Swarovski, an Austrian company that has spellbound the world with its crystals range is now going to retail watches in India. The Country Manager of Consumer Goods Business, Ms Sukanya Dutta told Business Line, "Swarovski has made a name for itself in jewellery and fashion accessories over the last few decades. We want to explore the possibilities of crystal as it ventures into the field of watch-making".She said, noting that introducing Swarovski crystals to the world of watches is the culmination of over three years of research and development that the will introduce the category to its customers in India.

She said that, "we will have at least 45 models in the watch category. These watches will be priced between Rs 25,000 to Rs 77,000. Metal, leather, rubber will be enhanced with crystals and Swarovski's logo and its emblematic swanflower motif in each model".

Ms Dutta Roy, talking about Swarovski's retail expansion said that the company is looking to expand to 30 stores by 2012. The company in the gifting, fashion accessories and home decor business has 17 stores currently. She added to it, "We anticipate an investment of Rs 20 crore just for the fit-outs alone as a Swarovski store in India will be similar to one anywhere in the globe. Adding its tie-ups with large retailers like Shopper's Stop is yielding a larger customer base."

Speaking about the revenues, Ms Dutta Roy said that India is a promising market for the brand even though currently it contributes a miniscule to the global turnover. "India contributes about € 4 million (Rs 26 crore apprx) currently. We are looking at a 26 per cent growth for the current year (January to December)."

Source: Infibeam.com

Best Selling Watches in India:

Titan Fastrack

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust

Citizen Kareena Style

Related Books:
They Watch
Turtle Watch

Raksha Bandhan is an Indian festival that is celebrated in many parts of the world as well. It is particularly celebrated in the USA where there is a large population of migrants from India. During the last few decades, many Indians immigrated to the United States from India to be a part of the great American dream. Most of them have maintained their cultural and emotional ties with their motherland and continue to celebrate Indian festivals with the same spirit as celebrated here.Raksha Bandhan is one such festival that the Indian Diaspora celebrates with much fanfare and emotion in the United States. First generation Indian migrants have passed on the cultural significance to second and third generation Indian Americans and they too celebrate the festival of Raksha Bandhan with a lot of sentiment and emotion.

A few weeks before this occasion, many sisters from India send rakhi to USA to their brother living there. Since this festival has a much wider connotation, even cousins and members of the extended family residing in India send rakhi to USA to their cousins living there. Along with the rakhi, folks usually send some rice grains, betel nut, and some nuts and dry fruits.

Because of the vast distances involved, rakhi packets are sent much in advance to avoid the heavy postal rush. For people living in the USA, receiving rakhis from their sisters and cousins in India becomes a very nostalgic affair. People usually follow up with phone calls and return rakhi gifts as a token of appreciation and gratitude.

By: Nihit Aurora

Send Rakhi to USA:

Swastik Rakhi

Om Rakhis

Micky Rakhi

Related Books:
American Indian Festivals
101 Great Indian Festivals

Raksha Bandhan is the festival that commemorates the divine brother sister bond. Rakhi celebration has been an integral part of the customs since a long time now.Rakhi is celebrated in the month of Shravana on a full moon day or Poornima day. The historical overview of the Rakhi festival reveals that Yamuna tied rakhi on her brother Yama's wrist. He was so impressed that he declared that anyone who got a band or thread tied on their wrist on that particular day would remain immortal. Ever since, sisters find great solace in sending or tying Rakhis to their brothers and the brothers in turn promise to protect the sisters.

There are myriad traditions associated with rakhi celebration. Rakhi 2009 is anticipated with must enthusiasm. There are few aspects of the festival that will never change. The manner in which the rakhi is placed in a platter is indeed a reflection of our tradition. The amulet or rakhi is placed on a pooja thali comprising vermillion, lamp, flowers and sweets. The procedure of tying the rakhi is carried out in a traditional manner and blessings are sought. Sisters anticipate gifts in return.

In some sections of the society it is believed that rakhi need not always be tied between siblings as it is a thread for protection and can be tied between husband and wife, in laws and trusted friends. Yet another tradition has priests tying rakhi on patrons. They also receive gifts from them. In other parts of the country the festivities are marked by drawing figurines on the walls of the home and worshipping them the traditional way. Offerings like vermilion and kheer are integral to the celebrations.

So this year, as the month of Shravan heralds, India will spruce up for Rakhi 2009 with much aplomb. The essence will remain the same. Rakhi 2009 will be celebrated on the 5th August and as the days roll by, priceless family moments, cheer and dash of ingenuity is anticipated.

By:Nihit Aurora

Send Rakhi to India:

Zardosi and Kids Rakhi Set

Gold Rakhi

Bhaiya Bhabhi Rakhi

Related Books:
Festivals of India
Let's Know Festivals of India

Sony India has revealed two slim Cyber-shot W series cameras – the DSC-W190 and DSC-W180.

Both the cameras will be available in metallic red, black and silver colors, has a brushed metal chassis that is only 18.7mm thin and also has features like enhanced Face Detection, Smile Shutter and Digital SteadyShot technologies, automatically optimising image settings for quality photo finishes.

These W- series cameras has a capacity for large format printing of photos with high resolution and vivid details with the help of the 1/2.33-type Super HAD CCD sensor and up to 12.1 megapixel resolution, combined with 3x optical zoom and up to 18x Smart Zoom. The camera can easily detect up to 8 faces in a scene due to the featured Face Detection and automatically adjusts focus, exposure and white balance, creating optimal capture settings for high quality photos. The effects of the camera shake is reduced with the Digital SteadyShot by recording two images in rapid succession and then the images are superimposed to reduce the appearance of camera shake. As a result of it, even under difficult shooting conditions the photos appear clear.

The smile shutters available in the camera when used, the person just needs to focus on the face and when the person smiles the camera shoots automatically. It also has a high sensitivity mode of up to ISO 3200 which helps in eliminating blur when shooting is done in dimly lit environments or when capturing fast-moving subjects. The new W series cameras also has seven scene selection modes taking into consideration different shooting environments are High Sensitivity, Twilight, Twilight Portrait, Landscape, Soft Snap, Snow, and Beach, that adjust and optimize camera settings automatically for the user's environment, making beautiful images easier to capture.

Images and videos can be easily transferred to the computer via USB. The latest cameras are combined with the Picture Motion Browser ver. 4.2.01 software for effortless photo and video management. eDeco is an another version available that helps to easily add unique, mood-enhancing elements like matching photo frames, background music, text and sound effects to their photos and videos. The movie tracker helps to construct panoramic images using a combination of movie frames.

The DSC-W190 and DSC-W180 will be sold at the Sony authorized dealers and national retail partners all over India for just Rs 9,990 and Rs. 8,990 respectively.

Source:Infibeam.com

Best Selling Sony Cameras In India:

Sony W Series DSC-W220

Sony DCR-SR87E

Sony S Series DSC-S950

Related Books On Cameras:
Camera
The Camera

Leading online shopping portal Infibeam.com has recently launched its music store, making great music accessible to music fans in the country. The excellent collection of music in various categories like pop, movies, remix, spiritual, and other compilations will surely enthrall music lovers of all generations.

Speaking at the launch of the music store, Mr. Vishal Mehta, CEO & Founder Infibeam.com said "Music transcends all ages and barriers around the world and captivates people with its mesmerizing appeal. At Infibeam.com, shoppers can now sit back in comfort and choose from a wide range of music compilations in line with their preferences and varied music interests. We shall continue to provide shoppers with the most excellent choice in music."

Users can pick up genuine audio CDs, MP3, and MP4 discs and enjoy their favorite music. At Infibeam.com, a large music collection in English, Hindi, and regional languages is available for the listener's choice. So, users can take their pick of the most popular best sellers, classics, evergreen songs, and all time smash hits and listen to their favorite music albums to their heart’s content.

Also available at Infibeam.com is a wide range of all time great Bollywood and Hollywood movies along with other regional hits. Viewers can pick up their favorite movies and enjoy Action, Animation, Comedy, Family, Romantic, and other movies in Hindi, English, and other regional languages.

The addition of the music store to the existing product catalogue already available at Infibeam.com will go a long way in establishing the store as a truly brilliant online destination for music, leisure, and entertainment in addition to its existing reputation as a retail giant for leading consumer products, automobiles, gifts, and home & life style goods.

About Infibeam.com:
Infibeam.com is a wonderful and exciting new destination online. The company focuses on selling a variety of products via the Internet, which includes latest mobile phones, books, cameras, watches, health equipments, gifts, apparel, and a lot more at guaranteed lowest prices.

Choose a product of your choice and leave the rest to Infibeam.com! Team at Infibeam.com is dedicated to provide you with the lowest prices, best selection, and a really cool experience you will find no where else online.

Most online retail sites have the 'wish lists' feature these days. In fact, wish lists are a great feature to make shopping even more convenient for online shoppers. A wish list is simply a list of likeable products that you come across while shopping on an online store.

Most online stores allow you to choose almost any product from their catelog to add to your wish list, be it books, toys, gadgets, CDs, T-shirts, and more. This feature is especially useful if shoppers fancy a product for future events like festivals, anniversaries, or birthdays, or simply want to maintain a list of products and items they desire to own in the near future.

Creating a wish list on most sites is a simple task. Today, most online stores are equipped with the wish list feature, making the task of compiling a wish list a breeze. Shoppers are invited to click on the 'add to wish list icon' on the product detail pages, which adds the particular product to their wish list.

In the past, most shoppers kept a mental memory of items they liked on the store, while adding the more required ones to their shopping cart. The inclusion of the wish list feature helps shoppers to come back to the site and shop for the items they liked during their previous visits. This is helpful for the site owners also, as this improves 'site stickiness'. Additionally, wish lists are an effective online sales strategy as they encourage online visitors to spend more.

While some sites allow shoppers to create a wish list without creating an account, most online stores require shoppers to create an account and sign in before they can create and manage their wish lists. Shoppers can also add more products or delete products on their wish lists easily using the available options.

Now days, shoppers can also email their wish lists to their friends and family members so that they too can take a glimpse. Many online stores encourage wish list recipients to visit their stores and create their own wish lists in turn, which they can forward to other friends as well.

Shoppers can also visit their favorite online store and see what products their friends and family have wished for. Putting it simply across, some sites allow visitors to see the wish lists of their friends and family. Due to security concerns, most sites have recently stopped wish lists from revealing private data like shipping addresses.

Wish lists are a step further in creating an amicable shopping environment for shoppers. Wish lists help shoppers to list out their favorite items and are a sales tool for online stores since these make shoppers come to the site for repeat purchases. With shoppers increasingly bombarding their friends and relatives with wish lists, online stores also receive substantial traffic from these sources.

Wish lists are beneficial for both the shopper and the online store, as they help online shoppers to list out their desired products while the stores benefit from additional purchases and increased traffic.

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" saying is contradicted with the extravagant beautiful face of the Miss World! She is none other than the 'Gorgeous', 'Elegant', 'Beautiful' Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who in addition of being a Bollywood superstar and eternal Miss World et al, is the 'power-cover-girl' of Verve magazine, now.

The Verve's this issue features the Top 50 Most Influential Women of 2009 and thus can be rightly called as 'The Collector's Edition'.

Undoubtedly, Bollywood's dearest darling Aishwarya is on the top of the list. Ash in her interview to the magazine talks about the number game, her 'salary', her marriage, Hollywood, her father's recovery, Padma Shri and lot more.

The said article depicts that 'Interviewing Aishwarya is like prying open a floodgate'. And there is no room for argument on this. Way to go, Ash!

Source:Infibeam.com

Best Selling Magazines In India:

India Today

Stardust

Bike India

Books On Beauty:
Beauty
Black Beauty