Oprah Winfrey is Finally In India

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh...OPRAH!

Well, media mogul Oprah Winfrey is finally in India. She arrived here on January 16th for the shooting of her new show ‘Next Chapter’, during which she will interview celebrities from around the world.


On the evening of January 16th, she attended a party hosted by Mumbai socialite Parmeshwar Godrej, held at Godrej’s Juhu residence, during which leading Bollywood celebrities lined up to meet her. Some of them included Hrithik Roshan, Kangna Ranaut, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Priyanka Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, Imran Khan, Lara Dutta, and of course the Bachchans. Oprah wore an orange and gold sari, with gold bangles, for the occasion. Lara Dutta was extremely happy about meeting Oprah, and posted this photo on her Twitter page.


In fact, Oprah Winfrey arrived at the party in one of the Bachchan’s cars, sitting in the back seat with Aishwaria, while Amitabh drove and Abhishek sat up front. Prior to that, she had visited the Bachchan residence Jalsa, to meet the latest addition to the Bachchan family, Aishwarya’s two-month-old daughter ‘Beti B’ who was born on November 14th 2011. Well, it is now expected that the first glimpse of the Bachchan baby will be shown on Oprah's ‘Next Chapter’, when it finally airs. Will you be watching?


Oprah Winfrey also visited fashion designer Manish Malhotra’s store in Juhu to pick up a few Indian designer outfits. According to Malhotra, she picked up two churidar kurtas (emerald and red) and one sari. The emerald kurta has chikankari and kashmiri work, with a velvet finish, while the deep-red chiffon kurta has antique gold embroidery. The sari is wine chiffon, with black lace appliqué and a corset. Let’s see when she wears them...

Oprah Winfrey is expected to stay in India till January 22nd, during which she is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival. She is also expected to shoot a portion of her show at the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.

There was a time when I never used to miss Oprah Winfrey's shows. Later on, when Oprah began using her show to try and sell stuff, I grew wise to Oprah's promotional gimmicks and freebies, and stopped watching. However, I have caught my dad watching re-runs of her show many times - especially those soppy ones in which guests cry...Do you still watch Oprah?

How much do you think Oprah Winfrey has paid Aishwariya, Abhishek and the rest of the Bachchans to display the first glimpse of Baby B on her talk show?

Also read about Aishwarya Rai on Oprah Winfrey's Talk Show 'Oprah'.

iSkate Ice Skating Rink in Delhi

Wanting to try something new this New Year, we decided to go ice-skating. I had recently come across a newspaper ad for a new ice-skating rink in the Delhi area, and wanted to give it a try.

Well, this ice-skating rink turned out to be much bigger and better than I had expected. It was located on the sixth floor of the Ambiance Mall in Gurgaon, and was spread out over 15,000 square feet. I thought it would be quite cold in the ice-rink, and had brought lots of woolens along. However, it wasn’t; and as I skated I began to feel hotter and hotter, and finally took off my jacket.


Tickets were expensive, but that was expected as maintenance costs are sure to be high. As we went on a weekend, we had to pay Rs.400 for a one hour 15 minute session. We were allowed to enter about 15 minutes before our scheduled time, so that we could put on ice-skates. These grey-coloured figure skates were provided by the ice-rink, and were available in all sizes. As we had booked tickets for a disco session, there was DJ music and strobe lights throughout our session, as well

Below is the price list of iSkate in Ambi Mall:

• Weekdays: Rs.300 per session, and Rs.200 for spectators. There is no disco session, except on Wednesday nights.
• Weekends (Fri-Sun): Rs.400 per session, and Rs.300 for spectators. Disco sessions are held once in the afternoon, and once in the night.
• Penguin skating aid for kids costs Rs.150.
• Locker rental costs Rs.100. To save on locker rental charges, we left our bags in the security check-in of one of the flagship retail stores in Ambience Mall.

There were lots of coaches and trainers around (some foreign) to guide you about ice-skating, and give tips. There were also marshals to pick up fallen people, ensure that everyone skates in an anti-clockwise direction, and do not stare.

According to Bird Group, the company that owns this ice-skating rink in Delhi, iSkate has a capacity for 200 people. At the beginning of the session, there were more than 150 people on the rink, but this number soon lessened as people began walking off due to various reasons, like tiredness, injury, embarrassment or soaking pants. I fell down about six-seven times, and so did my friends. A useful tip: Tie your jacket around your waist to minimise the impact of falling on your behind. Also ensure that there is nothing sharp in your jacket, or else…

iSkate is open from 10am to 10pm. This ice-skating rink in Delhi also has a café, where you can order snacks and drinks. It also has an upper level for spectators and parents to watch.

It is not easy to get here if you don’t have your own transport. The closest metro station is at IFFCO Chowk. You can also take a bus from Karol Bagh or Dhaula Kuan, get off at the toll bridge or at the mall, and walk.

Another ice-skating rink is believed to have opened in Kirti Nagar, for which I will write a review later. Have you ever tried ice-skating? What was your experience like?