A sessions court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a Bollywood hairstylist to life imprisonment for stabbing his wife to death in 2012.

Special judge Vrushali Joshi convicted Steve alias Lisbon Miranda (36) under sections 302 (murder) and 489A of the IPC. Chief public prosecutor Kalpana Chavan, while seeking punishment, submitted that “it was a heinous act, a mindless murder where the victim suffered 19 slashes“.

Miranda and the victim, Bindiya Miranda (35), have a five-year-old daughter, who is in the custody of her maternal grandparents at Versova.

In December 2012, the Bombay high court had rejected a guardianship petition filed by Miranda's sister seeking custody of the child. The victim's brother, Anand Chawla, who was the first to depose when the trial commenced in July last year, said that the family was relieved that justice has been served.

“We don’t know whether to be happy or sad,” Chawla said.

“She [Bindiya] has gone but at least she has got justice.” The crime occurred on the night of May 24, 2012, at the couple’s flat in Neel Gagan building, DN Nagar.

In his statement to the court, Chawla said the couple had married after falling in love. The victim had often complained that Miranda had a drinking problem.

Chawla told the court that on the night of the incident Bindiya had left her parents’ home to attend a get-together with Miranda, his sister and his friends. At the party, Miranda got drunk. When the group went to Miranda’s home, Bindiya did not want to stay there. The group was standing outside when Bindiya started screaming. The police and the fire brigade arrived and the door was opened.

The victim was found in a pool of blood with stab wounds inflicted by a dagger.









Shopping sprees seem to be the order of the day on this auspicious day 

 

VAIBHAVI MERCHANT -CHOREOGRAPHER I don't need a particluar day to buy things as I'm a true shopaholic. Retail therapy is the best therapy . But yes, that department my mom handles and she is quite hands-on with buying the appropriate amounts of gold and silver for the occasion.

RITHVIK DHANJANI -ACTOR
I am planning to take the three most important women in my life my mom, sister and Asha (my girlfriend) shopping and I will let them buy whatever they want on this special day.

SHRIYA SARAN -ACTRESS
Our family tradition is that we buy gold on Dhanteras. It's supposed to be very lucky and the house will be full of prosperity, so we do that. We also follow a ritual where we have a small pot and we fill it with sweets. I mostly be with my family on the day .

SHALMALI KHOLGADE -SINGER
Dhanteras is a day of new beginnings.Since I am always traveling, this year, I am going to be home with my parents. I've also just moved into a new apartment so I'm going to do it up and invite my friends on this auspicious day .
NANDISH SANDHU -ACTOR
Usually I buy something in gold on Dhanteras and some gadget, if there is anything interesting.This year, I will mostly get gold coins as they are always a good investment and considered a shagun too. Also, I am planning to gift myself a new phone.

DIVYENDU SHARMA -ACTOR
As per my family tradition, we buy some piece of jewellery -gold or silver.Mostly we buy silver coins of Lakshmi and Ganpatiji as it is considered auspicious.

AASHKA GORADIA -ACTRESS
This Dhanteras, I plan to buy lots of sweets and food and distribute to the poor who constantly pray for Lakshmi. This kind of an investment for me is going to be an incredible return. There is no better way to thank the Goddess.

KARANVIR BOHRA -ACTOR
Dhanteras was an annual ritual when we lived in a joint family. I would go with my granddad and grandma to the market and they would buy all of us some gold. Now we do the regular puja at home and go to the temple. We have been doing the same since years.

GAUTAM RODE -ACTOR
Dhanteras is usually a normal working day for me but yes, I do try to buy something for my mom as she believes that the day is auspicious. It's a day of positive energies and the start of Diwali which digs a hole in the pocket, but hopefully brings a lot of good luck.

RAGINI KHANNA -ACTRESS
We buy silver or gold on Dhanteras. There is also a ritual of decorating our home with torans. This year, I hope to buy jewellery . Diwali, on the whole, is very special to me. I feel it's a very happy time and I enjoy the colour and lighting all around.

ANUSHKA MANCHANDA -SINGER
Every year, around Dhanteras my mother buys a gold or silver coin and adds it to our collection. All the coins are brought out on Diwali at our prayer session and are part of the puja. They remind us of our journey together as a family, and reminds us to be grateful.









At a recently held jewellery awards function, Tikamdas Motiram Jewellers (TMJ) bagged honours for best diamond jewellery . And to celebrate the win, the brand is coming out with lots of offers this festive season. TMJ is the brainchild of husband-wife duo Mahesh Tikamdas Pahuja and Reema Pahuja, who have been creating unique customised jewellery that lends elegance and charm to their customers' lifestyles. Built upon a reputation of `honoured traditions that honour womanhood', the brand has is known for its quality of exquisite craftsmanship, trust and value. One can walk in at their store with an assurance that they will get authentic jewellery that symbolises opulence and timeless appeal. From gold and diamond jewellery to jadau ornaments, the brand also offers precious stones like diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires to semi-precious stones like topaz, tourmaline, and aquamarine. “Our USP has always been designing a piece of jewellery that is versatile, re-usable and which can be worn in more ways than one,“ says jewellery designer Reema Pahuja.Hailing from a jeweller's family , she has always been fascinated with gems and jewellery , and has acquired the artistic blend from her parents. “I believe that jewellery must not be locked up, but worn and must make the wearer feel exceptional.“
Apart from their designs, the brand is known for its impeccable service and work ethic. Adds Mahesh Pahuja, “Our team is so committed to its work that patrons don't expect anything but the best service from us. The award and the accolades are testimonies to this relentless hard work and high-quality jewellery designing. This Dhanteras, we have a lot of surprises in store for our customers.“

Where: Tikamdas Motiram Jewellers, 4Maker Arcade, Cuffe Parade.Call: 22185051 49 67177777.

E-mail: info@tikamdas.com









With the weather turning, and cough and cold infections being on the rise, people end up relying a lot on over-the-counter cough syrups and medication.However, doctors in the UK say they are of no use really . One expert even says that that there is no evidence to suggest cough medicines actually work. The British National Health Service officially recommends opting for “a homemade cough remedy containing honey and lemon.“ Honey, they state, is a demulcent, which means it coats the throat and relieves the irritation that causes coughing.On its website, it says “There's no quick way of getting rid of a cough caused by a viral infection. It will usually clear up after your immune system has fought off the virus.“ Dr Tim Ballard, Vice Chairman of a medical college, said, “Medical evidence behind cough medicines is weak and there is no evidence to say that they will reduce the duration of illnesses as such, and doctors are unlikely to prescribe them.“ He also added, “If the cough lasts longer and is affecting young infants, or is associated with coughing up blood, shortness of breath, confusion, or high fever, then they should contact doctors.“
Research released last year showed the average time for a cough to last after a virus is 18 days -with many coughs sticking around for even longer. “It's your body's way of keeping unwanted stuff from getting into your lungs. But unfortunately, post-virus, this irritating symptom can really linger.“ said Dr Ballard. However, any cough that remains for more than three weeks definitely needs to be looked at by a doctor and that here too, overthe-counter medications may not work, since cough could just be a symptom for something more than a throat infection.









Guess who will appear in the upcoming episode of Gutur Gu 3? It's none other than CID's Dayanand Shetty, popularly known as Daya. He wil be seen in an interesting role in the silent comedy.The innocent and hyperactive Balu (played by Kunal Kumar) is always known to find his way into misadventures in his routine life. This time around, he will be seen taking on Daya, who makes fun of Balu's lanky physique. Balu, who is not used to getting mocked at, takes offense at this and in turn, hurts Daya's sentiments. But just when they are about to get into a tiff, Kumar's family steps in and salvages the situation.However, the incident remains etched in Balu's mind and he plans to take revenge. He decides to prove to the bigframed Daya that he is tougher than him.Kunal says, “Competing with Dayanand on the set of the show with vigour was astounding because in real life, we are the best of friends. All of us spend a lot of time together during and after the shoot.“

Will Balu succeed in defeating Daya in a physical bout?
Gutur Gu-3 airs every Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm on SAB TV.









Hiten Tejwani might have been playing Manav in Pavitra Rishta for three years now, replacing Sushant Singh Rajput in the serial. But the makers recently brought Sushant again to shoot the last episode of the show. Did the decision bother Hiten? “I was cool with it. Sushant shot just the last scene. The show is coming to an end, the souls of Manav and Archana finally meet.It was a creative call and I didn't have any problem with it. I thought it was fair enough that Sushant shot that portion,“ he says. Meanwhile, the actor, who has two films in his kitty , is also shooting for the new show, Hamari Sister Didi. “My role is different because my character is not present in the show; only his memories are alive. I speak to my family in the show; it's more like ghost appearances,“ he smiles.









Sumona Chakravarti, who plays Kapil Sharma's wife on Comedy Nights With Kapil, will be seen as a rockstar -an avatar that's dramatically different from her demure, sari-clad image so far -in an episode of Yeh Hai Aashiqui.She will be seen dressed in ripped denims teamed with waistcoats and jackets, replete with a guitar. “I play a guitarist with a rock band in my college. Contrary to the general perception of the bands indulging in drugs, my character is of a girl who believes in Indian values,“ she elaborates. However, playing a rockstar wasn't a cakewalk for the actress. “I don't play the guitar.Fortunately, my brother does and hence, I had some idea.I've tried my best to make it look as authentic as possible,“ she says.









Are you surprised? So were we when we heard this. We know that Akshay Kumar is playing himself and doing a cameo in The Shaukeens. We learnt that Akshay was shooting the song Meherbani for the film in Cape Town, when director Abhishek Sharma realised that they had reached the location, but the plane was still parked in the hangar. It would have taken quite a lot of time to start the engine and the light was running out. So, Akshay volunteered to pull it out with his own hands.Everyone in the unit was obviously shocked, as that's not easy by any stretch of imagination, but Akshay being Akshay managed it and that scene is finally captured in the film.While it may be easy to be an action hero, it certainly seems impossible to be Akshay Kumar.