CEO Vol 1 . Issue 3 . J u n e 2014 . `100
Botox:
Would you take a stab at it?
5
supercars
coming to town
Golfer’s Hub
Tee Off at india’s best golf courses
Sanjeev Kapoor The master of all chefs 1
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‘The Spirit of Vanquish. The Art of Asto
on Martin’ PERFORMANCE CARS ( Division of Infinity Cars Pvt. Ltd.)
Aston Martin Mumbai
No.3, Crystal Building, Altamount Road, Mumbai-400 028.
Tel: +91 22 65811007 www.astonmartinmumbai.in
www.kudoslondon.co.uk CEO LIFESTYLE
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PE OP L E
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Style Check
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The Master of All Chefs
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Tripping on Life
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The Man With the Midas Touch
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Channelling Simplicity into Stunning
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Are You Kidding?
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The Write Way
CEO Lifestyle brings you the best of Copenhagen Fashion Summit, 2014
Top chef Sanjeev Kapoor talks about his love for cooking and his ambition to turn singer
The CEO of TripAdvisor on his obsession with travel and shoes
Adobe’s Umang Bedi on making unstructured choices in life
Ana Sekularac tells CLS why she does not believe in labelling her collections
Who says your little girl can’t flaunt a Fendi or a Gucci?
A quick peek into the world of designer pens
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PANACH E
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Brand Factory
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Golfer’s Hub
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5 Supercars Coming to Town
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Living Smart
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The elitist’s library of new launches
The best golf courses that India has to offer
Which one of these five mean machines is going to be yours?
They are efficient, they are smart and they are polite. Take a look at the gadgets that make your home smarter
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P L AC ES The Great Indian Escapade
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DoubleTree Suites by Hilton comes to Bangalore
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Our list of some of the most exotic travel destinations in India
The latest offering by Hilton at Bangalore is a business traveller’s best bet
A Haven in the Hills
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Out of the Prayer Room
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We visit Nainital’s luxury boutique resort, Te Aroha
Here is why you should be visiting Delhi Art Gallery soon
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WINE & DINE
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East Meets West at Indian Accent
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A European Twist
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Courting Cognac
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Chef Manish Mehrotra whips up a delightful dinner for CEO Lifestyle
Olive Bar and Kitchen has a whole new menu and we love it
Everything you need to know about ‘eau de vie’
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Looking Between the Lines
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Going Organic
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Cocooned in Relaxation
Why more and more people are turning to the syringe
A little guide on how to create your own green corner in your house
A visit to the The Spa at Shangri-La, Eros Hotel leaves us wanting to return. Very soon
e ve n t s
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Sites & sounds
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Mark your calendar
Music for the soul Get your paint on
What we are looking forward to next month
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RAADIA MUKADAM GROUP EDITOR & BUSINESS HEAD editor@ceolifestylemagazine.com ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
Neha Malude FEATURE WRITERS
Rekha Shanmugham Nifty Jacob ART DIRECTOR
Veeranandhan Kittappa GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Narayanan Sathish Ashok M. MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Abhijit Basu
abhijit@eyeballmedia.in
Sandhur Goutham
s.goutham@eyeballmedia.in
Prashant Singh
prashant@eyeballmedia.in SALES COORDINATOR
Maria Mustafa CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION G.A. Manjunath G.SAKTHIVEL MANAGING DIRECTOR Eyeball Media Pvt.Ltd. 30-32, Subramanian Street, Abiramapuram, Chennai 600018, India. Tel: +91 44 4567 1150. www.ceolifestylemagazine.com Printed and published by G.Sakthivel for and on behalf of Eyeball Media Pvt. Ltd. Published at 30-32, Subramanian Street, Abiramapuram, Chennai 600018, India and printed by IKON Print Solutions at Shed No.B-10, Quaide Milleth Street, SIDCO Industrial Estate, MMDA, Arumbakkam, Chennai - 600 106. All rights reserved. The different trademarks published in this issue belong to their respective owners. CEO Lifestyle cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. The contents of CLS shall not be published or reproduced in any from without the written permission of the Group Editor, Raadia Mukadam. The copyright in the contents of this magazine, including photographs printed and published, rests exclusively with Eyeball Media Pvt. Ltd.
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Contributors
Kirthi Jayakumar A writer and peace activist. She enjoys reading, music and going on long walks by herself. A nomad by state-of-mind, for Kirthi, writing is her life-blood.
Kingston David In an eternal affair with technology and gadgets, an obsessive automobile freak, avid gamer, passionate about cricket and driving. An electronics engineer by chance and a writer by choice.
Poonam Goel Obsessive mom, forthright to a fault and self-designated agony aunt. Voracious reader who would want to be reborn as an artist. In this life though, she writes on art and loves it.
Gowrishanker Travel, meet, experience and capture. That pretty much explains what Gowrishanker does. An Aerospace Engineer by qualification but that never stopped him from being a photographer, because what drives him is his own personal satisfaction and everything else follows.
Aparna Kaistha Interior Decorator, Stylist, Writer and Teacher. A Lifestyle junkie in general. When not involved in dĂŠcor can be found partying, travelling or shamelessly pinning every free moment of the day.
Jyoti Balani An independent culinary writer and wine enthusiast, Jyoti started her culinary journey in a hotel management institute. When not writing, reading or traveling, she can be found in the kitchen, the garden or on some vineyard !
Leena Ghosh If not a writer, Leena would have been a comedian. Till date, she has never failed to introduce herself without cracking a joke. When not dreaming about dishes she’d present to impress the Master Chefs, Leena likes to have imaginary conversations with Linda Goodman.
Gauri Lokare Automobile journo, hardcore biker, globetrotter, aspiring iPhone filmmaker, loves freshly baked cookies, sudoku, masala chai & apple products. Will show ankle for free Wi-Fi.
Shivi Saxena Shivi is a perfect concoction of wit with the right jugglery of words. The zany copywriter dwells in Mumbai, is an outlandish ideator, and her high jinks have a rib tickling impact on others. She also pens down life’s happenings unimpaired.
EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Reader,
We’re also delighted to share with you that CEO Lifestyle has been nominated as a media partner for the World Brand Congress to be held on July 31st in Singapore this year
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I firmly believe that I was a gypsy in another life. Being on the road makes me happy! In retrospect, I think it is not so much the destination as the journey that enthralls me. Life’s best lessons have unfolded themselves to me at airports, and a recent one that I learnt was that labels don’t come with an age limit. In fact, recently as I was cooling my heels in the executive lounge of a noted airline at Mumbai airport, I was both amazed and delighted to see the prettiest eight year old stomping around in her Armani Junior tunic and a fashionable bag from Harrods of London. Way to go India! The Indian affluent populace is certainly sparing no opportunity of making their style statements. Luxury brands are pushing forward with products and services for children, hoping to catch the attention of status conscious parents, who have been more than happy to comply. Dior was one of the first to enter the underage apparel game launching children’s wear in 1967, followed some decades later by Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Stella McCartney, Marni and Lanvin. In fact, Burberry unveiled its first UK boutique last month dedicated to children’s wear in the Notting Hill area of London. Amongst all things luxe, this issue brings to you some such offerings for your little ones; the range is far beyond clothes if you want to add to the glam quotient of your little wonders. Talking about exotic, India is a magnificent country revealing a new flavour and facade in every state, truly a tourists’ paradise. It is probably the only country that can offer you snow capped peaks, deserts and dense forests. Our feature, ‘The Great Indian Escapade’ captures a few interesting destinations that we suggest you could explore this season. And if you’re looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, do read the piece on Te Aroha, a wonderful boutique resort in Nainital. It’s the perfect weekend getaway for all those in Delhi. We’re also delighted to share with you that CEO Lifestyle has been nominated as a media partner for the World Brand Congress to be held on July 31st in Singapore this year. Needless to say, we’re stoked. For such a young publication to achieve a milestone this significant is rare and we’re proud and grateful to all our readers for their overwhelming response. On that note, I leave you to enjoy this issue as much as you have enjoyed the previous ones.
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PEOPLE
CLUB CLS
The Club CLS Cook-Off
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Lights, music, action! If the evening of May 23rd, Friday, were to be described in three words, those would be just the right ones. CEO Lifestyle achieved yet another milestone in the past month with the launch of Club CLS, an exclusive congregation of the who’s who in the business world. The evening saw several luminaries from Chennai come together under one roof for a much-anticipated night of great food and fun at The Westin Chennai, Velachery. The evening was graced by biggies like fashion designer Vivek Karunakaran, Julian Francies, DGM (Marketing & Sales), Olympia Tech Park, Dr. Yashwanth Kumar Venkataraman, Honorary Consul, Republic of El Salvador, Kiron R, owner of Hi Style, and many more. Club CLS, a meet that will take place in a new city every month, made its debut in Chennai. Raadia Mukadam, Group Editor and Business Head of CEO Lifestyle, welcomed the guests along with the hotel’s general manager, Shrikant Wakharkar. And we made sure that it was an unforgettable night, thanks to The Club CLS Cook-Off. As the name suggests, we invited the guests to don the chef’s hat and put their best, well, ladle forward. The enthusiasm was infectious as people stepped ahead to tie their aprons specially created by CEO Lifestyle and before we knew it, we could hear pans sizzling and delightful aromas wafting around. As the participants set about creating a dish, the able chefs went around overseeing the competition, with Masterchef Australia videos running in the background for that extra smattering of encouragement. Minutes later, the results were out and the winners were awarded gift vouchers by the hotel, followed by drinks and dinner. In a nutshell, Club CLS kicked off to a wonderful and exciting start, leading the way to many more such fabulous meets. And for all those who are wondering ‘What next?’ all we will reveal at this time is Bangalore, no more. The rest is for us to know and for you to find out.
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CLUB CLS
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STYLE CHECK
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Denim Challenge at Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2014 Can sustainable fashion be as sexy as its conventional counterpart? Yes, it can. CEO Lifestyle takes a look at the creations of 11 Nordic designers who came together at the Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2014 to prove just that.
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It is the world’s largest and most important event on sustainability in fashion where bigwigs in the world of fashion, luxury, business and enterprise come together to prove that sustainable fashion can be attractive too. This year five Scandinavian brands were challenged to design one complete innovative and creative look made entirely of sustainable denim and 11 well-known Nordic designers had to create two outfits from innovative and sustainable materials. The goal of the Denim Challenge was to inspire both consumers and the industry to explore the endless ways denim can be used. Take a look at the playful all-denim outfit by designer duo ‘A Question Of’ made from 67 percent organic
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STYLE CHECK cotton and 33 percent recycled polyester - without any kind of acid treatment. The gold embroidery, embroidered dollar signs and peace signs on the jacket and skirt state that even though fashion is about money, everyone needs to make more sustainable decisions. The garments are made from GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton, which means that the cotton production has the lowest possible impact on the environment and future generations. We love the trademark ‘Giveashit’ on the cropped top and the sporty jacket to go with it. Barbara I Gongini’s ensemble which is a part of her AW14 collection has an edgy look throughout. The cropped jackets, long overcoats and lengthy vests are paired with stern shirting, rigid tees and fitted pants, and are dissected and meticulously fitted, to underline a layered but foremost structured silhouette. Shapes appear rather rigid, stripped from all decor, returning to the essence of the cut. The colour palette mostly consists of crisp whites, deep greys, charcoals and dark blacks.
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Guðrun Ludvig & Guðrun Rógvadóttir carry forward the sustainability challenge by presenting a collection of what’s called a Pesja dress and skirt. The dress, made from 100 percent alpaca fur yarn with the upper half made from Mohair yarn is hand-knitted on the Faroe Islands, which is where the designers belong to. The colours are sober – light grey alpaca fur and a soft, feminine peach Mohair. The duo draws their inspiration for this uniquely knitted outfit from the harsh weather conditions and the landscapes of the North Atlantic. Another interesting all-denim creation that caught our attention was Trine Wackerhausen’s outfit. She works with garments that are casual, yet quite feminine, so the dress has a soft washed look and flounces/peplu on the hips. The trenchcoat has a quilted top piece giving it a little heavy appearance combined with the soft washed denim. Trine also added many seams on the garment to give it the casual denim feel, since the garments are quite classic. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Models in Barbara I Gongini, Marimekko, Ivana Helsinki, Trine Wackerhause, Guðrun & Guðrun and A Question Of
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TITAN TALK
MASTER CHEFS A CEO, a national awardee, photographer, reality TV show participant and now, an aspiring singer – you would never guess that we were talking about Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. The man behind Khana Khazana, Kapoor knows how to add spice to life, finds Rekha Shanmugham.
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We sat at The Yellow Chilli amidst admiring glances, about to begin the conversation when a three-woman party comes up to the table to request for an autograph. Mother, daughter and granddaughter alike are fans of the chef and introduce themselves, utmost love and respect evident in their eyes. The effect Kapoor has had on people and especially women is unquestionable. Gently signing the note, he begins, “Growing up was simple and idyllic.” He is said to be quite a mischievous child but never really got into trouble. “The logic then was you could get away with anything as long as you were good at studies,” smiles Kapoor. Even as a child he was multifaceted and his thirst for exploration was hard to quench, a trait that has clearly survived the strings of complacency that age and time bind a person with. He wielded the willow, performing exceptionally in school, and even managed to raise funds to erect a 25-foot tall Raavan for the school drama club and try his luck with the drums. “There is nothing such as a person’s domain,” states Kapoor. “Limitations are created by the human mind.” Kapoor grew up in several places by virtue of his father’s profession. His father, though a banker, was a curious and passionate cook at home. He vividly remembers how his father would draw inspiration from dishes served in restaurants and whip up something similar for the family, experimenting with his own ingredients. His brother also pursued cooking as a hobby. Back then, the idea of men entering the kitchen was almost unheard of, making the Kapoors pioneers in their own right. Kapoor is also a rebel by nature and never ceases to be lured by the ‘impossible’. In fact, it is this very trait that made him what he is today, a chef par excellence who got conferred with the prestigious ‘Best Chef of India’ award by the Government of India. Post school, the boy who scored 99 percent in Math was headed towards architecture when circumstances and the idea of challenging the impossible propelled him in the culinary direction. Quiz him on what his parents had to say about their son making an ‘unconventional choice’ and he immediately replies that they were thoroughly supportive. Right from when Kapoor was young his parents had witnessed him making deviant choices and emerging victorious every time. One such time was when in the ninth grade, the boy chose Sanskrit, while the rest of the school, Hindi, simply because one could score more marks. Despite being warned by his teachers, Kapoor wouldn’t budge. They even summoned his parents but in vain. “My parents were on my side as they held firm faith in me,” remarks Kapoor. And no points for guessing how it ended. Kapoor was the only and a star student at the Sanskrit CEO LIFESTYLE
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class. There was still the society to deal with, though, but as Kapoor puts it, “What they say is their problem, not mine.” A path less trodden but Kapoor’s credo is clear, “Predictability makes life boring.” Kapoor had set a firm target for himself and that was to become the executive chef of a large hotel in 10 years. However, hardly eight years is all it took for the wizard. “The best target then was 20 years,” he says. “My logic was to work for 16 instead of the usual eight hours.” And the rest as they say is history. Numerous awards, endorsements, TV shows including a dance reality show, cookbooks, the mammoth achievement of his very own 24x7 food and food lifestyle TV channel and restaurants – the man has built nothing short of an empire with several diversifications along the way, including the highly commendable ‘Wonderchef’ initiative, the result of an intense conversation with his father during his last days about empowerment of women in India. He even has plans to expand the enterprise abroad. You wonder if the days of a man as busy as him magically extend to accommodate more hours than the usual. However, the master chef is also a master at prioritizing. Apart from the extensive travelling he does for work, Kapoor also takes his CEO LIFESTYLE
family on a vacation every year. With his daughters Rachita and Kriti at the back, wife Alyona by his side and the GPS to guide him, the man enjoys exploring the roads abroad. He reminisces about a trip to America during which he hired the stately Lincoln and drove it around for about eight days. “I loved it,” he says. “I had not driven that kind of a car before.” Back home, he drives the high-end BMW 7 series. The family also shops together while holidaying and the master chef says he can shop a lot if not for the time constraint. He is passionate about watches and the next on his list is a Patek Philippe. “My wife said she would buy it for me. But I insisted that I should get it myself – at the right price,” he smiles, adding, “I have great buying skills.” Travel, for work or otherwise, deeply inspires the chef and he takes back something from every experience. It comes as no surprise that he indulges in local food during his travel. However, he admits to not having a ‘favourite’. Honesty in cooking deeply connects with the gastronome in Kapoor. Also, anything that triggers a sense of nostalgia like his mother’s signature eggless cakes which she still bakes is special for him. He loves his wife’s masala dosa too, which she incidentally happened to cook for him
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I plan to get into singing seriously next year and give all the good singers a run for their money
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Sanjeev Kapoor with daughters Rachita and Kriti and wife Alyona, Kapoor with Vikas Khanna, Padma Lakshmi and Varli Singh
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when he visited her house for the first time. He has a strong liking towards South Indian food. So who dons the chef’s hat at home? “The maid!” laughs Kapoor. The man has several chains of restaurants dotting the world today with the closest to his heart being the ‘Signature by Sanjeev Kapoor’ in Dubai. He is often lauded for his business acumen and ability to precisely foresee trends. “The shift to entrepreneurship was probably because I was not getting paid well and also due to my brother’s insistence,” he says. “As we expand, pressure mounts. Nevertheless I’m extremely happy I forayed into this.” Not many might know but Kapoor is a photography enthusiast and a voracious reader too. “I am currently reading ‘Modernist Cooking: The Art and Science of Cooking’, the series of books by Nathan Myhrvold who worked as the Chief Technological Officer for Microsoft,” he says, eyes lighting up with excitement as he talks about the book. That his own cookbooks have been creating waves around the world as is only too well-known. The chef even autographed and submitted a copy of his extremely popular encyclopaedic work ‘How to Cook Indian’ to be presented to the President and the First Lady during his visit to the White House in 2012. There is simply no end to listing the things the master chef does. His demeanour speaks of the wisdom and confidence of a veteran but his eyes betray the unmistakeable energy of a curious child willing to explore more. What next? “I plan to get into singing seriously next year and give all the good singers a run for their money!” he says. Yes, predictability makes life boring indeed. CEO LIFESTYLE
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TRIPPING ON LIFE
A man born to travel, Nikhil Ganju’s travel diary is filled with experiences both funny and admirable, from trekking solo to the Everest base to pumping petrol in a diesel car on a road trip. The CEO of TripAdvisor talks to Nifty Jacob on why the feeble-hearted must try sky diving.
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Saint Augustine once said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” In October, 2011, Ganju stood alone on a rugged mountain terrain in awe of the breathtaking view. The joy of accomplishment was unmatched, as he snapped away with his SLR camera. It was an idea he had been toying with for a while. “There comes a time when you realize that some things just need to be done,” he says. And so began the lone 11-day, life-altering trip to reach the base camp of Mount Everest in Nepal. While the climb turned his feet sore and the chill made his knees throb, the only thing on Ganju’s mind was to reach his target planned for the day. Experiencing simple things are the small joys of life and for the globetrotter it was rekindling his love for nature. “I realized that I could sleep in a small cubicle, live sparingly and still be ok,” he says. His love for the outdoors could possibly be a result of moving every few years since his father was in the armed forces. Ganju was born in an army hospital in Sri Nagar in 1975 but soon moved to Chennai where he stayed till the age of eight. The young Kashmiri would often masquerade around as an Iyengar boy in fluent Tamil. “I was a very vocal child,” he recalls, “I used to sing Tamil songs and enjoyed a camaraderie with the local shopkeepers.” Well-disciplined, he
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was the teacher’s pet. “Living with a teacher has that effect,” he chuckles. In 1995, Ganju joined the Symbiosis Institute of Management in Pune, for which his mother still holds a small grudge. “It was a strange time and she thought she had lost me,” he says. Away from home for the first time, he dived into his new found freedom by exploring the idea of wearing blond wigs in an effort to look like a rock star and long drives in the dead of the night. “I sort of went underground,” he tells us. “Those were the days when people had to stand in a queue outside the STD booth to make calls. I rarely called. I think Pune does that to you.” Most often dressed to work in causal tees and a pair of jeans, Nikhil is extremely subtle when it comes to taste. “I think luxury is having the best of technology, finish, function and comfort,” he says. An extensive shoe hoarder, he has a closet that would make Sarah Jessica Parker jealous. From brands like Armani to Aldo and Ecco, he confesses to owning more than 75 pairs. “I end up buying about three to four pairs of shoes every time I travel to London,” he divulges. Having largely travelled across Asia, America, Middle East, Caribbean islands and Europe, Ganju’s life is peppered with interesting travel anecdotes. “While driving somewhere in the middle of Scottish moors, I realized that I needed to pump fuel,” he recounts. Our man heads out to the DIY (do it yourself) petrol station, refills and is back on track. After some smoke from the bonnet and an engine choking away, he realized that he had filled petrol in a diesel car. “I am glad it was not the other way around, or the car would have been a wreck and I would have had to pay for it,” he laughs. The incident has probably found an important place in his travel journal, if there happens to be one. After all, how many people can claim to have the unique experience of arriving at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow in a broken down car, resting on a sixteen wheeler tow truck? “The people there were dumbfounded,” he recalls. But that is not all, we find out. “Skydiving, have you tried it?” he enthusiastically asks. “It was an out of the world experience for me,” says the man who thrives on moments of adrenaline rush as these. “I think everyone should try sky diving, whether you have a weak heart or a strong one.” And when not diving into the vast expanse of blue skies, Ganju enjoys long road trips. He has to his credit a long drive from
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Delhi to Ladakh, among others. He adores his ride, a BMW 5 series while next on his wish list is a Ninja 650. An avid photographer, his Canon 40D camera is his prized possession. “There is nothing like the beauty of a perfect image,” he says. There is still a lot more that he needs to mark off his bucket list, starting with skiing at Gulmarg before summer sets in, a visit to Hampi, and a few more treks. “You would want to visit the Caribbean Islands over and over again,” he says. Although a fitness enthusiast, the word ‘diet’ does not exist in his dictionary. He devotes an hour for his daily work outs. “It is what I do to make up for all the junk I eat,” he says. Some good old Kashmiri meat gravies and Thai food is what he loves digging into. He also harbours a love for South Indian cuisine. “I love Appam, stew and the Malabari cuisine down south,” he tells us. When not travelling, his weekend ideally involves catching up with friends, planning a short trip or simply plonking down on his La-Z-Boy over a movie. A movie buff, he prefers Hollywood over Bollywood. “I enjoy movies that are thought provoking and tell a sound story,” he says. And a movie that Ganju suggests one should watch is ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’. However, the nomad in him can’t be dormant for too long. “I need to get out into the wild. It has been a while,” he says. CEO LIFESTYLE
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From finding his soul mate in kindergarten to picking up his first paycheck in the fifth standard to closing deals worth millions at the age of 24, Umang Bedi’s decisions in life have always come through for him and paid dividends in gold. He talks to Leena Ghosh about how life is about making well thought out, unstructured choices.
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Though born in Delhi, Bedi, Managing Director South Asia, Adobe, calls himself a Bombay boy. After all, that’s where he met his wife and landed his first job. “I grew up in Mumbai and schooling was a lot of fun. I was into debates and drama. I played tennis for Maharashtra. And I don’t like to talk about my marks but I did really well in school. When I was in the fifth standard, the current CEO of Just Dial, Mr. VSS Mani started something called the AskMe services. I was a sales boy for them for two months,” says the man who was awarded the prestigious ‘40 under 40’ award this year by The Economic Times and Spencer Stuart. Mumbai as a city holds fond memories for him too, for it was here that he met Isha, his wife. However, it was not really love at first sight. “My wife and I have known each other since the days of kindergarten. Our parents knew each other before we were born. I used to bite her. Her father gave her tetanus shots and my mother did not take very kindly to that,” he laughs. Now father to 3-year-old Samaira, Bedi has once again found love – that of a doting daughter. “Having a daughter is one of the best things. I am an indulgent father but I am also very paranoid. My daughter loves to swim and has no fear of water. She just jumps in so it is a little scary,” he says. Father and daughter also love going for movies. The family vacations at least thrice a year, Greece and Italy being their favourite destinations. But the most enchanting vacation for Bedi was the experience he recently had at Vatican City. He recounts the whole experience as an ‘out-of-body’ one. “Adobe took the members of the ‘platinum club for top performers’ in the company to the Vatican. The Vatican is a country with separate laws and economy. They shut down the entire Vatican City for us. There were around 30 of us visiting the museums of the Vatican. We went into the Sistine Chapel and were allowed to take photographs. We toured the private gardens of the Vatican and the tour ended with cocktails and champagne, followed by a seven course meal. The people at Adobe who organized this took two-and-a-half years to get permission. It was a magical experience,” he says with a nostalgic smile. While vacationing is one of his top priorities now, for Bedi, getting the work-life balance right was no piece of cake. “I was working 18-20 hours a day, killing myself. My wife is my friend and we have known each other for over 30 years. So we had the chat. She told me ‘You are losing your social graces and if you continue like this your daughter will not recognize you’. So, with some coaching from my wife and a friend who was concerned for me, I am much better now at maintaining the balance.” As a rule now, Bedi finishes meetings early and makes it a point to limit the number of days he travels in a month. “You live in a fool’s paradise if you feel that the company won’t run without you. It will run as before, you just have to enable the people working for you,” he explains. To finish early, Bedi likes to start his day early as well. And the best way to start a day, according to him, is by teeing off at the crack of dawn. “I tee off very early, by 5:30 am. By 9:30 I am done and by 10:30 I am at work. So all this talk about not getting time for family or hobbies is crap. You make the time,” he asserts. Recently back from a golf tournament at Pebbles Beach in the US, Bedi discovered his love for golf around six months back. CEO LIFESTYLE
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“We had a fantastic year at Adobe and India was the best performing country for Adobe. In the beginning, I played for three to four days a week. During the weekends, I played 36 holes. I fell in love with the game. The first three months were really intensive but now it’s just weekend golf. I have won three tournaments and have come down to a handicap 15. I have played in eight countries in six months – US, Australia, Japan, Bali, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, China and of course, India,” he points out. Like any other player, Bedi has his set of superstitions too. “From the number of breaths I take before a shot to the time I tee off, I am quite superstitious. I preserve my birdieballs. There’s a cabinet in my room with a statue of Infant Jesus on it. And in front of the statue I have my collection of birdieballs. It’s quite weird,” he admits, laughing. Besides golf, Bedi also takes great interest in shopping. And one of his favourite brands is Louis Vuitton. “I shop a lot. We collect objects of art, unique to the destination we travel to. We also shop for certain brands, but branded shopping can be done anywhere. I do love Louis Vuitton though, simply because never in their history as a brand have they offered discounts on the products. To be a well-recognized brand in luxury goods for decades without ever discounting a product takes something truly great. It’s an aspirational brand and it has stayed that way for over 100 years,” he says. Having started very young in his career, Bedi’s philosophy in life is making unstructured choices. “I started my career as a techie. I used to write code. Within months I was sick of it. So I weaved my way within the organization to get in front of customers. Soon, I was in consultancy and then into sales and marketing. Life is not always about logical reasoning. It’s about unstructured, well reasoned choices that can sometimes defy logic. That’s important. I have made radical choices quickly and at times they have been very radical,” he points out. “Change is not very easy to digest. The critics are always waiting and watching. So you need to keep your head down and focus on what you are doing. More importantly, you need to believe in what you are doing,” Bedi signs off. CEO LIFESTYLE
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TAILOR MADE
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Channelling simplicity into stunning When you know that one of the world’s most popular fashionistas, Victoria Beckham has worn her designs, you know that Ana Sekularac is good at what she does. Nifty Jacob finds out what makes the British-Serbian designer tick.
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Coco Chanel once said, “I don’t do fashion. I am fashion”. Well, each to their own and Sekularac pretty much concedes the same. “I never follow a trend. I dress the way I want to,” she tells us. With soft curls that shadow her eyes and an infectious laughter, she is extremely easy-going and hard to miss. “Fashion is like my playground where I create,” the passionate designer tells us. While most individuals seek far and wide to draw inspiration, all that Sekularac needs to do is reflect on the simplicities of everyday life to come up with stunning and innovative ideas. Much known for her consistent style of teaming red and black to a seasonal colour, sharp asymmetrical cuts, ruffles and frills, Sekularac refers to designing as “an extremely personal process”. Her work is usually inspired by arbitrary thoughts, random ideas and above all, her personal touch. While design collections are more often labelled on the lines of the inspiration they are derived from, she refrains from naming her collection. “My designs are tools through which I express myself and a name constricts that,” she explains. Sekularac’s newest love and inspiration is her adorable baby girl, Tea, pronounced as ‘Te-ya’. For her, creativity has always been an inherent aspect in all her endeavours. So, when she graduated in Business Administration from the London South Bank University, she soon realized that it wasn’t her cup of tea. Sekularac then took off to Milan where she completed her degree in fashion designing from the prestigious Instituto Marangoni. “We all have our own story to write. And it takes a brave person to live their dream,” she says. And she has been brave. From trying her hand at modelling to being first assistant editor at the ‘Cosmopolitan’ to styling for the ‘Daily Telegraph’ in London, Sekularac has breached various boundaries to ultimately find her calling. Working for the magazine also gave her an insight into styling, pairing clothes with accessories and coordinating with multiple talents from models to photographers. In 2007, her eponymous label ‘Ana Sekularac’ was launched in the London Fashion Week where she gained instant acclamation. “London is where I started,” she tells us. CEO LIFESTYLE
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“It is a place that thrives on creativity and style, while Paris appreciates couture.” In 2011, during her debut at the Paris Fashion Week, the press commented that fashion has regained its magic. Her label was stocked on an exclusive basis at the prestigious Harrods store in London for six seasons, out of which it was the best selling independent brand for four seasons in a row. Owing to increasing demand for her designs and interest from international retailers, she now plans to expand the label. “There comes a point in time when you need to evolve and move on,” she says. Currently the ‘Ana Sekularac’ label has three outlets, in Serbia, Geneva and London. The spunk that highlights Sekularac’s garments extends beyond her designs. “Many a time, fabrics can be limiting. So I try to innovate by weaving my own fabric on the loom,” she says. Most of her collections are made from silks and cashmere. Ana recently showcased her Prêt-a-Couture collection at the London and Paris Fashion Weeks, and she is nothing but thrilled. “It was a playful experience and the response has been overwhelming,” she tells us. “The thought first occurred when I was with my baby, and I started to visualize a soft fabric that she could play with,” she says. Eventually, she ideated an interesting concept of matching the transparency of fluid silk with wool. After experimenting with various traditional and innovative techniques of manipulating the fibres, the result was an entire collection made from a nouveau fabric that was spun on the loom. CEO LIFESTYLE
“Many people at the Fashion Week wanted to touch the fabric and twirl it around their fingers,” she tells us. Sekularac also does exclusive designs for her private clients in her atelier in London. Most of her collections consist of elegant single pieces, and it is easy to guess what her favourite clothing is. “I love dresses,” she says in her jovial manner. “You wear a dress and you are dressed to go.” Once in a while, Sekularac loves packing her bags for a nice getaway. “I find wisdom in travelling,” she says. Greece, Italy and Miami account for her most loved destinations. “I plan to visit India soon,” she lets on. “I love the Indian approach of staying true to their roots. It is interesting how they take culture and blend it with modern designs.” Sekularac also hopes to find inspiration for her next collection in India and try on the traditional saree during her visit. And if so, we for one can’t wait to find out what personal twist she will add to the Indian garment. Sekularac’s clothes have been an attempt to celebrate beauty and womanhood. Perhaps, that is the reason her designs are much appreciated and have been sported by celebrities like Victoria Beckham, singers Cheryl Cole, Fergie from The Black Eyed Peas and Pink. But she isn’t one to blow her trumpet. “I feel happy when a woman feels beautiful in my clothes. It doesn’t matter if she is a celebrity, my neighbour or any other person,” she says in her unassuming manner, “I am privileged and happy to do what I love best.” And that is all that matters to Ana.
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LIFESTYLE 49 - www.facebook.com/calonge.group JUNE 2014 www.calonge-group.com - CEO calonge@calonge.in
Luxe Central
Are you kidding? Baby Dior for your little princess, a Fendi stroller for your toddler and a Gucci bib for your baby boy – these are just some of the joys of shopping in the luxury brand aisle, says Aparna Kaistha. Welcome to the world of high-end designer life for your little one.
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Celebrity kids are known to have all luxuries available to man. While Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan’s daughter Aaradhya Bachchan got a Mini Cooper worth 42,000 US dollars as her first birthday gift, Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped over 200,000 US dollars on the first birthday celebrations of their daughter, Blue Ivy. And of course, we all know about Tom Cruise’s daughter Suri’s elaborate tree house that comes with running water and electricity and costs a whopping 100,000 US dollars. But who is to say that spending big bucks on their children is the prerogative of only celebrities? CEO LIFESTYLE
Once upon a time, a toddler dressed head-to-toe in designer labels would have raised eyebrows but walk around the streets of any metro across the globe now and it is a common phenomenon. While Burberry Kids has seen success world over from Hong Kong to London to New York, Gucci too, launched its first exclusive kids store in New York in 2011. Brands like Oscar de la Renta recently announced their children’s line and Dolce & Gabbana has had a ‘juniors’ collection since 2001, when it capitalized on the luxe diaper bag trend. Chloe’s and John Galliano also forayed
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Picture Courtesy: Ritz-Carlton, Berlin
into kids-wear in 2007. Of course, there is a price to pay for your kid’s luxurious lifestyle; a t-shirt and pyjamas set from D&G Junior retails for 225 US dollars while a pair of Versace Young Boys’ gray dress pants cost 159 US dollars. A Fendi pastel pink sun hat for babies costs 137 US dollars while Velcro sandals from Roberto Cavalli’s kids line retail for more than 100 US dollars and a John Galliano pink gazette print bubble dress at SAKS is for 438 US dollars. India isn’t too far behind. Though at a nascent stage, the industry is poised to grow rapidly in the near future. Swati Saraf, CEO of Prive Luxury, who owns the stores Les Petit and Cherubs says, “Industry analysts point out that the kids wear market size in India is approximately Rs. 30,000 crore, 25 percent of the total Indian apparel category. At a growing rate of 20 percent, it is expected to reach approximately Rs. 80,000 crore by 2016.” With brands like Fendi Kids, Baby Dior, D&G kids and Young Versace being sold through her stores, she can foresee a huge rise in the market. “Parents see their children as a reflection of themselves, so they want to make sure they look good. They are increasingly looking out for newer trends for their children, just as they would for themselves,” she says. CEO LIFESTYLE
But who says luxury is limited only to clothes? The hospitality industry is leaving no stone unturned either, and you can’t help but marvel at their creativity in going all out to woo their young customers. The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin introduced a ‘Very Important Kids’ program aimed at satisfying the needs of its younger clientele. Here, toddlers race around the lobby in miniature Mercedes-Benz vehicles, use child-friendly china and step up at the front desk using a mahogany set of ‘children’s check-in’ stairs, all designed to offer the same sense of luxury to children that their parents enjoy. Plaza Athénée in Paris has rooms adorned to meet the challenging demands of kids with brilliantly decorated Barbie-themed rooms for the girls and gadget packed Hot Wheels rooms for boys. Meanwhile the Brown’s Hotel in London has extended the experience to the spa, with specialized treatments such as ‘twinkle toes’ and ‘teen glow’ especially for children. Need someone to warm the milk or change the diapers, perhaps? Check into the Marriott Marco Island in Florida or the Keswick Hall hotel in Virginia and a get a personal assistant solely dedicated to taking care of your child. England cricketer Kevin Pietersen recently launched a luxury hair salon called Bella and Beau in Notting Hill in West London only for children. The salon is furnished keeping in mind the young customers, and includes a New York-style taxi, a Harley Davidson, an aeroplane and a giant toy fire truck, all of which are there for the children who are regulars at the salon. A trim for a toddler costs 42 US dollars, while an eight-year-old is charged 68 US dollars for the same
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Luxe Central
Picture Courtesy: Les Petits, New Delhi
The Ritz-Carlton, Berlin introduced a ‘Very Important Kids’ program aimed at satisfying the needs of its younger clientele
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service. The customers can play with an iPad while they get a cut. Speaking of toy cars, we have the Broon, an electric luxury car for kids launched by the Korean company Henes, with high-end features that go far beyond its incredibly polished exterior. These four-feet-long vehicles are more like miniature cars than toys. With independent suspension systems and disc brakes, they also have a hood, trunk, and doors that open as they would on a full-size car, as well as working headlights, indicators, brake lights, and tail lights. These features extend to the main cabin, where the Broon cars are available with a swanky leather seat, an MP3 player with stereo speakers, and a 7-inch Android tablet that also acts as the car’s dashboard
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and infotainment centre. Henes is working with major car companies — Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar among others — on licensing mini-sized versions of their signature rides. Of course we can’t complete without mentioning play homes. If you want to indulge in something more than just a doll house for your children, some of these play homes are perfect for you. Lilliput Play homes has come delightful products for kids, one of the most elaborate being the Grand Victorian playhouse, an enchanting house right out of a fairytale. The outside is picture perfect with a wraparound porch and a working doorbell and brass door knocker. Inside, the decorative details continue with a bay window, a cosy window seat, sponge painted walls, simulated hardwood floors, fireplace mantel and an upstairs loft accessed by a ladder. This elaborate set up costs only 20,000 US dollars. If that old school Victorian look isn’t for you, the 50,000 US dollars Mediterranean Villa by Poshtots is the next step. It actually comes with connections for cable, electricity and water, with optional air-conditioning and Wi-fi. Then there is La Petite Maison which at 76,000 US dollars, has all the features of the Villa and also sports a full kitchen and a media room. You might be tempted to think that we are kidding you – be rest assured we are not.
Picture Courtesy: Lilliput Play Homes CEO LIFESTYLE
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Luxe Central
Picture Courtesy: Montegrappa CEO LIFESTYLE
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The write way A vintage fountain pen or a sophisticated ballpoint? The choice of whipping out the right pen has always been important and shouldn’t it be? After all, it is a style statement. Shivi Saxena takes a look at some of the finest writing instruments in the world and tells you why you should own at least one.
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The pen has time-travelled from the epic eras of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata to the courts of the Indian Mughal emperors, where it was used by the Qazis to send invites or declare a state of war. In the West, the pen has traversed from the Renaissance period to the times of the Nazis and the World Wars. In fact, the history of pens is as old as history itself. ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, ‘Life on the Mississippi’ and ‘A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court’ – all have one thing common, they are cherished tales written by Mark Twain with the Conklin Crescent pen. Twain was possibly the first famous person to endorse a specific model of a pen. Having produced fine writing instruments such as the Crescent Filler (dedicated to Mark Twain), the Endura, the Nozac and the Glider, Conklin pens have an astounding fan following across the globe. The Conklin Deco Crest is available as a fountain pen (1495 US dollars) or ballpoint pen (595 US dollars), in either solid 925 percent sterling silver overlay or rose gold vermeil over silver. The 18-karat nib, made by the finest German nib maker, has the same markings found on the original Conklin nibs with the addition of a two-tone gold and silver design on the top. Everybody uses a pen, but it is interesting to see who uses what. Isn’t it interesting that the ‘Theory of Relativity’ was written with the Waterman pen, which now dwells at the Boerhaave Museum in Leiden or that the Dragon’s Den regular, Peter Jones subscribes to Yard-O-Led Viceroy, a
handmade pen from English Hallmarked Sterling Silver? President Barack Obama is said to have a soft corner for using special Cross Townsend rollerball pens to sign. The American-made pens are customized with the commanderin-chief’s signature and a presidential seal, making it truly unique. Some celebrity collectors such as actor Sylvester Stallone love Montegrappa pens. The actor recently launched his exclusive ‘Chaos’ pens range, inspired from precious materials which he used in Expendables II. Hollywood heartthrob Robert Pattinson reportedly bought pen collector Kristen Stewart a Tibaldi Bentley Crewe limited edition fountain pen worth 46,000 US dollars for her birthday. The pen is a piece of sheer beauty with a two-tone 18 karat yellow gold nib covered in rhodium and ruthenium. Now that is what we call an overwhelming present. Some renowned authors have openly confessed their love for their pen. One such exemplary author was Stephen King. In his novel Dreamcatcher, the author’s note says, “This book was written with the world’s finest word processor, a Waterman cartridge fountain pen. To write the first draft of such a long book by hand put me in touch with the language as I haven’t been in years. One rarely finds such opportunities in the twenty-first century, and they are to be savoured.” Another writer who was gravely passionate about her pen was Anne Frank. Apparently, she wrote ‘The diary of a young girl’ with a Montblanc fountain pen. Once, it is said, she accidentally threw it into the fireplace, and she was so
Montblanc Patron of Art edition 2014 - Henry E. Steinway 4810
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Some limited edition customized pens cost up to Rs. 1.3 crores, like the La Modernista by Swiss pen maker Caran d’Ache, which is by far the most expensive pen ever introduced in India
heartbroken that she wrote an ‘ode’ to her pen. India has been witnessing a rise in the the luxury pen segment as well, according to experts. For instance, William Penn – The World Pen Store brings to India, international luxury pen brands such as Cross, Sheaffer, Pierre Cardin, Montblanc, Parker, Swarovski and the like. The luxury pens cost anywhere between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. 40,000. But it doesn’t just end there. Some limited edition customized pens cost up to Rs. 1.3 crores, like the La Modernista by Swiss pen maker Caran d’Ache, which is by far the most expensive pen ever introduced in India. This hand-crafted pen, with an exquisite 18-karat gold nib, is apparently the second most expensive pen in the world, after German luxury pen maker, Mont Blanc’s Mystery Masterpiece, which is valued at a staggering price of 730,000 US dollars (Rs. 3 crore). The Aurora Diamante Fountain Pen from Italy comes at a sky high price of 1.47 million US dollars. The year 2014 saw the brilliance of Henry E. Steinway, the German-American founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons, in a new light as Montblanc paid tribute to the iconic figure in the world of music. The ‘Patron of Art Edition’ was launched worldwide in May 2014, with an exquisite range of 4810 and 888 pieces. The deep black lacquer and gold-plated fittings on the writing instrument are inspired by the Steinway & Sons grand piano. It is a must have for all those who never miss writing a musical note on the go. Our lives could be juggling around the latest gadgets and cell phones but signing a million dollar deal, a credit card receipt, a merger or a check at the restaurant cannot be done without a pen. And that which has been crafted specially is one of the best gifts and a connoisseur’s delight. So while choosing yours, make the ‘write’ choice.
Glider chased fountain pens from Conklin Pens
Picture Courtesy: The Conklin Pen Company CEO LIFESTYLE
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Painting by Bob Freimark (1922-2010)| Sculpture by JD Hansen & Cheryl Ekstrom
HOHMANN FINE ART
73-660 El Paseo | Palm Desert, CA 92260 | U.S.A. | +1.760.346.4243 | art@hohmannfineart.com | www.hohmannfineart.com | International Shipping CEO LIFESTYLE 57 JUNE 2014
BRAND FACTORY
PANACHE
Graff Grandeur The luxury house of Graff brings the latest addition to its Mastergraff Collection. Splendid time pieces with 72 diamonds in each case, complemented by a white or rose gold surround beckons to you. Price on request
Timeless Prints When we talk digital strokes and fancy prints, it has to be Satya Paul. Inspired by a variation of the kimono, we love the digital printed shirts at Rs. 2,795. For some added fun, grab the silk satin ties for Rs. 2,495.
neon on the run The new Huarache collection from Crocs brings fabulous colours with innovative designs. These lovable translucent wedges couple comfort with style and are just the thing your shoe rack is missing. Prices start at Rs. 4,995
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Eye Candy With intricate detailing and subtle elegance, Chloé Spring 2014 collection brings an array of options. From butterfly shaped frames to ‘C’ buckled temples, it is time to wave off the summer glare. Price on request
Celebrating Mandela Montegrappa brings forward a limited edition to honour legendary icon Nelson Mandela. The pièce de résistance are the pens engraved with his signature and a diamond mined in South Africa. Prices start from Rs. 3,19,495
Trunk Times Trunks Company launches its latest collection by French designer, Livio. With intricate details and an Indian edge, these sets of trunks are a must-have, we think. Available at Evoluzione. Prices start at Rs. 50,500
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BRAND FACTORY Mirari Magique This spring, Mirari celebrates nature. From sunny yellows to pink gemstones, purple amethysts, blue sapphires and diamonds, they are woven together to create stunning pieces that will make heads turn. Price on request
Hollywood Glam Luxury French brand S.T. Dupont pays tribute to Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn. Inspired by Bogart’s personal order in 1947, the vintage collection is smart, chic and a must have for all the 60s fans. Price on request
Colour ’em bright Colorthin by Calvin Klein features lightweight eyewear. With vibrant colours that range from deep red to azure, it is time to add some glam to your eyes. Price on request
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Bejewelled Tara Jewellers brings an adorable summer collection. This dandy diamond studded cuff is the stuff of dreams (Rs. 3,12,039). We also love the cocktail ring with the red ruby topping (Rs. 1,18, 858).
Timekeeper’s Treasure Carl F. Bucherer launches Pathos Princess, a splendid collection conceived with Swiss expertise and a quest for brilliance. From the 18-karat rose bracelet to the studded dial, we love them all. Price on request
Accessorize with Corneliani With colour-splashed ties, palladium finished cufflinks and stylish printed crocodile belts, the time to restock is here. The latest collection by Corneliani will add that flare to your ensemble. Price on request
The Traveller’s trophies The organic collection by The Home of the Traveler will have you spoilt for choice. Make laundry day fun with this interesting bamboo basket (Rs. 10,250). The spiral stairs add quirk to the table lamp (Rs. 33,400)
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ELITE CLUB
Golfer’s Hub
Picture Courtesy: Aamby Valley Golf Course CEO LIFESTYLE
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The game of golf often transcends itself to become a lifestyle for many, a stylish way to unwind while pursuing sporting excellence. CEO Lifestyle takes you through some of the best golf courses the country has to offer.
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Picture Courtesy: Aamby Valley Golf Course CEO LIFESTYLE
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Aamby Valley Golf Course
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Sitting pretty in the valley of the Sahayadri Ranges of the Western Ghats, 25 km south west of Lonavala, the Aamby Valley Golf Course is an immaculately maintained visual delight and every golfer’s paradise. Rated the best in India for 2004 – 2005 by the Professional Golfers’ Association of India, this expansive golf course is part of the oasis of Aamby Valley City and is at a short, two-hour drive from Mumbai. Often referred to as a marvel of British Golf Architecture, the Aamby Valley Golf Course was designed by David Hemstock and later remodelled for Championship play by PGA Design of UK. Spread over 250 acres of land and situated at 2700 feet above sea level, the fully floodlit 18-hole Championship Course is a par 72 layout. Difference in character between the holes in the front 9 which have a series of river valleys crossing the course and back 9 which are dotted with lakes, makes for a distinct characteristic. The course challenges you with CEO LIFESTYLE
its undulating fairways and subtly contoured greens and strategically placed bunkers. Surrounded by the beautiful hills and interspersed with water bodies, the air in this stretch of green is unadulterated and inviting. Shy deer, peacocks that dash across the fairways and numerous birds keep you company as you play, and turn your golfing holiday into a truly remarkable experience. The facility also includes a premier British PGA certified golf academy. With operations handled by two Indian pros qualified from PGA, Belfry, UK, the academy has 24 Practise Bays and three Air Conditioned Teaching Bays housing GASP Teaching Software and is often referred to as a trend-setter. While accommodation can be found at Aamby Valley City which is also home to a plethora of amusements, sight-seeing is perfectly taken care of by the surrounding areas. There are the Karla Caves, Visapur fort, the beautiful Lonavala Lake and many more to engage you after a brilliant game of golf.
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Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club
A high-end leisure and residential community on over approximately 510 acres, Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, is uniquely designed so as to be spread around an 18-hole championship golf course. Born of Peter Harradine’s genius, this is a joint project by Emaar Properties, MGF and Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Corporation. The 18-hole, Par 72, 7229 yard (6700 from the Centre Tees) championship golf course is built on 235 acres of hilly terrain, with 5 sets of tees, 12 water bodies and 14 sand bunkers. It has a slew of world-class IT developments for company. By virtue of its topography, with magnificent boulder formations throughout the course, Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club with Penn Cross A4 Bent Grass, is unique in arrangement, with brilliant views along the fairways and greens. These gargantuan rocks and boulders provide natural coleuses, backdrops and hazards, putting the sportsman in you to test.
A challenge for golfers belonging to all levels, the course is a complete visual delight. With a capacity to accommodate up to 80 golfers at a time, there is a 300*170 yards practice facility. Customized lesson packages are available to suit all kinds of learners with skilled staff tending to them. Children too, between 5-17 years of age, can opt for the Junior Golf Development Programme. And the fun doesn’t end there as various other options are available to complement the golfing experience. The club house has an exclusive restaurant and pub to satisfy the gastronome in you while squash courts, gymnasium and the jogging track help you flex your muscles further. Let your kids splash around in the Splash pool while you take a few laps in the swimming pool. There is a board game room too if you do not want to exert yourself too much. The best part of course, is the stunning view of the golf course.
Picture Courtesy: Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club CEO LIFESTYLE
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Royal Springs Golf Course
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Spanning an expanse of 300 acres, Royal Springs Golf Course located in the capital city of Srinagar in the northern state of Kashmir is not only one of the best golf courses the country has to offer but also one of the most scenic ones that you can hope to play in. Located at a short distance from the legendary and picturesque Mughal gardens Chashme Sahi, the 18-hole championship golf course, carved from a heavily wooden landscape, is set against the backdrop of the breathtakingly beautiful fir-covered peaks of the Zabarwan hills and enjoys panoramic views of the ethereal Dal Lake. The mesmerizing valley, lakes, marshlands and the enchanting bird life are sure to enthral you as you indulge in your game. This extremely beautiful golf course has been designed by the world renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. II who can be credited with designing over 500 golf courses around the world including some of the best in the USA. Pretty and charming as it may be, the 18-hole, 6445m Royal Springs Golf Course, at a par of 72 offers quite a
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challenge to players belonging to all levels. The undulating fairways that have been turfed with cool weather grass of different shades and the demanding scenery test your skills. It becomes imperative here to mention the oft talked about hole, the famous par-3 fifth where the tee is positioned at the highest point on the course. It treats players to spectacular views of the crystal clear sparkling waters of the Dal Lake and challenges the golfer’s concentration. Permanent members needn’t be the only ones to enjoy what the course has to offer. Golf enthusiasts can pay Green fee on a daily basis. While accommodation can be found in the hutments inside the golf course, the club building built in old Kashmiri architectural style offers locker and change rooms, bar and restaurant, billiards, ping-pong, pro shop, health club and more, to make the experience wholesome. And oh, while here, it would be a sin to not go on a boat ride in the Dal Lake. Nearby gardens and mosques are other tourist attractions.
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Picture Courtesy: www.golfgaga.com CEO LIFESTYLE
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Eagleton - The Golf Resort
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Spread across 500 acres along the Bangalore-Mysore Highway, this spectacular golf village consists of a golf course, resort and plots/designer villas and is the perfect place to take your family for a delightful golf holiday. The jewel on the crown is the golf course, spread across 168 acres of land. Designed by Pacific Coast Designs, this golf course is located in Bidadi, which is about 30 km from the Central Business District of Bangalore. This all-season course with a moderate weather throughout the year is a treat for the year-round golfer. Proud host of the first ever Ladies European Tour in India and the 31st Asian Junior championship, this 18-hole, 72 par, US PGA standard Championship course holds the pride of being rated as one of the best courses in the country for three consecutive years by the Asian Golf Monthly Awards. While men can prove their mettle at 7100 yards, the length for ladies is at 5,973 yards.
The golf course challenges you with its 40,000 trees, strategically placed sand bunkers and water bodies. Beginners are welcome here too, for the golf village consists of a state-of-the-art Golf Academy as well, with a 25 bay flood lit driving range, chipping and putting range with bunkers, along with certified trainers to assist you. Eagleton has also made night golf a reality in India and promises that this par 3, 9-hole, 1400 yards floodlit executive course is just about as challenging as the 18 hole one. And true to its promise of providing an allencompassing experience, the five star resort, one of the biggest in South East Asia, comes with a wide range of facilities - three restaurants, swimming pools, indoor and outdoor games, children’s play area, gym, health club and spa, lounge & bar, 24-hour coffee shop & room service being some of them. You are simply spoilt for choice at Eagleton.
Picture Courtesy: Eagleton - The Golf Resort CEO LIFESTYLE
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Jaypee Greens Golf Resort – Greater Noida
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Kick-started in June 2000, the Jaypee Greens Greater Noida Golf Resort is part of an over 450-acre ocean of top-notch golf-centric community. This Greg Norman designed golf course is an 18-hole championship layout and is an ideal location for the quintessential golf enthusiast’s weekend sojourn with family.
At 7,347 yards from the championship tee, this 72 par course with 14 lakes and water bodies and 88 bunkers is easily one of the longest in Asia. While the fairways have been grassed using an imported Bermuda grass said to be known for providing a high quality playing surface, the bunkers remind one of classic Melbourne sand belt courses.
Picture Courtesy: Jaypee Greens Golf Resort – Greater Noida CEO LIFESTYLE
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Open and closed woodlands, understory scrublands, wetlands and wild-grassed areas form parts of the course landscaping. There is also the 9-hole Graham Cooke-designed golf course on approximately 11 acres of verdant land. The Jaypee Greens Golf Academy deserves a mention too, and tends to both amateurs and experts with experienced teachers and highly personalized attention. Their head teaching Pro Amit Dube featured in the top 10 PGTI rankings during his professional golfing days. The 350 yards driving range, which lets one practice from both ends at the same time, with six target greens and one putting green fringed by roughs and bunkers, is a delight. At a short distance from the first tee is the picturesque clubhouse Boomerang, with stunning views of the
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magnificent golf course and resort. Apart from a wellequipped pro shop and the huge health and fitness centre, there is the Boomerang restaurant, a multi-cuisine, memberexclusive restaurant with brilliant views of the fountains and water bodies and of course the golf course, and ‘Pizza on the Greens’, the Italian restaurant that has some delicious pizzas to offer. There is simply no end to the things one can do at the resort. With the Golf and Spa Hotel in collaboration with ‘Six Senses Resorts & Spas’, a sprawling integrated sports complex, the 60-acre Nature Reserve Park and the town centre dotted with shopping malls, boutiques, cafes and restaurants, you would be left wanting to extend your golfing holiday infinitely at Jaypee Greens.
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ELITE CLUB
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Classic Golf Resort
Surrounded by the beautiful Aravalli ranges, the Classic Golf Resort is situated on the outskirts of Delhi. It happens to be 35 km away from the International Airport and about a 75-minute drive from Central Delhi. The prime highlight of the golf course is that it is designed by the legend Jack Nicklaus himself, whose classic designs can be found dotting the globe. Note that this is the first ever Jack Nicklaus course to be built in South East Asia. Classic Golf Resort is a wholly owned subsidiary of the heavyweight ITC Limited and a new 7-star luxury resort is expected to be opened here shortly. It is a 27-hole golf course with each of the three sets of nine holes being christened so, based on their topographic characteristics – The Ridge, The Valley and the Canyon nine. Built on a 300 acre expanse, the 27 holes are spread over 200 acres approximately. The golf course comprises of a par 72, 18-hole, 7114-yard Signature Championship Course (The Ridge and The Valley together form this) and
another shorter par 36, 9-hole course of 3135 yards. There are four water bodies that come into play on seven holes on the three nines and over hundred bunkers. The golf course has a social club which includes The Golf Shop, a multi cuisine restaurant cum bar called Golf Scape and Golf Bar. There is also a sports complex which treats you to a variety of sports activities. The facilities include a separate Health Club for men and women with steam and sauna, a swimming pool, squash courts, billiards and snooker and table tennis. There is even a separate kids area to engage your kids. The Golf Sanctuary located on the periphery of the Valley Championship Course offers furnished accommodation by way of luxury tents and provides the necessary facilities to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Classic Golf Resort hosts a number of events to promote the sport and was the first private club to host The Indian Open in 2000 and 2001.
Picture Courtesy: Classic Golf Resort CEO LIFESTYLE
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Supercars Coming To Town Look around. There’s a supercar revolution happening right now. Over the past decade, the supercar world as we know it has been going through an immense transformation in its pursuit of building machines that are not only fast, but also efficient, green and lightweight. Gauri Lokare takes a look at some of the new blood of full-blown, engine-growling and asphalt-scarring supercars that are headed to India this year.
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These five poster-worthy machines detailed here go above and beyond the usual supercar tropes of ludicrous speed and lust-worthy sheet metal, featuring intensely high-tech power trains, state-of-the-art materials and construction. With their respective technological advancements, they bring forth a commitment of keeping the supercar species alive for years to come in this fueldepleting planet of ours. 2015 Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4 Lamborghini’s long awaited successor to its most successful model, the Gallardo is here at last and its name is Huracan. Pronounced ‘Ooh-ra-cahn’, it is the Spanish word for ‘Hurricane’. But the Huracan is named not for wind. Instead, says Lambo, which seems to have an inexhaustible supply of these matador legends to draw upon, they are named after a fearless bull that fought in Alicante in 1879. A man-cow, says Lambo, that ‘remained defiant and invincible.’ Here is what you need to know about the son of Gallardo: 605PS of max power, 560Nm of torque from a 5.2-litre V10, four-wheel drive engine, 0 to 100 kmph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of over 325 kmph. These are impressive numbers. Then again, the Huracan will need every one of its many, many horsepowers to battle its equally menacing rivals such as the Audi R8 V10, the Ferrari 458 and the McLaren 12C. The insides of the Huracan features Lambo’s now-familiar and entirely welcome blend of Volkswagen Group switchgear wrapped in Italian lunacy. Perhaps the most conspicuous, beyond the theatrical, pointless and utterly brilliant jet-fighter-style start button sheathed under a red cover, is the toggle at the base of the steering wheel to select from three dynamic modes. The noise from that V10 suggests that Lambo engineers have spent plenty of time making the Huracan sound good. Given the Gallardo made a noise like Satan’s own Stratocaster, this new one should make your ears feel warm, fuzzy and just a little bit fearful for their wellbeing. As for visuals, well, you don’t need us to help there. Just look at it. 2015 Porsche Macan Don’t pretend you don’t know what it is. It is one of the big debuts of 2014 and has been talked about for CEO LIFESTYLE
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a good couple of years. The Macan, Porsche’s first sally in the small SUV battleground, little brother to the Cayenne, is a potential sacrilege to a few. To the moneyed, badge-conscious suburbanites, however, it is the car they have long prayed for – a practical, five-seat rival to the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and the Evoque. The interiors of the Macan are pure Porsche. Tall, button-laden console, triple-binnacle instrument cluster and steering wheel borrowed from the 918 Spyder. It is all immaculately finished and as always is the case with Porsche, the info-navigational system is beyond reproach. Mechanically, the Macan is a bullet train of a car. The turbocharged V6, a new Porsche engine (rather than one borrowed from within the Volkswagen Group), is a brute, combining a chesttightening low-end wallop that will fling you deep into license-losing territory. If you are after a sporty, five-seater crossover and you have got the cash, you should seriously consider this one. Yes, the Porsche Macan is more SUV than a sports car, but it is quite an SUV. 2015 BMW i8 The i8 actually began as a true concept car with no plan for production. Six years ago, BMW wanted to subtly suggest that it was thinking of an electric vehicle, but wanted to get away from the dullard image electric vehicles have. So, they made the Vision EfficientDynamics – a pretty, pure design exercise. As the project progressed, BMW realised that a production model sportscar could be viable. And so the BMW i8 was born. Everything on the i8 is designed to be spare and light. The seats are thin but they do the job and the dash screen looks weightless. The huge door lifts out and up with one-hand ease, yet it shuts solidly. Most of the body panels are plastic, except for the doors and front bonnet, which are aluminium, while the roof is carbon. The side glass is amazing. It is the same stuff as smartphone screens, very thin and light, but strong and flexible. There is clever stuff like that all over the i8. Should you be interested? Emphatically, yes. The i8 looks fantastic, drives brilliantly and despite those rapid performance figures, has a range of close to 500 kmph and emits 59g/km of CO2, which kind of changes what we expect from a sports car and stuffs up any arguments about irresponsible fast cars – it is more efficient than the Toyota Prius.
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2014 Mercedes Benz CLA45 AMG To some, this new CLA 45 AMG could very well suffer from an existential crisis. Why? It is an AMG model, with a turbo-charged 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine and a four-wheel drive. That’s right, a turbo and a four-wheel drive in an AMG. But breathe easy because being an AMG means it is hugely powerful. That engine happens to be the most powerful production four-cylinder turbo in the world. The CLA 45 AMG packs 354PS of power, 448Nm of torque and will accelerate from 0-100 kmph in just 4.6 seconds. The top speed is limited to 250 kmph. The engine is still hand-built by a single AMG technician as per the rules and is mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, with software pinched from the SLS AMG. You get a ‘race start’ function (thumbs up), three driving programs and a double-declutching option. The mechanical bits are only half the story, just look at it. The CLA45 AMG is a gorgeous, rakish machine and because the base CLA is already a very aggressive, attractive car, the high performance AMG model doesn’t look overly bulgy or brash. CEO LIFESTYLE
2014 Jaguar F-Type Coupe Less than one year in and it is time to get excited over the Jaguar F-Type again. A year ago, we saw the convertible version of the ridiculously gorgeous F-Type and now we have on cards, the model in coupe avatar. We all know the Convertible is a shapely article to begin with. But the coupe has even more to offer, because the designer’s canvas extends above the waistline. And they made the most of this extra scope for their artistry. The roof arches over to a hatchback with a sharply tapering window. The best part is, the whole cabin narrows to give a deep and meaningful rear haunch. With the added roof, the F-Type coupe has officially become the stiffest car Jaguar has ever made. It is as solid and rigid as convertibles come. The car, however, is twice as stiff. It is a proper prize-fighter, an impression that’s firmly underlined with the addition of a roof. The F-Type Convertible then, is the image builder, and with more than 10,000 sold since it arrived a year ago it is doing the job for Jaguar. But this is the one we have been waiting for.
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Living Living Smart Smart
Tech tracker
Remember Jarvis from the Iron Man trilogy? The ‘Just A Rather Very Intelligent System’ in Tony Stark’s mansion who helps him create a new element, Palladium. Ok, so we don’t need the palladium but how cool would it be to have gadgets that not only manage your home for you but are also well mannered? Kingston David finds out a few such gadgets that can turn your house smarter.
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Who wouldn’t want a remote controlled house? And we are not just talking about a remote to control the lights and electric curtains, no sir. With everything being hooked up to the internet, the possibilities have become limitless. A smart home today would make a space shuttle of the past look pedestrian. With electronics embedded into your home appliances, it is possible to control all of them remotely or even better, right from your phone. The ‘Hello John’ door lock You are in a meeting when suddenly your phone buzzes. You check it and see the face of your friend who is at your
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door. How? With the Goji Smart Lock. This smart lock not only identifies the owners as they walk towards the door, but also wishes them appropriately. It clicks a picture of anyone who approaches your door and is Bluetooth-enabled for locking and unlocking your door with your phone. The Goji Smart Lock, compatible with all Android and iPhones, can also remotely unlock the door over the internet when connected over Wi-Fi. Of course, you can still use a physical key but you don’t have to. Plus, all the data communication happens with 256-bit encryption so you need not worry about hackers. Or robbers.
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Tech tracker
They wish you good-bye when you leave and send a ‘Miss you’ text if you are away for too long. If that isn’t a sweet machine, we don’t know what is
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Where can you get it: Ebay The Thermostat that learns You should get this if you stay in cold regions and are looking for an energy-saver device. The Learning Thermostat from Nest, a company that was acquired by Google, can be configured to control your house thermostat from your Smartphone. It can connect to your Wi-Fi network at home and can be controlled over the internet using an app that can be installed on your phone. True to its name, the tiny gadget learns from your regular schedules and preferences and remembers the temperature you like and reprograms itself to save almost 50 percent of your energy, claim its makers. It also shuts down automatically once you are away. Not only can you control the thermostat from your Smartphone or your tablet, you can also do it from your laptop for added flexibility while on the move. Where can you get it: Ebay The washing machine that chats Alright, so this one is a teeny bit like Jarvis in that it is programmed to be able to chat with you. This year at the Consumer Electronics Show, electronics giant LG showcased a range of products that can actually chat with you via phone. The high-end models of their latest product line are ‘HomeChat’ enabled. You can initiate tasks, reschedule them or even ask your appliances back home on how they are doing with the current task. Not only do the appliances
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Picture Courtesy: Nest.com adhere to commands sent as text messages from your phone, they also reply with a light-hearted tone. They can even send you stickers. The product line includes washing machines, driers, fridges, air-conditioners and even a vacuum cleaner. The appliances even ask you if you would like then to clean the house and do the laundry before you arrive. They wish you good-bye when you leave and send a ‘Miss you’ text if you are away for too long. If that isn’t a sweet machine, we don’t know what is. Where can you get it: LG hopes to get these appliances on-shelf by the end of this year. The sleep specialist We saved the best for the last. They say money can buy you a bed but not sleep. Obviously, they never heard of The Sleep Number X12 Bed. A sleep lover’s dream, The Sleep Number X12 uses sensors to assess your sleep pattern by monitoring your breathing rate, movements during sleep, heart rate and more to arrive at a SleepIQ score every night. The bed then optimizes its cushioning and elevation to help you attain the optimum sleep possible. But what do you do if you partner tosses a lot in their sleep and you are a Rip Van Winkle? No problem. The bed adjusts all the parameters for each partner separately at the same time. It comes along with a remote that can be used to override the settings and choose a comfortable position for yourself through simple voice commands. Either of the partners can have their own settings. And here is a bit for the snorers out there – if the bed senses that you are snoring, it automatically raises the position of the head to control the same. There also is an in-built massager, cushioning of the highest quality with three different layers for striking the right balance between comfort and support and an under bed lighting with timers to serve as a bedroom light. Where can you get it: Amazon.com, 8000 US dollars. (Approx. Rs. 4,80,000)
Picture Courtesy: Gojiaccess.com CEO LIFESTYLE
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PLACES
Lifestyle Holidays
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The Great Indian Escapade
What does exotic mean to you? Sailing through a quaint village on a houseboat, watching a tiger cross your path on a safari or spending a cold night in the middle of a desert? Luckily, you can do all this right here in India. Nifty Jacob takes you through the most enigmatic sights and experiences that the country has to offer.
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Lifestyle Holidays
Picture Courtesy: Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation CEO LIFESTYLE
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Go wild in Karnataka
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To say that Nagarhole National Park, a hunting ground that was the pastime of the Maharajas of Mysore and the British officials of the East India Company, is a popular wildlife sanctuary would be an understatement. Currently considered by the UNESCO for a spot on the World Heritage Site, it lies 205 km away from Bengaluru and 80 km from Mysore, Karnataka. Plan a sojourn at the colonial style Kabini River Lodge, where you can take a boat ride across the Kabini River at the break of dawn for some excellent bird watching. While you are at it, be sure to visit the Bheemankoli temple situated on the banks of the river. A stroll around will bring your attention to the remnants of temples built by the Chola Dynasty nearly seven centuries ago. The summers attract a herd of Asian elephants as they seek solace from the blazing heat. Come evening, you can take a jeep safari through the dense jungles and spot a multitude of wildlife including elephants, wild boars, leopards, tigers, sloth bears and wild dogs as they stealthily disappear into the night. The Bandipur National Park is an added sequel in the expedition. An ideal time to visit is between March and August. Established in 1974 under Project Tiger, it is situated about 60 km away and is accessible by road. A morning drive around the forest is a good time to sight leopards, hyenas, panthers and deer. You might even be lucky enough to witness the predator hunt down a prey. The park is also home to King cobra, vipers and pythons. The abundant avian population of yellow-legged pigeons, parakeets, serpent eagles etc., is a true heaven for ornithologists. For a good vantage point, avail the short elephant rides. Machans can be arranged, should you wish to stay longer under the breezy tall canopies and rest awhile. And most importantly, don’t forget to pack that camera.
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Tea Trailing in Assam
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A little sugar, a little spice and everything nice forms the most widely consumed beverage in India, chai. The story is said to have began when the people of Assam were spotted drinking a dark brew made from locally grown leaves. To know how it is done, we suggest commencing with a visit to the Mancotta Heritage Chang Bungalow in Dibrugarh, Assam. The ideal time to visit is between October and February. It is a located at a convenient distance of 4 km from the Dibrugarh railway station and 20 km from the airport. The old mansion was built about two centuries ago in order to cultivate tea plantations by the British. Take a walk around the gardens as your olfactory receptors tingle with the fresh aroma of tea. A jeep can be arranged for a tour inside the garden, where you can pick a few tea leaves yourself. Post that, you can head to the factory and learn all that there is to know about tea cultivation
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and even part take in a tea tasting session. We recommend a slight detour by visiting the Brahmaputra River. The place is also popular for a variety of adventure sports like trekking and mountain climbing. Be sure to get yourself some nice silk garments from the markets around. A cultural Bihu show is a great way to end the day. Set aside the following day for a trip to Johrat, the tea capital of India. En route, visit the remnants of the Ahom Dynasty in the timeworn town of Sivasagar. Jorhat has a number of viable accommodations, the Thengal Manor being one among them. The 70 year old manor serves as a reminder of the colonial days. Take a stroll from the bungalow to discover the art of metal moulding and weaving by experts in the village of Jalukonibari. If you are a golfer, head to the Jorhat Gymkhana, which is the second oldest golf club in India. All this and more, with that lovely, aromatic cup of tea by your side.
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Lifestyle Holidays
Kerala backwaters
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You haven’t experienced the best of travel destinations, until you have toured ‘Gods own country’. Kerala is home to an abode of delightful inland water ways, streaked with the finest of natural extravaganza. A start to this enchanting destination can begin with the backwaters of Kochi. About an hour from the Cochin International Airport, Fort Kochi can be reached by road or a ferry. The entire town still has a glimmer of its past that is reflected in the old palaces, the Dutch cemeteries, the Jewish synagogue and St. Francis church, which is the resting place of Vasco Da Gama, among others. The city is beautiful and a quick dekko around the area is highly recommended. Kerala is known for its pepper so be sure to take home some ‘black gold’. The next ideal destination would be Alappuzha, also known as the ‘Venice of the East’. The place looks more like an archipelago with tufts of land fringed between the wide rivers. The jewel of the crown is the ‘Kettuvallam’, or a houseboat. You have a variety of options to choose from, a single, double or even up to four bedroom boathouses, with amenities that are convenient to your requirement. You can opt to pick your seafood from the fresh catch sold by fishermen on boats. A trip in the ‘vallam’ or snake boats is recommended. These are narrow canoes that can seat single persons in a line, across its length, and are used for the popular boat races held in Alappuzha. Another highlight of Kerala, is the ‘Toddy’, a sweet and fermented beverage made by extracting half formed buds of coconut. And while you are it, make sure you witness the enchanting performance of ‘Kathakali’ and men at arms in the local martial art form of ‘Kalaripayattu’, or indulge in an ayurvedic spa. After all, they don’t call it God’s own country for nothing.
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Picture Courtesy: Madhya Pradesh Tourism CEO LIFESTYLE
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Tiger trailing in M.P.
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Occupying an important place in Indian culture, the tiger is a symbol of power, beauty and magnificence. And what better place to witness the wild animal in all its glory than in Madhya Pradesh? Till date, the ancient ruins of the Bandhavgarh Fort stand at the mountain top. Deriving its name from the archives of the past, the Bandhavgarh National Park was used by the Kings of Rewa as an old hunting ground. Here you will have more than a single kind of wild beast with leopards, deer and wild boars on the prowl. The famous white tiger was also discovered here, and if you’re lucky, you just might be able to spot one. A popular way to go about the reserve is on elephant back. The view from a high vantage will improve your chances of spotting tigers. And if the ivory tuskers seem like a difficult task, hire a jeep. But keep in mind, the park isn’t functional during the monsoons, from July to September. The venue is about four hours from Jabalpur. A number of accommodation options are available in the vicinity with the Taj Mahua Kothi being one among them. If you haven’t satiated your hunger for more of these beautiful beats, take a trip to Kanha Park, where apart from tigers, you also have a good chance of spotting nearly 200 species of birds. Keeping the best for the end, a visit to Kipling country will have you reminiscing the ‘Jungle Book’ days. More popularly known as the Pench Park, it is intersected by the Pench River which makes the topography an inviting habitat for a multitude of exotic animals and birds, including jungle cats, hyenas, the Malabar Pied Hornbills, White Eyed Buzzard and more. Live a page of your childhood novel by renting a machan. These comfortable tree houses provide a good view of the forest, and all you would want to do is relax to the sounds of the wind whistling and birds chirping away.
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Resplendent Rajasthan
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Rajasthan is the land of chivalry that was home to fierce warriors like Pritviraj Chauhan and Rana Pratap, and recounts tales of love and days of glorious past. With its rich culture and vibrant colours, this kaleidoscopic destination warrants a visit. To kick off this dynamic journey, visit the Amber Fort which is 11 km from Jaipur. You can choose to check into the Oberoi Rajvilas or ITC Rajputana. A fine blend of Mughal and Hindu architecture, the defensive exteriors pave way to beautiful carvings, paintings and mirror settings in the inside. Relive the time of maharajas by taking a royal elephant ride. Head on to one of the most frequented tourist spots, the Hawa Mahal, located in the City palace complex. With about 953 pink sandstone windows, this five storey edifice was built by Sawai Pratap Singh. Head to Jaipur’s local market to get yourself some tie-and-dye print garments, exquisite silver jewellery or jootis made of camel leather. Take a trip to Bikaner, where the eminent Junagarh Fort lies. Built by Raja Rai Singh, this has never been conquered. Be sure to visit the camel breeding farm, operated by the government. From here, hire a ride across the Thar desert to reach the ‘Golden City’ of Jaisalmer. Have a bite of delectable Kadi pakora and Bhanon aloo after which you can enjoy the signature Kesari chai as you watch the sun set into the golden sand dunes. The following day, arrange for a trip to Udaipur, ‘the city of lakes’, possibly one of the most romantic places in the world. Take a boat ride across the famous man-made lake, Lake Pichola to get to the Lake Palace, a must-see destination in Rajasthan.
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Living IN-STYLE
DoubleTree Suites by Hilton comes to Bangalore
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Few places in the country offer the experience of a home inside a ritzy hotel. Neha Malude had the opportunity to find one such place, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore, where business travellers can enjoy the warmth of a home away from home.
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Situated on the Outer Ring Road, Sarjapur, Hilton’s latest offering, DoubleTree Suites is conveniently close to the city’s IT parks. We walked in on a Sunday afternoon, leaving the unusually hot Bangalore day to enter a cool, calming haven in a busy part of Bangalore. The minute we approached the front desk, we were greeted by a smiling staff and handed a warm chocolate chip and walnut cookie – a signature welcome tradition noted by Hilton worldwide. More on the cookie later, we promise. A look around reveals the lobby, decorated with most interesting glass chandeliers and black chairs that contrast sharply with the cream walls and floor. As you walk across the lobby, to the right is their all-day dining restaurant Asia Alive and to the left, is the chic bar, Equinox. For the moment, nothing interested us more than taking a short rest before coming down for a meal. DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Bangalore features 172 guest suites, out of which 123 are Studio Rooms, 48 are Suites and one is an Accessible Room, for guests with special needs. The Studio Rooms come equipped with a kitchenette and dining table, an ensuite bathroom and a balcony. Though the rooms are plush, the suites are the ones that take the luxe factor up a notch. You have a choice of one, two and three bedrooms – we checked in to the one bedroom suite which, as the name suggests, comes with a comfortably large bedroom with a wooden floor that lends it warmth with an attached bathroom, a separate living area where one can entertain guests and a small kitchenette, complete with utensils, crockery, cutlery, two induction stoves, a microwave, mini refrigerator and a nifty dishwasher. It is a long-stay concept hotel, after all. So, anyone with a couple of weeks in the city who is on a business visit but would prefer cooking their own meals and live in a ‘home’ rather than a hotel room would find the place just perfect. A private balcony provides a vast view
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of the military grounds where parched land turns into a lush green expanse. It has to be mentioned that the sizes of these suites are much larger than a regular hotel room, given that a guest wouldn’t be staying for just a couple of days. The idea is to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Not only that, DoubleTree Suites goes one step ahead and customizes the suites according to the preferences of its guests. For female guests, for instance, the hotel might stock the room with a magazine, a hair dryer and in our case, a weighing scale which quite frankly, we were afraid to use. The room is done up in muted colours of brown with a few bright things here and there that add just a little pop of colour so that it doesn’t look entirely drab. The bathroom is compact and a great utilization of space – a glass door shower, a cabinet with a bathrobe and slippers and Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries. There is even a washer and CEO LIFESTYLE
dryer for your daily laundry needs. If you go for the two or three bedroom suite, you have the pleasure of a humongous bathtub as well. Since we weren’t really in the mood to whip up anything to eat, a quick shower later, it was lunch at Asia Alive with Chef Neeraj Rawoot and the F&B manager, Shubhomoy Banerji. The menu, as you might have guessed, is primarily Asian, speckled with a couple of choices like spaghetti and burgers for someone who might be craving something different. But why Asian? Chef Rawoot told us that India sees maximum guests from business centric countries such as Singapore and Bangkok. Moreover, Asian is the favourite cuisine in India after, well, Indian. So the menu offers Thai, Chinese, Nepalese and even some Bhutanese dishes. The restaurant carries forward the cream and black colour theme but for a bright yellow strip of the popular mehendi on the walls. For starters, we ordered the Burmese soup, Khao suay
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chicken and Thord man khapod, corn fritters with fried greens, raw mango and cashew nut salsa. While the soup was a perfect melange of hot, sour and spicy, the latter was a delightful experience with salty fritters and the tart mango. If you are looking for something on the mellower side, we suggest the Asian vegetable & glass noodle broth which is beautifully flavoured. For mains, though, we wanted to try something typically Indian and the chef suggested Methi murg, chicken cooked with fenugreek, onions and tomatoes, and Zafrani naan. And if you like to end your meals with something sweet, look no further – the DoubleTree cookie cream sundae is all you need. A smashing dessert with their signature walnut cookie, with layers of berry compote and chocolate chips, this one is a masterpiece. Of course, if you are craving for an Aloo paratha or Palak paneer or anything else (and we do mean anything else), just ask for it and it shall be done. Wanting to walk off the lunch, we opted for a quick tour around the place. On the ground floor, behind the reception is DoubleTree’s CEO LIFESTYLE
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Anyone with a couple of weeks in the city who is on a business visit but would prefer cooking their own meals and live in a ‘home’ rather than a hotel room would find the place just perfect
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Picture Courtesy: DoubleTree Suites by Hilton lounge, Equinox. It is a rather cleverly designed space, subtly divided into two. One half is done up in decor that is more suited to the day time, should you feel like catching a quick cocktail before lunch. Sheer drapes adorn this part to let in plenty of natural light so that it looks bright and airy, something that has been done for the lobby as well. Step over to the ‘darker’ side and you feel as if it is an entirely different room altogether – dark brown, plush leather sofas with stitching detail on a greyish marble floor and deep coloured carpeting with the walls flaunting a black and white geometric-like pattern and a black ceiling with strategically placed lights, enough to see well and create an aura of quiet elegance. The lounge caters to its name perfectly – Equinox, where the day and night are of equal length. Thumbs up for the creative thought behind this charming space. We head to the 11th floor in the evening, to the hotel’s terrace swimming pool, where you can lounge in the temperature controlled pool with a magnificent view of the city, unobstructed by the urban jungle. Soon, we are told, the hotel plans to throw barbeque parties for interested guests. If you are more of an exercise junkie, check out the Precor Fitness Centre, where you have access to all the necessary equipment you need to get in shape, with a fitness trainer to help you. No points for guessing our preferred choice. Considering DoubleTree Suites entertains a lot of business executives, there is CEO LIFESTYLE
a dedicated 24-hour business centre, complete with teleconferencing technology to cater to your needs. As night fell, we chose to dine in the comfort of our suite rather than head downstairs again. But this time, instead of ordering directly from the menu, we requested for the resident Chef Joy’s recommendations which were a hot Goats cheese and sundried tomato pizza, Thai green curry with steamed rice and a deliciously cold salad with a vinaigrette dressing. But the star of the meal for us was the Gajar ka halwa, which the chef, having heard us mention it during lunch, prepared specially for us. If you feel like cooking, all you have to do is ask, and the staff will be only too glad to fetch you groceries and anything else that you need. The next morning was a quick breakfast at Asia Alive – their signature Wake-Up by DoubleTree Breakfast buffet is a spread of everything you could possibly want, from fruit, cereals, bagels and eggs to pancakes, waffles and quintessential Indian favourites, Poori bhaji, Dosa and Idli. But breakfast is incomplete without their Orange and hazelnut French toast served with cinnamon cream and maple syrup, so don’t forget to order that. Breakfast done, it was time to leave but not without deciding that a second visit is a must. For all those who are travelling to Bangalore, for business or pleasure, and looking for a little more than a glitzy hotel room, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton is the way to go. You won’t be disappointed, we promise.
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A haven in the hills Miles away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle of Delhi, lies Te Aroha, a perfect romantic getaway to relive precious moments with your loved one. No wonder then, that Te Aroha means ‘mountain of love’ in Maori, says R Vandana.
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Picturesque views of nature and hazy glimpse of the Himalayas ornate with lush green forests was the sight we opened my eyes to on an early morning, after an eight-hour journey from the capital. Another few hours of a road trip down the narrow bumpy roads of Nainital district had given us a slight feeling of nausea and a minor headache. It started to dissipate though, as soon as we reached Te Aroha. The yellow and white exterior of Te Aroha shines bright from far away. It is a popular and perhaps the only luxury property in and around the sleepy little village of Dhanachuli, and is located a few miles from Mukteshwar. Te Aroha, a boutique resort, is a gorgeous colonial-style property. On entering, we were offered a welcome drink of rhododendron flower that we spotted on our way to the hotel from Kathgodam railway station. Apart from apple, pear and walnut orchards, this place has rhododendron trees at almost every street. Known as buransh in local language, it is also the state flower of Uttarakhand. Our luxurious suite, The Long House is best described as a standalone romantic cottage with white walls, pastel peach curtains and plush upholstery; it has a spacious living room with a fire place, a dining table and a piano. The lavish and cosy bedroom has a large glass window that provides a splendid view of the Two Oaks restaurant overlooking the range of mountains. Spread over three acres, Te Aroha has 12 rooms, four CEO LIFESTYLE
romantic suites and six spacious rooms including Master’s Bedroom, Guest Bedroom, The Attic, Three Steps Down, Front Room, Black Roof and Morning Sun. Most of the suites have a no-child policy, so they are serious when they say it is a retreat strictly for couples. In fact, there are hardly any other distractions – no televisions even. Unlike other affluent properties, each room is customised and named after its exclusive feature. For instance, the Three Steps Down suite has three stairs after the door leading to the living area. The Front Room is called so because it is situated at the front on the ground level of new wing. Black Roof has wooden black roof and The Attic is a mystical guest room located in the new wing, the lower level of which is a bedroom whereas the upper level with a 360-degree view of mountains and dense forests, makes a perfect living room. The Attic is also close to the heart of the owner, Sumant Batra, for it is here that he spent several nights and days planning the different aspects of the property with his team. Every feature and embellishment, from furniture, crockery, and furnishing to accessory is sourced from different parts of the country. The bricks came from Moradabad, the door bolts were brought from Aurangabad, the bullock cart wheels beautifully placed next to the front office are from his native place, Hisar, and the big mirror in the lobby belongs to a royal hotel in Bhopal which is shut
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now. A wall in the lobby is adorned with the map of Almora and Nanital district dated 1894 by Surveyor General of India. Batra sourced this valuable map from the United Kingdom. Every corner of Te Aroha has intense detailing that makes it luxurious and exclusive. You will notice animal effigies such as ducks, elephants, lions and more bedecking the railing, staircase and hallway of the property. One of the best examples is the pair of stone lions at the end of the staircase that leads to the lobby area. Once these lions were used as Batra’s executive table at work with a glass top. No property is complete without good food, and here the food tastes like home. Te Aroha has a multi-cuisine restaurant called Two Oaks, a name it got from the pair of oak trees that has stood the test of construction. The restaurant opens up to a terrace that not only makes for a perfect setting for a brunch under the sunny skies but also serves a panoramic view of mountains. A level down from the restaurant is a television lounge, the only area where a television is installed. We would definitely recommend Bhatt ki chutani dal (local lentils), Palak ki sabzi and chicken cooked in Kumauni style for all those who want a taste of local flavours. Apart from Indian, the kitchen also serves intercontinental cuisine that makes the menu an assorted mix of various gastronomies. The menu changes every day and is planned a day in advance. CEO LIFESTYLE
Located in the premises of the resort, Chitrashala is a one of its kind museum, housing rare Indian vintage graphics dating from the turn of the nineteenth century through the twentieth century
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Although Te Aroha can best be called a romantic getaway, it has plenty more to offer its guests – village walks, jungle safaris and birding excursions, to name a few. A village walk is a nice opportunity to know the age old culture of Dhanachuli and its warmhearted people. Walking through the rocky lanes and steep alleys of the village, you will see the flourishing fields of wheat, garlic, potatoes, green peas and lemons. The newest addition to Te Aroha’s mystical charm is the in-house museum of Indian graphic art, Chitrashala. Located in the premises of the resort, Chitrashala is a one of its kind museum, housing rare Indian vintage graphics dating from the turn of the nineteenth century through the twentieth century. Personally collected by Batra with assistance from the artist Aanchal Malhotra, these graphics range from melodramatic Hindi film posters to portraits by Ravi Varma to numerous interpretations of the Hindu gods in the religious calendars. In our view, Te Aroha is the perfect place to escape for a quiet weekend in the lush, rural charm of Dhanachuli. Getting there: The drive to Dhanachuli from Delhi is fairly straightforward, with the option to drop-off the highway from either Moradabad or Rampur. There are three trains from Delhi to Kathgodam leaving from Old Delhi station or Anand Vihar terminal. The resort is a 90 minute drive from the Kathgodam. You can also fly to Pantnagar, which is a threehour drive away from the hotel. On request, Te Aroha can arrange for a pick up from the airport of the railway station.
Picture Courtesy: Te Aroha CEO LIFESTYLE
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Picture Courtesy: Delhi Art Gallery, New Delhi CEO LIFESTYLE
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Out of the Prayer Room An expansive show of Indian gods and goddesses exemplifies fine art in religious icons, writes Poonam Goel. CEO LIFESTYLE
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A bronze sculpture of Ravana, the ten headed demon, is perhaps one of the smallest works out of those which were recently exhibited at Delhi Art Gallery as part of Indian Divine: Gods & Goddesses in 20th Century Modern Art. Sculpted by Debabrata Chakraborty, the work is also the first that sold, a fact that still surprises Kishore Singh, head of exhibition and publication at the gallery. “It’s a majestic work and the artist has got the posture just right, but we never thought that Ravana would be the one to go first.” Indeed, this is not the only work which depicts how varied and nuanced our appreciation of the divine is. The show explores the sheer enormity of the divine as a subject which has inspired artists from the earliest of times. And even though the earlier depiction of Gods and Goddesses has been mostly ritualistic, over time it has grown into an art form that is appreciated for art’s sake. “We wanted to bring these images out of the prayer room into our living rooms,” says Singh, “while at the same time showing how glorification of God is a primal urge around the world and the need to go back to the roots from where Indian art springs.” It took Singh around six months to put together the show of nearly 200 artworks by 80 artists and a voluminous book by the CEO LIFESTYLE
same name. With works priced in the range of Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 4 crore, the show’s next stop will be at the gallery’s Mumbai branch in October this year. The exhibition begins with late 19th century art on mythological and religious themes from regions as diverse as Bombay and Bengal and these include oil paintings imbued with Western style deities by realistic artists like Raja Ravi Varma and M. V. Dhurandhar. In fact, in this section, Dhurandhar’s works stand out the most. In one of his oil on canvas works of 1899, titled Lakshmi, Dhurandhar has draped the female deity in a white sari, as opposed to the traditional red. Priced at Rs. 8 lakh, the work is also a tribute to female sensuality. Next to the same work, there is another in which Lakshmi is depicted in her quintessential avatar – that of her at Vishnu’s feet or Indira Devi, in which a real model has been used, a common way of painting female deities in early 20th century – to depict the same goddess. It is a clever way of displaying works because it forces one to also think of issues of female empowerment in contemporary times. There is also a vast section of mythological and religious episodes and figures featured in the hybrid style, which is
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One work worth mentioning is C W. Lawrie’s oil on canvas from late 19th century, at a whopping Rs. 3.5 crore, depicting the eternal romance of KrishnaRadha
a mix of Western realistic painting and traditional Indian art from Early Bengal, which is still popular amongst art collectors. One work worth mentioning is C W. Lawrie’s oil on canvas from late 19th century, at a whopping Rs. 3.5 crore, depicting the eternal romance of Krishna-Radha. A whole wall of the gallery is dedicated to Kalighat paintings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries depicting gods and goddesses like Kali, Ganesha, Krishna, Durga, Rama, Hanuman in their folksy, dreamy renditions, as well as popular bazaar prints on these themes that flooded the markets with the advent of paper, lithography and mechanical printing. In the range of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 3 lakh, these prints are as coveted as the canvases. From here, the exhibition charts the sheer range and expanse of the religious and mythological theme in modern Indian art. The featured works range from the lyrical imagery of the Bengal School, as represented by the historical Siva Drinking World Poison by Nandalal Bose created in 1933, also one of the most expensive works in the show at Rs. 4 crore, to modern renditions of the devi and popular episodes from myth and epics, such as the Mahabharata, from all parts of the country and spanning a diverse range of styles over the CEO LIFESTYLE
eventful 20th century and early 21st century. These include images of the female goddess, the most popular of whom is Durga, as imagined and portrayed by such modernist masters as Bikash Bhattacharjee, Ganesh Pyne, K. K. Hebbar, as well as several renditions of popular male deities, such as Krishna and Ganesha, by artists such as Rabin Mondal and P. V. Janakiram. The exhibition features a number of works on Christian themes and imagery as well, led by the first Indian artist to have explored the theme, Jamini Roy. He is followed by wellknown artists such as Krishen Khanna, F. N. Souza, Madhvi Parekh, Kanwal Krishna, S. Dhanapal, and V. Nageshkar, as well as a great number of works on Buddhist themes. “I find that Christian imagery is far stronger than other religious icons,” says Singh, “perhaps because we are more sensitive as a nation about Hindu iconography.” And then there are the Husains – an oil on canvas depicting Durga riding the tiger, another made as cover for Ramlila Committee Diary, Delhi in 1980 – which reiterate the master artist’s adoration for Hindu gods. Asit Halder’s watercolour wash on paper titled ‘The Procession’ depicting a Ramayana scene of Bharata anointing Rama’s padukas (sandals) as king is the largest wash ever done in the country. Priced at Rs. 2 crore, the work takes one back to the ethereal dark-stained frescos of Ajanta and Ellora. While the figurative imagery is predominant in the show – the showstoppers most certainly being J. Sultan Ali’s Nagapanchami, a Rs 2.5 crore work and Madhvi Parekh’s Last Supper – there is also enough abstraction to drool upon. The tantra works by artists like G. R. Santosh, Sohan Qadri, P. T. Reddy and Sunil Das are the ones to put your money on.
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TOP 6 PICKS FROM DELHI ART GALLERY Started in 1993, Delhi Art Gallery has built for itself a reputation as India’s largest private repository of twentieth century modern Indian art. Its collection spans the spectrum of Indian modernism from its genesis to its most dynamic phase as well as high modernism and the works of modern masters whose careers have stretched to the 21st century. We handpicked for you six iconic works from the gallery collection and tell you why these would be any collector’s delight.
UNTITLED, OIL AND GESSO ON WOOD BY M.F HUSAIN The face of Indian modern art, M. F. Husain was celebrated for his narrative studies of musicians and dancers, of horses, Mother Teresa, the British Raj, even film star Madhuri Dixit. Husain hardly ever painted landscapes though, which is what makes this particular painting important in his career.
A SOCIAL GATHERING, OIL ON CANVAS BY BIKASH BHATTACHARJEE The realism of Kolkata artist Bikash Bhattacharjee created a world of unease and discomfort, his comment on the violent society that he experienced around him. As in this work where a group of women create an ominous environment, the central figure evokes authority in a manner that appears questionable.
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RAJASTHAN-2004, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS BY S.H RAZA Raza lived in Paris for six decades where he shifted from gestural abstraction to the more 'Indian' metaphor of the ‘bindu’ and the elements. This stunning work combines these together in a celebration of colours as only the master could paint them.
UNTITLED-1962, OIL ON CANVAS BY F.N SOUZA This classic pose of a nude woman holding her breast is something all artists have attempted but without the felicity of F N Souza. The artist was wont to paint misogynistic portraits of women, making this work almost sublime in comparison.
UNTITLED – 1904, OIL ON CANVAS BY RAJA RAVI VARMA This realistic portrait of Lord Amthill’s son was painted in 2004 in Madras by arguably India’s first modernist and a popular painter. While his mythological narratives are well known, commissioned portraits of Crown officials particularly, are rarely seen.
UNTITLED (KADAMBARI DEVI) – 1936, WATERCOLOUR, BRUSH & INK ON PAPER BY RABINDRANATH TAGORE Tagore began to paint in his mid-60s, breaking the romantic convention of the Bengal School. His dark portraits attempt to get under the skin of the sitter - as in this portrait of his sisterin-law, Kadambari Devi, whom he was alleged to be in love with.
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WINE & DINE
PERFECT BITE
East Meets West At Indian Accent If you have lived in the capital, chances are you have dined, or at least dreamed of dining at the five year old Indian Accent at The Manor. A venture of Chef Manish Mehrotra as part of the Old World Hospitality, the swanky fine dining place is definitely a level beyond your regular dinner hub, says Diego Vasquez.
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Picture Courtesy: Indian Accent, New Delhi
Chef Mehrotra, who has been cooking in the professional sphere for 16 years, has a lifetime of experience behind him. He started off with Asian cooking at the Thai Pavilion, Mumbai. During his tenure of five years at the Taj group, the chef won himself many accolades and thereafter brought his culinary skills to New Delhi. As part of the Old World Hospitality, he headed the pan-Asian kitchen at IHC and helped Oriental Octopus reach great heights. After a stint in London where he was part of the core team who set up Tamarai, he moved back to Delhi and started Indian Accent in 2009. The restaurant started bagging titles in the first year itself and it seems as if the sky is the aim. Located in the posh Friends Colony of south Delhi, finding your way to Indian Accent can be a bit of a task as it is far from the main road or any prominent landmarks. We suggest you keep your GPS devices ready and prepare yourself for an evening of a lifetime. Once you reach the Manor and walk into the lobby, CEO LIFESTYLE
a trail of marigold flowers and dim tea-lights guide you to the entrance of a room laden with five to six tables all done up in crisp white tablecloths and impeccably arranged cutlery. There is nothing overly extravagant about the dÊcor and we would say the beauty lies in its classy simplicity. The servers, all dressed up in bright Indian attire, are quick to extend a warm welcome and escort you to your table. At around 8:30 pm on a Thursday night, the restaurant was sparsely populated but by the time we got to our starters, there was a sudden influx of customers waiting to be seated. We patted ourselves on our backs to have made prior reservations. A thorough look at the menu can leave you feeling fairly helpless and overwhelmed. We were more than happy to opt for the chef’s tasting menu, which consisted of more dishes than we could count on our fingers. After a quick interaction with Chef Manish about any possible allergies and preferences, we were presented with a mini cup filled with a Pumpkin coconut shorba. With distinct Thai flavours, the
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soup proved to be an effective palate cleanser. Next up were bite sized naans topped with blue cheese and cashew nuts. The chef candidly stated that “every meal in India should start with chaat”, before setting down a crumbly potato chaat in front of us. Chef Manish has ingeniously come up with dishes that are international, with a hint of Indiannness to them and it is these accents that make them masterpieces. The highlight of our meal included the Duck khurchan cornetto served in a sea of moong dal inside a chai glass. The perfectly spiced tender duck morsels combined with the crunchy cone was to our minds, the perfect dish. Vegetarians can opt for the Baingan bharta and goat cheese version of the same. After the Chicken tikka quesadilla, Khandvi ravioli, an unusual combination of the Italian with the Gujarati, the baked version of the usually fried Amritsari fish, Meetha achaar glazed Chilean spare ribs and many other delicacies, we arrived at the sweet and salty Pomegranate churan chuski. Served in a miniature pressure cooker, this tiny chuski will have all you Instagram addicts whipping your phones out in a jiffy. This was Chef Manish’s tribute to the pressure cooker, “without which, no Indian kitchen works”. We were pleased to discover that it was as pleasing to the taste buds as it was to the eyes. As we allowed ourselves a much-deserved break, Braised lamb shank, Fish in rice custard and daal made their way to the table, accompanied by three kinds of stuffed kulchas, duck, bacon and mushroom. The tender fish in the light, mildly sweet sauce is a must have for all sea-food lovers, the lamb was flavourful and spiced to perfection without being too hot and the daal was a lovely, creamy one. Whereas the bacon kulcha is a winner for pork fans, we would choose the duck over it. The Indian spices really did wonders to this meat. We washed down our meals with Indian Accent’s signature cocktails, Fresh fruit chaat sangria and the Marigold, after which we took a short stroll in their dimly lit garden. Sweet cravings soon arose and the dessert platter took us by storm. A long rectangular platter with four different varieties of sweet treats stood pretty. We immediately dug into the Daulat ki chaat, a frothy sweet concoction consisting of mostly milk foam with kesar. It was so light, we could barely feel it. The chef’s famous Mishti doi cannoli was stacked up, the crunchy mildly sweetened shells and the creamy doi were a wonder. Munching on the caramelised figs, we made it to the last of the lot, the Dhodha barfi treacle tart which also happened to be the Chef’s personal favourite. The combination of the typical UP sweet with the tarty base and the dollop of ice cream was wonderful. A re-visit to Indian Accent is imminent. We look forward to their new summer menu and pray that they keep some of our old favourites. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Meetha achaar canadian spare ribs, sun dried mango, toasted kalonji seeds, Gujrati suterfeni, winter chikki, homemade pistachio ice cream, Roast scallops balchao, saboodana papad, kokum powder
PERFECT BITE
Heston Blumenthal called him a ‘gastronomic genius’ and a ‘talented dynamo’. Chef Sujan S. brings his epicurean talents to Mumbai’s Olive Bar & Kitchen with a new Modern European menu that is as delicious as it is inventive, says Prachi Joshi.
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The blue door, the whitewashed walls, flickering candlelight, comfy cushions and the miniature bicycles – nothing much has changed at Olive Bar & Kitchen in Mumbai’s hipster suburb of Bandra. But one look at the menu and there are several dishes that the regulars will not recognise. Freshly imported from London, Olive’s new Chef de Cuisine Sujan has revamped large portions of the menu to suit his Modern CEO LIFESTYLE
European sensibilities. Finalised several times as London Chef of the Year and having worked in establishments as varied as JW Marriott in Mumbai, Hilton Hotels in the UK, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen and the Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows at the London Hilton, Chef Sujan has now returned to Mumbai and its changing food scene. “In London people eat out a lot and are more experimental; I see a similar trend
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starting here,” he says. To cater to these evolving palates, Chef Sujan has modernised Olive’s Mediterranean menu by bringing in some clean flavours and interesting textures. We started our meal with the Heirloom Tomato Salad, a colourful salad of six different types of tomatoes, each cooked in a different way, dotted with cold mozzarella sorbet. This was served with a Chilled gazpacho soup. The burst of flavours from the tomatoes with the icy contrast of the sorbet and the silky smooth soup made it the perfect dish for a sweltering Mumbai day. “My food is all about fresh ingredients, a balance of flavours and textures; the crunch factor is very important to me,” says Chef Sujan, and it certainly translates on the plate. This was all the more evident in the dish that followed – Roasted pumpkin & green beans. Perfectly roasted pumpkin, slightly caramelised, was topped with crunchy green beans, mascarpone labneh and apricot-orange puree. Quinoa, popped amaranth and roasted pumpkin seeds added CEO LIFESTYLE
a delicious crunchiness and the salad was dressed with pumpkin seed oil, orange juice and tarragon. Pumpkin is considered rather dull but the sweet and tangy flavours and the textures really elevated the humble vegetable to stardom, it was sheer poetry on plate, you might even say. We also tried the Marinated beetroot salad for all you health freaks out there. Baked and marinated beets, segments of mandarin, a smattering of salty goat cheese mousse and candied walnuts, all dressed with a simple beetroot juice and sherry vinegar dressing made for a healthful and tasty salad. Next, we tried Pan seared scallops and Pan seared sea bass. The scallops were well done and served with a smooth pea puree, topped with green apple and crisp bacon crumble. “Sour is the new mother of taste,” says Chef Sujan and most of his dishes have an unexpected tartness, which is really refreshing. The green apple provided that sour balance to the sweet and salty scallops dish. The sea bass was grilled in a tandoor and we didn’t particularly care for it but we devoured the accompanying crunchy romanesco, which was served with shrimp oil infused butter (every part of that last bit sounds right on all levels). A Watermelon sorbet arrived as a palate cleanser and then the dish that we had been waiting for – Slow cooked pork belly. The glistening pork belly was marinated for 24 hours, then pan seared and braised, and further roasted for six hours to get a pleasantly crispy skin. The pork belly was served with a carrot puree and mustard glazed apple. The highlight of the dish, as should be with every pork belly one ever tastes, was the crackling, which was served as thinly sliced curls. The sweet, savoury and crunchy elements of the dish went well together without striking a jarring note anywhere. After all that feasting, we wondered if we could do justice to the desserts, but then Chef Sujan tempted us with the promise of something special. The Warm banana
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PERFECT BITE
Picture Courtesy: Olive Bar & Kitchen, Mumbai
The highlight of the dish, as should be with every pork belly one ever tastes, was the crackling, which was served as thinly sliced curls
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Slow cooked pork belly, Chocolate fondant, Mille feuille of strawberry, Tuna nicoise
& walnut cake arrived – a moist slice of cake topped with candied walnuts, served with caramelised banana and dulce de leche ice cream and more swirls of caramel sauce. The cake itself was not too sweet and combined with the accompaniments, it made for quite a treat. Then came the Chocolate fondant, made of 62 percent Valrhona chocolate, which revealed its decadent, gooey centre the moment we dipped a fork in it. The premier quality chocolate made all the difference, and the handmade vanilla bean ice cream, crunchy honeycomb and chocolate tuile provided the balance and texture. There was a pleasingly tart kumquat jam to add another dimension to the dish. The last dessert was the Mille feuille of strawberries – hands down the best dessert we have tasted in a while. It was alluringly presented in a glass jar with a quenelle of fresh strawberry sorbet on the side. We dug into the jar, encountering layers of fluffy custard cream, mascarpone, strawberry mousse, fresh strawberries and the pièce de résistance – broken strawberry macarons. The combination was sinful but oh-so-perfect. “We’ll be serving this dessert with seasonal fruits, so the next time you might get mangoes,” says Chef Sujan. And that, in a nutshell, presents his philosophy – use local ingredients, play with flavours and do not forget the crunch. We would certainly not be forgetting this meal for a while. The 14-year old Olive Bar & Kitchen was due a menu facelift and Chef Sujan has indeed put his stamp on the cuisine.
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In High spirits
COURTING COGNAC
Cognac is possibly one of the most celebrated spirits in the world and for good reason, says Jyoti Balani. A quick look at what makes this eau-de-vie so special.
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I first tasted a cognac at an event in Park Hyatt Hyderabad last year. This was at a tasting session of the Louis XIII, an exceptional blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie or cognacs from the best cognac terroir, aged up to 100 years. One of the rarest spirits on earth, as reserves of century old eaux-de-vie are scarce, tasting this spirit is like tasting a century. A complex blend of 1,200 cognacs along with grapes from the Grande Champagne region (the best cognac terroir), Louis XIII offers a firework experience of 250 aromas, which pair well with several cuisines. Most tastings of this interesting spirit are a hit with everyone, whether it is single malt drinkers, wine enthusiasts, cognac enthusiasts or those who prefer spirits. CEO LIFESTYLE
Louis XIII is popular due to its incredible balance and the fact that it is an enjoyable drink. The supply of Cognacs is short because no one had predicted that cognac would become so popular in regions such as Japan, China, South East Asia, Nigeria and now, India. Cognac is a type of brandy but all brandies are not cognacs. This spirit comes from a small and highly protected area of Southwest France. In India, Remy Martin and Hennessy are popular brands while a few hotels also stock Martell. For the uninitiated, Cognac is produced by distilling wine for a second time to make a clear 70 percent alcohol known as the ‘eau de vie’ (French for ‘water of life’) after
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which it is aged in oak barrels. The longer this spirit stays in the barrel the smokier and woodier the end result. It will help cognac enthusiasts to learn basics such as designations, VS (‘Very Special’) is the youngest blend, one that has been aged for at least two years in the barrel. VSOP (‘Very Superior Old Pale’) has to ideally be aged for at least four years, but in reality it would be much longer. XO (now usually referred to as ‘Extra Old’ but the symbols originally stood for ‘Age Unknown’) is ideally aged for at least six years but in reality, it is aged for around 20 years for the finest blends. A lot of hotels encourage cognac tasting sessions to educate both staff and guests. “Cognac is one of most sought-after and acquired practice of our guests. We serve a selected choice of cognacs on our menu which range from Very Special to Supreme and feature on our beverage menu at the Eighteen Lounge and Prego Bar. Cognac is enjoyed best when paired with special recipes and meats. Rich dishes often compliment a Cognac best, such as Duck confit, Foie gras, and Pate. The rich and fatty, full-bodied texture of various meats actually softens both the alcohol and the crisp acidity makes the cognac seem even more velvety and round, while that same acidity of the spirit cuts through the richness of the dish, brightening its flavors and enhancing the bright fruit, spices and slight nuttiness of the cognac. If a guest chooses to order a cognac, we suggest dishes cooked with lamb to go with the drink. A guest who orders cognac surely knows their spirits,” says Anuraag Bhatnagar, Area General Manager for Westin Hotels, Mumbai and Pune. Noemie Levieux, Louis XIII Brand Ambassador for India, says a good premium cognac like Remy Martin is known for its aromatic complexity – a result of fine grapes, distillation and longer ageing. “This complexity allows it to be paired well with desserts without losing its own identity. If you have a sweet tooth, you can try it with dark chocolate as the vanilla and spicy notes of cognac work very well with it. For pairing with savoury dishes, our Remy Martin’s Chef Philippe Saint Romas advises some canapes like Salmon and Foie gras, which enhance the aromas of cognac. Premium cognac like Louis XIII can be paired very well with Indian cuisine, as the richness of spices in cuisine along with more than 250 known aromas of Louis XIII create a sensorial experience for diners,” she reveals. “Cognac is usually seen as a drink for winters in
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Pierrette Trichet and Baptiste Loiseau, Noemie Levieux, LOUIS XIII Brand Ambassador
In High spirits
If you have a sweet tooth, you can try it with dark chocolate as the vanilla and spicy notes of cognac work very well with it
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front of a fireplace but you can enjoy it during Indian summers as well. My favourite is the French Mojito, in which you replace rum with Remy Martin VSOP. We also conduct Louis XIII appreciation session for our clients to give them the product experience,” she reveals. A lot of people enjoy pairing chocolates with cognac. Says Pavithran Nambiar, General Manager, JW Marriott Mumbai, “Matching cognac with food is tricky. It is typically an after dinner drink. High quality chocolate such as Royce can be delightful with it and of course the combination of cognac and a cigar is still hard to beat.” The right or wrong kind of glassware plays a major role in enhancing or destroying the experience of a great drink and the same applies to cognacs. “For Louis XIII, we have special glasses designed by Christophe Pillet who worked with Philippe Starck. It is a unique design called ‘The light of Louis XIII’, a tulip Baccarat crystal glass in which the precious elixir doesn’t need any tricks to reveal its complexity. For instance, with Remy Martin VSOP or XO we advise having it in a balloon glass. As your skin comes in contact with the glass, the aromas infuse,” says Noemie. “Cognac can be wonderful with cheese and desserts, and it is perfect by itself. While it has high alcohol content, it is also well balanced with full fruit and high acidity. It can also be drunk with ice and water, as it is done in many Southeast Asian countries,” says Phillippe Charraudeau, Vice President (West) & General Manager ITC Maratha, Mumbai. One spirit, and so many ways to drink it. Cognac deserves more than ever, to be called the water of life.
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HEALTH
BODY BASICS
Looking between the lines The practice of Botox may well be commonplace today, from Botox parties to women as young as 20 years getting their first jab. In this issue of CLS, Kirthi Jayakumar takes a look at how Botox works and what you need to know if you are thinking of taking the plunge.
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It has been a while since you saw yourself in a mirror and the vision in the aftermath of eternity reveals a bunch of wrinkles sitting in inappropriate happiness across the contours of your face. You wonder when time decided to play truant, pulling the youth out of your face and jamming the downside of aging onto it. You wish it wasn’t so but if there was a penny for every wishful thought, you could well have built a fortune and a half by just thinking. But hold your guns, these creases can be ironed out too. All thanks to Botox. From top corporate executives to celebrities, there are few who do not surrender to the syringe. While the reason for celebrities to get Botox treatments is quite obvious, in the recent past it has become unusually common for even top honchos to get injections just a few days before an important, landmark meeting with say, an international client. Why? Because the first impression is the last one. They want to look younger and better. That is not to say that there is something wrong with looking old but that is the perception in corporate corridors these days. If ‘Eat to please thyself, dress to please others’ is anything to go by, it is but true that it does not stop with just dressing oneself. Looking good isn’t just about clothes and accessories that attempt to define the extension of your personality, but about the personality itself. Sagging skin, lines dancing on your forehead and snaking in and out CEO LIFESTYLE
of your once youthful cheeks send out one of two messages – either you are wizened old Dumbledore or Gandalf the Grey, or you simply are a miserly old codger trying to dress like a college-goer. There’s nothing remotely appreciable in a face full of sagging lines and worry wrinkles lining the brow and you can’t really salvage it by dressing young. Looking the part is being the part. A trade name for botulinum toxin A, Botox is the answer for many things like the lines between your brows, uncontrolled blinking, migraines, asthma and even spasms on the neck. Having been around since 1989, Botox was officially medically approved as a mechanism to treat the age lines that encumber the forehead and brows as one ages. There was a time when the thought of injecting a poison into one’s forehead seemed daunting and the preference towards makeup on the skin rather than under it was more prevalent. With each passing instance, though, more and more people broke out of the shell of fear to give it a shot and the numbers have been on the rise since. From being a simple injection, Botox has evolved into a phenomenon of sorts. Botox is essentially the injection of a toxin extracted from a form of bacterium that is located in soils, lakes, streams, coastal and untreated waters. The compound is more specifically a toxin that targets the nervous system
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BODY BASICS
Walking The Line ÍÍ Pregnant and lactating women ÍÍ People who have exhibited a prior allergic reaction to the drug or any of its ingredients ÍÍ People who that have just had a Botox treatment andsix months haven’t lapsed since the previous sitting ÍÍ People taking medication such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Exedrin, Vitamin E, Fish oil or Omega-3s, Ginko Bilboa and Ginseng ÍÍ People with certain neuromuscular diseases or autoimmune diseases should consult their specialist before getting the treatment. ÍÍ Those suffering from significant drooping of facial soft tissues should consult a specialist before getting Botox
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and disrupts signalling that helps neurons communicate. Technically poisonous but now, it is extracted for use to lift aging skin, and has come to become the subject of huge demand. With its cosmetic and medical value, this is no surprise. The extracted toxin is injected under the skin in order to treat certain muscular conditions and cosmetically remove wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing muscles. It paralyzes the muscles by preventing signals from reaching the nerve cells, thereby disallowing the contraction of muscles. This happens because the toxin prevents the release of a chemical called acetylcholine in the muscles – the chemical responsible for the contraction of muscles. When monitored carefully in terms of the dosage, frequency and manner in which it is administered, Botox can be immensely useful. In small concentrations, the toxin is administered via injections reaching under the outer surface of the skin. This mechanism comes in handy in helping iron out wrinkles and lines in aging faces. Transcending beyond the vanity factor, it is also useful in treating several medical conditions that include squinted eyes and migraines, excessive sweating and even leaky bladders. Botox treatments are administered on a unit-based requirement. The average cost per treatment session ranges anywhere from Rs. 6000 to Rs. 15,000. The average cost per unit of Botox is approximately Rs. 300 to Rs. 400, and the ultimate cost of your treatment depends on the number of units you require. A typical Botox treatment gives you results that last anywhere between three months and six months, gradually wearing off over the interval between the two timelines. When Botox is used once, it tends to weaken the muscle gradually, so in subsequent instances, you may not need as much Botox as you did the first time around. Starting to use Botox typically depends on the person – habitual face expressions that culminate in expression lines may need earlier Botox interventions. Even though the demand for Botox is rather huge, there are things to consider. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid it, as also those that have exhibited a prior allergic reaction to the drug or any of its ingredients. Botox comes with its own slew of side effects although most times, injections with the toxin are generally well tolerated and side effects are few. Sometimes, though, genetic factors may pose a bit of a hindrance to the process by creating allergic reactions. These are, however, rare. Some common side effects include localised pain at the site of the injection, transient numbness, headaches, temporary paralysis of the surrounding muscles, bleeding at the site of the injection, blurred vision and temporary decrease in eyesight. In some instances, a sense of fatigue may prevail too. The initial hesitation that might keep one away from Botox is understandable but the sheer number of people in the limelight getting it is motivation enough. Whether you understand why more and more folks are getting Botox treatments or scoff at them, you cannot ignore that Botox is here to stay. ‘Beauty is skin deep’ just got redefined.
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BODY BASICS
Going Organic
Going organic is a way of life that has become ubiquitous these days, especially among the affluent and educated urban population. But does going organic necessarily translate into buying from supermarkets? We are overlooking something simple, says Rekha Shanmugham.
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Whether or not organic food actually does a world of good as often advertised ‘is a topic for another day’. However, it does a lot for the environment and that is reason enough to go green, is it not? As far-fetched as it may sound to some, you can start with your own backyard or terrace. And gardening is one of the most therapeutic activities you can indulge in, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure, anxiety and stress. There is much that a CEO can gain from growing his own patch of green. Proficiency cannot be achieved overnight of course, and the process requires perseverance. So, how does one grow their own organic garden? First things first: test the soil. For all you know, it could be severely contaminated. Check the nutrient and pH levels. A home testing kit can come in handy, or better still, make use of the soil labs for a complete breakdown along with CEO LIFESTYLE
suggestions to help you treat the soil. You need to tell them that you are planning to go organic though. Urban soils are notorious for being contaminated with lead and it is very important to get this checked. Do specify these things prior as lead testing and the like need not always be standard procedure. It is best to do the testing well before winter approaches so that the alterations can be done before the cold sets in. After the results come out, it is time to set things right of course. The pH levels can be altered with lime while compost helps to up the nutrient levels. Use an amalgamation of leaf and grass clippings, compost and manure. It is ideal to procure the manure from animals that do not eat meat. Watch out for contamination though – grass clippings available at municipalities are known to contain pesticide residues.
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Remember to purchase compost from a certified organic producer. One can make his own compost too, and try using your own grass clippings for mulch as bagged mulch cannot be trusted at all times. Making your own compost is no rocket science. You will require a space that is at least three square feet. The compost will have to contain alternating layers of carbon-rich material such as leaves and garden trimmings and nitrogen-rich material such as kitchen scraps and manure. Let a thin layer of soil separate them. Top the pile with four to six inches of soil and remember to water it as this promotes microbe action. As new layers are added, make sure to turn the pile and wait for two months. Bad odour is never a characteristic of a well-maintained compost. Next comes selecting the plants. Invest some time in choosing ones that are suitable to your specific microconditions. You could opt for the disease resistant varieties. Pay attention to moisture, light, drainage and soil quality while choosing. And these conditions might not be consistent throughout your garden. Should you happen to purchase seedlings, ensure that synthetic elements were not used while raising them. While planting, it is a good idea to group the plants tightly in beds. This controls water waste, keeps weeding at bay etc. Give way for enough air circulation in between beds to reduce fungal attacks. Planting done, it is now time to tend to the baby. Remember to water during the mornings, as evaporation is at a minimal level then. It is a good idea to avoid sprinklers and instead use a water-saving soaker hose which would carry the water directly to the roots. About one inch of water per week including rain should be ideal for the plants. And of course, you will have to battle weeds and pests at some point of time. Tedious as it may sound, weeding by hand is an extremely effective way and also gets you some fresh air and exercise. Mulch can come in handy in such situations. Lawn clippings are preferred by many but it is wise to use them only on plants that require a high dosage of nitrogen. If you are burdened with the menace of pests, check if your plants are deprived of sufficient light, nutrients and moisture. Fostering biodiversity, preventive measures like nets and encouraging friendly predators like frogs, lizards and birds can help you in your mission. Horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps can also keep you battle-ready. And at last, it is that time when your garden turns into a cornucopia a.k.a harvest time. Different plants require different approaches. Educate yourself on the same to maximize your returns. Just remember that the more you harvest, the more bountiful your garden shall be and keep a very close eye on your produce during the season. And as you revel in the fruits of your labour, do not forget to clean up. It might be boring but it is of utmost importance. Sick plants have to be uprooted entirely while healthy ones can be left intact to prevent soil erosion and weeding.
Expert Advice
ÍÍ Instead of growing too much too soon, start small and scale up slowly ÍÍ Use the seeds from your kitchen (mustard, fenugreek, coriander etc.) ÍÍ Begin with pots and then slowly move towards creating a garden Dr. Nandita Iyer
Nutrition advisor | Columnist | Food Blogger | Culinary trainer
HOLISTIC HEALING
If there is one extravagance you must indulge in this summer, Aparna Kaistha recommends an experience at The Spa at Shangri-la’s Eros Hotel.
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HOLISTIC HEALING
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The Spa at Shangri-La’s Eros Hotel embraces a holistic approach to physical and spiritual well-being. Inspired by Asian healing philosophies, the treatments are based upon restoring balance and harmony to the body and mind. All treatments take into consideration your individual needs and desires. So, from the moment you enter the Spa, everything you feel and touch is pure and tender – the lavishness arouses a feeling of well-being as you give in to the gentle and experienced hands of the skillfully trained therapists. The Spa has two wet rooms, one for each gender, each of which has a steam, sauna and a Jacuzzi. There is a salon alongside that has private treatment areas with a range of hair and body treatments. The wellness area also boasts of a fully equipped gymnasium. The Spa at Shangri-La gives you the luxury of personal space and timelessness to indulge your senses, soothe your body and revitalize your spirit. Soothing music is flows in as you step into the spa reception and transports you into a tranquil haven. The dim lighting with wooden panelled floors and walls give a warm cocoon-like feeling. I was asked to wait at the reception while I filled my consent form and sipped on green tea from the Health Café, which is situated in the reception area. After consulting with my therapist, I went in for the CEO LIFESTYLE
‘The Serenity Ritual’ (Rs. 12,000), which like all other treatments, begins with a steam and sauna. It is up to you to decide how long it is that you wish to take either or both. I went in for a 10 minute steam and five minute sauna. I was then led through a large courtyard to one of the five treatment rooms for my session. The first thing that I noticed was the size; each room is spartan yet very comfortable, with a bath area and small water body in the room. The soothing, tinkling sound of water combined with the music immediately began to relax me. The three-and-a-half hour long treatment of ‘The Serenity Ritual’, as the name suggests, is a combination of three soothing treatments that turn it into a complete pampering experience. It begins with a Biodroga nourishing milk and honey wrap, followed by soothing aroma massage combined with foot reflexology ending with a Biodroga Oxygenating facial. The combination of these three treatments within the ritual is guaranteed to relax you from head to toe. The treatment begins with a gentle exfoliation with aroma sea salt. The scrub does not have the most pleasant feeling, especially if you have any cuts on the body as it hurts those parts but the pain is well worth it in the end. Following the scrub, the masseuse applied a milk honey paste on my body and then left it to be soaked into the body.
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Picture Courtesy: Shangr-La, Eros Hotel
BIODROGA combines the noblest ingredients of nature with highly efficient high-tech components. I was then asked to rinse it with plain water, which is when I instantly noticed that my skin had become much softer and as the water smoothly dripped off my body, I realized that I had definitely lost a lot of dead skin cells that I had not even realised existed on my body. The blend of active ingredients in this first level of treatment, which lasted about 45 minutes, restores skin balance, suppleness, elasticity and a leaves the body with a firmer appearance. The next step is Aroma Body Massage in which the masseuse’s expert fingers give you a firm body massage for about 60 minutes. Here, she worked on all my knots and you can specify any problem areas you want her to work on. I, of course, requested her to focus on my upper back and shoulders. By the time she was done, I felt my body turning into liquid. She then turned to the next treatment, Foot reflexology. Your feet’s reflex points worked on by expert therapists regularly can improve your health by restoring the natural flow of body energy. This ancient healing therapy is also known to recover physical and mental harmony. I can assure you by now I was somewhere beyond heaven. Finally, we moved on to the Biodroga Oxygenating facial. Again, the treatment was very CEO LIFESTYLE
relaxing but it is definitely not the most comfortable because the product tends to be slightly itchy and might irritate your skin. However, the therapist promised me that it would not have any after undesired after-effects because that is just how the product works. I did see the results the next day, the treatment deep cleanses the skin, soothes inflammations and refines skin tone. It leaves the skin delightfully smooth, supple and fresh. By the time my treatment was done and I showered with plain water to just rinse off the oil, I was nearly unconscious, but in a good way. Despite having troubled skin all my life even now, five days after the treatment, I can feel the glow on my face. As for my body, that feels as soft as a baby’s. Another therapy to recommend at the Shangri-la spa would be the Couple Romantic Get Away, a sugar body scrub for silky smooth skin followed by Balinese massage and a body wrap in their couple spa treatment suite, where one can also sip champagne in the Jacuzzi. Besides these, they have oriental massages as well as Ayurvedic treatments and some Western therapies that guests can try. Other therapies that captured my attention were the baths, Cleopatra Bath, Citrus Jacuzzi Bath and the Lavender Jacuzzi Bath. These have already made their way to my list for when I visit Shangri La next time.
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EVENTS
SITES & SOUNDS
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Picture Courtesy: Zoubir Ali
Music for the soul
The 20th edition of Fes Festival of World Sacred Music is inspired by an epic Persian poem by Farid-ud-Din Attar, ‘The conference of the Birds’, in an attempt to collaborate cultures, traditions, art and music across the world. Since its inception in 1994, the event has enjoyed phenomenal success and was credited as a ‘major contributing event to the dialogue between civilizations’ by the United Nations. The event is held from June 13th to 21st in the holy city of Fes, Morocco. The festival boasts of a slew of performances lined up to ensure a thrilling experience that will have you reliving the classical sounds of music. From the Indian tabla played by Zakir Hussain to Paco de Lucia, the master of gypsy guitar, it is a cull of the most enthralling artists and the best of music. The festival kicks off with an opening concert at Bab al Makina, the 14th century royal palace square. ‘The Festival in the city’ is a CEO LIFESTYLE
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consolidation of sacred spiritual and world music held at Boujloud Square, which can be attended free of cost. The evening comes alive with Sufi Nights which are held in the gardens of Dar Tazi. These open concerts highlight the Islamic culture through art and dance forms. There are regular activities for children like exhibitions, concerts and shows. The Forum is an interesting component held in the beautiful Andalusian gardens in Batha Museum that brings various subjects of discussion to the table, from ideas on culture and transition, to Mandela’s spiritual legacies. With an abundance of options to choose from, we suggest you do not plan in advance, rather, take time out to explore the Persian architecture, ancient ruins and the endless spice stalls. With a host of tourists who frequent the festival, be sure to find some interesting people and perhaps you could settle into an enriching conversation as you sip Moroccan tea. JUNE 2014
Picture Courtesy: Hans Hopper
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Get your paint on
This is a festival like no other. Throughout ages, cultures and tribes across the world have indulged in the art of body painting. The World Body Painting Festival blends together the best of talent, art, culture and of course, a few tubs of paint, to bring to light a modern form of art. Initiated by Alex Barendregt in 2001, the event has progressed over two decades and today, draws artists from across 40 countries and an audience of up to 30,000, making it widely acclaimed as Austria’s finest cultural event. The festival is held between 2nd and 4th July in a village known as Bodypaint City, PÜrtschach, overlooking the beautiful Worthersee lake, which is a hub for fun parties. The vicinity is dotted with a number of bars, restaurants, cafÊs and lounges. We recommend you prep yourself for a rush of wonder, insanity and adrenalin as artists compete for the title across a series of painting categories which include Face painting, Airbrush, Special effects makeup, UV painting and more. To have a preliminary experience of the event, you can get your face painted. CEO LIFESTYLE
If you are more experimental, feel free to volunteer yourself as a human canvas. Witness an enigmatic ramp walk as the models display vibrant themes in a unique appearance. The night gets even better with the World UV Painting Championship, as human forms merge with props to create a visual stunner. And if you think painting is all there is, you are mistaken. There are music shows galore where you can dance to the tunes of international bands and DJs. Indulge in culinary contentment and view the eclectic fashion shows that combine the best of style and art. The World Championship, 2014 is held on the last day with a sensational round of music and fireworks followed by the after show party, Colour Splash. If you have your tiny tots tagging along, there is much in store for them. From a face painting tent, to body glitter contests and playgrounds, you can be assured of keeping them thoroughly occupied. A ticket to the festival costs 16 euros and we suggest that you book accommodations well in advance as this is a party not to be missed.
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Mark Your Calendar 11 03 08
What: Heiva I Tahiti: French Polynesia welcomes you to endless merrymaking as the island of Tahiti hosts thousands for several days of nonstop dancing and competitions. When: July 3-19, 2014 Where: Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
19 What: Wanderlust: It is healthy food, yoga, music and outdoor adventure galore at this four-day congregation for the health-conscious folks. When: June 19-22, 2014 Where: Stratton, Vermont, USA
What: J azz Festival at Davos Klosters: It is a surreal experience as resounding jazz music mesmerizes you against the backdrop of the magnificent Alps. When: July 8-13, 2014 Where: Davos Klosters, Switzerland
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What: D onauinselfest: One of Europe’s largest open air music festivals invites you to three days of madness surrounded by water. When: June 27-29, 2014 Where: Vienna, Austria
CEO LIFESTYLE
What: Naadam: Get a rare peek into the rich cultural past of Mongolia with traditional games like archery, horse racing and wrestling taking centre stage; the stunning traditional wear is a bonus.
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What: Mississauga Waterfront Festival: Stilt walkers, fire-eaters, carnivals, outdoor concerts, interactive sports and of course some lipsmacking food come to When: July 11-13, 2014 enthrall you during this Where: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia three-day fiesta. When: June 13-15, 2014
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Where: Port Credit Memorial Park, Mississauga, Toronto
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What: San Francisco Pride: It is an explosion of sound and colours What: Haro Wine Festival: as the city of San Get drowned in a sea of Francisco reminds you purple as enthusiastic why it is a pioneer in tourists and locals alike the LGBT culture. get soaked from head to When: June 28-29, 2014 toe in red wine. Where: San Francisco, California, United States California, USA
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When: June 29, 2014 Where: Haro, La Rioja, Spain
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