Latest news with #Oberoi
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
SPS Oberoi visits Punjab to celebrate adopted daughters birthday and pledges lifelong support
TARN TARAN : Nearly five months after Dubai-based philanthropist SPS Oberoi adopted seven years old Ekagardeep Kaur following the tragic death of her father in a deadly fire incident in Georgia, he returned to Punjab from Dubai to mark a special occasion—the birth anniversary of his adopted daughter. During his visit, he reaffirmed his promise to support Ekagardeep's education in full, ensuring that her future remains bright despite the shadows of past tragedy. 'I didn't come just to celebrate her birthday—I came to remind her that she is not alone, and that her dreams matter,' he said in an emotive note. In a touching moment, he also announced the installation of a submersible pump at Ekagardeep's home, which will significantly help to improve the family's daily living conditions. The young girl's mother, Baljit Kaur, along with other family members, was visibly moved. 'We lost everything when Sandeep died, but today we feel like we've gained a family again. We are deeply thankful,' she said with her voice filled with gratitude. She further said that Ekagardeep lost her father, but today she has a maternal grandfather who treats her like his own. 'We are blessed,' she said. Notably, Sandeep Singh was one among the 12 persons who died in a suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a restaurant in Gudauri, Georgia, on December 14, 2024. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Install the Perfect Pool at Home – Start Here Backyard Pool | Search Ads Learn More Undo During a visit to Sandeep's house in January , Oberoi not only announced his decision to adopt Ekagardeep but also gave a fixed deposit of Rs 2 lakh for her marriage and took responsibility for the repair of the late Sandeep Singh's house. He also announced a monthly pension of Rs 5000 for the family. On the occasion, the young girl shared her dream of becoming a doctor with Oberoi, whom she affectionately calls 'Nanu'. Deeply moved by her ambition, Oberoi pledged to bear all expenses related to her education until she achieves her goal and assured her of every possible support along the way.
Web Release
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Web Release
Indikaya Launches Sip & Savories: A Luxe Wine & Snack Combo Experience
Indikaya, the city's destination for refined Indian dining led by the iconic Chef Hemant Oberoi, introduces a chic new ritual: Sip & Savories – a weekly combo that pairs curated bar bites with sommelier's choice of wines, perfect for an after-work unwind or a midweek indulgence. Set against Indikaya's elegant ambiance, Sip & Savories is where classic Indian flavors meet modern flair, and indulgence is not just encouraged, it's expected. Guests can mix and match their choice of two gourmet bar snacks, served alongside two glasses of wine, for AED 150 (vegetarian) or AED 200 (non-vegetarian). Light, luxurious, and bursting with creativity, each bite is designed to delight. Bar Bites Menu: Vegetarian · Cheese Papdi · Mini Truffle Naan · Avocado Balloons Non-Vegetarian · Rock Shrimps · Murg Tikka · Galouti Kebab Whether you're toasting to the day, catching up with friends, or just craving something decadent, Indikaya's Sip & Savories delivers bold Indian flavor in a playful, shareable format—served with the signature finesse of Chef Oberoi. Sip & Savories Combo Available everyday | 4 PM – 8 PM AED 150: 2 glasses of wine + 2 vegetarian bites AED 200: 2 glasses of wine + 2 non-vegetarian bites Location: Level 2, Shangri-La Hotel, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai. Operational Hours: 12 pm to 11:30 pm (daily)
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Telegraph
Why a luxury Nile cruise is still the best way to see Egypt
It is an inauspicious sort of beginning. Once the taxi has cut through the clutter and chaos of Luxor – the mopeds, the market stalls, the pedestrians ambling into the road at any given moment – it drops me at one of the city's mid-range hotels. The security check is cursory, the reception is quiet, and within seconds, I am through into the patchy garden area. And there it is, in all its glory. The Nile. The world's longest river. Although, in this setting, fringed by a concrete dock, it is barely less scuffed than the dusty conurbation it is bisecting. In the hard light of late morning, its surface is a soupy, even sullen grey-blue – its currents swirling aimlessly, as if they have been rendered listless by the midday heat. None of these descriptions can readily be applied to the Oberoi Philae – blithely moored at the same dock. Along with its sibling Oberoi Zahra, it is one of two luxury river-cruise vessels owned and operated by the Indian hotel group in question (although a pair of new 'dahabeya' sailboats, Oberoi Melouk and Oberoi Malekat, will join this mini-fleet before the end of the year). It seems almost to hover above the water – its sides, blue and white, gleaming under the cloudless sky. Inside, 22 suites and cabins provide genteel air-conditioned sanctuaries, while the top deck – with its swimming pool, cocktail bar and assorted loungers – peers south along the line of travel we will follow in the coming days. A journey on a ship such as this is, of course, one of the best ways to experience the many wonders of Egypt. It is not just that the deep-rooted cities and archaeological sites of the nation's glorious ancient era sprouted – by necessity – along the Nile's banks; it is that, on a river cruise, you can trace a route between them with knowledgeable assistance. Waiting for me in the Philae's lobby, Baher Zaher is an expert Egyptologist, a professional tour guide, and an affable bear of a man – his handshake as firm as his grasp of his subject. 'Are you ready to come with me and see my country?' he asks, in a tone that brooks no discussion. There is no better place to dive into this story than Luxor. While Giza and its Pyramids tend to dominate modern perceptions of Egypt's ancient past, the onetime Thebes was arguably the centrepoint of the civilisation, acting as its capital for lengthy periods during both the 'Middle Kingdom' (2040-1782BC) and 'New Kingdom' (1570-1069BC) eras. The echoes are loudest at Karnak, the temple complex on the north side of the city, where heavy footsteps were felt. Baher gestures towards the Obelisk of Hatshepsut, the 97ft (30m) column erected in honour of the New Kingdom's great queen, who ascended the throne as regent for her stepson Thutmose III in 1479BC, and eclipsed him by retaining power for 21 years. The wall that partly hides it, Baher continues, was built by the irked pharaoh – in a peeved bid to obscure his stepmother's legacy, after her death in 1458BC. Then there is Ramesses II, the forceful figure who has entered popular folklore as the pharaoh of the Old Testament, all rivalry with Moses and ill-fated Red Sea crossings. His 66-year reign (1279-1213BC) is written all over Karnak's walls, in friezes recounting his military victories, and in the staunch pillars of the Great Hypostyle Hall – which, although begun by his father Seti I, was finished on his watch (in 1224BC). Baher's insistence that I rip myself from my cabin's womblike calm shortly before 5am bears fruit in a first-light arrival at the Valley of the Kings, and a chance to call on its biggest pharaonic celebrity in near-solitude. In such a context, I feel rather sorry for Tutankhamun, lying shrivelled in the corner of the room – the sparseness and smallness of the space (the archaeological theory is that his sudden, premature death saw him deposited in a tomb that had been meant for a much lesser figure) obvious without a crowd around the sarcophagus. KV62, his hole in the ground, certainly pales in contrast to some of the grander catacombs. KV8, the tomb of Merenptah (Ramesses II's son and successor, who ruled from 1213 to 1203BC) is a palace in comparison. To wander down the steep passageway into its main chamber, every wall intricately decorated, feels like a literal descent into the underworld. But a journey to these parts is not just a matter of death. To cruise the Nile is to witness, first hand, just how potent a lifeforce it is. You do not have to travel far – there are, after all, just 150 southbound miles between Luxor and the 'end of the line' at Aswan – to realise that the river is the DNA double-helix to the Egypt of today, as well as yesterday. An afternoon on the roof-deck puts everything into perspective, casting the Nile not as a lazy, listless river, but as a tireless African workhorse. Numerous other cruise vessels share the currents, shadowing us in our progress up-river, or slipping past us on their way north. There are boats for all budgets – not just for westerners dreaming of Cleopatra or Nefertiti, but for Egyptian tourists exploring their own country. Smaller craft are in evidence too: fishermen who have begged or borrowed a ride, their low-slung skiffs hitched to the back of a friendly cruiser. And on the banks, all is green, the Nile extending a bountiful touch to the fields on each side – before, a mile or so beyond, the Sahara puts an end to this fecundity, reasserting its authority in sand and dirt. And the archaeological wonders keep coming. The Temple of Edfu, on the west bank, 60 miles south of Luxor, looks as much a fortress as a place of worship, its sandstone facade as solid as when it was erected. The Temple of Kom Ombo, a further 40 miles upriver, is more ragged, some of its columns having been decapitated and reused in building work many centuries later. Dams and temples unite when the ship arrives in Aswan. Egypt's most southerly city is the 'end of the line' for the ship in that, while the Nile continues, over the border into Sudan (and, in various guises, into Ethiopia and Uganda), the city's Low and High Dams – completed in 1902 and 1970 respectively – preclude further navigation. The High Dam, in particular, is astonishing, its 2.5-mile ridge of stone delivering epic views across Lake Nasser, the reservoir that was born of its construction. But the consequences were less serene for the aptest possible end-point for a cruise on the Oberoi Philae – its namesake temple. Damned to be drowned if it remained in position, between the dams, it was painstakingly transplanted to an adjacent islet over three wearying years. The effort was worth it. And, in truth, Philae had suffered a more invasive disruption much earlier in its history. Tucked into the outer reaches of ancient Egyptian territory, it was the final temple devoted to the old gods, as regime change pulled down the pantheon. Remote enough that it could ignore a changing world, it continued in its devotion to Isis and Osiris long after the Roman Empire had formally adopted Christianity as its religion (via the Edict of Thessalonica), in 380AD. In fact, the curtain did not fall until 537AD, when the temple – and rituals that were now considered to be satanic – was closed down. But even then, there was resilience. Baher leads me to a back chamber, missed by the censors of the sixth century, where a splendid frieze of Isis escaped the chisels which disfigured her elsewhere in the complex – demonstration that a history as remarkable as ancient Egypt's is impossible to suppress. Essentials Oberoi offers four- and six-night Nile cruises – from Luxor to Aswan, or vice-versa – aboard the Oberoi Philae (0091 11 6911 0606; oberoihotels). An eight-night holiday to Egypt, featuring a four-night Oberoi Philae cruise, as well as time in Cairo (including tours of the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Pyramids), costs from £6,949 per person, including all flights and transfers (01993 838 410; audleytravel).
News18
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Rana Naidu 2 Review: Rana Daggubati Is Ferocious, Arjun Rampal Impresses In A Toned-Down Season
Last Updated: Rana Naidu Season 2 offers less violence, less sex and less profanity, but that robs it off its novelty. And this heavily hampers the milieu in which the series is set. Rana Naidu Season 2 Review: The second season of Rana Naidu begins with an otherwise volatile and belligerent Naga seemingly starting a new life. These days, he begins his days in Goa's Siolem with Anulom Vilom. One could say that he has finally embraced his age. And this precisely is the irony that sets the stage for season two because shortly after, he steps into an akhara cheering on two bloodthirsty wrestlers to finish one another and urging spectators to place their money and bets on them. And then enters his estranged son Rana, who – coerced by circumstances – has to fight a brawny and merciless Dynamite D'Souza. Thus, begins a bloody brawl in the ring and Rana, who promises Naga that he will bow down to Dynamite D'Souza and let him win, lets his machismo get the better of him and smashes him to a pulp. Despite the mood being set perfectly well, Rana Naidu eventually ends up being a firecracker that fizzles out. This time around, the makers decided to sober down the tonality of the series – probably due to the incessant backlash they were subjected to back in 2023. So, this season offers less violence, less sex and less profanity. Unfortunately, that robs the series of its novelty, leading it to become just another action thriller where men invite trouble and then go all out to erase it in the name of protecting their families. And this heavily hampers the world Rana Naidu is set in. Sure, there's a lot of chaos, cacophony and mayhem but do they really leave an impact? Not really. This season lacks a certain spark, spunk and sass. Even Naga's crass and quirky one-liners and repartees have been slashed down. The panache is almost all gone and what's left is a safe and sanitised Rana Naidu, and that's precisely what becomes its weakest link. Season two picks up from where it ended back in 2023. Rana and Naina decide to take a break from the gory pandemonium. As soon as they land in Mumbai from Paris, trouble resumes. This time, their son Ani has been kidnapped. Rana requests film producer Oberoi to lend him his private jet and he sets off to Goa to get Ani back. In Goa, his path crosses with Naga yet again who manages to help him find where Ani is. At a nightclub, Rana kills the bad guys, throws kidnapper Saif into a fire and brings his son back home. To return the favour, Rana, who has left OB, decides to join Oberoi. There, he meets Oberoi's daughter Alia, who's hell bent on selling their production house that has been incurring them losses worth 1000 crore and buying the cricket team of Mumbai in an IPL equivalent league. Rana conspires to join hands with Alia by keeping Oberoi in the dark and manages to secure five percent of the deal that amounts to Rs 500 crore, thus being able to financially secure his family's future. The shrewd Oberoi soon turns against Rana and he gets caught in a murder case. But Oberoi isn't his only foe. Rauf Mirza, an ominous goon from Koliwada, threatens him as he turns out to be Saif's cousin. At his hands, two murders happen. Rana's daughter Nitya becomes the only witness and now Rauf leaves no stone unturned to finish her. Running parallel to these tracks is an affair between Naveen and Naina. But little does she know that he's an undercover cop using her for intel on Rana. The makers – Karan Anshuman, Suparn Verma and Abhay Chopra – deserve credit for fleshing out the stories of the other characters like Jaffa and Tej too. It's the drama underneath the blood and gore that becomes the highlight of Rana Naidu season two. There are some poignant moments between Jaffa-Tasneem and Tej-Anna that truly will touch your heart. But is that enough for a show that spans over eight long episodes? Not really. The first season saw the writers weaving a heart-wrenching story that brings the spotlight on Jaffa. This time around, Jaffa, once a victim of sexual abuse, breathes more freely. He's given a rather sensitive treatment even as he tries to explore his love life and learns to take big decisions on his own. Tej and Anna's on-and-off love story will remain with you too. It's heartbreaking and yet not too sappy. Rana and Naina's relationship too goes through a rough patch. The nuances of a troubled marriage and messy complexities of a husband-wife equation are explored beautifully. And that's precisely why character-building and drama overshadow action in this season. Coming back to the series' sanitised treatment, in one scene, Rauf reprimands Rana for cussing in front of his six-year-old niece. And that's reflective of the moral compass the makers choose to opt for, probably to appease angry netizens who slammed season one for its graphic portrayals and usage of expletives. Somewhere, the unhinged and uninhibited nature of the series is left far behind, which definitely doesn't do justice to the milieu in which it's set. Additionally, there are far too many plot conveniences. Rana may be a fixer, who has the innate power to solve every problem and tie every loose end, but that robs him of his inherent humanness. He almost comes across as an immortal entity who comes out unscathed from a blazing inferno and after being strangled by thick iron chains. The note on which this season ends fails to be a thrilling cliffhanger as you already can anticipate how events may shape up in the third season. The performances, however, are impressive. Rana Daggubati, Venkatesh Daggubati, Surveen Chawla, Abhishek Banerjee, Sushant Singh and Ishita Arun deliver class acts. Through Rana, Tej and Jaffa, the makers successfully offer a glimpse of the spectrum of masculinity in terms of their onscreen portrayals. While Rana is the alpha here, Jaffa is a more vulnerable version of a man. Tej, on the other hand, is the most matured brother, who isn't afraid to protect his family but at the same time, doesn't quite approve of Rana and Naga's bloodthirsty nature. As a man torn between his familial duties and desires as a lover, your heart goes out to him. The women too deserve brownie points. They're strong, vocal, revengeful and ambitious. They're their own beings rather than just being the wind beneath their men's wings and it's refreshing to see that, especially in a male-dominated actioner. The new entrants – Arjun Rampal, Dino Morea, Rajat Kapoor and Kriti Kharbanda – are equally good. Arjun slips under the skin of a local Mumbaiya gangster like a chameleon and dishes out an effortless performance. It's interesting to see Dino too getting to chew on a meaty character rather than just being placed as a prop to up the aesthetic quotient of a show (remember The Royals?). Rana Naidu season two maybe a letdown when compared to its previous counterpart but watch it for the performances and the emotional moments. It's a pretty good representation of a dysfunctional family where trouble simmers at every corner, dead bodies are dug in and out on a whim and insecure fathers accuse their daughters of sleeping around. It still continues to be a crazy, reckless world where everything's fair in love and war. At the end of it, you're left with Karan Johar's golden words that it's all about loving your family. But here's hoping that season three turns out to be a less safe and more unhinged version of season two! First Published:
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Business Standard
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Vivek Oberoi-backed Rutland Square targets 100,000 cases annually in India
The Edinburgh-based company is preparing to expand across ten Indian states, including key markets like Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, and Maharashtra premium Bengaluru Listen to This Article Vivek Oberoi-backed Rutland Square Spirits Limited, a premium Scottish spirits company, plans to debut in India with a sales target of 100,000 cases a year. The spirits brand has earmarked 30 per cent of the total global spend of £5-7 million, for India expansion and operations over the next twelve months, Oberoi told Business Standard in an exclusive interaction. 'India is a significant and strategic market for us. We have finalised agreements with our distributors, who have already secured access in seven states, with plans to expand to ten. The UK-India free trade agreement (FTA) has provided strong momentum for
