Light it up this New Year’s Eve

When the clock strikes 12 this 31^st of December, you don’t want to be stuck in a gloomy, dimly lit place. You need to be under a clear sky... lit by a million lights. Here’s our list of top 5 places in the world where you should be this New Year’s Eve.

1.       London, UK

       When we are talking time and we are talking London. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the BIG BEN. Around 2.5 million people will gather around the huge monster of a clock and wait for the bell tower to ring. As the clock strikes 12, an 8 minute firework will light up the skies of London. Greet your fellow 2.5 million with a clipped accent & say ‘Happy New Year’

2.       Dubai, UAE

Last year the Guinness Book of World Records saw a new entrant. Designed by an American pyrotechnic Phil Grucci, this six minute fire & light show was planned over 10 months. The 160 storey Burj Khalifa lit up, delighting everyone last year and we are sure it will be equally exciting this year. A “Kul am wa antum bi khayi” won’t hurt... that’s Happy new year.

3.       Hong Kong, China

The Symphony of Lights- already offers visitors and locals a fantastic display of lights all year long. Come New Year and you get to see that and much more. What’s interesting is that the Pearl of the Orient has only started celebrating New Years in the last 6 years and has already managed to be the hottest destination to be. Fireworks were invented in China in the 7^th century, so they are the masters really. Drop in a “Gong Hey Fat Choy” with humility and you know you just wished a Chinese a Happy New Year.

4.       Rome, Italy

Like music and dance? Then this is your destination. The legendary street parties are filled with complimentary street sips, strangers greeting each other better than friends do, and dancing under the light of flashing fireworks. Don’t forget to wear a red underwear on New Year’s Eve, it’s the emblem of New Year luck in Italy. And yeah... it’s Buon Anno.

5.       Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

When we draw up a list of best party places, how can one leave the Samba-people out? 2 million people wait for you at the Copacabana beach, which fills up with bassy dance music, beer bunks, and a horizon lit up with fireworks. New Year fashion is important here, wear the symbolic whites (peace), green (health), purple (inspiration), yellow (prosperity) or Red (romance). Feliz ano novo is the word.

And if you are home bound, don’t forget to draw up your own little Rio De Janeiro in your house. Light the place up and make it bright. And don’t let a power cut kill the joy. Ensure that inverter's & generator's in your house keep the lights ON all through and keep the night bright.

Setting the mood ‘Light’

Out of the 5 senses that man boasts about, the sense of sight is probably the most cherished. And ‘Light’ is the essence of this sense.

This blog is about setting your mood right with light... They say the right type of lighting can create an ambiance, soothe or warm up the mood and most importantly, define spaces. And the wrong type of course can make you sleepy and irritable.

Here are a few things to look at when you are lighting your space up...

General or ambient 

The general light is your ‘one click... whole house goes boom’ light. They usually come from one central source, like a ceiling fixture. You could play with these by adding multiple sources covered by a loop. A combination of switch-ons from the ceiling will leave certain parts of the house lit and some dark, creating an interesting ambience. You could also add dimmers to these lights and play.

Dim down the light and cozy up with your special someone and watch a movie. Bright up one side of the room putting spot light on the singer on the karaoke night.

Task Light
Are you the ones who works from home... too? Then task lights are something you should know about. These illuminate work spaces and the balance between light sources is critical. The task light should ideally be complemented by a house light or an ambient light so that moving your eyes from light to darkness won’t lead to eyestrain.  

White lights help in reading better and increases the time spent at work.

Accent 
Add some drama into your room with some accent lighting. This type of lighting is excellent for highlighting focal points or your favorite items in the room. Be careful not to over light or under light. After choosing the spot and angle of lighting, ensure that you add to your effort by choosing the right bulb.

Add accent lighting to the back of a big statue and feel the halo. Focus that light from the bottom on your center table and feel the divine glow from a non-existent globe.

Light truly is an element that plays such a crucial role in our lives. Even setting the right mood. But there is more, much more to light than this. In the very function of survival (thanks to photosynthesis and all that you learnt as a kid), light plays an important role. Power is the epicenter of development and progress, from allowing kids to read in the night to machinery functioning for adequate production.

We at Mahindra group, the tractor & multi-utility vehicles major in India, realized this and forayed into Power Generation in 2002. Our generators are designed to provide Fuel Efficiency, Better load acceptance, Minimal vibration, Low noise levels, and Low maintenance costs. Our commitment to quality has won us the prestigious Frost & Sullivan “Voice of Customer” award for the most preferred Genset Brand in the telecom segment and in the Customer Enhancement category. Mahindra Powerol was also recognized as Power Brand 2011 & Master Brand 2012.

Have you experimented with light & interiors lately? Share with us in the comments section below. 

Lighthouses of the World

Today, lighthouses remain a mere monument that depict untold and sometimes cooked stories of history, valor and the supernatural. Functionally relevant or not, lighthouses do manage to capture human imagination. From its erstwhile role of being a navigational aid, marking out dangerous coastlines and assisting aerial navigation, they have today reduced to backdrops for selfie's. The increasing cost of maintenance and availability of modern navigational equipment like strobes have let to decline of these majestic structures.

This blog takes you on a world tour and introduces you to some of the most magnificent lighthouses from across the world. So if you are a traveler, add these to your bucket list, if it isn't already there.

1.    Jeddah Light

With the claim to be the world’s tallest lighthouse, this concrete and steel marvel stands tall at a staggering 436 feet in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

2.    Perry Memorial Monument

This huge granite structure is a Peace monument commemorating the Battle of Lake Erie that took place near Ohio’s South Bass Island. Built in the year 1915, this lighthouse is the tallest in North America

3.    Yokohama Marine Tower

This steel skeletal marvel is in Yokohama, Japan. The 332 ft. structure has the observation deck at the height of 100 meters. Another unique feature of the tower is its light characteristic which flashes every 20 seconds alternating between green and red.

4.    Ile Vierge

Meet the tallest stone lighthouse in Europe. It’s also is one the tallest traditional lighthouses in the world. Standing at 82.5 mts, the lighthouse is located in Finistere in France.

5.    Madras Light House, Chennai

So the last one is reserved for the lighthouse closer home. Opened in 1977, this lighthouse houses the meteorological department and was restricted to visitors. This is the only lighthouse in India with an elevator and also the only one within city limits.   

Probably one of the most massive man-made structure of light, and definitely the most beautiful, lighthouses are a rarity today. But the sight of one reminds us of the role light plays, to provide direction and keep ones hope of reaching their goals alive. Light truly is metaphorically at various levels.

We at Mahindra group realized this and forayed into Power Generation in 2002. Our generators are designed to provide Fuel Efficiency, Better load acceptance, Minimal vibration, Low noise levels, and Low maintenance costs. Our commitment to quality has won us the prestigious Frost & Sullivan “Voice of Customer” award for the most preferred Genset Brand in the telecom segment and in the Customer Enhancement category. Mahindra Powerol was also recognized as Power Brand 2011 & Master Brand 2012.

Have you visited a lighthouse lately? Share with us in the comments section below.