Hawker-HS-125-700

RELIANCE INDUSTRIES: At $25 million (Rs 120 crore), the Gulfstream g-iv, known as the Junior Jumbo, is a cut above the rest. So it's no surprise that India's biggest industrial house, Reliance, owns one. With a maximum flying range of 8,000 kilometres, a top speed of 850 KMPH and a capacity of 12 passengers, it is a preferred corporate aircraft the world over. And now, to add to that, they have ordered a Global Express.

Falcon 2000: Versatile

TISCO & TAJ AIR: With four planes and a helicopter to boot, the Tata Group has the biggest corporate air fleet in the country. The Falcon 2000, which costs $18 million (Rs 86 crore), is the most expensive in the Tata hangar. The versatile eight-seater jet has a range of 4,500 kilometres. The other planes in its fleet include the Falcon 200 and Citation s-ii.

Gulfstream G100: Comforts in the sky

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP: The group owns three planes and the most expensive of them is the Gulfstream G100, which comes with a price tag of $12 million (Rs 58 crore). It has a flying range of 5,000 kilometres and can seat just four in comfort. The other planes in the Birla fleet include a Cessna Citation and a Super King Air B-200 (flying range: 2,500 kilometres; capacity: seven).

Boeing 727: Size does matter

UB GROUP: Vijay Mallya's luxury pad in the sky is a customised Boeing 727 equipped with a bedroom, bath, lounge and dining room. It also has satellite phones and a DVD system for on-board entertainment. After all, Mallya is air-borne for almost 600 hours a year. UB also owns a couple of other smaller planes like the Gulfstream g-ii b and a Hawker hs-125-700.

JINDAL GROUP: Yes, the Jindals have their own flying toys.Their small fleet of two planes comprises of a Cessna Citation and a Super King Air B-200. The former is a seven-year-old five-seater that can fly 2,000 kilometres and costs $1.5 million (Rs 7.2 crore). The Super King Air B-200 is a four-year-old turbo-prop Beech Craft and has a similar flying range. Cost: $2.75 million (Rs 13 crore).

HIDEAWAY

THE NALDEHRA GOLF COURSE, HIMACHAL PRADESH
There may not be any golf course in India that matches the picturesque ones in Hapuna in Hawaii or Naples Beach in Florida. After all, the country is just starting to discover the game. But courses like Royal Springs in Kashmir's Zabarvan Valley or the one in Naldehra in Himachal Pradesh can surprise you, not just with their scenic beauty, but also their rich history. Built on a cliff and surrounded by lush cedar and deodar trees, Naldehra-it was developed by Lord Curzon-is among the oldest golf courses in the country. Located just 22 kilometres from Shimla, the course boasts a unique magic. Curzon often visited the spot with his family and so enamoured was he by the beauty of the place that he chose Naldehra as the middle name for his daughter Alexandra. He even shifted his office from the Viceregal lodge in Shimla to a makeshift camp on the course. The nine-hole-3,900 yard Naldehra course is a testing one with a turf that offers springy bounce both up and down the hill. Rashtrapati Bhavan must have come close to being built here.
Contact: Himachal Tourism
Phone: 0177-252704
Fax: 252206

Shudh Food Court: A vegetarian paradise at affordable prices

Vegetarian Vagabond
As a vegetarian who spent nearly a decade in Chennai, life was easy, but there was hardly any room for culinary adventure. Eating out meant masala dosas at the ubiquitous "pure" vegetarian Udipis or that staid torchbearer of the genre-Saravana Bhavan. Some years ago the hotel came up with something called the kheema idli, which was essentially bits of idlis fried in a fiery gravy of tomato, non-veg style. But the innovation stopped there. Some 2,500 kilometres away in Delhi, my withering will to remain a gastronomic celibate got a shot in the arm with the opening of vegetarian food court Shudh at Karol Bagh. The Court, run by real estate and jewellery group Sugal & Damani, has five mini-restaurants serving Italian, Lebanese, Oriental, Indian and "healthy" junk food.

On my first visit, I decided straightaway to hit the Lebanese and Italian corner named Hearthstone. I started off with panzarotti, a samosa-like snack with cheese fillings. After five of those, it was time for something more substantial in the form of garlic bread and ratatouille, which is diced red and yellow capsicum cooked in puree made from smoked tomatoes. To differentiate itself from the other eateries, Shudh has kept out the de rigueur pizzas, veg manchurian and chole bhature from its menu. To round it off with a dessert, I went in for the more regular and rather heavy banana split. At Rs 175, the meal was an indulgence alright. But then, can the Udipis match the thrill?

Oakley sunglasses: Ultracool

Shady Matters
Any new member in the Indian cricket team acquires a pair of these even before he gets a run or a wicket against his name. Virender Sehwag, for example, has a weakness for Oakleys along with the one for balls pitched wide of the off stump. These ultracool sunglasses are protected by some 600 legal patents and 800 trademarks. Oakley x Metal is the only 3d sculpted, hypoallergenic all-metal frame on earth. Its phenomenal strength-to-weight ratio maximises comfort and durability. Then, you have some 450 different combinations of lens colours and frames with different lenses for different light conditions. And, by the way, it also gives you a 100 per cent UV protection.