Spotlight

Purchase water from WASA

It is the same old story of wretchedness every summer.The raging sun is vapourising life out of Dhaka dwellers. The slightest movement of the limbs feels excruciating. It feels that even if we look at the scorching sun it will melt the eyeballs out. At a time like this what the heart desires most is a glass of cool water or a fresh long shower. The misery escalates when the reservoir of water appears depleted. In summer time all around Dhaka empty water tanks announce that the supply of water is low, only to increase the agony. We see ghoti-kolshi rallies of angry mobs every year but for over-populated Dhaka the situation rarely improves.

One clammy morning if you find yourself in the exact situation that there is barely enough water in the tank to last an hour what can you do to make things easier? Here is an easy way of crisis management.

Did you know that Dhaka WASA has a special facility of selling water for minimal sum of money? They have several mobile water tanks that will go to your door step and refill your reserve tank. 450 gallons of water would cost tk125. For 1200 gallons of water the charge will be tk200 and you can get 1800 gallons of water for tk250.

The city is divided in to six water zones. Each zone has a complain centre. You can either go to the centre or call them to ask for the amount of water you need. Starting from Shyampur, Kadamtali, then Rayerbag, Merajnagar, Manda, Baashaabo, Mugdapara, and from Motijheel to Hatkhola all these areas belong to zone one. Those who live in Nawabpur, Folder Street, New Market, and Dhaka University area to BDR gate fall in zone 2. Zone 3 will be Dhanmondi, Rayerbazar, Lalmatia, Mohammadpur, Shyamoli, Adabor, and all the recently built residential areas in Mohammanpur. Zone 4 would be Kallyanpur, Agargaon, Ibrahimpur, Bhashantek, Manikdi, and all the section of Mirpur. From Karwan bazar to Tejgaon commercial area, then Mohakhali, Gulshan, Banani, Badda, Uttora, Tongi, Baridhara, and Boshundhora belongs to zone 5. Zone 6 would be Ramna, Magbazar, Malibagh, Khilgaon, Rampura, Goran, Bhuiaa para, Bonoshri, and Niketon.

Here are the phone numbers of the complain centres that might come in handy. Zone 1 phone number is 9356957, for zone 2 call 7315249, the number of zone 3 is 8120205, 9003842 is the number of zone 4, the number of zone 5 is 9899340 and zone 6 is 9358615. You can also call the System Operation and Control office, situated at Kakrail paanir tank compound. They provide water to the complainer of every zone. Their number is 9358615. Usually it takes a day to get the supply depending on the demand.

By Shahnaz Parveen

News flash

Kay Kraft Summerfest 2004

Starting with only one outlet back in 1993 Kay Kraft has now emerged as one of the biggest fashion houses of the country with five showrooms spreading across different parts of Dhaka city. Keeping in the mind summer season that is upon us, Kay Kraft has brought out, for the seventh season in a row, their summer collection under the heading of 'Summerfest 2004'.

The festival has begun on the Friday, 14 May 2004 at their Bailey Road outlet and will continue throughout the week from 10:30 A.M. to 9 P.M. While preparing this year's summer collection the designers of KK have given special emphasis on the use of materials rather than the design. A good variation has been brought about through the use of different materials, cuts and patterns. White and different shades of pastel have been incorporated in the product design. The other colour schemes that have been highlighted are soft pink, mauve, lemon, sky blue and paste. As the Kay Kraft designers put it, simplicity is the key to their new line of clothes for the summer.

The prices of the clothes are well within the reach of the consumers. The prices of salwar kameez range from 650 to 1650 takas, short dresses from Tk. 300 to 750, tops and fatua cost about 200 to 850. The price of the sarees varies from 375 to 1250 takas. The men's line is rich in term of design and variety and is definitely worth a look. The fatuas, shirts and t-shirts are all prices within taka 475 and are quite a bargain.

By the lizard king

Safa's Collections at Banani

The name of the store written in light yellow against a green background will not miss your eyes next time you visit the Road no. 11 of Banani.

Khadiza Rahman Litu has been designing dresses at her own residence for more than seven years and it's on the 14th of May that this experienced designer has finally opened up her own boutique at this popular stretch of road of Banani.

The interior of the store has been done wonderfully with glass, tiles and wood; the beautiful lighting arrangement has added to the glamour of this small yet splendid shop. Besides dresses like salwar kameez, sari and kurtas, at Safa's you will get pretty comfy sandals that are locally made, within tk.400 to tk.1200, then there are fashionable Chinese bags with tags reading reasonable prices. Litu also designs eye catching costume jewelry that is ready to compliment with your party wear. Made by our local craftspeople, each piece of her jewelry is unique in its own beauty and intricacy of designs. The silver-plated jewelry is available within tk.1700 to tk.3000. There are also lovely terra-cotta jewellery designed by Litu and prepared by skilled artists of Kolkata. However, prices of these exclusive jewellery are a bit higher, each terra-cotta set will cost you about tk.300.

The prices of the salwar kameez sets and kurtas will cost you between tk.900 and tk.5000, and the cotton saris will cost you within tk.600 to tk.1500 at Safa's.

The best part about Safa's dresses is that only 50% of every outfit are stitched and the rest of a dress is sewed according to the buyer's body measurement, which is indeed great.

So the next time you go around Banani, don't forget to step inside this lovely store for a stylish outfit or a superb piece of jewellery.

Address: House # 26, Block # D, Road # 11, Banani.

By Wara Karim

Villa Vistas Italian food festival

What's with this penchant for stuff by Italians? People want their shoes, their Sophia Loren and their Ferraris. Well, connoisseurs of Italian things can whet their appetite at Villa Vista. The place has been open for business for quite a few months but on the 14th of May there has been the grand opening.

The occasion was kick started with the chief guest Dr, Pietro Ballero, Ambassador of Italy to Bangladesh. Surprisingly everything took place on time and a typical Bangladeshi type of late arrival for the guest meant being right on time for the food.

The event highlighted the food specials with different types of stringy noodles, beef dishes and tons of salads. Guest turnout was huge with everyone crowding and obscuring the buffet table. The menu was set for a formal dinner so pizza was out which has a rather stiff crust.

The place has nice soft lighting providing a good place for quiet and peaceful dining. Of course on this day it was anything except quiet. The restaurant will hold a week long food festival highlighting the Italian dishes. It is situated opposite Dhanmondi Road 27 opposite Rapa Plaza with underground parking.

By Ehsanur Raza Ronny

Beauty Workshop at Farzana Shakil's

Connoisseurs of beauty and fashion enjoyed a rare treat as beautician Farzana Shakil organised a two-day workshop on Personal Grooming at her parlour in Dhanmondi, on Friday, April 14, and Saturday, April 15. The workshop enjoyed a full-house attendance, as enthusiastic women sat with rapt attention, which would turn any schoolteacher green with envy, and watched, listened and learned as Farzana Shakil shared tips and tricks on skincare, nail care, and the do's and don'ts of makeup.

"I often find people coming to me with queries on how to apply make-up, what colours to avoid during daytime, what would suit them, etc. So I thought I should bring them all under one roof and try to address all their needs at once" was Farzana Shakil's answer when explaining the purpose behind the workshop. The reception the workshop received was enormous, as was evident by the jam-packed rooms. There are plans underway for a similar workshop for working women, due sometime next month.

Farzana Shakil's Hair and Beauty is located at House 3/A, Road#28 Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

By Sabrina F Ahmad

TIPs

A handful of tips

A handful of frugal health and beauty tips can come very handy in your day to day life. Simple things can become even simpler for you with a few helpful tricks
For that soft and supple skin, mix a few drops of olive oil with your bath water.

Learn to save money by making optimum use of every bottle of shampoo and every tube of toothpaste you buy. Mix water to the shampoo and make enough froth to wash your hair. While the shampoo is still in your hair, run your fingers through it a few times and you won't have to resort to a fingernail brush.

For great lotion, mix one-part lotion with one-part petroleum jelly. It works better than plain lotion. Besides, it also helps to extend the value of those lotions from expensive brands.

To remove gum from hair, first rub some nail polish remover on the area and then shampoo off.

Cold cream tends to melt during the summer. To prevent cold cream from melting, store the cream containers in your refrigerator.

You can use old lipstick tubes as a pin or pill holder. But before using the tubes, remember to cleanse them thoroughly.

Use a moist washcloth to remove make-up from face instead of cotton balls. You can always save natural resources by using products that can be reused.

If your lipstick ever melts from excessive exposure to hotness, don't throw it away. Instead store it in the freezer; it will be new all over again.

Try out the above tips whenever you can to save some of your hard-earned money.

By Wara Karim

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Hanging Out

Suruchi Food Court

If you want to lunch out in a quality place and among delicious cuisine, try out Suruchi next time. The place has an awesome interior décor; the glass tables and cute steel chairs with comfy seats are sure to impress you. The waiters are well spoken and stand ready to serve you.

Suruchi offers a wide range of Thai, European, Bangladeshi and Indian dishes.

You can also relish the set lunches offered in this restaurant on one lazy afternoon with your friends and family. The Thai set lunch tastes great and include mixed fried rice, mixed vegetable with oyster sauce, beef ginger mushroom and chef salad. You can also order the Indian set lunch that contains Bosnian naan, mutton bhuna, dal makhani and chef salad. The European and the Bangladeshi set lunches are equally mouth-watering. The lunches are reasonably priced and the servings are enough to fill your tummy. The savour of every appetising item only proves the commendable culinary skill of their chefs. On Saturdays, these set lunches will cost you tk.125 per person. The place also serves drinks like lassi and fruit juice.

So the next time you think of hanging and lunching out in a good place among good food, think of checking the elegant Suruchi Food Court.

Address: Momotaz Plaza, Plot # 7, Road # 4, Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

By Wara Karim