Manori To Marve Boat ride

Once upon a time at Manori beach in Mumbai.

We halted here to watch the setting Sun.

Traveled by rickshaw to Manori from InOrbit Malad.

Manori beach is sort of distance cousin to Juhu Beach.

Less popular, least crowded, that's why much Cleaner.

Sunset at Manori Beach , Malad on 8 November 2016

Om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ

tát savitúr váreṇ(i)yaṃ

bhárgo devásya dhīmahi

dhíyo yó naḥ prachodayāt

– Rigveda

 "Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine vivifying Sun, May he enlighten our understandings ".

Sun , the Supreme God, Powers up the whole Universe.

Sun, the almighty, rejuvenates and refreshes Human kind.

Sun, the OmniPotent, benevolent, energizes all equally.

#MannKiBaat at Marve Manori

Are you Mad for Donuts ?. Well, I am not, but my nephew Aarav is, so he went ahead and had few of his favorites from MOD. I may not like to eat donuts, but loved clicking the designer donuts at InOrbit Mall , Malad. I and cousin, Chitra indulged in #MannKiBaat (chatted continuously ) relishing crispy Sada dosa, Rava dosa, accompanied by steaming hot, filter coffee from Dosa Plaza.

It was one of those Super Saturdays, when Chitra called out of blue and ordered me to wait at our society's gate. I never order anyone around, and hate to be ordered around from anyone else. Chitra being a younger cousin , I pardoned her just once. Point to be noted my lord. Chitra said, she will pick me up for a chatting session ( #MannKiBaat ) at InOrbit Mall, Malad. We invested some quality time in silky shopping at FabIndia. At the cash counter, Chitra gave first surprise of the day by gifting me the classy, Block-printed silk dupatta. This turned out to be the 1st , in the series of many more surprises of that day, 8th November 2016.



Shopping done, we refreshed ourselves with cool cones of Coffee Almond , Mango & Litchi at Natural's Ice cream parlor. Aarav compromised on a meal with Subway sandwich. The photo is hazy , not tempting enough, so I am excusing you all with that. Please forgive me this once.

Once our craving were satiated to the core of ice cream cones, Chitra suggested that we should make a short trip to Marve. Manori or Aksa. Aarav and I , both were absolutely blown over by her surprising suggestion. That was the 2nd Surprise of the day. We hopped into an auto rickshaw, excitedly discussing our next destination. We both were keen on a boat-ride , so finalized on Marve. Our hired auto reached Manori. We were eager to take darshan of Jaltapaswi Gagangiri Maharaj Ashram, but it was too late.  We clicked a few photos of sensational sunset at Manori beach.

The 3rd surprise is at the end of this blog-post and I request you not to jump at the end but please go with the flow. The world famous Global Vipassana Pagoda ( aka Golden Pagoda of Gorai ) , was visible from this beach but light was not cooperative enough to capture it's glorious beauty. 

Mumbaikars were as usual busy at the chaat-carts, tasting Paani Puri , Sev Puri , Bhel Puri, Ragda pattice, Bhutta , Kairi , Imli, Chania Mania Ber and Cool kulfis were selling like Hot Cakes. Yes, please don't miss the contrast in expression.

I wish we had, but No, we did not have even tiniest space in our Dosa / Coffee / Ice cream stuffed tummies to try any of these chatpataa chaats.  We strolled a bit , breathed in the cool breeze and then boarded a boat for a short ride from Manori to Marve . 

Once we got down from the boat, we walked a short distance through Marve gaothan to reach the beach. The road was actually a sandy pathway, with native's cottages dotting the sides. The small Mother Mary-shrines illuminated the winding pathway towards beach. 

Can you make the wildest guess ?. The last and the most important surprise, we received that day ? It was a through a SMS to Chitra the journalist . Many of my smart friends would have already guessed it from the title of this post.

                                                                                                   

#IndulgeInGold with Oriflame Giordani Gold

                                                                               

             

It was the most Pleasurable as well as Treasure-able #IndulgeInGold moment with Oriflame as the Brand Ambassador , Sonali Bendre wowed us with her Charisma. Oriflame has invited us Mumbai Bloggers for Giordani Gold after-launch party at the Highest nightclub in Mumbai : EXO on Level 37 at 

The St. Regis Hotels on 18th November 2016.

The #IndulgeInGold Invite arrived almost a fort-week ago.

Hi Sujata,
We are coming soon to Mumbai to party with you to celebrate the success of a recent make-up range that we launched this month.

   

The #IndulgeInGold Giordani Gold After-launch party invite was super duper surprise, loaded with Personal note, multi-ring Choker, monogrammed satin pouch, Eye-shadow quad and assorted chocolates in an exclusively designed bag, elaborately packed in a big white box. Guess what ? I am going to present this to my sister as a birthday gift tomorrow. Her only grouse will be that half the chocolates are missing. I am sure , she will be more than happy cause, I have added few more Giordani Gold treasures ( make up products ) to this magnificent gift hamper.

Mehak Khanna Assistant Manager - Social Media & Online greeted us at Exo Bar with another surprise Golden envelope. She requested us not to open it just then. Once again , we were presented with more Giordani Gold makeup products , in a festive red designer bag. I know you all must be mad at me for not sharing the surprise yet, but believe me you will love it. Keep guessing, by looking at those Golden envelopes.

Giordani Gold after launch party started on a cocktail / mock tail note at the bar. 

Ms. Shikha Duggal, Brand and Communication manager, Oriflame India interacted with bloggers and conducted an impromptu contest about brand Oriflame. She distributed prizes to know-all, talented bloggers. Our friend Natasha Bhat, was one of the lucky winners. The #IndulgeInGold party boasted the natural gold background of setting Sun-light, which highlighted the crowning glory of bloggers. 

The diva, the brand ambassador of Oriflame, lovely Sonali Bendre joined the #IndulgeInGold party and unveiled her portrait amidst the loud applause from excited bloggers. 

The Dazzling makeup range of Glittering #GiordaniGold from #Oriflame enhances natural beauty as if #Sunshine. Check out the #Deluxe elegant #Black&Gold packaging. Ladies love luxurious #Cosmetics forever. We always want to try #NewMakeup. We welcome #NewLaunch of Super #Bronzer, Exciting #lipstick shades. Oriflame launches #CCCream. mesmerizing #EyeshadowPalette with #BeautyBloggers . 

Giordani Gold is a luxurious range inspired by the refined elegance and sophistication of the Italian lifestyle. For the confident and the sophisticated, Giordani Gold unites the highest quality with warm elegance for an exclusive indulgence.

Togetherness, Spirit and Passion are the core values that make Oriflame so unique. Trusting these values gives the confidence to succeed in a competitive business while at the same time helping to make the world a better place.

 

Movies & Much More at #JioMamiWithStar

                                                                                         

Born and Brought up in Maximum Mumbai,  the Mumbaikars have Movies on their minds most of the times. The icing on the cake is I have lived all my life in Goregaon , where the famous Filmcity flourished. My mother religiously took us to 'Jai Santoshi Maa' , Shirdi Ke Sai Baba, Sant Tukaram, Thamb Lakshmi koonku lavate, Kurukshetra etc, while father Bachchanized us with Amar-Akbar-Anthony, Parvarish,, Mr. Natwarlal, Zanjeer , Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Lawaaris etc, I loved watching Disney cartoons, Charlie Chaplin, Bal Shivaji, Shyamchi Aai with friends, sans parents.
                                        

 Movies aside, my best theater memories are flavored with steaming hot, crispy  Samosas , spicy Batata vadas, Simba Popcorns and Pushup Ice-creams ( available only at Topiwala theater ). What a fun it was to watch Ketchup-colored fight scenes , jumping in the seats, munching on crunchy popcorns. LOLing for comedy scenes.

                                             

There were times, when Aai won't allow us to watch certain movies, so we had to butter up the elder friends for the stories. Listening to the movie-story and visualizing it was Fantabulous.

The gist of this is the kaleidoscopic relationship I have with Movies, gravitated me to JIO MAMI 18th Mumbai Film Festival with STAR . which was a week-long Movie Extravaganza. The Festival showcased incredible screenings, artistry, innovation and celebrity appearances The 7-Day event from October 20th to October 27th, 2016, screened over 175 films from 54 countries across the world.

It was an incredible week of cinema at the JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Fest with STAR. It was amazing to feel the energy and enthusiasm at the film screenings, in-depth discussions, masterclasses  etc. Plans are already underway to make the next edition bigger and better. Star's association with MAMI was an endeavor to connect the city to world-class content and provide an amazing platform for young, creative talent.

 Many phenomenal stories created by fresh talent were showcased in the festival and received an overwhelming response from the viewers. In its 18th edition, the festival also introduced television vertical for the first time ever. JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Fest bought an excellent range of movies with all aspects of cinema in a short span of time. It is literally a feast of wonderful cinema from all over the world. In addition to inspiring positive thought in the society, it also does great service to Indian cinema and filmmakers.

  The dates for the 19th Edition of  MAMI Mumbai Film Fest were also announced. The event, next year, will take place between 12th October- 19th October, 2017. The Festival will be back with the screening of ‘The La La Land’ on 23rd November, 2016. Jio MAMI with Star VISION 2016 

                                       


The JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Fest with STAR is an inclusive movie feast. It showcases the latest cutting-edge, independent cinema - art house fare alongside genre movies from Bollywood and Hollywood and cult international movies. It offers the best of world cinema to the people of Mumbai and the best of Indian cinema to the world. The festival is run by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image popularly known as MAMI. This is a space where we revel in the sheer pleasure of cinema, the joy it gives us and how much it enhances our lives. The goal is to nurture and ignite a passion for movies. 

  

JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Fest  in Mumbai - the financial capital of India is also the epicentre of the Indian film industry. The city plays such a major role in production and dissemination of Indian films and television programs that it is widely known by its acronym 'Bollywood'.

  

 In 1997, a group of film industry stalwarts headed by late Hrishikesh Mukherjee founded the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image ( MAMI ) as a not-for-profit Trust. Their main objective was to organise an annual International Film Festival which the film industry and the country could be proud of. MAMI has been organising the festival for the last 16 years and aims to foster a climate of good cinema.

  

MAMI Mumbai Film Fest engages people from all walks of life across the city and country that enjoy and love good cinema. It is Mumbai’s only film festival that is entirely created and run by film professionals and a group of members from corporate India. Appreciation of good cinema, stripped off all the limiting labels of art and commercial, can only come about through exposure to the best of films the world has to offer. The Festival is the first step in that direction. 

                                 

 For more information on JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Fest with STAR 

Website: www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/ #JioMAMIwithStar2016 

Twitter: @Mumbaifilmfest 

Facebook: /MumbaiFilmFestival

 Instagram: /mumbaifilmfestival 

YouTube: Mumbai Film Festival

                                     


Dimensions Mumbai

A short film competition of five minute duration or less in any format by the Youth of Mumbai below the age of twenty five, on any aspect of this bustling metropolis, Mumbai.

Harmony celebrate age

This competition aspires to encourage filmmakers from all over the world to look at the spice, fun, adventure and concerns of growing older.

World cinema

World Cinema showcases the best cinema of the year which are selected from important global film festivals.

Above the cut

Films in this category screens a package of debut feature films which could not be accommodated in the International Competition.

Retrospectives

Films in this selection present films from the past.

Indian frame

Features the very best of Indian Cinema from all regions of the country.

New faces in Indian cinema

Screens first and second feature films of Indian directors to provide a platform for emerging Indian filmmakers.

The real reel

Showcases award-winning and critically acclaimed feature length documentaries which carry strong opinions on issues concerning social lives, human nature and many other topics.

Film India worldwide

The global face of Indian cinema, which has gone beyond reflecting