Oh My Gold !!

Datta Phuge calls himself “the gold man” and to live up to this self-image, he ordered himself a shirt made of gold to ring in the new year. He is a chit fund businessman from Pimpri, near Pune (India) . His wife – Seema Phuge is an NCP corporator,

As he took the delivery of his custom-made 3.25 kg 22 karat gold shirt last Thursday he had jewellery weighing 5 kg loaded around his neck and wrists as accessories.

His next, but by far more modest, aspiration in the making, is a gold covered mobile phone.

About 15 goldsmiths laboured over 15 days, working 18 hours a day, to make 14,000 gold flower rings, interwoven with one lakh spangles, which were assembled on a fabric base of imported white velvet. The shirt has six Swarovski buttons and a gold belt to complete the look.

“After extensive research on the design and the look of the piece, I decided to give it an armour-like appearance,” says Tejpal Ranka who designed this opulent apparel.

Phuge, clearly a lover of bling, owns about 10 gold chains (including three chains of 70 tolas or 700 grams each), six bracelets and 25 rings, collectively weighing 10 kilograms.

But his most prized possessions are custom-made personal effects, which include a pen and a wristwatch made by the same jeweller. Now, the shell of a phone from Nokia’s gold series is being further gilded. It is likely to cost him another Rs 2.5 lakh. The phone is expected to be ready in a month’s time. “The body would be retained and the cover would be made in gold. This will be challenging as the elasticity of plastic cannot be matched by gold; so the skill set of the designer is put to a complete test,” says Ranka.

Phuge sees a lot of wisdom in his style of flamboyance. “People buy cars and go on holidays abroad. For me, gold is the ultimate passion. That is the reason I have spent a whopping amount of money on the shirt. I am looking at it as an investment which will keep appreciating.I inherited a fair amount of gold; I also want to leave behind a sufficient amount of gold for the next generation,” he explained. He has, however, not set himself a target on the quantum of gold he finally hopes to hoard. He is also not bothered by security concerns even in these days of rampant chain snatching. “I have my own security system in place. I always move around with bodyguards,” he says.

Incredible India...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPbdKPxjBGk

 

come to my country feel the different from your culture

 

India-Pakistan border in the Himalayas

Wagah border ceremony

The Wagah border closing 'lowering of the flags' ceremony is a daily military practice that the security forces of India (Border Security Force) and Pakistan (Pakistan Rangers) have jointly followed since 1959. This ceremony takes place every evening before sunset at the Wagah border, which as part of the Grand Trunk Road was the only road link between these two countries before the opening of the Aman Setu in Kashmir in 1999. The ceremony starts with a blustering parade by the soldiers from both the sides, and ends up in the perfectly coordinated lowering of the two nations' flags.^[2] It is called the beating retreat border ceremony on the international level. One infantryman (Jawan) stands at attention on each side of the gate. As the sun sets, the iron gates at the border are opened and the two flags are lowered simultaneously. The flags are folded and the ceremony ends with a retreat that involves a brusque handshake between soldiers from either side, followed by the closing of the gates again. The spectacle of the ceremony attracts many visitors from both sides of the border, as well as international tourists.

Hindu Temple...

Kolam

Kolam is a form of painting that is drawn using rice powder/chalk/chalk powder/white rock powder often using naturally/synthetically colored powders in  Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and most parts of Kerala and some parts of Goa, Maharashtra (India), Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and a few other Asian countries. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. In South India, it is widely practised by female Hindu family members in front of their homes. Kolams are regionally known by different names in India , Raangolee in Maharashtra, Hase and Raongoli in Kannada in Karnataka, Muggulu in Andhra Pradesh, etc.

Kolams are thought to bestow prosperity to homes. Every morning in Tamil Nadu, millions of women draw kolams on the ground with white rice powder. Through the day, the drawings get walked on, rained out, or blown around in the wind; new ones are made the next day. Every morning before sunrise, the floor of the owners house, or where ever it may be, is cleaned with water and the muddy floor is swept well for an even surface. The kolams are generally drawn while the surface is still damp so that it is held better. Occasionally,cow-dung is also used to wax the floors. In some cultures, cow dung is believed to have antiseptic properties and hence provides a literal threshold of protection for the home. It also provides contrast with the white powder.


Decoration was not the sole purpose of a Kolam. In olden days, kolams used to be drawn in coarse rice flour, so that the ants don't have to walk that much for too long for a meal. The rice powder is said to invite birds and other small critters to eat it, thus inviting other beings into one's home and everyday life: a daily tribute to harmonious co-existence. It is a sign of invitation to welcome all into the home, not the least of whom is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity. The patterns range between geometric and mathematical line drawings around a matrix of dots to free form art work and closed shapes. Folklore has evolved to mandate that the lines must be completed so as to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering the inside of the shapes, and thus are they prevented from entering the inside of the home.

colors...

Indian Food...

Welcome...