Greetings Curry Lovers!

As we head inexorably towards that SPECIAL day of the Calendar - a ruse designed to increase the price of a rose stem from 50 pence to £5 and make useless knickknacks packaged up with red ribbon look like.. ..well.. .useless knickknacks packaged up with red ribbon - we realised that for Bollywood fans, life is one long love story. Deepa Mehta's new film 'Bollywood/Hollywood' launches nationwide on Friday 14th Feb and features a group of Indian Canadians who live in a constant "Bollywood/Hollywood" state of mind. Preeya Kalidas, star of Bombay Dreams has this week launched her new single 'Love's Never Easy'. Never a truer word was spoken Preeya....especially for those who have forgotten that it is Valentine's Day tomorrow.

BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD	LOVE'S NEVER EASY
Bollywood/Hollywood is a romantic comedy about a group of Indian Canadians who share a common passion - Bollywood. Deepa Mehta's film stars Rahul Khanna & Lisa Ray. read more	Preeya Kalidas has released 'Love's Never Easy' the new single from smash hit London show Bombay Dreams. This track, recorded at A R Rahman's studio in India, features sitars, flutes and strings. read more

To ease the tension of "How do I love thee?. Let me count the ways" we have 3 great offers:

To avoid charges of encouraging cheap-skatery (if there is such a description?), we have a few suggestions on how to woo the love-of-your-life in style this Valentine's Day. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, is indeed a strange choice as St Valentine, but his 'Get into London Theatre' campaign that offers tickets for top shows like 'Bombay Dreams' and 'Midnight's Children' at dramatically reduced prices is indeed no dream. Don't miss the chance to catch the stage adaptation of Salman Rushdie's Booker-prize winning book at The Barbican in London - Midnight's Children ends on 23rd Feb. This weekend also sees 'Midnight's Extended Family' a two-day seminar programme about South Asian Literature at the same venue. Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company's '[h]Interland2 & Phantasmaton' are on tour and those near Liverpool can catch the 'Indian Presence in Liverpool' exhibition until 23rd Feb. This weekend also sees the start of 'Sangamam Festival of Arts' at Watermans in Brentford, Middlesex.

THEATRE TICKET PRICES SLASHED!	SALMAN RUSHDIE'S 'MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN'
The 'Get Into London Theatre' promotion, announced by Mayor Ken Livingstone, offers tickets at the specially reduced prices of £10, £15 and £20 to plays, musicals & dance. read more	Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie's classic story of the magic, myth making & mischief of modern India in a new production by the Royal Shakespeare Company. read more

Those more inclined to think of their stomachs have a huge dining choice. Appropriately named restaurant 'Red Rose City' has just opened its seventh venture in London's Square Mile. The rather delicious Andy Varma is cooking up a unique treat at his Kensington-based restaurant 'Vama' and young Alfred Prasad, Executive Chef at 'Tamarind' has just been awarded the Michelin Star for the third year running. Those whose wallets can't bear the strain can check out Monty's at Watermans, an outlet of the well-known chain of Nepalese restaurants. Alternatively, those interested in knowing which are London's top curry houses can try Chutney Mary, The Cinnamon Club, The Painted Heron, The Parsee, Ram's or the Red Fort, which are all nominated in the Carlton London Restaurant Awards 2003.

Those who inadvertently forget about the candlelit meal can try new fast food eaterie 'Tiffin Bites' which serves handy meals in a Tiffin suitable for one!

RED ROSE CITY LAUNCHED	SWEETEN UP YOUR VALENTINE WITH VAMA
Moin Uddin has launched Red Rose City, his seventh restaurant. Destined to be a hit, Red Rose City is an elegant venue with 150 covers. read more	To avoid hopeless Valentines Day gaffes, why not take your loved one to Vama. The restaurant is the perfect place to indulge with an eclectic mix of the finest Indian cuisine. read more
TAMARIND RETAINS MICHELIN STAR	MONTY'S OPENS AT WATERMANS
Tamarind Restaurant the first Indian restaurant to achieve Michelin recognition has retained its star for the third successive year thanks largely to the introduction of new executive chef, Alfred Prasad. read more	Visitors to Watermans, will be delighted to discover that Monty’s - legendary chain of top Nepalese restaurants - is now open. read more
LONDON RESTAURANT AWARDS 2003	TIFFINBITES LAUNCHES IN THE UK
Against tough competition The Cinnamon Club is one of the shortlists for the Carlton London Restaurant Awards. Judges noted chef, Vivek Singh's tasty delicacies. read more	The first ever Indian fast food brand will hit the UK high street with the launch of the 'Tiffinbites' store in London today. read more

Of course there are things you shouldn't buy for the female love-of-your-life. A plane ticket (are you trying to send me off somewhere?), a day at the health spa (you're the one stressing me out!), clothes (what's wrong with what I wear?) and make-up (are you trying to tell me I'm not pretty enough!) are great examples. Astutely, Zaynab Mirza, renowned make-up artist, has launched the 'Provoke' range of cosmetics for the Asian skin tone. Someone else trying to help hapless Asians is Sanjeev Kapoor. Renowned chef of 'Khana Khazana' fame has launched his range of cookbooks in the UK. Cookbooks on Valentine's Day? Hmmmm......might not get the desired reaction.

ZAYNAB MIRZA LAUNCHES 'PROVOKE'	SANJEEV KAPOOR'S TASTE OF INDIA
One of the most dynamic make-up collections, Provoke™, has been unveiled by well known Asian make-up artist, Zaynab Mirza. The range meets the needs of professional make-up artists and the public alike. read more	Sanjeev Kapoor, the talented Indian master chef has launched his best-selling cookery books in the UK. The book range is likely to be an instant success with UK curryholics. "My books are an attempt to encourage people to cook with confidence," he explained. read more

Fiction books, on the other hand, make great gifts both entertaining and flattering at the same time. The only problem is finding books worth reading. 'Darjeeling' the new book by Bharti Kirchner is described as a sweeping family saga (a love story by another name) set among tea plantation owners in Northern India. 'Salt & Saffron' by Kamila Shamsie focuses avidly on my two favourite preoccupations - food & love, sigh!

DARJEELING BY BHARTI KIRCHNER	SALT AND SAFFRON BY KAMILA SHAMSIE
Bharti Kirchner evokes the memories of tea plantation owners in Darjeeling in Northern India. Her story follows the tale of Aloka and Sujata, the daughters of plantation owner Bir. Aloka falls in love with Pranab, whilst he in turn seduces Sujata and creates the classic love triangle. read more	This book focuses avidly on the link between food & love. The tale is told in two strands - one about an upper class Indian family torn part by the partition in 1947; the other a modern-day view of one of these genealogical branches. read more

And food, particularly ghee-laden Indian dishes are on the mind of the British Heart Foundation that has rather prosaically launched a campaign to coincide with Valentine's Day. Their ads feature a blood pressure monitor with a slogan "the most valuable gift your heart could receive". Hardly romantic, but, shocking when you learn that the coronary heart disease death rate among South Asian women is 50% higher than the national average. BHF statistics show that only 11% of South Asian women eat the recommended levels of fruit and veg each day, we are three times more likely to get diabetes, more likely to be obese and have low levels of protective HDL cholesterol. And to top all that, only 7% of South Asian women meet the required weekly level of physical activity. That is enough to give one palpitations, for all the wrong reasons!

At least one thing we are good at is "sewa" - voluntary help for those who need it. Women are increasingly participating in South Asian Arts and the whole sector was given a boon this week when the Heritage Lottery Fund announced that it has funding available for South Asian groups who are currently missing out by simply not applying.

ASIAN WOMEN TAKE HEALTH TO HEART	ASIANS MISSING OUT ON FUNDING
The British Heart Foundation urges South Asian women to take positive steps towards healthy hearts. read more	At the Asia Heritage Alive 2003 event, the Heritage Lottery Fund voiced concerns that Asian communities across London are missing out on lottery funding due to the lack of applicants. read more

Make sure you don't miss out. Our special free gift offer for new users who sign-up is also going swimmingly well, so why not tell a friend? They might be grateful for the suggestion!