Wednesday 31 July 2013

Food Festival at Minnara Masjid during Ramadan



Its a road that is less traveled on normal days, but during Ramadan the Minara Masjid lane at Mohammad Ali Road turns into a foodie's paradise from mouth-watering delicacies to the colorful display of deserts. All items are reasonable priced and would not burn a whole in your wallet.

On a Saturday night few of us friends visited Minara Masjid which is located at South Mumbai. This is something which we do every year during Ramadan. A night at Minara Masjid. it’s an experience in itself. If you are foodie and have a craving for non-veg food, then you should not miss the opportunity to visit Minara Masjid at least once during Ramadan.  It’s a food festival which starts only after opening the fast in the evening and picks up real steam only late hours in the night.

 




Its a hot and happening place during the month of Ramadan. You will find some famous loyal customers from Bollywood and television stars like Javed Jaffery, Preity Zinta, Rakshanda Khan among others enjoying their meal late at night. 

Sunday 28 July 2013

Indian Wedding : Mehendi


Asian bride looks incomplete without Mehendi. Mehendi also known as “Henna” is a significant part of all the customs and traditions of India. It is believed that the Indian wedding is not complete without the Mehendi ceremony which is common in all religion. Mehendi is also applied in most of the festive season also like Eid, Karva Chauth and other festivals



For hundreds of years, women and men have used Mehendi to paint their hands, feet’s, leg, beards and hair for traditional ceremonies and festivals. 

Mehendi is basically applied on hands and feet's of the bride and is usually applied a day before the wedding so that the color is enhanced for the auspicious occasion. It is believed that the darker the color of the Mehendi applied on the bride’s hand, the more her soon- to–be husband will love her :) thou I find this little funny :)

There are many different types of Mehendi designs but most common ones are Indian, Pakistani, Arabian and African designs.  The Mehendi designs are a lot different from each other and are famous in their own right for their uniqueness but I personally prefer Indian and Arabic designs as I find them more attractive and appealing. 


The Indian Mehendi Style- Indian Mehendi design is quite famous among people all over the world. This design is very distinguishable as it is represented with a dot or a figure on the midpoint of the palm. Finger tips are fully colored. Moreover, this design is quite detailed and covers the hands and arms entirely. You can at times find a motif of elephant or a peacock. Few people also remove a king and a queen on hands which is quiet common in India.
 


The Arabian Mehendi Style– This design has caught a lot of eyeballs. The color of the Arabic Mehendi is too dark and is composed of very bold patterns. This Mehndi design is less detailed and complex. Floral patterns are a trademark for the Arabic Mehendi. This design has a lot of left over spaces on the skin. So the final outcome is very appealing and attractive thou let me tell you it cannot be compared to the Indian and Pakistani bridal Mehendi (Dulhan Mehendi) as they are both unique in their own place. 


The Pakistani Mehendi Style- This design is very detailed and intricate and consumes a lot of time in its application. The Pakistan Mehendi is composed of fine fill-ins and has a very few left over spaces. 




The African Mehendi Style – This design is also considered very beautiful like other designs. The African Mehendi design is composed of bold patterns representing geometrical figures, lines and dots.

There are various beautiful designs in Mehendi for your hands and feet’s. Let have a look at some unique designs that set them apart from others. . I also get to hear that there is Chinese Mehendi…now can you believe that??? Thou I have very limited pictures to share with you nevertheless you can have a look how it looks like. 


Chinese Mehendi Design: Chinese designs will obviously be different then the Asian design. Here’s a look at their motifs and design. 

Chinese Motifs

Chinese Mehendi

Shading: Looks great when you apply the Mehendi and later on once the color comes it looks more beautiful. 


Simple And unique designs: This design is simple and covers maximum area. In spite of a simple motif it still looks elegant. 


Mehendi Designs for Feet:  We love Mehendi on our feet too and when it is time for your wedding why leave your feet empty? The design use for feet’s are kept simple yet classy. At times glitter and stones are used to decorate the designs making it look more catchy and appealing. 


Moroccan Mehendi: An almost complete Mehendi applied with a syringe. The most common henna tool in Morocco. 

How can we miss our guest…  without Mehendi on hands you don’t feel that you are in a festive mood and part of the occasion . So in lot of wedding's there is a person hired just to apply mehendi to the guests. 



Our Bollywood brides during their wedding …

 Let’s have a look at some very creative and unique designs. 




 I hope you liked the post. Tell me among the above which Mehendi design you would prefer???