From flat beds to foie gras, the best for the high flying corporate. Let's check out all the goodies that the domestic sector offers to Club Class passenger

Air Sahara
Air Sahara's Sahara Royale and Sahara special classes both offer increased leg room to provide total seating comfort on board. As a business class passenger, one gets to choose from five customized cuisines - Thai, Italian, French, Chinese and Indian. The choices are spread over a variety of 75 menus and are available on all lunch and dinner flights. If one is flying on the afternoon flight, one can get sandwiches custom made to taste. And this is the only domestic carrier that serves ice cream (during the summer). Apart from this, one can also specify preferences at the time of booking and partake of anything from Jain, diabetic, low cal, fruit platter, sea food or Asian fare. In-flight entertainment includes individual four channel music, and a personalized reading kit that includes at least two daily newspapers and two general interest magazines. Although the airline has designated two cabin crew members for 16 business class passengers, just in case one finds the cabin crew a little too busy serving the meal or carrying out other routine chores, one can always call on the special on-board executives who are specially posted to give that extra personal touch.

Jet Airways

Club Premiere is the exclusive business class and the preferred mode of travel for businessman and senior personnel in the corporate world. As a Club Premiere passenger, one has the privilege of selecting a seat at the time of reservation; tele check-in facility up to 45 minutes before departure and dedicated check-in counters at most airports.

One can also get the privilege of relaxing and enjoying complimentary beverages and snacks at their plush airport lounges in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Hyderabad and enjoy priority baggage delivery which means your baggage is offloaded at the carousel first so that one can disembark and collect bags without having to wait at the baggage retrieval area. A course-by-course personalized meal starting from refreshing soups to a variety of rich desserts for longer flights or a delicious selection of snacks. And the luxury doesn't just stop there. The meals are served on the finest bone china, which has been designed exclusively for Jet Airways by Nritake. Crisp, fresh linen completes the pleasant experience.

Kingfisher Airlines
King of good times Kingfisher Airlines, with its spanking new environment friendly Airbus is an experience in itself. From a personal valet at the airport, baggage handling to boarding, exclusive lounges with private space, accompanied with refreshments and music. Kingfisher puts on quite a show for your in-flight entertainment.

Rest your head on fully-adjustable headrests, stretch out on a 48" seat pitch, put your feet up on extendable foot-rests and lean back on a 125? recline. It's not food that's served on board Kingfisher, it's works of art. The menu offers three courses. All highlighted by the piece de resistance - chilled caviar or Norwegian smoked salmon and ending with sinfully tempting Signature Dessert. To add to dining experience, the table is set with bone china crockery and silver cutlery.

A welcome pack that boasts the finest premium personal care essentials, exclusive Kingfisher stationery, national and international news, business & lifestyle magazines and newspapers are just the extraa toppings that add to the rich experience.

Go on feel like a king!

 Built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy, the flagship Ms Amsterdam sets the standard for five-star cruise ships.
 Ms Amsterdam blends the very latest in shipbuilding technology with the artistry, personalized touches, and superior service that has made Holland America Line one of the highest-rated cruise lines in the world.
   

At the heart of the Ms Amsterdam is the Planeto Astrolabium, a specially commissioned signature sculpture suspended and soaring in a three-story atrium. The stunning Astrolabe tracks constellations, the planets, world time and ship time.
With the capacity to carry 1,380 guests, the Ms Amsterdam features 172 staterooms with verandahs. The Ms Amsterdam completed all Signature of Excellence enhancements to her public rooms and staterooms in spring 2005.
 In early 2007 she circumnavigates the globe on her Grand World Voyage.

  Signature features include:
  The two-tier La Fontaine Dining Room features impeccable service and an extensive wine list, and offers five-course menus, from continental cuisine to vegetarian and low-carb options.

    The intimate reservations-only Pinnacle Grill offers an elegant, sophisticated dining experience and features premium hand-selected cuts of Sterling Silver beef, inspired seafood dishes and many select wines.

    The Lido Restaurant offers a relaxed ambiance for all three meals and features a variety of fresh, cooked-to-order specialties.

    The Culinary Arts Center, presented by Food & Wine magazine, is the setting for gourmet cooking demonstrations and interactive classes.

    Explorations Caf?, powered by The New York Times, features the largest library at sea, as well as comfortable music listening stations and Internet access.

    The Greenhouse Spa & Salon features thermal suites, hydrotherapy and thalassotherapy pool, heated ceramic lounges and more.

    The Queen's Show Lounge features Las Vegas-style productions, talented vocalists, illusionists, comedians and variety acts.

    The Crow's Nest, where sweeping views make observation lounge a top choice for relaxing during the day, and in the evening transforms into a hip, fashionable nightclub features top-notch DJs and live bands.

    Dedicated youth facilities and activities for kids ages 3 to 12.

    The Loft and The Oasis, designed exclusively for teens to have fun, socialize and hang out with people their own age.

    At the heart of the Holland America experience is a warm and unobtrusive style of service that is never in the way and never out of reach.

    Expect excellence: sail with nearly one crew member for every two guests, for the impeccable service that has long defined classic cruising.
    Rhythm of relaxing and inspiring days onboard, with a wealth of activities and enrichment programs for pleasure. One day opt for a hot stone massage in luxurious Greenhouse Spa and Salon, another day elect to attend a cooking demonstration in the world class Culinary Arts Center, improve golf swing or spend time at one of the pools.
    Discovery, both of new countries and new places, is the true spirit of world travel. World of education, activity, enrichment and inspiration onboard Holland America Line ships.
    Public rooms, with rich, polished woods and soft leather furniture create an inviting ambiance.
    Staterooms filled with all manner of sophisticated amenities beckon to retreat for hours. There is a certain kind of elegance that never goes out of style, inviting to relax into a world of comfort and easy elegance aboard the spacious ships of Holland America Line.
    An African safari, the romance of Venice, the grandeur of Asian palaces, the drama of Machu Picchu and the great pyramids, the exquisite pleasures of a transoceanic crossing.
    In 2008, it celebrates the 50th anniversary of first world cruise.

The Indian Derby, run at Mahalakshmi Race Course, is the highlight of Mumbai's racing year. Traditionally run on the first Sunday of February, the race is known as the "Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown".

It is restricted to four-year-old horses, both colts and fillies, but is almost of secondary importance to the activities surrounding the event. Serious punters are comprehensively outnumbered on Derby day as the course overflows with well-heeled viewers. As personalities go however, it has been the colorful presence of Dr Vijay Mallya that has brought that added dosage of high glam, glitz, style, and fashion into the sport.

Historical Background
Racing in India is a legacy of the British Raj. Though it is well documented that the British were always serious about the business of efficiently running the Empire, they invariably found time for sport and recreation, and wherever they went, they created the necessary infrastructure for its pursuit. It must be remembered that in India, the British presence depended for a very long time on its military strength. The armies of the 18th and 19th centuries were cavalry-oriented and the overwhelming involvement with horses inevitably meant that equine sports like fox-hunting, polo, point-to-point racing, steeple chasing and flat-racing came to the fore. Almost every cantonment in India had a racecourse and race meetings were organized as far back as the 18th century.

Present status
The balance sheets of a majority of the race clubs are awash in red ink and owners are deserting the game in droves, as prize money is unable to keep pace with inflation. What is keeping the game going is the patronage of Mallya and other Indian booze barons as too local industrialists. Another silver lining is that Indian racehorses have proved themselves in the markets of Singapore and Malaysia and now even Dubai, therefore a continuous inflow of capital for the better racehorses is likely.

Race Tracks
All racetracks in India, except Delhi, are variations of the round/oval in shape, and are generally level. Mumbai has a full-fledged season, Madras holds Monsoon racing on the dirt training track. Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune hold their Monsoon Meetings on Monsoon Tracks (parallel to the main tracks), which are turf tracks with better drainage. Sand or tan tracks are used for training, all of which takes place at the racecourses. There are no private training centers.

Metric System
Indian racing switched over to the metric system of weights and distances from the 1962-63 season. In handicaps, bottom weight is usually 47.0 kg., while top weight is usually 59.0 kg.

Sponsorship
Of racing in India is significant. McDowell & Co. Ltd., United Breweries Ltd., Herbertsons Ltd., VST Ltd., Shaw Wallace Group, ITC Ltd., etc. have been amongst the major sponsors.

Betting
Betting is permitted on Tote as well as with the bookmakers operating at the racecourses. Volumes are significant - legal Tote wagering is estimated at Rs 2 billion annually, with a similar figure for legal betting with licensed bookmakers. All centres conduct "off-course" or "inter-track" wagering on races run at other centers, mainly with live TV coverage at the receiving course. There is no legal telephone betting, smart card wagering or internet betting. Programmes are so arranged by mutual consultation that overlap of racing days is kept to a minimum. On occasions, morning racing is held for this purpose.

Statistics

This time 1,072 horses took part under the guidance of 42 trainers. Stake money paid out: Approx. Rs 8.3 million. With attendance of 30,000 jet set biggies.

Whether these facts lure you to the race course or not, if you get yourself invited to this annual event make sure you pick the right outfit. Because this is truly British Raj redux with all the propah English gentry trimmings - hats, gloves, cucumber sandwiches, scones... The magnificent thoroughbreds pounding the turf on race day are merely the sideshow.

A total of over Rs 1.6 billion invested, the park spread over an area of 62 acres features over 20 different rides and attractions, supplied by leading European manufacturers such as Intamin, Moser and Zamperla, who supply rides to Disney, Universal Studios and Six Flags. It is the Rohini, Delhi Adventure Island and Metro Walk by Unitech Amusement Parks Ltd. and International Amusement Ltd.

The Rohini Amusement Park combines the experiences of both retail and entertainment destination through its two distinct zones. The retail experience is called Metro Walk and the amusement park area Adventure Island. A separate zone in Adventure Island has been designed along with Turner Networks and is called Planet Pogo, which will house a MAD Theatre and Pogo Plazas for children. Adventure Island will also include a water park and a multimedia area, says managing director Rakesh Babbar.

Toronto-based leading architecture firm Forrec Limited, designed the layout of the park. Internationally renowned consultants such as City Design Group, Electrosonic, Management Resources and Cini Little have also been roped in to create a world-class amusement park and retail destination that promises to be a one-of-its-kind entertainment destination bigger that anything else in its catchment area.

The amusement park featuring 15 rides will be specific to children and teenagers and for the whole family.

Adventure Island comprises of a separate children's zone that will be themed around the popular children's entertainment channel Pogo. This zone will be called Planet Pogo and will house special attractions such as the MAD Theatre, H2O zone and HQ.

Another major attraction is the water park that will feature several long water slides, a large lazy river, fountains and a wave pool.

Metrowalk Mall

With a total area of 200,000 sq. ft., Metro Walk is one of the biggest malls retail, food and entertainment. An artificial lake spread across 3.5 acres provide refreshing backdrop to exclusive retail experience. Themed signages and extensive interiors in vibrant colours will line the central courtyard of the Metrowalk.

Water Management

The promoters have commissioned an environment-friendly water management system, sourced from 8 tube wells located along the site, will then be treated at the RO plants for water filtration before being used in the park. To counter the drawing of ground water, the park has outlined a plan to harvest water. Recharge pits will be constructed within the site that will absorb rainwater back in the ground. The park also plans to set up a water treatment plant in the future that would make it possible to recycle and reuse unclean water.

The latest thing to happen in the world of wireless gaming is the number of big and not so big Bollywood honchos making their presence felt.

There is the Badshah of Disco and bling 'Boppy Da' (Bappi Lahiri for the uninitiated) who is engaged on a new mission - to get back at the baddies who have robbed him of his jewels. The mobile game featuring the portly composer has been making tracks on the popularity charts in India and abroad. The game has him him stunning the villains, with his high-voltage guitar.

Then there is also southside actor Madhavan, who is busy evading the paparazzi in 'Run Maddy Run'.

Already in the pipelines are Hrithik Roshan (in a Krrish game) and Bollywood badshah Shahrukh Khan (Don).

Gaming centering around Bollywood celebrities has been around for some time but now market forces are swinging the other way with actors wooing gaming companies, signing contracts, negotiating royalty money which on an average is 10 to 20 per cent of the download revenues.

Gaming is expected to grow annually and actors are queuing up to get featured. A well crafted and hyped mobile game spreads through the personal network of friends,

colleagues and business contacts abroad. The bigger canvas is that of simultaneous releases of Hindi films in foreign countries with promotional and ground events with the stars. For old actors it's a better and faster way to keep them alive amongst the youth.

Games are also being designed on brash heroes like Salman Khan and Bollywood bombshells Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu are hopping aboard the bandwagon as well. Sameera Reddy who's got her own share of adulation, is getting into another mobile game with 'Sameera Acquadventure'.

It has become a greater vehicle for brand visibility. A few hundred downloads per day will do wonders for star image. There can't be a bigger lure for actors having a multi-faceted image, which leads them to actively participate and even lend concepts during the scripting stage.

By Nidhi Jain

When seeking out the value of a poster, it is important first of all to determine its actual authenticity and whether the release date makes it an original or re-release item. Paper size, texture and copyright info usually determine age of most film posters. Many of the earlier vintage posters produced before 1940 had studio logos and copyrights but were often not dated.

Several aspects of these posters make it easy to identify them as reproductions

First, their size - 24" x 36" - a size not produced by any movie studio for display in theaters. The standard "one sheet" size movie poster was always 27" x 41". Second, at the bottom of the poster was clearly printed "copyright Portal Publications". Re-release or reissue posters are still "original" theater used movie posters, but have considerably lesser value than a first release poster. Most often a reissue can be determined by looking at the bottom of poster in the right hand corner. There will usually be an "R" in front of a year number - as in "R56" - if it is a reissue. Other clues are phrases such as "An Encore Hit", "Brought Back by Popular Demand" or "Nothing Cut But the Prices".

Poster Value
For movie posters, value is determined by a combination of factors, the most important being the title of the film. The most desirable posters are those from the most universally loved films such as Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, or It's a Wonderful Life. The second deciding factor in desirability are the graphics on the poster. Often the title to a film poster might not be of importance but the graphics can be gorgeous. The poster might be illustrated with beautiful art-deco graphics or depending on the artist, of which many well-known illustrators of the first half of the twentieth century worked on posters, it could make the poster valuable. Finally the Condition is of great importance.The top horror and science fiction film titles have always generated the highest prices and continue to do so. Other genres and stars that receive high value include Film Noir, the Marx Brothers, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Douglas Fairbanks, early Walt Disney cartoons and other classic animation, and Alfred Hitchcock.

Determine Value of Poster

As with any collectible, prices for movie posters fluctuate wildly.

Movie Poster Grading

Mint
A never used poster. May show minor signs of age and wear at folds due to storage. No holes, no tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Fine
A poster with bright colors, clean, with general signs of use. May have minor tears at folds with minor paper loss, may have fine pin holes. May have restoration.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/ or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.