Chinese lights add to Diwali sparkle

KANPUR: The markets are flooded with Chinese multi-colour lights in various forms and styles this Diwali. These fancy lights are giving a tough time to potters and candle makers. They are worried lot as the sale of earthen 'diyas' and candles are declining.
Majority of the people prefer to decorate their homes with the low cost, multi-coloured and fancy Chinese lights. These lights look good and are also environment friendly.
According to sources in the market, the demand for fancy Chinese lights has increased manifold in the past few years. The demands for candles had reduced but these are still in the market. But the earthen lamps had almost vanished.
Outdoor lighting , Outdoor lamps , led street light ,
"The demand for Chinese lights had increased amazingly. Last year, we almost ran out of stock. This year, the demands is expected to reach to new heights," said Dheeraj, owner of shop at Ram Narain Bazaar.
The designer LED bulbs are available at Rs 30 per piece, a set of four crystal balls for Rs 150 and Ganesh showpiece with LED lights ranges from Rs 150 to Rs 300. Whereas, the Chinese lamps cost between Rs 50 and Rs 100.
Chhotu, another shopkeeper at P Road, said that the market has been flooded with a variety of LED lights. These are much in demand not only by the modern lot but also by those who believe in traditional decoration.
The Chinese lights are available in various forms. Among these, pipe light (Rs 30 per metre) and chip light (Rs 660 per five metres) are common and high in demand. Also huge star light (Rs 150), heart light (Rs 150), peacock wing (Rs 175), 'Swastik' (Rs 160) and 'Om' (Rs 150) (all LED lights) are the other items in demand.
"I have already sold hundreds of such LED pieces till now and in coming days I expect to sell more. Though it is not something new, still people are lapping it up," added another shopkeeper.
The multi-coloured and fancy Chinese lights are grabbing the market because these are trendy and affordable.
Street lights , Light poles , Garden lights , Floodlights
Chinese lights can also be used to decorate the interiors as well. Attractive items like big colourful light balls (electronic kandeel) made of cloth and thread at Rs 660, lights in the shape of 'Ganesh-Lakshmi' made of bamboo for Rs 900 are also in demand.
The only thing Indian about the Chinese lights are the interesting names. There is 'magic' light that exhibits a change in colour within a short span of time. 'Damru lights' with countless mini-bulbs in a row is another attraction.
Easy on the pockets, these lights can be bought at Rs 60 per piece (per piece and includes about 40 bulbs). The four-in-one 'crystal gola' exhibits various hues of red, green, orange and blue, said Abdul, a light shop owner on Birhana Road.
Other varieties available in the market are 'flower jaal'and 'pearl strip' that can be combined with the rope lights to cover an entire building.
"I prefer Chinese lights over 'diyas' because these come at an affordable price and there is a wide variety to choose from. The best part is these lights can be used again and again, contrary to traditional diyas," said Sachin, a local resident.

Weekly beer tasting notes: Almanac Summer 2010

Can you imagine losing the ability to do something that you had enjoyed doing your entire adult life?
That happened to Pedro Gonzalez eight years ago when he was diagnosed with celiac disease. He had to give up all foods with gluten, including beer.
But, Gonzalez did not lose his love of beer, and he and his wife, Seneca Murley, created New Planet Beer to brew gluten-free beers.
"It's a very personal experience to be able to enjoy a product that you haven't been able to enjoy for a long time because for the longest time there wasn't anything out there," said Gonzalez. "Recently, I had a hot dog with a gluten-free bun. I was basically teary-eyed. I was sitting there with a beer and eating a hot dog on a bun and I was happy."
After years of sickness, Gonzalez, of Colorado, was diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, an intolerance to gluten that causes damage to the small intestines and doesn't allow food to be properly absorbed. Although he was happy to find out what was causing his medical problems, he had to give up anything that contained barley, wheat, rye and other cereal grains to remain healthy. That includes most breads, crackers, beer and other items.
A few years ago, Gonzalez was at a cookout and inside the cooler he found a bottle of a gluten-free beer.
"It was such a let down; it didn't taste like a beer," he said.
Gonzalez then contacted his friend Roy Emmons, a former brewer for the Rock Bottom chain of brewpubs, and asked him to help make a gluten-free beer that tastes like a real beer.
The problem with that is you're brewing a beer without a key ingredient, barley. Gluten-free beers instead use a lesser-known cereal grain, sorghum.
"We're trying to craft traditional characters out of untraditional grains," he said.
To help give the beers some body, New Planet also uses other ingredients, such as brown rice extract, tapioca, orange peel, corn and molasses in its beers to help give the body a little more body.
In 2009, New Planet Beer started selling its beers, and although they do not taste like traditional beers, they are closer than any other of the gluten-free beers on the market.
Currently, the company brews three beers -- 3R Raspberry Ale, Off Grid Pale Ale and Tread Lightly Ale. All three beers are 5 percent alcohol by volume.
The 3R Raspberry Ale is just that, a raspberry ale. It is light, and the raspberry flavors really does a good job of hiding the different taste sorghum gives a beer than traditional malts.
"If you're a raspberry beer type of person, you can drink two or three of these," said Gonzalez. "That's kind of our standard. We're trying to to make beer where people want a few of these."
Gonzalez said his goal is to someday have gluten-free beers to become as accepted as regular beer, and that there are no differences in flavors.
"We want to give a real traditional experience for someone," he said. "There is a 'Gluten-Free Beer' category at the (Great American Beer Fest in Colorado). Imagine if the quality of gluten beer was so good that we could compete against the other beers in all of the other categories, instead of having our own category. I hope that happens someday."