Let's just play

ZOOMING IN

Why would a childrens' television channel encourage youngsters to get off their couches and go out to play? It might sound unlikely but that's what Nickelodeon is doing with its "Let's Just Play" campaign, which will kick off on August 16.

The five-week programme will target half a million children in 400 schools in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata "" encouraging them to play games instead of staying glued to the idiot box. "The idea is to show that you don't need expensive equipment to play," says Pradeep Hejmadi, director-business and operations, Nickelodeon India. "We will encourage kids to play simple games and even to design their own games."

All of this will culminate in a "Nickelodeon Day of Play"; between 3 pm and 7 pm on October 2, children will be encouraged to head for various games centres located in the four cities. And for one hour that afternoon, Nickelodeon India will go dark, with public service announcements taking the place of regular programmes.

At first glance, it might seem that Nickelodeon is trying to put itself out of business. But Hejmadi doesn't think so. "Our philosophy is that anything that is good for kids is good for our business," he says. "In fact, even our programming has always stressed the importance of going out to play"" like destination sports programmes."

Worldwide, Nickelodeon launched the "Let's Just Play" campaign last year, when a study showed that children in the US suffered from obesity. "This year we decided to focus on problems specific to Indian children," says Hejmadi. "and research indicated that kids were fast becoming couch potatoes." So reach for that remote and ...go out to play.

Building blocks

It's a long way from Gurgaon to Kolkata. But that's the journey being made by developer and construction giant DLF. The Delhi-based conglomerate is is taking its first steps towards establishing a presence in West Bengal, with the launch of the DLF IT Park in Kolkata. The Rs 280-crore project, intended as an information technology hub for ITES and BPO companies, will be located on a 10-acre site in the north-eastern part of the city. "Kolkata has to a large extent overcome the negative perception of being an old city," says a DLF spokesperson. "It is now a viable location in terms of cost, infrastructure and even power."

DLF IT Park, like many other of the company's projects, is being designed by architect Hafeez Contractor. Apart from providing office space for cost-effective information technology operations, it will also include recreational facilities for the employees.

There will be a gym, a swimming pool and a club. "We want it to be an integrated IT complex, a city in itself," says the spokesperson. The 1.3 million sq ft complex will comprise three towers and a landscaped garden.

Facilities on offer will include 100 per cent power backup including central air conditioning, a 24-hour closed-circuit TV security system and modern fire detection systems. The park will be operational by late 2005.

The Kolkata complex is the latest of DLF's forays into IT-related projects, following a similar park in Chandigarh and the DLF Cybercity in Gurgaon. "Our aim is to be national players, and this will help achieve that goal," says the spokesperson.

Attracting the desi traveller

Back in the early '80s Indian hoteliers admitted quite openly that they depended heavily on their foreign clients and that Indians were only add-ons. As Indians have become more affluent in recent years that attitude has undergone a complete change.

Nevertheless, in some hotels you'll still find that the number of Indian guests as compared to foreigners is fairly small. For instance, in the super luxury Oberoi Vilas there are still very few Indians.

Now, the Oberoi group hopes to improve this by tapping the domestic leisure market. Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, the group's luxury brand, has recently announced a special package called Dream Vacations for the well-heeled Indian traveler.

Says Paul Simmons, Senior Vice President, The Oberoi Group, "Although a majority of our business comes from the overseas leisure traveller, we believe that we need to increase the awareness and experience of our award winning properties."

The offer is available at four resorts""Amarvilas, Agra, Rajvilas, Jaipur, Udaivilas, Udaipur and Wildflower Hall, Shimla for a two-month period till October 15.

A stay of six nights is priced at Rs 50,000 while an eight night stay at Rs 65,000 and guests have the option of staying either at the same property or moving around.

The time period for the offer may not coincide with what is traditionally the 'holiday season' in India. Also, Indians may decide that a holiday in south east Asia might be cheaper.

But the hotel is hoping it will find enough discerning customers with deep pockets looking for luxury not just those who carefully count their rupees.