A man needs to get in touch with aquatically-inclined simian using the pool at the Breach Candy Club, in an “official capacity”. A dog living in a high rise apartment needs access to astro turf. A woman in Bombay wants fresh blueberries and another, a dressing table that looks like this.

Concierge India has sourced all of the above. Launched just last week, this free Pan-India service operates only through Facebook and email, helping people track down things they’ve seen abroad, on the internet, in a magazine and on Pinterest (send them a picture reference), but don’t know how to find it in India. Best photo-op ever!

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Its founders are two thirty something-year-olds who prefer to be anonymous because they want the service to speak for itself. “The best concierges and valets are those who stay below the radar,” they told us over an email interview. Is that why they found a vendor who could ship these mad-awesome invisible shoes to India?

The idea for Concierge India came to them because they noticed that a lot of Indians still go West to buy certain supplies - rare wine, academic books, designer stash. “We wanted to fix that,” they say. In fact, when the two of them moved back to Mumbai after studying abroad, good cheese and quick drying nail polish was sorely missed. In this endeavor, they’ve spread their network to cover global searches and also help coordinate shipping from the US.

What: Soulphool florist, visit www.soulphool.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Rs 560 for a Tropical Bloom Bouquet.

Why: Out with Facebook notifications and in with Soulphool’s birthday reminders. This online florist allows you to pre-book flowers for the entire year, ensuring that their best blooms reach your best buds, irrespective of that rusty memory. Soulphool - run by a company that exports flowers to Europe and Japan – features pretty, pricey bouquets and fresh-from-the-garden harvests, but also cheesy lines like “nature laughs in flowers.” Phools!

When: You want to visit the Garden of e-den.

What: Nightcall: after-party booze and cigarette home delivery service, call 9820794523, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or tweet @nightcall_in, visit www.nightcall.in, delivery from Cuffe Parade to VT only, Rs 40 for 5 cigarettes plus a flat Rs 50 delivery charge.

Why: Kaiser and Rohit could be South Mumbai’s new Avengers, saving your after-party pangs from shutters down. Call/tweet/email them – on weekends only from 11 pm to 4 am – after your neighbourhood bar shuts, and the 26 year-olds promise to deliver booze, cigarettes, mixers and chips (see menu here) to your home within 20 minutes. Place your Hulk order now. Geographical expansion, coming soon.

When: Your night needs shining armour from Friday to Sunday, 11 pm to 4 am.

What: Crazy plant installations by S.E.E.D, call Simrit Malhi on 09320606012, view the Facebook group here or visit http://maaliwalli.tumblr.com, start at Rs 3,000.

Why: Have you seen the leaflet yet? Plant artist and reviewer of eco hotels in South East Asia, Simrit provides mad garden solutions that include putting organic plants in oil drums, electric meters, robots and old Onida TVs. For soil sample see outside section at Colaba store Bombay Electric, that’s been greened by this “maaliwalli”. The S.E.E.D fund also offers landscaping services, custom-built garden accessories and terrariums where wild plants take over little Lego towns. Shyamalan would be proud.

When: Your garden needs to grow up.

What: Travel Ninjas - vacations planned by experts, view the website here, start at Rs 1,250 for 30 days of planning and research.

Why: Dull summer holidays will get their a** kicked by the Travel Ninjas, a panel of professional gadabouts - travel book writers, bloggers, conservationists and photographers – who plan cool vacations for a reasonable sum. They make tall promises like introducing you to storytellers who’ll turn into friends, procuring cheap Broadway tickets, hoisting you up into a tree, and assure a refund if they can’t deliver. You can interact with your Ninja of choices over the phone, email, chat and Skype. Is that a ‘hi’ or ‘haiya’ we just heard?

When: You need a new planning commission report.

Ryan Abraham doesn’t have a butler called Alfred and on most occasions, he knows that the underwear goes below the pants. But he still calls himself a vigilante, one who looks out for your idea and does everything he can to keep it from landing up in a box.

And in order to “out-think the box”, the ad man (with over 15 years of experience in agencies like Lintas and Triton) co-founded Vigilante along with Nikhil Contractor, an idea collective that is a consortium of companies, each bringing their own talent to the pool. So at their plush 2,500 square feet Bandra space, you’ll find that a bunch of organisations including an ad firm, digital, design, event and PR agencies, and social impact company co-exist in a community office. While they also function individually, no walls and cabins mean they’re like a well-oiled machine, ready to collaborate on projects when required. Holy hot desking, Batman!

What: Balloon sculptor for grown-up (and often explicit) parties, call Rose from Party Pixie on 9892488544 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Rs 6,000 for three hours.

Why: Rose Van Gorder is the blow up doll your do’s been missing. Invite the balloon sculptor (an American national in Mumbai with a performing arts degree from Denmark) to your party and she’ll set up a booth, twisting balloons into anything your heart desires – crazy animals, pouty lips, intricate flowers, hats, handbags, inflated egos. Although the material required for naughty balloons is the same, it requires a “different frame of mind” so inform Rose in advance. Private(s) party, indeed!

When: You need a new air-tell network.

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What: Picnic basket + treats on order from The Picnik Basket at Cuffe Parade, call 9987687005 or view the Facebook group here, start at Rs 500, no delivery yet.

Why: If you could cancel Mumbai’s humidity and order summer from a catalogue, book mark this: picnic baskets packed by trade economist-turned-caterer Raashi, who does yum chicken-celery pinwheel sandwiches, prawn cocktail in disposable glasses, oatmeal muffins with fresh strawberries and mini Mexican wraps with avocado and beans. Customers who bought this also liked: hair flower wreaths and Saturday outdoor music gigs.

When: You want a parallel park.

What: Laser tag gun rental service from Game Garage at Fort, call 9820486764, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or view the Facebook page here, Rs 200 per gun on weekdays and Rs 300 on weekends, includes pickup and delivery anywhere in Mumbai.

Why: This weekend, keep your friends close and your enemies within shooting range as we track down Game Garage, a cool service that rents out laser tag guns for indoor and outdoor play. Once you’ve called in with your requirement, the arms rep comes over with colour coded guns for two teams, teaches you how to use them and returns the next day to collect. Uzi target?

When: Life revolvers around your friends.

Bouncing off walls, casting spells and joining a school of fish near Ganpatipule: bpb presents cool courses to take in Mumbai.

Go Comet Hunting and Moon Watching: The Amateur Astronomers’ Association, Bombay conducts sessions on astronomy at the Department of Physics, St. Xavier’s College (open to non-students), as well as field trips for moon watching and comet hunting. To register call 9821082487, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit the website here, Rs 400 for annual membership.

Recommended study material: Read up on the awesome Venus and Jupiter sky spectacle slated for March 15, 2012.

Hop On to a Scooter: For all those times you wished you knew how to ride a scooty in Goa, call Aarti Gala, a South Mumbai resident who teaches city girls how to ride a scooter in 30 sessions. Call 9768363585, Rs 3,500 for 30 sessions.

Recommended study material: The Mumford And Sons Cave video to witness the joy of scoot-ying in Goa. Also, any studs looking to offer motor bike lessons to Secret Scouter MP, please email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Ride into the sunset not guaranteed.

Learn How To Be a Witch: In a nondescript Bandra store called Magick, Swati Prakash, president of the Tarot India Network, conducts classes on witchcraft and introduction to casting spells. Seriously. Anyone who screwed you over should be scared. At Magick, shop no. 2, Sai Pooja, 16th road, Bandra (W), call 9867859058, visit the Facebook page here, Rs 11,520 for 12 hours.

Recommended study material: “This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches."

Play the Djembe: Liven up your weekend with these Sunday classes where you’ll learn how to play the djembe - an African percussion instrument - under Taufiq Qureshi, Zakir Hussain’s younger brother. It’s an ongoing class open to amateurs as well as experienced players. At Arts in Motion, 39/44 TV Chidambaran Marg, Sion (E), call 9820183231, visit the Facebook page here, Rs 2,700 for 12 sessions.

Recommended study material: Catch a performance by our favourite beat-nik Jonqui, who routinely plays the djembe at Blue Frog and Wink.

Get On a Skateboard: In a city as traff***ed as ours, it might make sense to ditch your car for another four wheeler – the skateboard that’s gotten even hotter post Tony Hawk’s visit to Mumbai. Get free lessons courtesy Skateboarding in Mumbai, a community that meets at Lower Parel once a week. For details on their next meet-up visit the Facebook page here.

Recommended study material: These gorgeous wood-carved skateboards.