LEISURE: Game for life
Though life isn't allowing much leisure time to any one of us, the high-spirited Pune public is all set to enjoy whatever little time they get. And the limited time isn't stopping them from exploring newer leisure activities. Last year witnessed game parlours registering huge success among youngsters and this year will witness their flourish, predict the experts. "Video games were new and had their share of limelight, and it's the turn of bowling now; it's catching up fast among the urban youth. This will not lessen the charm of popular video games like basket ball," observes Sachin Dhoka, owner, three D Destination Fun HO.
Ganesh Shankar Markad of Sakshi Enterprise Sukh Sagar feels video games would continue to rule the roost when it comes to middle class customers. A few may opt for expensive gaming like bowling and poker, but that won't be as regular as video games."
After entertaining people with their video games and bowling, Wonder Funkey, a game parlour is coming up with snooker and pool tables. "Bowling will continue to remain popular; everybody in the age group of eight to 80 can enjoy this game. But given the popularity that pool and snooker enjoy, we thought of including them as well."

Cinema: Seen and cuts
Pankaj Rag, Director FTII (Film and Television Institutre of India) says, "The kind of films that are being made these days cater to the corporate and NRI audience and I think this would continue. However there have also been films of very good social relevance such as Taare Zameen Par. This is a welcome drift that will be carried forward in 2009 diluting the earlier bifurcation of art and commercial cinema with the mainstream cinema coming up with offbeat ideas. In terms of regional films, as far Bhojpuri film scene is concerned, it is extremely lousy and not very progressive. I also expect the New Year to have a dedicated channel that will show documentaries that are being made wonderfully and in a large number in our country since there is hardly any private channel which has space for these.”

Food: From the platter
The buzzwords for 2009 will be comfort food, bite-size desserts, healthy kids' meals and recession-proof dining. Ginger will be the new mint, with the spice finding favour in beers, mojitos and other cocktails. Also, cooking at home looks set to become really big, with recession well and truly upon us now. Look forward to chefs going low on salt and spice, keeping in mind the growing tribe of health-conscious diners.
Chef Amarendra Mishra, executive chef, Taj Blue Diamond says the emphasis in 2009 will be on light meals and healthy food. "There'll be a shift from a la carte to buffet, from desserts to fruits, from spicy and rich grub to roasted and baked food. People these days want quick buffets and simpler food and we're all geared up to cater to this change in preferences,' he adds.

Theatre: From the stage
Theatre that has been thriving on the cultural appetite of Puneites since long and in 2009 it appears to expand its impact extensively. Satish Alekar, noted playwright and director of Lalit Kala Kendra shares, "Pune has a long-standing tradition in theatre and with the committed and non-commerical young bunch of theatre enthusiasts I expect this tradition to grow and expand extensively in 2009." Alekar is positive about the future generation bringing out the new sensibilities of Marathi theatre. "With Aasakta and Nipun Dharamadhikari's theatre group and also other groups comprising of young theatre actors and directors will definitely add another dimension to theatre in the coming year." Alekar also is looking forward to the completion of the cultural complex at Ghole Road. "Surprisingly, PMC for the first time has come up with something like this. The complex will be an excellent space for experimental theatre to spread its wings. It will also provide the budding theatre actors with ample space to practice," says he. Shrirang Godbole, writer and director says, "Art is the reflection of the society. And the echoes of the socio-economical situation in the country will be clearly visible in the field of experimental theatre in the year 2009."

ART: Colour palette
Expression finds various means, colours and canvas being the most popular. Given its image of being the cultural capital of Maharashtra, the city gives its due respect to art. And in return the ever-evolving art also proves a treat for the eye and food for thought for art-lovers. Subhash Awachat, artist, says, "Art is now more personal. It cannot be categorised as good and bad by a single person. However, goody -goody art is no longer appreciated, people want reflection of reality in art as well." Artiste Vijay Shinde feels that the audience today has become more intelligent and aware. At the same time, the art has also evolved. Artistes are thinking ahead of the time and one may expect paintings that have an element of surprise and at the same time are common enough for people to relate to."

FASHION: Where to match
“The next awaited thing is the spring summer collection in 2009 and it's probably going to be full of light colours. The year will see colours like pale yellow and a lot of light blues come back in vogue. Then again, it would vary from one designer to the other and some might want to break this trend. Another fashion statement that is very much in and is likely to be carried on in 2009 is outfits that are voluminous, and with flairs and balloons.,” says Damyanti Bhosle, Proprieter of Araliya, the designer store. “Tight and fitting clothes are passé. The style is at par with international fashion and even designers like Alexander McQueen are experimenting with light colours like green and beige. However, although the emphasis was on the empire line last year, this year, whether it is dresses or trousers, the stress will be on high waist, along with pastels, hot pink, yellow and vibrant blue. I think beige is going to be an unavoidable colour in every wardrobe all this year,” adds she.

BOOKS: Booked for the year
The current trends point towards writing that is entertaining yet realistic. Novels that talk about lost roots and wasted ambitions, entrepreneurship and legends will be in. Among the notables are Salim Must Die by Mukul Deva, Sethji by Shobhaa Dé, The Ganesha Palindrome by Ashok Banker and Advaita Kala's Almost Single - a sequel to her bestselling debut novel. Farahad Zama makes a debut with The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, and with India-1947, Jaswant Singh tries to decipher who was really responsible for India's partition - Jinnah, the Congress or the British. Another work to watch out for is The Heart of Islam by Sadia Dehlvi.
Sharan Biradar, senior manager, Crossword bookstore, Sohrab Hall says among international authors, the titles to look forward to are Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer, The Associate by John Grisham and Assegai by Wilbur Smith. "Among Indian authors, Tarun Tejpal's The Story of My Assassins, Geeta Hariharan's Fugitive Histories, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi's The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay, Shashi Tharoor's India and Kamala Markanday's A Silence of Desire are eagerly awaited," he adds.

BOOKS: Booked for the year

The current trends point towards writing that is entertaining yet realistic. Novels that talk about lost roots and wasted ambitions, entrepreneurship and legends will be in. Among the notables are Salim Must Die by Mukul Deva, Sethji by Shobhaa Dé, The Ganesha Palindrome by Ashok Banker and Advaita Kala's Almost Single - a sequel to her bestselling debut novel. Farahad Zama makes a debut with The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, and with India-1947, Jaswant Singh tries to decipher who was really responsible for India's partition - Jinnah, the Congress or the British. Another work to watch out for is The Heart of Islam by Sadia Dehlvi.
Sharan Biradar, senior manager, Crossword bookstore, Sohrab Hall says among international authors, the titles to look forward to are Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer, The Associate by John Grisham and Assegai by Wilbur Smith. "Among Indian authors, Tarun Tejpal's The Story of My Assassins, Geeta Hariharan's Fugitive Histories, Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi's The Lost Flamingoes of Bombay, Shashi Tharoor's India and Kamala Markanday's A Silence of Desire are eagerly awaited," he adds.

ART: Colour palette
Expression finds various means, colours and canvas being the most popular. Given its image of being the cultural capital of Maharashtra, the city gives its due respect to art. And in return the ever-evolving art also proves a treat for the eye and food for thought for art-lovers. Subhash Awachat, artist, says, "Art is now more personal. It cannot be categorised as good and bad by a single person. However, goody -goody art is no longer appreciated, people want reflection of reality in art as well." Artiste Vijay Shinde feels that the audience today has become more intelligent and aware. At the same time, the art has also evolved. Artistes are thinking ahead of the time and one may expect paintings that have an element of surprise and at the same time are common enough for people to relate to."