Bicycle made for two

>> It's a love story that's been as celebrated as its sublime. Ever since noted Delhi-based Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan wed Bharatanatyam dancer Subhalakshmi Barooah from Assam in 1976, it has been a partnership of creativity and love.

Amjad Ali Khan and Subhalakshmi Barooah

Though Subhalakshmi stopped performing to care for her husband and sons Amaan and Ayaan, themselves noted Sarod players, the romance has not gone out of the handsome couple's lives. Recently they were caught on camera enjoying a Goa morning like a couple of honeymooners - while taking a morning cycle.

"This priceless moment was captured on March 29 at the Hyatt in Goa. My parents took sometime out from Abba's schedule," said son Ayaan. "I recall the last time my parents cycled together was in 1981 at the Taj Holiday village in Goa. Though my brother and I weren't there this time, they did very well and time stood still," said the doting son, adding "just like music!"

Nice!

Sweet Memories
>> He's won the Padma Bhushan, India's 3rd highest civilian award, recently been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime achievement award and has had an Amul hoarding in tribute of the achievement - but last night there was an even sweeter moment in legendary actor Pran's eventful life: an evening with his family to celebrate his wedding anniversary with his wife Shukla - his friend and soul mate for 68 years.

Pran and his wife Shukla

"We've had big parties for them on their 25th, 50th and 60th," said his daughter Pinky, "But dad's just come out of hospital a couple of weeks ago and we thought it would be best for him to spend time at home with the family together."

Incidentally, the famous film villain and his wife have had their share of romantic getaways. On August 14, 1947, the historic day of India's independence they had checked into the Taj, Mumbai to celebrate the occasion. Villains don't come sweeter.

Life's a park
>> "Today is a proud moment for all of us. After years of hard work we are finally opening the gates of Adlabs Imagica Park to our guests," said Manmohan Shetty, the visionary film producer and Chairman Adlabs Entertainment Limited about ADLABS IMAGICA, the first of its kind entertainment theme park in India, and one of his most ambitions ventures to date.

Manmohan Shetty with daughter Pooja and Aarti

Located on the Mumbai-Pune highway, an hour and a half away, and boasting -16 State-of-the-art world class attractions, 4 restaurants and various live acts - the Park is part of a larger mega project that will include a water park, a hotel and retail space to be launched in phases. But whereas it must make good business sense why a theme park at all from the veteran producers?

Perhaps daughter Aarti Shetty's statement gives a clue: "The very first theme park that I ever visited was Disneyland when I was 10 and it remains my favourite till date," says the Creative Director Adlabs Entertainment Limited. "That memory of being exposed to entertainment of this form left a very lasting impression in my mind," says the young lady.

Ours too. We are not embarrassed to admit that the company of human size furry creatures with beaks who speak in American accents is our ultimate idea of fun and games.

So will we troop down to ADLABS IMAGICA - to have our faces squirted by cartoon characters, our stomachs turned upside down on roller coaster rides and our bellies full of popcorn and candyfloss?

Watch this space!

Travel awards
>> Coming up this Tuesday a big-ticket number for the travel industry: the conferring of the Second Indian Travel + Leisure Awards to all those men and women who make the journey (as well as the destination) a thing of beauty and a joy forever (personally we are partial to both!)

Piyush Sharma

To be held at the Taj Landsend by the internationally recognized Bible of Travel recognition will be afforded amongst others to the best emerging destination, cruise, business hotel, airport, luxury train, destination spa and honeymoon destination in India others.

"T+L India & South Asia had committed to bring world-class travel content to India almost five years ahead of the others in 2006. With the magazine now in its glorious seventh year, and India's Best Awards in their second year, the brand is by far one of the most coveted travel media brands in the country today.

Says Piyush Sharma, CEO and Publisher Travel + Leisure India & South Asia.

Train spotting Google style
>> In a world of memes, can there be any thing more potent than a Google Doodle? What the iconic search engine chooses to post on its wall is seen by, well billions of people (sizeable amount of them incidentally who are guilty of that inexplicable habit: logging on to the website only to see if their net connection is working!)

The front part of the engine formed the first ‘O' in Google

So on Tuesday when the illustration happened to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the first passenger train journey in India, which occurred on April 16, 1853 between Bori Bunder (VT) and Thane, a journey of 34 km, naturally the words ‘fellow travellers' took on a whole new meaning.

But not every one was chuffed. By depicting a single steam engine lugging a train in its illustration, the website blotted its copy book with many a steam engine buff as in actuality on that day there were three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh, and Sultan that were employed. (Fierce creatures steam engine buffs!)
As for feisty freelance journalist Freny Manekhsa, a resident of Thane, the doodle led to some interesting insights.

"It's a journey we have done umpteen times," she said. "What is amusing is that it took about an hour more than 150 years ago and it still takes an hour if not more today! And whilst the doodle depicts some palm trees, all we now actually see are few remnants of old factory buildings, ugly new rises, skywalks, and so on." And for those who missed it, the front part of the engine formed the first ‘O' in Google. u00a0