The rising bikini & other oddities at the Valentine's customised gift bazaar

The Parker Brothers have no idea what's become of their legendary game centred around the domination of a market by a single entity

The Parker Brothers have no idea what's become of their legendary game centred around the domination of a market by a single entity. A 26 year-old in Delhi has taken pains to turn Monopoly on its head, making love, not commerce, the mainstay.

Dotted i makes cookies shaped like bikinis. They come in a
hamper and are priced at Rs 500 (for six).

Lovopoly (Rs 5,000) is a hot-seller among Ruchi Chopra's clients, especially around this time of the year when couples feel compelled to declare their commitment to each other. The personalised board game includes 22 locations just like in the original, except these are destinations the couple in question have visited on a date.

ASAP (Any Surprise, Any Place), Chopra's quirky gifts initiative, makes it to fit. A detailed conversation must reveal secret hideouts the couple love to frequent. How else will Majnu ka Tila replace Mayfair?

Chance and Community Chest cards are replaced with Truth and Dare cards that give the lovers an excuse to 'Steal a kiss'.

The corporate professional-turned-entrepreneur is currently hunting for someone she can hire to dress up like Cupid and deliver door-to-door love messages. If you think that's bizarre, what would you do if you saw a horse (R 5,000) stand at your housing society gate, carrying a bouquet on its head, instead of a flower delivery boy at your door?

The singing postcard warrants that a guitarist (Rs 3,500) stand under your building, serenading you. A 'quiet' dinner on a truck lets you relive Bollywood-style pyaar. Else, just get a personal message embroidered on the back of a pair of boxers (Rs 2,000) that your boyfriend can sleep in.

Lucky in love, strapped for time, and not in the mood to pick up a store gift that others might have access to -- India's young lovers are looking for customised gift agents.

Thirty year-olds Nisha Sareen and Gouri Zaveri are feeling the love as their week-old Mumbai gifting venture, Gifteria is flooded with over 50 orders this Valentine's Day. "The days of couples recording 'mixed' audiotapes and making photo collages are over. They don't have the time. That's where we come in," says Sareen.

The exasperation at not being able to find the right organiser for her bachelorette party convinced Sareen to quit her television industry job and launch Gifteria. Sareen offers you champagne bottles with your name and love messages engraved on them, and handmade collages of photographs picked from your album. Her naughty hampers come stacked with handcuffs, whips and Victoria's Secret lingerie.

Bengaluru-based Naadia Mirza's DOTTED i can plan you the weirdest party you can imagine. "Once we had someone ask for a massive present, basically a box from which a person would pop out and sing a song for guests!" she says.

Slightly tamer orders include red velvet cupcakes, chocolate flowers, strawberries covered in white chocolate sauce and cookies shaped like bikini bodies.

"Couples are looking for an experience they can share with each other," says Samule Ziza, co-founder of Mumbai-based Witty Gifts, a new gifting service that packs experiences in a box and will be launching in Bangalore too. Activities include renting a sailboat, enjoying a couple massage, star gazing and kick boxing sessions.

Delhi-based Rajat Tuli, founder of online gift store, Happily Unmarried is not quite sure if Indians are all that open to innovation. "Our dry humour doesn't really work on Valentine's Day. Customers are usually young, often college students. They want mush. They'd rather not take a chance."

This year, Happily Marriedu00a0 teams up with NGO Maximising Employment to Serve the Handicapped, to make cutesy soft toys, like the cat that says, "The cat is out of the bag. I love you."

The valentine dictionary

Dalmation on your cake
Fifty four year-old Desiree, owner of Mumbai-based confectionary, The Cake Studio, has been in the baking business since 1991. This year, like every February, she has her hands full with orders for chocolate roses and lollipops. She says she tries to innovate. A cake shaped like a Dalmatian that says, 'I've got a spot for you' is her big idea for this year.
Call: 022-26458998
Gifteria
Call: 9820336502

Dottedi
www.thedottedi.in
Call: 9008251130

ASAP
www.asap.co.in
Call: 09810888498

Wanna Party
Call: 9833924717

' All of the above deliver products and offer services anywhere in the country