By By Brian Santhumayor, USA

Secaucus (NJ), Sept 14, 2008: It was a beautiful Sunday morning as I drove to the Meadowlands Expo center in New Jersey to take part in the much-awaited Zee Carnival. Zee TV was celebrating its 10th anniversary in the US market from Aug 30th to September 1st and its Zee Carnival was a lifestyle exhibition all under one roof, with the very best in entertainment, fashion and flavors from the sub-continent.

As I entered the Meadowlands Expo center in New Jersey, I could sense the electrifying atmosphere around me. There were folks of all ages excitedly walking around the hall looking admiringly at the Indian dresses and other paraphernalia on display while others in the crowd strained their necks trying to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars. I decided to jump right into the thick of the excitement and armed with my camera made a dash to the Galaxzee autograph section. The stars that were scheduled to make their appearances included Mega Bollywood stars Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan along with prime time television celebrities Ram Kapoor (Kasamh Se), Sharad Kelkar (Saat Phere), Roshni Chopra (Kasamh Se), Kirti Gaekwad (Saat Phere), Teen Bahuraniyaan's Idol Couple - Manish & Kadambari and many others. Being among the lucky ones who managed to get a prime spot near the podium, which was absolutely choc-o-bloc, I ended up nearly getting trampled by a surge of screaming girls who desperately attempted to shake hands with the stars as they made their appearance onstage.

Having met many other Bollywood and Hollywood stars, I was eagerly looking forward to meeting with Bollywood's hottest couple Kareena and Saif Ali Khan. Kareena, who is among the highest paid Bollywood actresses and who also endorses many reputed products, set the stage on fire with her charm along with Saif Ali Khan who was very friendly and articulate as he patiently obliged each and every fan who wanted to shake his hand, give him a hug or pose for a photo with him. I finally managed to get my moment of rendezvous with Saif and Kareena as they signed autographs. Listening to Kareena speak, it was not difficult to envision as to why this versatile artiste who has experimented with different kinds of roles is adored by the audience. There were also a number of television stars that graciously took to the stage and met with their awe-struck fans.

Kareena and Saif then took to the stage for a Q&A session with the doting audience. The fans quizzed them about their relationship to which they both blushed. Saif was asked as to what was the sweetest thing he ever said about Kareena? He did not give a direct answer but said," That would be too cheesy. Do ask Kareena." Kareena then responded by saying that Saif had not said anything cute to her in 3 days. Saif promised to make up for that. Kareena who recently became a vegetarian said that her favorite dish was Paneer and her favorite film was 'Jab We Met.' Saif delighted the audience by playing the guitar. The first time Saif ever played the guitar for an audience was at the 2004 Temptations tour, where the crowds couldn't get enough of the star.

I decided to take a break from all the excitement, as it was time to satisfy my pangs of hunger. I headed to the section where celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor was doing live cookery demonstrations and showing some interesting and innovative recipes. The recipes were simple and quick to prepare with ingredients easily available keeping the taste as the paramount factor. Sanjeev Kapoor has been hosting the 'Khana Khazana' show on Zee TV for the last 15 years. It is now nearing the milestone of 800 episodes that have been aired non-stop making it the longest running TV show in any category on any channel on Indian TV. Sanjeev Kapoor said that he loved to have home made rajma chawal or kandhi chawal.

Also performing at the Zee Carnival were the current winners of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Challenge USA 2008 along with star singer Mauli. Dr Pankaj Naram who is the world-renowned advisor of Ayurvedic Cure also conducted 2 lectures/workshops. The grand finale of the day was the amazing fashion show showcasing the very best in the sub continental dress sense. The models looked stunning in their beautiful costumes as they strutted up and down the fashion ramp in-front of a delighted and fascinated audience as hundreds of flash bulbs exploded as people merrily clicked away on their cameras looking to take with them the reminiscence of these beautiful models in their lovely and attractive costumes.

The Zee Carnival was a huge success gauging by the thousands of people who packed the Expo center for the Carnival and just did not seem to get enough of the excitement and were in a mood for more. It was a gathering of a melting pot of people of all ages from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and America, all united with one common goal - To Have Fun and a Great Time! As Kareena Kapoor loves to say, "It's Rocking."

About The Author Brian Santhumayor of Nanthoor, Mangalore, has a Bachelors Degree in Engineering and MBA in Marketing and works as an Account Manager for an enterprise software firm in Manhattan. He actively writes articles on US Foreign Policy, UN and World Affairs. He volunteers by fundraising for numerous non-profit organizations including the American India foundation run by President Bill Clinton and has won numerous awards for his charitable efforts.