Apalam Chapalam

Hit song from the movie "Azaad" (1955), sung by Lata and Usha Mangeshkar.

Manav Gangwani red

Manav Gangwani, one of the most creative, innovative and promising indian designer.

D'damas

Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia displays a creation by D'damas during the Fashion Extravaganza event as part of the 2009 International Indian Film Academy Awards at the Venetian Macao-Hotel-Resort on June 12, 2009 in Macau. (Photo by Victor Fraile/Getty Images)

Sindur Khela

photo by Sanchita Mukherjee from http://photopia.shutterchance.com/

"Sindur Khela" is a major event of Navratri Dashami. Married women apply vermilion to each other and greet each other with sweets. It is in the evening when Goddess Durga is immersed. Bengalis greet each other with bijoya greetings and men follow the customary 'Kolakuli' (embrace each other).

9 colours - Red

The Goddess of tenth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Red coloured saree. Tenth Day of Durga Navaratri, 2009 – Vijaya Dashami – september 28, monday.

9 colours - Purple

The Goddess of ninth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Purple coloured saree. Ninth Day of Durga Navaratri, 2009 – Mahanavami Puja – Suhasini Puja – Ayudha Puja – Kanya Puja or Kumari Puja – september 27, sunday.

9 colours - Parrot Green

The Goddess of eighth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Parrot Green coloured saree. Eighth Day of Durga Sharan Navaratri, 2009 – Goddess Saraswati Mata Puja – september 26, saturday.

9 colours - Peacock Green

The Goddess of seventh day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Peacock Green coloured saree. Seventh Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – Maha Saptami – september 25, friday.

9 colours - Yellow

The Goddess of sixth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Yellow coloured saree. Sixth Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, Maha Sashti – september 24, thursday.

9 colours - Blue

The Goddess of fifth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Blue coloured saree. Fifth Day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – Upang Lalitha Gauri Vrata – septemeber 23, wednesday.

9 colours - Red

The Goddess of fourth day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Red coloured saree. Fourth day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – september 22, tuesday.

9 colours - White

The Goddess of third day during Saran Navratri is dressed in white coloured saree. Third day of Durga Saran Navaratri, 2009 – Sthana Vriddhi Gauri Vrata – september 21, monday.

9 colours of Navratri - Orange

The Goddess of second day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Orange coloured saree.


Bibi Russell is a fashion designer and former international model from Bangladesh. The Asiaweek magazine highlighted her as "one of the 20 people to watch in the millennium".

9 colours of Navratri

Goddess Shakti is worshipped during 9 days of Navratri. Durga Navratri 2009 begins on September 19 and ends on September 28.The tradition of 9 colours is very common in Gujarat, Maharashtra and some other North Indian states during Durga Navaratri puja.

The Goddess of first day during Saran Navratri is dressed in Dark Green coloured saree.

Bhavai

Bhavai is Rajasthan's famous folk dance comprising of a spectacular performance. This Dance form consists of veiled women dancers balancing upto seven or nine brass pitchers as they dance nimbly, pirouetting and then swaying with the soles of their feet perched on the top of a glass or on the edge of the sword. There is a sense of cutting edge suspense and nail biting acts in the dance.

Abida Parveen

Parveen is the only woman allowed to sing at the shrines of the Sufi saints.
How was this woman able to change the mind of a man who for many years had refused to give musical instruction to his own daughter, who would grow up to become the popular Pakistani vocalist Riffat Sultana?
Her style of singing is clearly different from any other prominent singer in this tradition, and not just because all of the others are male. Abida sings solo with a small ensemble of musicians, who follow the ebb and flow of her dynamic cues with remarkable skill and awareness. In quieter passages, she will often sing alap-like tempo variations in the middle of a piece as the harmonium and percussion pulsate quietly, then surge upward again with a driving beat.

Om Namaha

Film: Gitanjali (1989)
Directed by Mani Ratnam.
Music by Ilayaraja

Bonalu

Bonalu is a famous festival of Andhra Pradesh which is especially celebrated with great aplomb in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The term Bonalu comes form “Bhojanalu” or food offering which is made to the Goddess Mahakali.
During this festival women dress colorfully and perform a dance balancing exquisitely painted pots on their head. These women dance along with the mellifluous beats of the tunes sung in the praise of Goddess Mahakali. In these pots usually an offering for Goddess Mahakali is taken which includes cooked rice, water and sometimes pickles and onions. Usually this vertical Battery of pots is decorated in sacred colours (White, Yellow and Red). This colours are called as PASUPU, KUNKUM, and KADI. The pots, once ritually dedicated to the goddess before they are lifted on to the heads of the women carrying them, are considered to have got charged with the spirit of the Goddess. This woman walks with a intense feeling of being possessed by the spirit of the Goddess. Because of this mood in her, she is easily gets into trance and begins to move rhythmically in tune with the drum beat.
In 2009, the date of Ujjaini Mahankali Bonalu is July 12, Sunday and the Rangam will be celebrated on July 13, Monday.

Toufic Hatab '2010

A model displays an outfit by Lebanese designer Toufik Hatab from his Autumn- Winter 2009/2010 Haute Couture collection, in Beirut on June 23 2009.

Le Jazz Hot

My favorite song from "Victor/Victoria"(1982.
Performed by Julie Andrews.
Original Music by Henry Mancini.