FEATURE

FEATURE | THE BUSINESS GAME Changers of Hyderabad

The business has always been leaned towards male dominance but in recent times, women have not only taken part in it but also have stepped up the process with their innovative ideas and intelligence. Their ambitious nature and creativity can be seen in their work. Let's meet them!

-By Umera Riyaz

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ZAP PRODUCTIONS - (Owner Zoya Ahmed) I used to work for the IT sector, which wasn’t my passion. My possession of photography and cinematography was always a priority since college. After moving away from the corporate world, ideas kicked in and with the help of a friend who encouraged them. I started a page earlier known as Allegories By Zoya Ahmed in 2016, then which was subsidized by Abrar Khan and later launched as ZAP Productions in 2019. Over the years we have grown into a team of highly skilled people who specialise in their respective fields. The Allegories are still at heart. Photography has always been my passion. capturing the best around me was always on my mind. When it came to choosing a career option it was a no brainer that it had to do with me being behind the lens. ZAP Productions is a Production house which aims at capturing your most memorable moments and our team mainly focuses on making memories which are edged for a lifetime. ZAP Productions deal with utmost quality work for preferences with the clientele requirement. We start the process by having an individual (mostly me) consult you on the decisions towards the events we go for. We provide as the client needs, candid and traditional photography, Traditional video for events, Cinematic video with drones and cranes, Albums, Live video with LED displays (live streaming especially for covid stances) & Photobooth kiosk. My dad has been my number one supporter, Abrar who encouraged and pushed me to where I am today, I've always been thankful to them, guiding me correctly in a world where everyone wants to take one down. The most memorable moments so far have to be the biggest wedding I did in the first three months of the business, then the Da-Bangg tour 2019, collaborating with brands like Araku Coffee, Sri krishna Jewellers, hashtag Marketing, Hotels like IHCL , park hyatt and British Airways was a pack of happiness for the team. It's a blessing where I have reached, people know me by my work, it's a long road ahead of me. There’s so much to learn and this is just the beginning. We are planning to expand in the future and consist of a highly equal team so we can take up events of a larger scale. Being a freelancer is never easy for anyone to sit at home and earn your daily bread and butter. Due to lockdown confined at home, It had affected in various ways the company but we kept our cool. According to the current situation, we implemented new shooting ways and safety procedures. We have gained an uptick from September 2020 while working with new ventures and weddings with a gathering of a very less crowd.

What’s your philosophy for business? We believe that the customer is King. Artistic values aren't just a matter of pure taste or simple emotional reaction. if something is good or bad it can be pointed out. It is merely to discover with patience and correct guidance to collect, arrange, create and anticipate.

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JEWELLERY BY NIKITHA - (Owner - Nikitha Linga) JewelleryByNikitha is a family-owned business and I am the 4th generation stepping into the shoes of my ancestry. Initially, we were into the trade of precious gemstones. Driven by ambition and creativity. The work for my brand began in November 2015 and as things fell into place, I knew it was time. I launched my label in February 2016 and operated it from my father’s office. In October 2018, I have the fortune of launching my 4-story retail boutique with one-of-a-kind unique pieces. Even though our business was family-owned and while I was establishing myself, we did not have enough retail presence, with even lesser clients. I was confident of my designs, that they were one-of-a-kind. My friends and family were kind enough to spread the word about my business, along with this I harnessed the power of the internet by putting up my designs on various social media interfaces. The process was gradual but fruitful. I had never been interested in jewellery. I had just returned from university, planning to go for my masters in a year. However, that year I was inspired by my 78-year old grandfather, who came to work undeterred and was very passionate about his designs. That’s when I knew, I wanted to be like him, make a mark and get a sphere of recognition in the jewellery market. I decided against masters and set my eye on the path that I had envisioned. We curate fine jewellery - gold, diamonds and much more. All pieces are designed in-house. We use unique, carved, rare gemstones, with state-of-the-art designs. Our quality is top-notch. Covid-19 has affected my business only in a positive way. It widened our online business, it exposed us to a side that we didn’t know we could harness, social media. Even though our walk-in sales reduced, our online presence has been enhanced and sales from that have skyrocketed maintaining the balance for us. Looking at the prospects, I plan to set up stores of Jewelry By Nikitha in multiple locations of Hyderabad and across India. 2021, I am planning to launch an e-commerce website. It will be a display of over a thousand pieces and cater to all age groups and classes of people. It will be an exquisite showcase of our beautiful range of office and daily wear jewellery.

How do you feel about your journey so far? It feels good to be where I am right now. Looking back, I know all the hard work paid off. I hope I have made my parents proud, I am extremely grateful that they trusted me, were patient with me and supported me all through.

What’s your philosophy for business? I believe patience is key, you need to give time to things to come to fruition. The seeds I sow no, will not bear fruits immediately and thus, embracing the journey is important, one day at a time! Since this is my passion, the outlook of this is not of a business, I love what I do and will continue to do so, irrespective of the results, that is not under my control.

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ONE WEDDING - (Owners - Anandita Ahuja and Namrata Loka) After Namrata’s wedding, we realized there was serious potential in the city for a wedding firm that makes weddings feel seamless. We wanted to bring premium decor and A-Z planning services at a price point that’s a sweet spot for clients coming for all social and economic groups. In 2018, we decided to carry on that energy and launched One Wedding. Both of us have a formal fashion background and enjoy designing spaces which incorporate many pieces from the fashion world. We love that creative process, and the opportunity to be part of a family’s highlight reel. The overarching idea behind our design and decor is to blend minimal modernism with traditional elements. We also wanted to bring a keener sense of structure to the planning process, inspired by how neatly coordinated and organized weddings are in the West. We assist our clients with wedding outfits, entertainment, artists and vendors, and offer on-site managers during the events to ensure everything flows smoothly. We provide services like wedding design, decor, styling, as well as logistics, planning, and coordination. Our friends and family, hands down have been the biggest support for us. We pride ourselves on being very hands-on, making, DIYing and manufacturing decor and other items locally. We have ventured out like using projection mapping for quirky decor installations. We want to continue being experimental and progressive with our designs. Covid did bring a work hiatus with it because public gatherings were the first to be banned altogether. However, now that small weddings and events are permitted once again, we are getting our hands full again. The nature of weddings has changed fundamentally, people are leaning more towards small yet decadent weddings, with impactful decor given space constraints. This is right up our alley, as small weddings are always more intimate with lots of decor potential.

How do you feel about One Wedding? We finally think we found our calling and that brings a lot of calmness and optimism to our dynamic.

What’s your philosophy for business? One Wedding got its name from the idea that each wedding we do, is the one wedding that matters to us then. Our engrained philosophy is to make every wedding our own and bring heaven and earth together to make sure it's a smooth-sailing, happy memory for everybody involved - clients, vendors, and our staff.

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ZEVAR (Owner - Syeda Faiza Rafeeq) It started with me wanting to handcraft jewellery for my cousin. I launched Zevar In August of 2017 with two of my close friends modelling the gota jewellery and my little sister responsible for the photography. A week’s work and I had some sober picture to kick start my Instagram page. Primarily, Zevar is into offering personalised Floral and Artificial gota jewellery for brides and the bridesmaids. About a year ago, I also introduced Kundan Bangles, Juttis and Kolhapuris. The Idea behind introducing this variety of jewellery was to make it easily available to my Hyderabadi peers! Back in 2016 I wanted something like this for my older sister and didn’t find vendors in Hyderabad. And the very next year I started my venture. God paved my path well! The countless guests who praised my cousin’s jewellery at her wedding were the driving force that led me to build a business out of this past time activity. Also, the fact that back in 2017 I barely knew anyone doing this kind of work in India. I always saw only Pakistani brides wearing such intricate floral jewellery. Spotting where I could find my raw material was by chance and luckily this was never a hindrance. But because I had no prior knowledge in jewellery designing, I faced a little issue figuring out how the material should be used correctly. I always had an eye for patterns and colours so that helped me as well. The most ubiquitous answer my family has supported and helped me a lot through the entire process. Covid did bring my sales down due to lockdown but it gave me time to experiment with new designs and patterns. I’m majorly planning to hire destitute women and increase production for Local and National clients.

How do you feel about your brand? Extremely blessed! I can’t speak for others, but all the grind I went through while setting up my business singlehandedly gives me immense confidence and makes me feel a responsible & independent woman.

What’s your philosophy for business? I mentioned in one of my previous interviews, a lion never hunts in a pack, it always goes down solo. So, you do you! I believe in curating and nurturing an original idea to run a business. Taking inspiration is one thing and duplicating is another!

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Sports Gems of Hyderabad

When we hear the word sports names like Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni and Cristiano Ronaldo come to our minds. But these youngsters have proved their skills and determination for sports and they are here to stay. These young and wild souls of Hyderabad have not just broken the social barriers but are here to claim their thrones. Let's hear their stories so far. - By Umera Riyaz

Mohammed Zaidh - Footballer I started Playing Football when I was 12 years old and my interest grew gradually. I initially played cricket but then I discovered football during school and had a keen liking to it, hence continued playing it. I enjoy playing many sports; Cricket, Volleyball, Badminton, Basketball, Table Tennis. I'm a Mechanical Engineer by profession and I've completed my MBA from Amjad Ali khan BCA. I've been working for two and a half years for International Corporate Companies like Uber and Google. I've had my share of difficulties. I was selected for the Under 19 Nationals when I was 16, unfortunately, I had to miss it because It clashed with my final exams of 11th Standard. I've had many injuries such as Groin injury, Hamstring injury and Ligament tear a couple of times as well. With my team, we've won many tournaments locally since the past 5 years: l Hyderabad Football League-2 (2016) l Hyderabad Football League-3 (2017/2018) l Hyderabad Football League-4 (2019) I've been titled the Most Valuable Player(MVP) of the HFL in the year 2018 and 2019. I also won A Honda Hornett Bike handed by Mr Bhaichung Bhutia(Former India Captain) Himself in 2018. (HFL-3 MVP). We were the champions for Neymar Jr's Red Bull Tournament Hyderabad for 4 Consecutive Years (2016,2017,2018,2019). We represented India in the Year 2017 (July) in Brazil when we won the National Leg of Neymar Jr's Red Bull Tournament- INDIA. My best moment has been when we won the Indian National Qualifier in the Neymar Jrs 5(2017) to represent India in Brazil. My Parents, my significant other and my team have been a great support.

I like brands like Nike, Kipsta and Decathlon. With a lot of encouragement for Football and different sports off recently, I want to enjoy football and keep adding to my achievements and not stop hoping. Because this is what makes me happy and makes me feel alive.

Who inspires you? My inspiration comes from Sunil Chettri, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

What would you advise keen youngsters? Please focus on your goals. Don't think your goal isn’t good enough. If you think you can do it, put your heart and soul to it. And watch that dream grow bigger and better! Trust me being recognized for your talent and skills

is amazing.

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Anuj Siddu - National Motocross Privateer Growing up, as a child, I had acute bronchitis. Owing to my condition, I was never into conventional sports. But my condition improved as an adolescent. To improve strength, stamina, flexibility and reflexes, all key assets in professional racing, I began practising Muay Thai (Thai Kickboxing) in 2018, when I was studying in Germany. I was introduced to Motorsports in 2011 through gokarting. And when Formula 1 team (Force India) came to India they began to look for young talent to be trained and mentored the program was called " Force India One from a Billion". Being a hyperactive 16 years old, I was determined to compete in it. My interest in motor racing spiked my interest in Automobiles which led me to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Automotive Design Engineering. I then earned Master's degrees in Automobile Engineering from two reputed Universities, Melbourne and Germany. Currently, I am pursuing a Master's degree in Human Psychology.

Starting with one round of Indian National Rally Championship in 2015, I went on to compete in the following championship series: Indian National Supercross Championship 2016 Indian National Rally Championship 2016 Indian National Supercross Championship 2019 Indian National Rally Sprint Championship 2019 I have been a race winner and podium holder in two rounds of Indian National Rally Championship (years 2015 and 2016). I have also worked as a track safety Marshall at the FIM Moto GP of Australia in 2017.

Motor racing has several formats and avenues. My pursuits took different forms and outlets over time. After developing strong basics of race craft in karting and having some success at different levels in college, I moved on to two-wheel racing. The recent years have seen me competing in Motocross and Two-Wheel Rally Racing. The risk factor for injuries is consequently on the higher side in Motor Racing. I have had my fair share of injuries so far. Broken bones, injured ligaments etc. The funny part is, most of my injuries are inflicted on the right side of my body. "The right is not right!". The most important moment would be my first ever National event. I remember having some resistance from home, of course out of concern. The resistance turned out to be the strongest motivator for me. I was riding my old beatup Yamaha RX 100 and pitting it against motorcycles of better calibre. The race, running over a distance of 200+ km ended with me on top of the podium. This moment instilled a level of confidence in my abilities and offered me some support and acceptance from near and dear ones. Several pillars are keeping the motorcycle floating in the air; Family, friends and my mentor Mr Mazda. The Late great Ayrton Senna has a strong impression on me. In sports brands, I particularly like Nike, because of their tagline, "Just do it". I plan to clinch my championship title in the Indian National Rally Championship (2021), perform better at cross country rallying- Desert Storm, Raid de Himalaya etc.

What does Motorcross mean to you? Any sporting activity improves physical and mental health, develops character and prevents Jack from being a dull boy. Personally, the opportunity to pursue motorsport has been nothing short of a blessing. The pursuit has markedly improved my physical and cognitive attributes, instilled fortitude and perseverance, provided insights on concepts of risk and reward and developed a deeper philosophy in life.

What would be your advice to others pursuing sports? Just do it.

Arbaaz Ahmed - Mixed Martial Artist Well, all the kids my age used to watch a lot of WWE back when I was in 5th grade but I was never entertained by them because I knew they were scripted. MMA was the closest thing you could get to a real fight. A friend of mine, Areeb joined an MMA club and asked me to come to accompany him. Before MMA I have played many other sports, I was a national level gymnast with gold at the state level, I have an undying love for football. I was team captain in football for my school team. We played inter-school state level and some of us were selected for nationals but couldn’t make it due to exams. I have completed my bachelors in Business Administration this year. I first started training martial arts at a proper club at the age of 18. Since then I have won: l Gold in 2018 state championship. l Gold in 2019 national open MMA championship. l Silver in national muay thai championship the same year in November. I have represented Telangana twice in National Championships. I was going to represent India in April 2020 at the world championship being held in Johannesburg South Africa but I couldn’t make it due to the pandemic. When you train for combat sports, injuries become a part of your day to day life. Every day you break your body down by pushing it to its limits. Although most of them are just like a slight discomfort, sometimes they’re very serious. I’ve had fractured bones quite a few times but Alhamdulillah I have never faced an injury that put me out for more than a month. When my wrist was fractured I used to train kicks and when my toe was fractured I trained punches. I won’t say that this journey was too difficult for me, there have been a lot of difficulties, yes, but none too overwhelming. Stepping out of my comfort zone was the first step. There’s no success without sacrifice. The journey so far has been lifechanging and beautiful, to say the least. Got rid of all my bad habits. There have been ups and downs, glory and despair, satisfaction and frustration, victories and defeats. Regardless of that, it has been beautiful, every step of the way! It’s not easy, you either sink or you swim and that’s the beauty of it. The most important decision would be moving onto my current coach Shaik Khalid. He’s the best coach this country has to offer. My friends, parents and my coaches have been very supportive through my sports career. For sports I prefer brands like Venum, USI, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and Reebok. I plan to fight a proMuaythai fight before the end of this year, representing India in the world championship. And I know I’m going to be fighting for the big leagues soon, InshaAllah.

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Who inspires you? I take inspiration from a lot of fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, Israel Adesanya, George St. Pierre, Mohammed Ali, Mike Tison. An Indian fighter I look up to is Mahboob Khan, who’s the first Indian to get India gold in world MMA championship. Fortunately, he’s also my training partner; he is a huge inspiration for me.

What does MMA mean to you? MMA is the purest form of competition there is, you’re not hitting a ball with a bat, it’s a human you’re hitting, and that human will do anything in his power to bring you down. It’s a violent battle of flesh and bone against flesh and bone. One tiny mistake and you’re down unconscious.

Farhan Hamza - Cricketer As a kid, it didn’t matter to me whether I was performing or not, cause simply playing cricket at the age of 9 was what kept me joyful. We later shifted to Reggae, Kuwait where I was able to play cricket, football, table tennis, billiards, squash, basketball or do some swimming every day with my friends. I and my closest friend, Aditya, had decided to pursue cricket professionally. While we did not take up coaching yet, we always looked to improve ourselves by focusing on our fitness, fielding and our defence technique. Our favourite part was practising our defence technique, which we used to term it as, ‘As Solid as a Rock’. I, Aditya and Arpit had later joined Ghayour Sir’s cricket academy, where we learnt all our basics and kept enjoying cricket thoroughly. Later, during the 2012 summer vacations in Kuwait, my parents along with the parents of my friends had decided to let us spend our vacation in Chennai. This is where we improved on all our basics, thanks to Satish Sadagopan Sir during this time I also met a few international and national players. However, the difficult part of my journey was only beginning. I along with a few friends decided to move to Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Dehradun in 2013. Leaving parents, friends and a place loaded with memories at the age of 13 was one of the most difficult things we had to endure for a career that’s not even guaranteed. While I kept myself mentally ready to lose these blessings, I was not ready to handle a racist bunch of immature kids and adults in Dehradun. This was where my performance in cricket suffered. I soon moved to Hyderabad after 2 years. Cricket in Hyderabad works through the league system. The league system has a total of 8 divisions. With A1 regarded as the highest and A8 regarded as the lowest. I practised at Arshad Ayub’s Cricket Academy in Hyderabad and started playing for the club, Zinda Tilismath at the age of 15, which is level A2. I had played for Zinda for 2 years and left the club due to the unfair treatment. This was when I realized that I needed a break and needed to focus on an educational career to have a backup. I have now completed my studies for becoming a chartered accountant within 2 years. I am finally back on the field to claim the throne. Within 3 years, I’ll make it to the Indian Cricket team as the greatest cricketer of all time. The faith I’ve in myself comes from my most important pillar of support. Undoubtedly, the most important pillar of support in this journey has always and will always be God. My parents, siblings and friends (Wajih, Naser and Faizan) who have been supporting me throughout this journey. Finally, I would like to advise sportsmen and cricketers around the world, to keep your mental health at the check, prioritize rest, think of sports as a small part of life, spend quality time with friends, family, and special ones as they make your life more beautiful, and get comfortable being the second-best in the game if I compete in the same sports as you do.

Who inspires you? My inspiration towards pursuing sports comes from the sportsman of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali. The legendary boxer has inspired millions of men into believing in themselves and to stand firm against injustice. It was the champ’s firm stance against the Vietnam war that truly made me realize the power of sports.

What do sports mean to you? Sports is hope. Hope that one-day humanity would unite under one flag and would respect each other’s differences. It's something politics most of the time fails at.

“WE" for Vegan

- By Asna Abdul Haq

Veganism has emerged as a beneficial alternative, bringing about a positive change and providing a new outlook towards our choices. A lot of establishments and businesses are now catering to vegan lifestyle and have come forward with vegan options for their products. We now have Vegan foods, clothing and cosmetics, that is steadily gaining popularity among consumers, as more and more people are open to making conscious choices.With All-Vegan Cafes, vegan options in most cafes and restaurants, Hyderabad is certainly living upto it’s title of Most Vegan Friendly City, which was awarded to us last year by PETA. So for this year’s World Vegan Day, we bring you everything Vegan, that’s happening in our city and in the country. TULIP - NOVEMBER, 2020