Ramadan Special

Easy's Eid special 

Fashion house Easy has a collection of new wardrobe with the upcoming Eid in mind. Easy has consistently provided new designs for its customers at affordable prices. These clothing, designed keeping in mind the youth, is now available at all outlets of Easy. The collection includes colourful T-shirts, Polo shirts, casual and formal shirts, short and long panjabis, pants among others. Easy has 19 showrooms all over the country including at Jamuna Future Park, Bashundhara City, Mirpur, Uttata, Aziz Super Market, Sylhet, Chittagong and Narshingdi. Contact them at 0171 573 2800; www.easyfashionbd.com or at fb/easyfashionltd.bd

Nipun's Eid line

Keeping in mind the devious weather that changes from being intolerably sunny to stormy in a matter of hours, Nipun's Eid attires has chosen fabrics that promise to be a comfortable wear: cotton, linen, joy-silk, and 'taat' cotton. Floral, zigzag and geometric motifs adorn the shalwar kameezes, kurtis, panjabis, shirts and fatuas. Nipun also has a collection for kids.

Stay hydrated this Ramadan

Ramadan is here and with it a month of abstinence. This will be a month of the spiritual reawakening for many, involving prayers, charity and self-examination. But the most tangible part of Ramadan is its physical manifestations, and a day of not eating and drinking any water can have its toll. Therefore one has to be wary of being fresh and healthy throughout the month, and staying properly hydrated.

For the majority, fasting involves staying away from food and drinks from dawn to dusk and then at iftar chugging down jugs of water and plates of food like a glutton. 

Most of us prefer a nice refreshing juice to break the fast, but these usually contain a lot of sugar and can actually make you gain weight. Water on the other hand is essential to the functioning of the body and it is better to stick to it.

Even drinking water should be kept to moderate levels. Instead of drinking 5 glasses at one go, sip continuously till sehri time. If you go out, carry a bottle and sip occasionally. Keep a bottle next to your bed at night. 

The important thing is to give the body the regular amount of water it needs to function between dusk to sehri. Drinking too much can make the digestion process slow down. A simple formula to approximate how much water you need is to calculate by dividing your weight in pounds by 2 and drink that number of ounces of water. If you really must have juice, make them yourself.

Food should always be part of the consideration as well. Eat things with high water content, like cucumbers, watermelons, tomatoes, apples. Avoid overly spicy food as these will increase thirst. Do not add too much salt to salads and other dishes. Avoid eating salty foods like salted fish and pickles as they increase the body's need for water. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables because they are rich in water and fibre. They stay in the intestines for a long time and reduce thirst.

With the sweltering heat, it is easy to get dehydrated despite the best precautions. Try to minimise time spent outdoors. Carry a towel or a napkin to wipe sweat regularly and wear weather appropriate clothing to not get stuffy. If you cycle to commute, be sure to wear clothing which helps the sweat to evaporate fast.  And remember, drinking iced water to break your fast does not replenish your thirst but can cause your blood vessels to contract and cause indigestion. For this reason, it is recommended you drink water at room temperature or slightly cold.

Citi Women's Network arranges iftar 

On 28 June, 2015 Citi Women's Network Bangladesh hosted an iftar party at KFC's Gulshan branch, for 30 girls from Happy Homes, Mohammadpur. The event was sponsored by Citi Women's Network Bangladesh and the employees of Citi Bangladesh.

The Happy Homes project, which began in 2006, provides 150 of most vulnerable street girls with a permanent and stable home. It provides the girls with long term care and support, enabling them to enrol in government primary schools and receive vocational and long term training. 

The Citi Women's Network Bangladesh came to know about this project through Citi's local community partner, ActionAid Bangladesh, who has been pro-actively supporting this programme since it began. 

The iftar had treated the 30 girls with a scrumptious meal and provided them with some basic hygiene products and a bag of goodies to remember it as a special day. However, the organisers believe that the more important thing had been give these girls a feeling of belonging to the community.   

Cash back for bKash users

The leading mobile financial service provider in the country, bKash Limited, is offering up to 20 percent cash back to its customers if they pay through bKash. This offer is valid at 381 outlets of country's leading brands in fashion, food and e-commerce sectors (major participating brands include Aarong, Yellow, Lotto, Fakhruddin Biryani and Shwapno). The campaign will run till Eid-ul-Fitr.   

The entire list of participants is available in bKash's website, www.bkash.com and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/bkashlimited. 

There is no additional charge for bKash payment. And upon valid transaction, customers will receive the cash back amount in his or her bKash account on the next working day. 

Payment through bKash is being widely accepted at more than 5000 merchant shops across the country. A bKash customer can make a wide range of payments, from hospitals bills to taxi fare to plane tickets. They can also top up mobile balance of four operators: Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Airtel. 

Launched in 2011, bKash, which provides complete mobile financial services to common people, is a joint venture of BRAC Bank, US based Money in Motion, World Bank's private sector investment arm IFC and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

Civvy Street offers discount

Popular fashion brand Civvy Street has a diverse collection for young men and women this Eid. For men, there will be shirts and panjabis in over 50 designs along with t-shirts, denims and others. For women, there are tops, t-shirts, palazzos. Besides clothes, Civvy Street will also have leathers wallets, belts and purses. And customers can get 10% discount on their purchases by showing this news clipping at the counter. Civvy Streets showroom is at Plaza A R, Dhanmondi, shop no 212 (2nd floor). Contact for details: 01705761891, 01719032426

Sailor now at Uttara and Gulshan

Sailor, the lifestyle fashion brand of Epyllion Group now has its outlets in Uttara and Gulshan. New outlets have opened on 17 June at Concord Police Plaza, North Gulshan Avenue and on 18 June at Sonargaon Jonopoth Road, Sector-11, Uttara. 

All Sailor outlets feature designer outfits, fashionable footwear and accessories for the customers within very affordable price range. Its unique Eid collection and competitive prices will remain the centre of attraction for all shoppers. 

Le Meridien's iftar and sehri treats

It is the first Ramadan for Le Méridien Dhaka since the hotel began operation in early June, and excitement is running high in its Latest Recipe restaurant. 

This all-day dining eatery has already achieved great reviews from overseas guests and city patrons alike, with its lavish buffet treats which are laid out daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  For Ramadan, the hotel's food and beverages team promise an equally stimulating buffet iftar with dinner. While dishes such as potato chop, 'chola, 'beguni' and 'piyaju' (without which iftar ceases to make sense!) are of course there, Arabian, Cajun, Mexican, Mughal, Thai, Italian, Japanese and European cuisines are also added. 

They are also offering 3 private dining rooms at the restaurant with seating for 15 to 20 guests each. The buffet is priced at Tk3600++ on weekdays and Tk4400 for Fridays and Saturdays. It is also offering buffet sehri at a very reasonable price of Tk2000++. The restaurant is also partnered with Standard Chartered Bank, The City Bank American Express and Prime Bank JCB to offer the popular "buy one get one free" offer for the buffet options. Minimum 6 hours of prior reservations is required to avail the buffet sehri. Reservations can be made by calling +88 01723 595463.

Megh's new Eid collection

Fashion House Megh has now introduced their new Eid collection. Their products are available in several colours and ranges. It includes women's fatuas and tops, men's panjabis, fatuas and tee shirts, children's shalwar kameez sets, fatuas, panjabis and tee shirts.

Address: Aziz Supermarket, Shahbagh; Metro Shopping Complex, Dhanmondi and Mirpur 10. Contact number: 8620230