The Indian Derby, run at Mahalakshmi Race Course, is the highlight of Mumbai's racing year. Traditionally run on the first Sunday of February, the race is known as the "Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown".

It is restricted to four-year-old horses, both colts and fillies, but is almost of secondary importance to the activities surrounding the event. Serious punters are comprehensively outnumbered on Derby day as the course overflows with well-heeled viewers. As personalities go however, it has been the colorful presence of Dr Vijay Mallya that has brought that added dosage of high glam, glitz, style, and fashion into the sport.

Historical Background
Racing in India is a legacy of the British Raj. Though it is well documented that the British were always serious about the business of efficiently running the Empire, they invariably found time for sport and recreation, and wherever they went, they created the necessary infrastructure for its pursuit. It must be remembered that in India, the British presence depended for a very long time on its military strength. The armies of the 18th and 19th centuries were cavalry-oriented and the overwhelming involvement with horses inevitably meant that equine sports like fox-hunting, polo, point-to-point racing, steeple chasing and flat-racing came to the fore. Almost every cantonment in India had a racecourse and race meetings were organized as far back as the 18th century.

Present status
The balance sheets of a majority of the race clubs are awash in red ink and owners are deserting the game in droves, as prize money is unable to keep pace with inflation. What is keeping the game going is the patronage of Mallya and other Indian booze barons as too local industrialists. Another silver lining is that Indian racehorses have proved themselves in the markets of Singapore and Malaysia and now even Dubai, therefore a continuous inflow of capital for the better racehorses is likely.

Race Tracks
All racetracks in India, except Delhi, are variations of the round/oval in shape, and are generally level. Mumbai has a full-fledged season, Madras holds Monsoon racing on the dirt training track. Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune hold their Monsoon Meetings on Monsoon Tracks (parallel to the main tracks), which are turf tracks with better drainage. Sand or tan tracks are used for training, all of which takes place at the racecourses. There are no private training centers.

Metric System
Indian racing switched over to the metric system of weights and distances from the 1962-63 season. In handicaps, bottom weight is usually 47.0 kg., while top weight is usually 59.0 kg.

Sponsorship
Of racing in India is significant. McDowell & Co. Ltd., United Breweries Ltd., Herbertsons Ltd., VST Ltd., Shaw Wallace Group, ITC Ltd., etc. have been amongst the major sponsors.

Betting
Betting is permitted on Tote as well as with the bookmakers operating at the racecourses. Volumes are significant - legal Tote wagering is estimated at Rs 2 billion annually, with a similar figure for legal betting with licensed bookmakers. All centres conduct "off-course" or "inter-track" wagering on races run at other centers, mainly with live TV coverage at the receiving course. There is no legal telephone betting, smart card wagering or internet betting. Programmes are so arranged by mutual consultation that overlap of racing days is kept to a minimum. On occasions, morning racing is held for this purpose.

Statistics

This time 1,072 horses took part under the guidance of 42 trainers. Stake money paid out: Approx. Rs 8.3 million. With attendance of 30,000 jet set biggies.

Whether these facts lure you to the race course or not, if you get yourself invited to this annual event make sure you pick the right outfit. Because this is truly British Raj redux with all the propah English gentry trimmings - hats, gloves, cucumber sandwiches, scones... The magnificent thoroughbreds pounding the turf on race day are merely the sideshow.

"Collecting is like eating peanuts. You just can't stop". True to the saying, no matter how much top level executives are burdened by work, or meetings, they master the art of time management. Anyhow, they find the time to get back to things they want to pursue.

Nidhi Jain chatted up director and COO of Graphiti Multimedia Pvt Ltd, Munjal Shroff, a person whose brain is forever floating around fantasies of ideas in animation.

Our motivation... must always be to please yourself. Follow your intuition and buy what sings to you. The objects you acquire should give you pleasure and fellowship. -Richard Faletti

As a kid I had a lot of pen friends from all over the world and I was quite fascinated by the different stamps that I used to get from different countries. This is what got me started with my first collection - Stamps.

But my biggest fascination was comics. It was an addiction. I possessed lots of comics, collections which I preserved as bound volumes. Volumes of Mandrake, Phantom, Tintin, Archies and even Jetsons. Though now I have donated most of them to an orphanage.

Now I have collectibles from movies such as Matrix. My prized possession is The Matrix - Platinum Limited Edition DVD Collector's Set which includes an actual frame Senitype 35 mm film strip from the movie and 8 original limited edition lobby card prints. I collect limited edition DVDs of animated films as well.
I also have a lot of 'making-of' books related to my work such as Making of Toy Story, Jurassic park, Bug's Life. I also have many wonderful books called Illusion of life.

Collectors become obsessive and then addicted. You become addicted to art and you can't live without it. - Eli Broad

I like to collect paintings from different painters, especially unique folk paintings. I am an impulsive collector. Since now the biggest constraint is space, purchasing has slowed down, and also all collectors items require good care. I travel extensively to the countries that are rich culturally. I like buying favourites from street painters & underground music from street musicians in countries like France.

Recently I incorporated a collection of music by a streetband from Paris called 'Cenizas'. I have a vast and eclectic collection of music, especially instrumental. The collection ranges from Masai Drums from Africa to Uilleann pipes - from the Celtic region.

The cornerstone of great art for me is a work that makes one person exclaim "That's fabulous!" and another ask, "How can you have that hanging in your house?" - Gordon Sondland

I like my collected stuff to have personality and am very choosy and fussy. I always have had a love for art. During one of my visits to Cannes I had a day to myself. Some locals told me about a small town called Antibes and the Picasso museum there. Since the museum was to open after a couple of hours I decided to walk around this picturesque town. I came across an antique shop run by an old British gentleman. He had an amazing collection of antique maps and lithographs from the 18th century. These lithographs had an amazing amount of detail and were painstakingly hand painted using delicate water colors. The 4" x 6" artworks were stunning. I picked a couple and then the gentlemen gifted me one beautiful rendition of Hotel de Ville - Paris.

"Its not that collecting is more noble than the other pursuits of man, its just a lot more fun". - Norman McClean

"The purity of a person's heart can be quickly measured by how they regard animals," even if they are not real, believes animal collector Meenakshi Madhvani , Founder & Managing Partner Spatial Access Solutions in conversation with Correspondent Nidhi Jain .

Love animals --- as a child always had pets. Dogs, cats, chickens, a pig and even a pet snake. Unfortunately a flat is Bombay is not the right environment for animals and I have not had a pet for a long, long time! There was something missing and I decided to fill the gap with a surrogate. It all began by my buying a big bronze pig! He was followed by a papier mache frog, then a pair of marble dogs I found in Chor Bazaar...

Collecting animals-- for the last 5 years. I am not too concerned about the material they are made off. But they need to appeal to me.

My husband jokes that I have a meenagerie! My family & friends indulge me by adding to my collection. A stone Hippo was carried back from Africa by a friend. My brother-in-law got back a wonderful Giraffe from South Africa carved out of a single block of wood. Another Brother-in-law gave me a crystal cat & mouse!

Bit crazy -- when it comes to my animals? I like seeing them every day and move them around the house to new locations (almost like giving them a fresh view of their living quarters every once in a while!

I know that one of these days I will have a place in the country and will be able to have my animal friends around me once again.

No amount of space consumption or maintenance costs can dissuade one from collecting the rare things that one has always been fascinated by. Carlton D'Silva, creative director, hungama.com, gives Correspondent Nidhi Jain a peek into his precious collections.

Statues-
The statues I have collected so far are from my visits to the US. These statues are limited edition ones i.e. Just 8,000 to 10,000 pieces exist of each of them. Though such statues can be bought from Amazon or eBay, on these sites they tend to be a more expensive commodity. The most expensive statue I possess till date cost Rs15,000. Before buying I surf the detailing and history attached to it. One such important site is "Bowen designs". Maintenance is to be followed like a ritual, statues of these kinds needs a glass cabinet, and the usage of a particular kind of water. Above all, my statues have inspired people around me to make it a part of their personal collection as well.

Books---
During my stay in the Gulf while I was a kid, I collected rare comic books. Lesser an edition, the more expensive it becomes. I have been fascinated by characters like X-Men, Superman and Batman and the books created on them. I always make it a point to attend the comic convention in Santiago.

Movie---
Collecting movie memorabilia is a fairly new interest that I have developed since the last 4-5 years. Right now, the making of Sin City and the costumes of the film Narnia by 'Veta Workshop' has largely grabbed my attention. I am a very big fan of Matrix with 10-disc version with pre post section incorporated in it. Old movies converted into comic books, sci-fi, gift edition of Peter Jackson and King Kong have also caught my fancy.

In conversation with Shaju Ignatius. "My college days? I was involved in youth related events."

In the beginning? I wasn't exposed to the word 'ambition'.

My college days? I was involved in youth related events.
 

Play? An avid sports lover, like football a lot, and do get on the field often. (I used to play tennis & squash earlier, and need to get back to it soon).
 

Inspiration? The 'livewire' city we dwell in - Bombay.
 

Fascinated? Guitar as an instrument. (will learn to strum it some day).
 

Freak? On Gadgets.
 

Love? Gaming, dancing (very passionate).
 

Music? Retro, English and Hindi numbers, and Soft rock?truly rocks !
 

Follow? Cinema?..and its magic.
 

Award Man?At the Percept Annual Conference 2005, was awarded for Teamwork across the Group. Also got a citation from Percept D'Mark for innovation in creativity & work.
Settle Down? In New Zealand, which offers all the aspects of nature and climatic conditions, and your get to see the world's first sunrise everyday.
 

Foodie? Like continental, pastas and love eating out.
 

What next? ? would like to direct a movie someday soon. When I saw the film Phone Booth, I thought of making a movie with good friend John Abraham.

Until then continue to 'Have the insight to innovate and the foresight to anticipate'.

Many of us are smitten with collecting. By surrounding themselves with the things they have worked so hard to gather, collectors get to enjoy their collections differently than those who choose to preserve or display them. One such collector is Monica Tata, the vice president, advertising sales and networks, India and South Asia for Turner International India.

Monica has a fabulous collection of shoes, bags and costume jewelry. Her keen sense of fashion and the sense of enjoyment in having a great collection of shoes, bags and jewelry is what attracted her to start collecting these items.

She has 150 pairs of footwear and 100 bags. And as for costume jewelry, Monica says, "It's difficult to put a number to what I possess but if I were to wear my jewelry everyday without repeating even one earring... I can do that without a problem for at least 500 days in a row!"

Traveling across the globe has helped Monica expand her collection. She has picked up these items from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. With a little knowledge and effort, everyone can find their own gems. Each found gem has its own 'story.' Whatever the reason for collecting, it fulfills emotions that lie at the heart of our personalities.

"In every visit of mine, five-six pairs of shoes and three-four bags is a very expected thing in my bag! This of course is not including my shopping binges in my India travels," says Monica.

When asked since when she has been nurturing her collection, Monica smiles, "Since I started affording it!" She admits to buying most herself but does have friends and family contributing to her collection and adds, "Yes, more of such gestures are more than welcome!"

She looks for colour, uniqueness, design in her favourite items and the fact that it should fit well and go with her personality.

Initially, when she started the collection, she was not much into brands. But, over the years she prefers to check out her preferred brands before the final buy. Says Monica, "Nine West is my favourite footwear brand but that doesn't stop me from buying shoes, bags and accessories from fancy malls to flee markets! As long it appeals to me - I just buy it!"

Monica doesn't reveal the amounts she spends on her collections. All she says is," If I tell you then I will have to kill you! Let's just say...A LOT!"