams about certain happenings in a family she hasn’t even met. She lands in their home and predicts things as she dreams about them. And voila, they come true! My dad had composed music for this one (he is a music composer) and the title track was catchy which I remember humming to.

2. Lali leela (Gujarati)

A heart touching drama about a pair of Siamese twins, this one made a huge impact on me. I remember I was so shocked/moved during the climax of the drama that I couldn’t get up from my seat. Disha Vakani scared, shocked, moved and actually made it difficult for me to get up from my seat. I remember my mom asking me to get up and I asked her to wait as my legs felt numb.

3. 102 not out (Gujarati)

Directed by Soumya Joshi, again a dear friend of my dad’s, this one had a great story – about a 102 year old father who teaches his son how to live life to the fullest. It makes you laugh while teaching you a lot about life. This drama is now being made into a Hindi movie starring Amitabh Bachchan and Paresh Rawal.

4. Bhari lau aankhma zindagi (Gujarati)

Directed by the talented Rahul Antani and written by my dear friend Pranav Tripathi, this one is about a girl who gets bitten by the travel bug and how! I felt an instant connect to the protagonist as I have wanderlust too. The story unfolds amazingly, pulling at your heart strings and making your laugh as well. It is now premièring in the USA.

5. Selfie (Hindi)

Five women from totally different backgrounds meet in a waiting room at a railway station. They share deleterious vibes in the beginning and later what ensues is a rapport that makes them realize how they are all battling their own issues. It premièred last weekend, do watch it! 

6. A walk in the woods (English)

Written by Lee Blessing and adapted and directed by Ratna Pathak Shah, this one stars Rajit Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah. The actors play negotiators representing Pakistan and India, who meet in Geneva to discuss a proposal that might ease the tension between the two countries. It was a treat to watch an actor being directed by his wife. With sharp, witty humour and superb acting this one was a delight.

7. Hamlet: The clown prince (English)

A comical adaptation of the gloomy and dark play Hamlet by Shakespeare, this one enchants you in a crazy world led by six clowns playing the characters from the original play. Directed by Rajat Kapoor, this has some hilarious dialogues as the characters manage to build a rapport with the audience effortlessly with their histrionics. It also throws light on the director’s superb understanding of the play as he whips out his version.