NEW IN TOWN

The Art of Living Yoga Camp

Start your New Year leaving all your mental and physical stress behind. The Art of Living is organising a Yoga Camp from 19 to 23 January, 2013 to help you keep everyday stress at bay. This workshop will be held everyday for 3-4 hours during the Yoga Camp.

The Art of Living is a charitable organisation that was founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar 29 years ago. Through yoga and meditation, they help you to rejuvenate and find inner peace. Now they are operating in nearly 160 countries around the world.

The workshop will be conducted by Rafi Hussain in Dhanmondi. Seats are limited. So, if you are interested to join this Yoga Camp, please feel free to contact the workshop conductor at 0167 620 2020 or at rafi.aol@gmail.com and book your seats.

By Sadia Khalid

Interior design course for inspirational living

Decorating rooms in your home is an opportunity for you to show off your unique personality and style. Therefore, when it comes to creating your interior design ideas, do not hold back. Institute of Innovative Design is the place where you can join courses on Interior Design to attain this skill. You can also take it as a professional career and work commercially. Under the guidance of experienced architects, this course will broaden your horizon when it comes to ideas for space decoration. Limited seats are available in new sessions, offering New Year discounts on admission. Other creative courses are, Glass Décor, Photography and Ikebana. Interested individuals are requested to contact the following for admission: House: 37, Road 15, Block D, Banani. #989 9038, 0173 396 9644.

“Elo je sheeter bela”

The inauguration of Shadakalo Winter Collection Exhibition “Elo je sheeter bela” was held on Friday, 4 January at Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi. The exhibition was inaugurated by educationist Borhan Uddin Khan Jahangir, artist Syed Jahangir and M. Olivier Litvine- the director of Alliance Française de Dhaka.

After the inauguration, baul songs were performed by Nirjor Chowdhury and Shaan of Ohornish band, which added a different flavour to the whole programme.

In the exhibition, various types of shawls with value additions like hand block prints, screen print, karchupi, machine embroidery and hand paint, from different parts of Bangladesh are on display. Ponchos for both men and women are also available. This is the second time Shadakalo has celebrated the coming of winter with an exhibition.

The exhibition will continue till 17 January at the Alliance Française de Dhaka, 26 Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi, between 3pm -9pm on weekdays except Sunday. (Weekend timing: 8am-12pm and 5pm-9pm).

Discount on Ayurvedic treatment services

Ayurveda, the science of life, is not only the knowledge of healing but also the wisdom that provides a complete way of life.

Ayurveda focuses on an individual's holistic health rather than just the physical body. Harmony Spa is offering a range of Ayurvedic treatment services for various problems like acne, aging, melasma, etc. It also focuses on skin brightening, hair fall control and new hair growth and body shaping. There is also a 10 per cent discount on services till 30 January.
For details contact 017 1674 9479.

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A winter tease

Our winters are short. Last season, I sneezed and after destroying a roll of tissue and opening the eyes, the season was over. But short as it may be, it can be quite brutal as well, mainly because the long hot spells soften our bones like a tender 'bhapa pitha' over a stove.

Speaking of 'pitha', the most traditional of all traditional dishes, there's so much variation that we can dedicate an entire evening to it. Heck, might as well dedicate an entire weekend. 'Pitha' is a dish that's very unique to Bangladesh and its neighbouring India. And like our people, it comes in all flavours, styles, shapes and textures. That means there's something for everyone.

Winter happens to be the perfect season to try it all. It's cold so you can really get into the hot stuff without breaking a sweat. Gorge, binge, go wild. The goal is to get together and sample just about every 'pitha' you can get your greedy hands on.

Get together where the theme is 'pitha'. The reward is a culinary festival that's light and different. Call it a one-pitha-dish party. Everyone brings something. The beauty of 'pitha' is that most of these can either be easily made at home or bought from stores or even the roadside stalls.

There's something for everyone. 'Bhapa pitha' is the most traditional of all and in winter, everyone is making it, be it at home or on the streets. Rice flour stuffed with jaggery ('gur' as we know it better). Incidentally, jaggery is rich in iron. For those with a sweet tooth there's more. 'Patishapta' is a delectable roll stuffed with sweet paste derived from milk.

Then there is 'teler pitha'. It's the easiest to make. Made from basic eggs and flour, its specialty is that you can add flavours to it by simply adding smashed banana, jackfruit pulp or even juice. Or just go for more of the sweet brown vice that is 'gur'. The sweetness doesn't stop when there's 'nokshi pitha'. Why is it called that? It could be because of the intricate patterns that are stamped on it. Or it could be the intricate patterns people go through to have the last bit. It's like toast and goes well dipped in syrup.

But those who want something less sweet can go to the opposite end of the spectrum with 'chitoi pitha'. It's a little like 'ruti' and it goes best with really, really hot beef. Hot as in searing, flaming, paint stripping, spicy hot. Surprisingly, it goes equally well with sweets. So the same dish can also calm the fire.

And the list goes on. There are shops that offer all kinds. The thing to do is to simply sit, talk, eat and share an evening that's a little different from the rest.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny
Photo: LS Archive

CHECK IT OUT

Winter Street Fashion Show 2013

On 7 January, 2013 fashion house “Gentle Park” held a fashion show, showcasing their winter collection. The show highlighted efforts of the design team at Gentle Park in creating a vibrant range of apparels for both formal and casual occasions. Highlights included sweaters, blazers, suits, etc but were not limited to these winter garbs. Formal and casual attires have been revamped to meet the needs of the chilly winter the city is experiencing this year.

Gentle Park Winter Collection will be available at the eighteen outlets of the store, spread across the country.

In keeping with our motto to continually reinvent ourselves, we have recently launched our very own Facebook page. Take the time to browse through our content, unseen pictures and much more. Be sure to leave your comments and suggestions.

We hope that our dear readers will not only be part of this change but lead us in new directions by expressing themselves and letting their views and preferences be known.
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