Diwali indicates the victory of good over evil. To spread cheer, love and light, we celebrate Diwali. The festival is celebrated with diyas, lanterns and rangolis. It is an occasion to share joy and happiness. This is why we give special gifts to enlighten their lives with love and affection.

Make sure your gift this Diwali makes the person happy - be it your boss, your employee, your colleague, or your family friend. You may wonder if dry fruits, chocolates and sweets are among the only options when it comes to gift-giving on Diwali eve.

Well, it’s time that you try to go beyond those traditional symbols associated with Diwali celebration and do something unconventional, even strike a musical note. Look what the magical musical trio Shankar Ehsaan Loy has come up with this festive season. The three have chosen to get ‘musically’ innovative in their very own way!

The ‘breathless’ singer, Shankar Mahadevan gifted his dear friend and colleague Ehsaan, a Sennheiser HD series headphone. The latter was overjoyed to receive the present For him, this was among the most treasured Diwali gifts. Shankar was quoted as saying, “Music invariably brings a smile to one’s face, so this Diwali we thought of spreading happiness with it!”

Sennheiser’s quality sound equipment offers crystal clear sound level with noise cancellation. Loy also opted for the same gift. Even Ehsaan was to surprise with an unusual gift to his family n friends. “I didn’t want to give something they would expect.” Indeed, a gift gets special when it comes as a pleasant surprise. It’s the perfect gesture and truly serves its purpose!

Spread happiness and smiles with musical gifts instead of just chocolates and sweets, is the message from the musical trio of Shankar Ehsaan Loy this Diwali. Tune in to the real joy of Diwali…

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In its special Diwali gifting series, The Mint focused on families giving away some unique Diwali gifts for friends and relatives. Anindita Ghose in an essay made mention of such off-beat gifting ideas. 

“What do you gift those who almost have everything they might need?” the writer asked, referring to the Sharmas - Jyotsana and Arjun – who decided to buy potted basil plants in lemon, camphor and tulsi varieties as Diwali gifts.

Their festive gifting plans reflect the austerity debate. But for them it’s more a practical option since the two increasingly find extravagant gifting a pointless exercise. Jyotsana testifies to the undesirable phenomenon of gift recycling. One gift she would though, never pass on is an orchid a friend gifted her. Nurturing it has become an engaging experience, which is why she chose to the green gifting idea.

She approached a local herb store to source their plants from a wide range of medicinal and exotic herbs. The couple opted for basil for its sociological ties with Indian tradition. In fact, the family has almost done away with the whole concept of gifting since the last couple of years. Instead it donates to charitable foundation.

Diwali is an occasion that prompts more donations, which would go to each family member’s chosen charity. Arjun supports Chintan, an NGO that is part of Project Arman. His mother, a doctor by profession, manages a charitable dispensary. Wife Jyotsana supports two animal shelters. A foundation named after Arjun’s father funds a hospital, temple and school in their native village. Every year, the dotting donors throw a party for the rag picking children after Diwali.

Instead of lavish gifting, the family tries to revive the tradition of get-togethers to strengthen the bonds of love. The message here is that, you can celebrate Diwali not just by splurging, but also by donating to charities, and going green. 

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Teachers Day is right here in the first week of this month. As a sign of respect and tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, his birthday is observed all over the country as Teacher’s Day in India.

We have been celebrating Teacher’s Day on September 5 since 1962. Dr. Radhakrishnan was considered one of the most learned persons and a great scholar and teacher of his times.

You can thank your teacher, coach or guide who has been a great source of help, inspiration and motivation to you. Here are some really thoughtful and nostalgic gift ideas that your teacher will definitely appreciate.

Picture it forever: Take a picture of your class and put it nicely into a special or even simple picture frame for the teacher to proudly hang up in the classroom or retain in his/her home office. You can opt to personalize the frame with the teacher’s name and your feelings about the teacher engraved. Ask an artistic student to paint it right onto frame.

Memory album for your teacher: Here is another variation of the above idea. You can put together a memory album for your teacher. Take a photograph of each student creatively against a nice background; develop the roll of film right away.

You can then have many colors of scrap-booking paper cut into same sized triangles for the students to choose from and to write a message for the beloved teacher. Each kid will also sign his or her name on their triangle.

You can then put the photographs and the matching triangles together in a creative album that will make an everlasting memory. You can title the first page with your teacher’s name, class and the year. It will sure prove to a big hit as the teacher can share it with his colleagues and family members as well.

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Funskool continues to be in the forefront of developing dynamic games for creative and alert children keeping pace with today’s competitive world. Their products - ranging from traditional to high-tech - are developed keeping the evolving needs of children and changing times in mind. 

In the next few blogs, we shall be checking some interesting games across broad themes. They also have on offer tantalizing travel games and superb strategy games for those who ‘have or claim to have a greater percentage of the gray matter, or for those aspiring to increase that.’

These games are a series of intriguing and exciting ideas that sure will enrich and sharpen your thinking process. On the other hand, their series of travel games ensure that you do not miss out on fun quotient when going on a picnic or a vacation with your family, friends or office colleagues.

Funskool’s fun-filled travel games are compact to carry. They are thoughtfully designed and come with self-contained storage trays, making them absolutely convenient. Plus they have quick set-up facilities. Just open them up and enter a world of boundless fun!

Here are some interesting games on offer from the leading toymaker:

Snakes & Ladders: A game that’s been around for centuries! Land on a ladder to climb, on a lippery snake and oops it’s downhill all the way. Find out who makes it first!

Tr. game stay alive: It’s all about staying alive! A subtle game that needs an alert mind and thoughts that keep racing!

Game of games: For those who can never be satisfied with one game here are 14 games in 1! Action strategy words and chance come together on a single board. 14 times the fun!

Globetrotters’ game: Jet set around the world answering questions on each region. A Trivial Pursuit game that takes you at break-neck speed across continents!

Monopoly deal card game: The fast-paced, addictive card game where your luck can change in the play of a card. 
(Information and image courtesy: Funskool)

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Travel firms are wooing sky watchers on eve of the 21st century’s longest solar eclipse. It takes place on July 22. You can opt to watch it with your friends and family from a Boeing above the clouds in Gaya. You may grasp more about the natural phenomenon from experts on the Benares ghats or may even fly to China, attend a workshop and get down to business in Anqing.

Cox & Kings has on offer a special tour package to watch the spectacular event from up close. You can take up a window seat based on your budget on a Boeing 737-700 to watch the solar eclipse. The package costs between Rs 29,000 and Rs 79,000. Cox & Kings has tried this idea for the first time.

The eclipse journey will last for about three hours. The flight will take off from Delhi and hold over Gaya during the eclipse period. The aircraft at a height of 41,000 feet will be intercepting the middle of the eclipse shadow for an unforgettable experience you can gift your family. Those taking the right side seats will get to watch the ‘sun side’, whereas those on the left can witness the shadow on the earth.

Vibgyor Travels is offering a package to inbound tourists for an eclipse holiday to the holy city of Benares. A 9 nights-10 days package comprises eclipse observation with help of experts from the river Ganges. Guides will assist visitors to understand the eclipse better.

If one wishes to enjoy a glimpse from abroad, Space Technology & Education is hosting an ‘eclipse trip’ to the Chinese city of Anqing. According to Amit Verma, several photographic experiments have been outlined on this trip to the eclipse site.

The China tour includes a ride on the Maglev train at a speed of 431 kmph. It comprises visits to Beijing, Shanghai and, of course, the Great Wall. A multimedia enabled workshop will be held for tourists.

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Giving a style statement with cool, crispy quotes in some cool tees are a perfect gift for someone who wants to look uber cool. “I’m surrounded by idiots”; “Get me drunk and enjoy the show”; “50 % single” are some of the whacky n witty one liners on T-shirts fast catching up amongst college-goers and youngsters.

With teen tennis sensation Sania Mirza having already made such tees with catchy one liners her unique style statement, teenagers are too stretching their imagination to get them. Started by two college friends Abhir Khanna and Pranav Kapoor in August last year, Blue Bus Tees are selling like hot cakes.

The demand for their T-shirts is not restricted to the youth alone. Middle-aged men are also ordering them. The duo were working in their family businesses initially, but later decided to start something on their own. Abhir Khanna informed: “”We decided to come up with one liner T-shirts since we realized there were not many in India”.

The brand name, Blue Bus Tees, was a random choice. “While travelling in a BEST bus, we thought of calling it ‘Red Bus Tee’. Since the brand name ‘Red Bus’ was already registered, we named Blue Bus,” reminisced kapoor. ‘Blue Bus Tees’ is a T-shirt selling website, where one can order T-shirt and make payments via credit card, demand draft or cheque.

The reason behind online selling of the T-shirts was to launch business in a cost-effective way. The duo didn’t want to spend on renting a shop space. Their target was the young audience as they surf the internet more.

The witty one liner T-shirts are now going places. The sales are happening from all over India. The duo has marketed them in college festivals like Malhar and Lakshya. Their Poker tees are selling well, too. Next in line are Bollywood tees with crazy one liners like ‘Mere pass maa hai’ and others like Jhakaas, Item number. Prices are Rs 250 onwards.

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Multi-touch is now the must-have feature for coveted digital devices. In fact, ‘touch’ is the new buzzword for all electronics devices today in the market.

If you’re looking to gift them to one of your tech-savvy family or business friends, there is no dearth of options. Here, we provide some clues. For instance, the craze for the Apple iPhones launch has now become all pervasive! The gizmos that are available with the touch feature latest technology features s by way of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, haptic feedback, GPS, accelerometers, etc.

Take, for instance, the new Microsoft coffee-table-sized computer, known as the ‘Surface’, is meant for retail stores and hotels. It is based on handy multi-touch finger gestures for moving digital objects like play games, photos, and to browse. Hewlett-Packard (HP) has already developed a prototype of a multi-touch coffee-table computer to be used at home.

Samsung’s latest P3 portable media player is based on true haptic feedback. Having a fantastic 3 inch TFT-LCD touch screen, it provides widescreen enjoyment of photos and video without the requirement for letterboxing. The P3 reacts with a various physical sensations with every command gesture. The 8GB and the 16GB versions cost Rs 11,900 and Rs 14,900, respectively, making it quite affordable.

The digital still camera range from Samsung sports Touch 2.0 features. The NV100 Full HD digital still camera at Rs 22,990 lets users explore commands on screen with swift finger movements.

For high-end gifting, there’s Apple’s MacBook Air touchpad allows one to move the cursor and simply click just like a mouse. It has several functionalities, making use of multi-touch gestures. One can rotate photos just by touching two fingers and shifting the images on the screen.

One may move back n forth quickly through web pages and photos by swiping fingers on the touchpad. It is possible to expand or shrink a photo, or by pinching the image, even zoom in and out on a web page. An Apple MacBook Air starts at Rs 95,000.

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While selecting a gift for your wife or best friend might be easy, choosing an appropriate gift for your boss or an important customer can become an extremely puzzling and trying experience. There are numerous excuses or reasons that prompt you to gift something special. If you are planning to do so, try to get a gift befitting the mood and the occasion.The gift that you pick should be distinctive and make the person delighted after receiving it for it to actually serve its purpose. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind when choosing a gift:

1. Work out the message you want your gift to convey.2. The gift should reflect your business ethos, occasion and relation you share with the person or the institution. A stylish travel bag is perfect if you are running a travel-related business.

3. One of the most important things you need to keep in mind is the stature of the person whom you are gifting. Keep in mind his or her likes & dislikes and the person’s importance to your business.

4. For somebody doing a field job a leather folder would come in handy. Planning well in advance would help you to manage budget well.

5. Your gift must be different & thoughtful, it must help you stand out from the clutter….Instead of choosing plain diary you may gift one made from hand made paper complete with the recipient’s name embossed on it.6. If you are giving a gift to someone from a different country or culture, learn about his or her choices to avoid any embarrassment. Make sure that the present is classy. 

Avoid giving gifts that appear personal in nature (jewelry, perfumes, clothing, etc.) unless you know the person very well. Rather prefer a pack of greatest hits CDs of one’s favorite artist would be perfect for someone who loves music.

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Travel Port is a reputed firm offering the whole gamut of travel services. Apart from offering a pack of conventional and catchy user-friendly services like air tickets, hotel reservations and holiday packages, TravelPort’s portfolio also comprises various other innovative concepts to attract tourists.

These include incentive travel & corporate loyalty management programs. You may approach the renowned travel firm for a relaxed sojourn this holiday season. You can be guaranteed of a fantastic experience, which would serve as a much-coveted and memorable gift for your family and key corporate contacts on your part.

Travel Port is a perfect avenue for planning personal as well as professional journeys. They are associated with the best travel firms all across the globe. Their efficient team is backed by a solid network. They strive to bring the best ever holiday experience for you and those special to you.

This exactly is the reason why the firm has established itself as a premier Travel and Tour organizer. Travel Port boasts of a nation-wide presence owing to numerous franchise outlets that span across all major cities of India and outside.

Here, we are recommending their serene Uttaranchal and Himachal package with its details:

1. Best of Himachal - 10 Days | 9 Nights
Shimla (2 Nights) | Manali (3  Nights) | Dharmshala (1 Night) | Dalhousie (2  Nights) | Parwanoo (1 Night)

2. Beautiful Himachal - 9 Days | 8 Nights
Shimla (2  Nights) | Manali (3 Nights) | Dharmshala (1Nt) | Dalhousie (2 Nights)

3. Beautiful Uttaranchal - 8 Days | 7 Nights
Mussoorie (2 Nights) | Nainital (3 Nights) | Corbett Park (2 Nights)

4. Discover Himachal - 11 Days | 10 Nights
Chandigarh (1 Nt) | Shimla (2  Nights) | Manali (3  Nights) Dharmshala (1 Night) | Dalhousie (2  Nights) | Amritsar (1 Nt)

5. Enchanting Uttaranchal - 9 Days | 8 Nights
Nainital (3  Nights) | Almora (1 Nt) | Kausani (1 Nt) | Ranikhet (1 Night) | Corbett Park (2  Nights)

6. Blissful Himachal - 7 Days | 6 Nights
Shimla (2 Nights) | Manali (3 Nights) | Chandigarh (1 Night)

Contact:
TravelPort Holidays India Pvt. Ltd.
311, Shalimar Morya Park
Off New Link Rd, Andheri (W)-400053, Mumbai
Tel: 91-22-26742222, 26735511/22/33/44/77/88
Fax: 91-22-26734499
Toll free: 1600 22 24 26
Email: travelport@traveldeelz.com

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Valentine’s Day history and legends Valentine’s Day history and legends Many people think it’s the most romantic occasion whereas a few others term it a commercialized ritula. Whatever your viewpoint is, you invariably need to prepare for this day as you cannot remain untouched by the romance in the air on the 14th February.

This is the occasion that sets love-filled hearts throbbing. You must be wondering what would be an appropriate gift for the occasion… We have already made your job easier by suggesting you some interesting ideas. Every February, gifts like flowers, candy, chocolates, teddy bears, etc. are exchanged between love-filled hearts. The occasion is celebrated across the world in the memory of Saint Valentine.

But who exactly is this mysterious man? We are sure you would be curious to know why do we celebrate this day? We take this opportunity to dig into the history of Valentine’s Day and throw light on the patron saint who is associated with the day.

The Valentine’s Day, as we perceive and celebrate it today, carries vestiges of ancient Roman as well as Christian tradition. According to a legend, Valentine was a priest who happened to serve in Rome some time during the third century. When Emperor Claudius II theorized that single men made better warriors than the family men, he outlawed marriage for youths – his crop of would-be soldiers.

Valentine fought the unjust invalidity of the decree. Defying the Emperor, he secretly performed marriage rituals for young lovers. When the actions were discovered, Claudius instantly ordered the death penalty. Some other legends hint that Valentine was killed for trying to help Christians escape from Roman prisons.

According to another story, Valentine sent the first ever ‘valentine’ greeting. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with a young woman, probably the jailor’s daughter. He is said to have penned a letter to her, and signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression in use till date.

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