Exotica Jan 2016

EXOTICA

RNI NO. DELENG/2006/18084 POSTAL REGN. NO. DL (C)-01/1151/2016-2018 Posted at NDPSO on 10th, 11th & 12th of same month Published on 30th of Advance Month

VOL 10 NO 3 JANUARY 2016

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Editor-in-Chief CHANDAN MITRA EDITORIAL BOARD Vice-chairman & Joint Managing Director Amit Goel Group President Aparna Sengupta 09958000128 Chief Executive Officer Abhishek Saxena EDITORIAL Editor-in-charge Rinku Ghosh Feature writers Rupinder Kaur, Priyanka Joshi & Devi Singh Chief Designer Anand Singh Rawat Senior Designer Santosh Kumar Yadav Pre-press Manager Syed Nawab Raza Staff photographer Pankaj Kumar SALES & MARKETING General Manager Kumar Gurudutta Jha Deputy General Manager Ravi Khatri Manager Bharat Singh Sajwan, Prabhakar Pathak GOVERNMENT & PSU General Manager Tapan Ghosh Assistant Manager Neeta Rai Media Coordinator Neelu Sharma MUMBAI OFFICE General Manager Devendra Adhikari 09867575933 KOLKATA OFFICE Vice President Suzanna Roy 09830197332 General Manager (Circulation) Rajeev Gautam Printed and published by Chandan Mitra for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd, printed at Lustra Print Process Pvt Ltd, Killa No. 51/21, Village: Rohad, District: Jhajjar, Bahadurgarh, Haryana and published at 2nd floor, Patriot House, 3, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002.

Editor: Chandan Mitra. Entire Contents Copyright (C) 2006 CMYK Printech Ltd. All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Requests for permission should be directed to CMYK Printech Ltd. Opinions carried in Exotica are the writers’ and not necessarily endorsed by CMYK Printech Ltd. The publisher assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material or for material lost or damaged in transit. All correspondence should be addressed to CMYK Printech Ltd; 2nd Floor, Patriot House, 3, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002 Phone: 23718296/40754136 Fax: 23755275 Email: exoticapioneer2016@gmail.com

FROM THE EDITOR

LIFE FORCE IS ETERNAL hose familiar with the cultural tradition of the Jagannath Mandir in Puri, Odisha, would be familiar with the ritual of the idols being carved afresh every 12 years. At this interval, logs from a particular tree wash ashore and new idols are built with the sacred wood denoting the festival of Naba Kalebar or new body. Possibly a derivative of the Buddhist concept of Kaal Chakra or time cycle which changes every 12 years, the Naba Kalebar of the three idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balaram and their sister Subhadra marks an especially auspicious and spiritually transformative event.

The idea of the Puri temple idols shedding their exterior form and acquiring a new one, is in keeping with the Sanatan Hindu philosophy of the transmigration of the soul which travels from one body to another, once the old body is worn out or dies.

Although it’s not yet 12 years since Exotica was launched in August 2006, the team decided the time had come to don a naba kalebar or fresh body. There was no compelling reason to euthanise the old Exotica; it was doing fine in terms of reader appreciation, but we felt that a makeover would instil new energy and dynamism into the product.

While retaining the widely appreciated elements of yesteryear, the New Exotica will introduce more contemporary ideas and articles to make the magazine more comprehensive than ever before.

In its Naba Kalebar, Exotica is being refashioned on the basis of feedback received from thousands of readers over the years. Guests of hotel chains such as ITC, Taj Gateway and Vivanta, Hyatt and the Mayfair Group of hotels (108 properties in all) have communicated with us regularly over the years. In turn we have tried to craft a magazine that can appeal to every section of society and every age group. While travel, tourism, wellness, leisure, culture and cuisine will continue as our mainstay, the New Exotica will expand its orbit to include success stories of corporates and their honchos, CSR activities undertaken by them to infuse new hope among the less privileged, partnering the Government in its laudable Swachchh Bharat Mission, Nirmal Ganga project, Make in India and other such initiatives.

While seeking ideas for the ongoing revamp of Exotica we found a remarkable degree of satisfaction with the quality of its content. So, the New Exotica will be even more interactive than before. And, since it will be available at many more points of purchase such as airport lounges across India and some international destinations like London and New York, Business Class seats on Air India, several new bookshops in the metros and other such visible stations, we hope to attract even more feedback to enable us to mould Exotica on a continuous basis.

With this issue therefore, we are also launching a subscription programme for the first time, in response to regular demands to make the magazine available to all interested readers. There is a subscription coupon embedded in this magazine. All wishing to get a copy of Exotica every month are requested to fill it in and send it to us along with the selected subscription amount.

But just as the soul of the idols remains unaltered after Naba Kalebar, the soul of Exotica will be unchanged. It will continue to be vibrant, youthful, adventurous, sporty, committed to preserving the environment and wildlife and guide the reader to leading a more wholesome and fulfilling life. Our generation may not live to experience a Healthy Hundred — the predominant target of contemporary medical research — but we are determined to shape the building blocks for humankind to reach that goal.

That explains our new logo: Here comes the Sun. As giver of light and energy, it is the Sun that bestows life upon us. As it ends its six months’ sojourn in the Southern Hemisphere and returns to Uttarayan (on Makar Sankranti, January 15) we dedicate the New Exotica to the Life Force that is the Sun, with the invocation Namoh! Suryaya Namoh!

T

[CHANDAN MITRA] Editor-in-Chief

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I N S I D E JANUARY 2016 VOLUME 10 NO 3

[p10]

[p42]

Little Black Book [p10] Esha Gupta: A quick peek into her style file Luxury Reloaded [p12] Nizami affair: Experience a royal package Market Mantra [p14] Start-up Stopover: The expert advice Food Menu [p28] Contemporary Indian cuisine Actor Prepares [p42] Man of the Moment: Ranveer on growing up, spirituality and much more Grand Feast [p48] The King’s ladle: Amarinder Singh’s curry tales Travel Bug [p56] The rhyme of the mariner: Andamans explored Ecologic [p72] Green Rush: Breathe fresh at Paharpur Travel Bug [p76] Island hop: Unwind in Mauritius

[p108]

COVER PHOTO: SOUMYAJIT

CONTRIBUTORS Kushan Mitra [p74] Hot Wheels Outsider in the hood Magandeep Singh [p122] Blithe Spirit Heady Resolutions Sri Sri Ravi Shankar [p126] Guruspeak Inner healing Sanjay Jumaani [p128] Number Game Count your fate Bharat Thakur [p130] Fitness Joint exercise

Spa Retreat [p78] Club Blue, Switzerland: Go on a pamper spree Life Truths [p83] Dil Se: SRK gets candid about relationships White Out [p92] Silver in the meadow of gold: Discover Sonamarg Brushstrokes [p100] The beach has a new address: Goa as art hub Think Skin [p108] Hide Designs: Leather essentials Designer Speak [p110] The return of the native: Hemant Trevedi’s second innings Game Changer [p116] Horsing Around: Polo on a high Chart Topper [p125] Genre-lly speaking: The new tunes

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES 136 INCLUDING COVER

OUR

PARTNER

HOTELS

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FAVOURITE HAUNTS OF STYLISH PEOPLE

I usually buy my clothes from brands like Zara and H&M which are now available almost everywhere. They might not have the red carpet dresses or gowns but they do provide good quality and chic apparel which is also very affordable.

Nothing beats the delish Dilli’s street food. I love Bengali sweets as well.

I’m not very picky when it comes to buying sunglasses. So I get what I like from Chanel, Dior to Ray-Bans.

What matters for me is that the eyes must be protected from the harmful rays of the sun.

When it comes to reading, I usually pick up something that is quick and easy. Currently, I’m reading Adultery by Paulo Coelho.

Esha Gupta is a former Miss India, model and an actress in the Hindi film industry. She has also featured in music videos and is a keen traveller

I’ve been to Maldives thrice and it is simply breathtaking with its scenic beauty and blue waters. I love to dive so it makes for a perfect destination. I would also love to travel and explore Cuba and Machu Picchu since I’m fascinated by their rich history and culture.

While heading for shoots, in my bag you’ll find wet wipes, a lip balm, perfume, my laptop and cards when I don’t carry cash.

For smart and comfortable footwear, I usually buy loafers and moccasins from Tod’s but for those sexy heels, I go for Jimmy Choo or Dune.

I love the classy and stylish Rolex watches!

EXOTICA [10] JANUARY 2016

LUXURY RELOADED

THE JADE ROOM palace’s Jade Room

THEwas where

dignitaries from across the world, including royals, such as King George, Queen Mary and the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II, along with diplomats, artists and luminaries, would congregate and trade stories.

Like its namesake, this room has rare collections of jade along with priceless treasures collected from across the world.

Victorian style hand-painted ceilings and Belgian cut-glass chandeliers adorn it. The room also commands some of the best views of Hyderabad in all of Taj Falaknuma Palace, which make it the ideal place for afternoon tea.

The Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad, offers a king-size experience JIVA SPA

GET

one with mind, body and soul as the Royal Jiva Spa transports you to a time when relaxation was both an art and a practised science. The spa is about holistic rejuvenation. Each experience is curated by welltrained experts armed with exclusive natural products and a gentle approach.

Jiva’s wellness journey does not end with the spa treatments. It also has a wellness menu which employs Ayurvedic cooking.

EXOTICA [12] JANUARY 2016

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MARKET MANTRA

STOPOVER With the start-up culture seeping into India with unprecedented support from technocrats and corporates, IITians might seem to be having a ball but the journey does not seem to be that easy. With money riding as high as $6 billion, will the sector shake up or sustain? KASHYAP DEORA, Author, The Golden Tap and RANJIT SHASTRI, member of Stern Fisher Angel network, evaluate the scene

EXOTICA [14] JANUARY 2016

DOOMSDAY

is not happening.

Although several start-ups have begun to sputter in India over the last quarter or so, forecasts for 2016 indicate it will continue to be a good year, particularly for fintech, healthcare and providers competing with traditional players like banks.

The last 18-24 months of exuberance in India followed by disillusionment has had plenty of similarities with the dotcom bubble burst in the US. However, there is a major difference.

The dotcom boom/bust was about hundreds of loss-making Internet companies going public and then quickly losing value of their shares in public sight. The financial markets learnt from that and then learnt some more from the 2008-2009 financial crisis to hold public companies to account.“The golden tap’’ era was about tens of companies in certain market spaces getting hyper-funded by global funds looking to own the Indian territory, and now find

themselves in a race against time to justify their valuations as late stage funding is decelerating back to reality.

So how will Indian companies sustain themselves? The hyper-funded startups have seen their valuations peak. They would find themselves re-orienting from the growth focus to profit focus.

The transition will be difficult. The best ones will be able to raise follow-on rounds but at far lower valuations than they expect. Expect heavy consolidation as well. As start-ups fail to deliver valuation growths, investors will consolidate their portfolios by merging them with each other in order to increase the collective chance of exiting. The only way to get out of this cycle is to deliver real exits — IPOs or acquisitions by public companies.

We are at an early stage in the evolution of Internet-enabled services, both in India and abroad.

Therefore, there are more such companies in existence today than will exist when the

industry evolves because scale provides a competitive advantage. There are many examples of this phenomenon. For example, in the early days of the global automotive industry, there were hundreds of companies producing cars. Over time, that number has declined as companies acquired each other, merged or went out of business. Given the success of companies like Google, Amazon and Uber, it’s clear that economies of scale apply in the case of Internet-service businesses, and therefore, there is little doubt that there will be consolidation in the long run.

THE GENESIS

CIRCA

2000, India saw a paradigm shift from being an outsourcing hub to a launchpad of innovative ideas taking shape. By 2014, the Chinese IPOs Alibaba and JD.com unlocked nearly $100 billion in realised gains in US stock markets. For global funds, India fit the narrative of being “the next China.� Those who made money through Chinese IPOs did not want to miss out on India, and those who missed China certainly did not want to miss out again.

These funds allocated a small percentage of their funds to India. In aggregate, this amounted to a few billion dollars. All of this money rushed into India looking for opportunities to invest in, even when startups were not yet ready to consume

that much money. Large consumer Internet themes like e-commerce, taxi, real estate, accommodation, health and financial services were at the receiving end of this phenomenon.

This has resulted in burgeoning software and Internet-enabled services, which are easier to get off the ground than traditional businesses based on manufacturing, mining or agriculture. There is typically less capital involved during the early stages and the equipment required is standardised and inexpensive, so just about anyone can start a service business, especially if they understand how to leverage software tools and the Internet.

The second major factor is the changing

attitude towards entrepreneurship. Whereas in the past, becoming an entrepreneur required either very deep pockets or personal commitment, today there is greater willingness to experiment. There is more confidence among would-be entrepreneurs that if their venture fails, they can always get a job.

This confidence may be the result of the economic liberalisation process over the past few decades — people have much more choice in terms of job opportunities and more prosperity means that people have more flexibility to take calculated risks.

Another viewpoint is the rise of private early stage investors, particularly VC firms and angel investors like the Indian Angel Network, the Stern Fisher Angel Network, Mumbai Angels and several others. There are 300 angel networks in the US, so India still has a long way to go. Just about all the start-ups that you hear about today are being backed by early stage private investors.

THE BIG CHANGE

NATURALLY,

funding has become cheaper than it ever was in India. This has allowed entrepreneurs to raise money for their ideas like never before. On the other hand, it is definitely not so good for entrepreneurship as start-ups have become synonymous with fundraising for ideas like their Chinese equivalents.

Second, start-ups that are highly valued on paper have been celebrated by the media with great national pride. This has created social proof for entrepreneurship. Fathers-in-law are no more worried about their daughters being married to an entrepreneur or someone who works for a start-up.

Third, they have given us a more flexible, lower cost and higher quality lifestyle. For example, traditional taxis in Gurgaon used to have a very simple rigid offering. You could either pay for a full

DARWINIAN o Many won’t wilt, some will. But that is the Darwinian nature of the start-up world. Those that survive and thrive will go on to become large, invaluable companies. o Business moves in cycles and should there be a bust at some point in time, it is part of the natural evolution of all industries. o What is positive is that more youngsters than before want to become entrepreneurs because they have been inspired by other success

SURVIVAL SANJEEV BIKHCHANDANI

Founder, Naukri.com

stories, both in India and abroad. o The ecosystem has improved with abundance of risk capital, greater internet mobile penetration, a growing Indian economy and support groups like TiE helping entrepreneurs.

day or half a day, and you had to book well in advance. Today, you can order a car in minutes and pay for just the short trip that you require. We can also avoid standing in line for movie tickets, look at restaurant menus before deciding on a night-out, recruit staff and advertise property for rent — all without leaving our home or office. The downside of all this is that we tend to stay more in our comfort zone, since we are less likely to go to restaurants where we are forced to try something we might not ordinarily try, or to end up with a taxi driver who is lost and takes us to an unfamiliar part of town.

THE GENDER BENDER

THERE

are plenty of great women entrepreneurs building awesome companies. Unfortunately, their good work does not fit the narrative that the media is hungry for. The hyper-funded start-ups are run by hyper-competitive entrepreneurs who are good at operational execution. A lot of entrepreneurs are IITians. And IITs in particular and engineering colleges in general are famous for their low count of women.

o There are a number of women entrepreneurs who are doing startups with great gusto. It’s just that they are outnumbered by men because of the gender ratio in India’s leading business schools and engineering colleges. o Some women entrepreneurs doing successful start-ups are Anisha Singh of Mydala, Chandrika Pasricha of FlexingIt, SaireeChahal of Sheroes and Arunima Singh Deo of BabyOye.

Especially in a country like ours, women are more attracted to companies that specialise in business process outsourcing, advertising, consulting and banking. These industries somehow have made an effort to attract women by making them feel valued and safe. There needs to be an attitudinal shift among Indian women towards risk. They should not be afraid of failure. Stern Fisher Angel Network and several other angel groups are trying to find good women-led ventures, and also looking to induct more angel investors who are women.

THE BUBBLE POP

THE

dotcom bust proved that when the money stops flowing from investors, a lot of companies that appear to be doing well can suddenly collapse. The key in such a situation is to cut costs dramatically and conserve cash, and then wait for one’s competitors to run out of cash. It’s a bit like musical chairs — while the music is playing and the investments are flowing, everyone is busy growing their venture but one has to constantly keep listening and move quickly when the situation changes.

EXOTICA [22] JANUARY 2016

Vr m AHEAD as India’s most premium racing event, the JK Tyre Racing Championship has been crucial in developing motorsports in the country while producing champions like Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Armaan Ebrahim, Aditya Patel and Arjun Maini.

After two closely fought rounds at the historic Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore, the action shifted to the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida which hosted last two rounds of the championship. Young racers across the country vied for the coveted title while the huge crowd cheered for them.

The adrenaline-pumping event was attended by leading industrialists,

HAILED

The 18th edition of the JK Tyre Racing Championship was held recently at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida with high octane action

socialites and automobile experts.

This season of the championship was categorised into three segments — JK Racing India Series (featuring JKFB02 cars powered by BMW bike engines), JK TyreVW Vento Cup (India’s premier saloon car racing) and Formula LGB 4 (the most economical single-seater racing available anywhere in the world).

After four fierce rounds, Vishnu Prasad from Chennai won the JK Racing India Series. This was his third consecutive win. Ajay Kini, also from Chennai, walked away with the top honours in the Formula LGB 4 while Anandith Reddy took away the JK Tyre-VW Vento Cup. The championship also included the JK Super Bike Cup, which was contested in the 1000cc and 600cc categories. Suberbikes like,

EXOTICA [24] JANUARY 2016

Ducatis, BMWs, and Triumphs ruled the roost. Although in its nascent stage, this championship is fast emerging as the country’s premier two-wheeler motorsport tourney. It has received participation from 30 riders in each of its 2 years of existence.

This time JK Tyre roped in leading physio Ramji Srinivasan to groom young racers and provide them with world class support and platform to deliver.

The race drivers and the bikers were not the only ones pumping up the adrenaline at the Buddh International Circuit. Terry Grant, world-renowned stunt artist, displayed some daredevil acts to the packed grand stand, which was the showstopper of the event.

JK Tyre Motorsport has been running for over three decades and has been raising the bar with every passing year. It has not only made the sport affordable through

(Clockwise) Dr Raghupati Singhania, Chairman & Managing Director, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd, with the winners of JK Racing India series; 18th JK Racing Championship at BIC; world class stunt driver Terry Grant in action

innovative designing and packaging but has also ensured that the quality and standard of the sport remains international.

The company has invested over EXOTICA [25] JANUARY 2016

100 crores in multiple grassroots motorsport properties and programmes over the last decade towards developing world-class infrastructure.

IT Tech Zone, Opp. Gautam Buddh University, Near NIIT, Off Yamuna Express Way, Greater Noida, UP.

FOOD MENU

Contemporary Indian is not only nouvelle but working because it remains true to its grain. The flavours are classic though the presentation and preparation are innovative. Chefs VINEET BHATIA, MANISH MEHROTRA and TANVEER KWATRA have a round table with RUPINDER KAUR

A MENU

Christmas dodol, caramelised banana filling with roasted nuts and gold leaf

CHEF

WHY WE LOVE IT

NISH MEH MA

TRA RO

that reads like a romantic poetry of a beautiful marriage between glorious ingredients may sound a bit too fanciful, especially when it comes to Indian cuisine. A nation used to curries and dals with butter-glazed flatbreads and famous for its chicken tikka masala and greasy poppadums among Londoners and New Yorkers is moving on to a more sophisticated plating and palate as the cuisine is reinvented by the masters.

The curious case of modern Indian gastronomy created quite a stir a few months ago when Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna cooked a spectacular spread of dishes inspired by Indian festivals for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CEOs of 40 Fortune 500 companies. With his pursuit of bringing about a “renaissance in Indian food�, he succeeded in weaving a magical tale surrounding Indian traditions.

His Holi thandai-inspired chicken roulade with Christmas Vindaloo sauce, Uttarayan khandvi with Koothandavar kamban koozh (pearl millet porridge) filling, among other arresting fusion delicacies, had our attention.

THERE HAS TO BE A REASON BEHIND WHAT YOU COMBINE. FUSION SHOULD NOT LEAD PEOPLE TO CONFUSION. BESIDES INDIANS ARE PURISTS ABOUT THEIR OWN FOOD. BUT THEY LIKE IT WHEN THEIR TASTE SEEMS TO FIT INTO A GLOBAL TEMPLATE

EXOTICA [30] JANUARY 2016

IT

was in 2009 that chef Manish Mehrotra opened his award-winning restaurant Indian Accent in Delhi, which was the first to serve modern Indian food. Today it is difficult to get a table there. A trailblazer in his field, he brought for our tastebuds a melange of familiar flavours but in a different global avatar. At the right time too, for the global Indian traveller was just about shedding his curried rigidity and waking up to newer flavours, particularly of the Mediterranean, pan-Asian and Japanese. And the sumptuous rogan josh seemed repetitive

CHE F

NVEER KW TA

RA AT

despite changing names to Martban ka meat or Punjabi meat masala. Even the butter chicken needed rechristening as Choosa makhani or Murg lababdar.

So there appeared the raita with a fiery dash of wasabi.

The kulcha, too, went upmarket and today has interesting variants such as stuffed chilli hoisin duck kulcha and Applewood smoked bacon kulcha. As a rule, the restaurant has never combined two Indian cuisines in one dish.

“You’ll not find butter chicken dosa in my food,” laughs Mehrotra while adding, “There has to be a reason behind what you combine. Fusion should not lead people to confusion.

Besides Indians are purists about their own food. But they like it when their taste seems to fit into a global template. I am not interfering with classic flavours but just updating the dish with innovative cooking techniques.” Some call this an amalgamation of various Western cooking techniques and combining locally-sourced ingredients as well as those sourced from outside.

Mehrotra, in essence, followed up on what many Indian chefs began in the 80s, break out of the korma, curry, butter chicken mould and present Indian food in a more elegant manner, inspired by the French nouvelle cuisine. This was lighter, simple, delicate, smaller in portion and

IT IS ABOUT LENDING MORE CHARACTER TO THE DISH AND PERSONALISING IT

BY COMBINING WESTERN ELEMENTS WITH IT. WE HAVE TAKERS FROM ACROSS THE SPECTRUM FOR OUR BUTTER CHICKEN TACOS AND SHIKAMPURI BURGER

delectable in its presentation.

It is this that Mehrotra has patented as his style of cooking “Indian food with an international accent.” Take the case of the everyday khandvi (melt-in-the-mouth, smooth, spiced and seasoned gram flour rolls stuffed with a filling). “Now imagine a goat cheese khandvi ravioli...then it becomes a rich new experience without compromising on our kind of flavours. The ravioli works because Indians have for long been initiated into Italian cuisine. At the same time, the Italian traveller here would like to discover different flavours in the format he is used to. There are so many dishes here which are worth international recognition and if we have to serve it in a different manner without destroying the taste and the flavour, I don’t have issues,” says he.

Mehrotra doesn’t mind combining a little bit of ingredients from outside India. “If I have to bank on something international, which is well known, to promote Indian food, I really don’t mind,” he says.

Aloo methi, for example, is a classic winter delicacy popular in north Indian households, prepared so often that some would even scrunch up their nose at the thought of it. Chef (Top) Thandai-inspired chicken roulade filled with vegetables and served with Vindaloo sauce

EXOTICA [32] JANUARY 2016

(Top) Flat rice-crusted sea bass, rice porridge with tamarind and Parsi-style curry. (Bottom) Jagannath Rath Yatra-inspired pakhala bhaat tube, Navroz patia with modak filling foam, roasted figs and pickled radish

EXOTICA [34] JANUARY 2016

Mehrotra, therefore, created Baked aloo methi chilas (crepes) with milk and cream. “The flavours are retained but the method of preparation is entirely European.

If you close your eyes and take a bite, it is the perfect aloo methi ki sabji but when you look at it, it is an absolutely different item. We are simply updating the same dishes according to the present day scenario,” he explains.

Tanveer Kwatra, the youngest executive chef at Le Meridien, Gurgaon, echoes Mehrotra’s sentiment when he stresses on flavours not changing. “It is about lending more character to the dish and personalising it by combining Western elements. We have takers from across the spectrum for our Butter chicken tacos, Shikampuri burger and Wasabi sarson tandoori salmon with Lime khichdi and Aloo papad choorma.”

(Left to right) Ziya’s oven-baked spiced pomfret and sea food medley

INDIA INTERNATIONAL

preparation and presentation which they are also incorporating into their cooking styles. There -based twice is also a cross-flow of ideas since more Indians Michelin-starred are travelling abroad and vice versa. The handis chef Vineet and thalis are now replaced by course-wise meals, Bhatia, with his restaurants all across the globe, is the plating of food is more intricate, exquisite seen as the face of modern progressive Indian and neat. cuisine. While there are various aspects to “The meal can be presented in a beautiful contemporary cuisine, he stresses on manner without a layer of oil floating and understanding the basic foundation of everything is not curry. Though I don’t Indian cooking and getting over the mind using butter, I don’t want misconception that in order to INEET BH FV it to show on top of the dish,” make it modern or contemporary, says Mehrotra. scientific techniques are involved.

Bhatia, too, calls Indian cuisine Trying to evolve the cuisine further as “greasy and laborious.” Explains in terms of its combinations and he, “As we plate the food, the fats start flavour profile is the way to do it.

TAKING VARIOUS oozing out. We are very careful that we “Taking various food elements from FOOD ELEMENTS FROM INDIA AND use creams and oils in a restrained India and bringing them together in a BRINGING THEM manner so we can make it look manner that they are cooked in the TOGETHER IN A glamorous.

Flavours are important. If it authentic way is what we do. But at the MANNER THAT THEY ARE COOKED same time, we want to keep the cuisine looks good but doesn’t taste correct, then IN THE AUTHENTIC very lean, light and healthy,” says Bhatia there is something drastically wrong.”

WAY IS WHAT WE DO. BUT AT THE who opened Ziya at The Oberoi Hotel, Varq, the signature restaurant at The SAME TIME, WE Mumbai in 2010, 17 months after the Taj Mahal Hotel, also brought forth the WANT TO KEEP terror attacks.

Indian flavours in a modern setting THE CUISINE VERY LEAN, LIGHT AND because according to Ashish Ugal, the Since most of the Indian chefs began HEALTHY executive sous chef, “For expats and many working overseas first, they are familiar others, Indian food is still curries. And with the Western techniques of IA AT

CH E

LONDON

EXOTICA [36] JANUARY 2016

innovations have kept us relevant in the world-isa-salad-bowl scenario.”

Nobody would understand it better than Bhatia. Recounts he, “When I went to the UK, I realised that no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the flavour of a dish as it is back home. This is simply because of the product you have. For example, silver pomfret has very peculiar flavours of the Indian ocean but by the time it is flown into London, it loses its prime quality and taste. You end up using salmon, halibut or a turbot which have a very different flavour profile altogether.

What we do is that we try to be centric to the way we are. In Dubai, we’ll get the fish from the local coast of Oman. You have to use things which are very much around you and the flavours change slightly. You have to slightly tone down your cuisine for the local audience because of

saleability. That doesn’t mean you compromise but play around with the spice quotient.”

However, Mehrotra doesn’t believe in toning down anything. “I’m making the dish the way it’s supposed to be made,” he adds. Chef Kwatra, too, feels authentic Indian flavours are now accepted globally. “Brits love spicy food. Jamie Oliver, for example, uses a lot of chillies. They are travelling to India for work and holiday and find ‘potatoes and Indians’ everywhere else they travel. I think our complex flavours and palatability are scoring high with the growth of multi-ethnicity. If Thai and Asian food have made it, so has Indian,” he reasons.

Chefs like Atul Kochhar, who has been running Benaras for a decade, Vikas Khanna with Junoon and Bhatia himself have scaled up the demand for creative complexity rather than a bland formula.

THE NEW LUXURY

THE

wow factor while serving meals is the new luxury for the aspirational Indian and is particularly endorsed by the corporate world.

Call it a meal makeover or what you will but while catering to corporate clientele and their guests, the dish must look “glamorous” as Bhatia puts it. Hence the need to score heavily on presentation. So magnanimous portions of rich lentils with special pungent tadkas and dollops of cream, kadhai paneer, chicken/mutton curries carefully garnished with coriander leaves and other dishes often disguise themselves under different monikers and shapes on menus all around.

If everybody is doing it, how do you stand apart in a crowd? In an attempt to become different, our chefs are bringing forth delicacies from the interiors of India into the limelight.

Indian Accent serves you the popular simmering Dal Moradabadi from the brass city of Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh as well as the mashed curry of white pea called Banarasi nimona. “There are new frontiers to conquer,” believes Mehrotra as he implies that the hidden khana khazana of India needs to be explored.

The Taj Mahal Hotel restaurant Varq’s Varqi crab with prawns. (Top right) chickpea flour ravioli stuffed with pearl millet and buttermilk reduction, black bean and turnip chips

PROGRESSIVE VS TRADITIONAL

SO

has progressive cuisine changed the way we love our traditional food? Bhatia struck a balance the hard way. “The classics will never change. Your nalli korma and sheer kormas will all remain as they are. There is still a major market for these. We opened Ziya almost six years ago in Mumbai and faced a lot of flak with people saying that he’s trying to change Indian cuisine. Yet its popularity has been growing every year with guests coming back for more.

“It has opened the eyes and mindset of many restaurateurs and younger chefs. I haven’t lost the core essence of making a pav bhaji or paneer tikka but it is how you put the two on to a plate so as to make the diner wonder, ‘wow I never thought of that.’ That stimulates my mind to do new things.”

Mehrotra has many guests tell him that they didn’t go to Indian restaurants but post Indian Accent, they’re interested in our food culture. Meanwhile, chef Kwatra sees the core unshakeable but believes that fine diners of contemporary cuisine are helping home cooks experiment and widen the possibilities of Indian creative cuisine.

The net gain? Mehrotra believes that people have started respecting Indian food a lot more and broken the stereotype of being curry country. Chef Kwatra finds that Americans and Australians are now looking forward to savouring Indian food. “It is even popular in Thailand. I would rate it as the top five cuisines of the world.”

EXOTICA [38] JANUARY 2016

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EXOTICA [39] JANUARY 2016

5

A C T O R P R E PA R E S

For the past five years, this suave, mustachioed gent has been creating waves and fluttering many hearts with his sharp wit and glistening charm. Actor RANVEER SINGH gets candid about his earliest film memories and shares how he never subscribes to tags, his concept of spirituality and how he owes a lot to his grandmother. By RUPINDER KAUR

You recently completed five years in the film industry.

How has the journey been as an actor?

I’ve grown and evolved a lot. To be honest, I started from scratch and had no idea about the craft and technique of filmmaking. I was an assistant director and had been on film sets but nothing prepared me for what it meant to be an actor. I didn’t know why the lights had been set up at a particular place, why someone was standing with a boom mike in his hand, what a camera or a vanity van was. I really had to teach myself the ABCs of what it means to act in a feature film from day one. I knew how to act but didn’t know how one needs to marry that to the techniques involved in filmmaking. That I taught myself during the course of Band Baaja Baaraat and Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. It took two films for me to start understanding what it means. In those first two years, I also got a grip on what it means to be a public figure as initially, it was too overwhelming.

There were all kinds of sixes and sevens where I didn’t know who to be, what to be, what to say or what to wear. I wasn’t really myself and made some really poor choices. But I completely sympathise with myself in those two years because I had nobody around to guide or prepare me for the overdrive. It can get very overwhelming for a newcomer with all that kind of attention and judgement; so it took me some time to come into my own as a public figure and to also learn the technique.

Man of the

moment

I learnt a little bit from every director, every co-actor and particularly imbibed so many things from my leading ladies. Most of them have been extremely kind in allowing me to learn from them and answering all my questions. Basically, you could say that I learnt on the job.

These five years have been great because I’ve had great opportunities to work with some of the finest directors and be part of films that really have lifetime memory like Band Baaja, Lootera, Ram-Leela and Dil Dhadakne Do. I’ve grown and evolved through all of them. Of course, for Bajirao Mastani, I had to summon everything that I have known and learnt in all these years to kind of infuse my performance. It is my biggest challenge and my biggest film so far.

What I like the most about these five years is that when I started out, I intended to always shake things up and bring this element of versatility into each film. I wanted to be different onscreen every time and with every fresh film, I wanted to have a fresh turn. I managed to do that specifically in 2013 after playing a melancholic conman in Lootera followed by a loud, colourful, open-hearted and a flamboyant man in Ram-Leela.

I again had the opportunity this year with DDD where I play this character who is confused, polite, soft-spoken, endearing and an urban contemporary boy hailing from an affluent business family versus this fierce, passionate, alpha-warrior from the 1700s in Bajirao. I’ve had great opportunities that allow scope for versatility to be put on display and I’ve done my bit to kind of live up to it. I find those actors who can display that chameleon-like quality to be the most alluring ones. To be able to bring that into my own work, and for that to be recognised, is something I’m really happy about.

Is Ranveer a director’s actor or an evolved actor? How much of self-discipline do you

I DO BELIEVE THAT FILMS ARE DEFINITELY A DIRECTOR’S MEDIUM. I AM BUT A STROKE ON HIS CANVAS. I’M JUST A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE, JUST A VEHICLE OF COMMUNICATION. BUT WHAT IS BEING COMMUNICATED IS THE PREROGATIVE OF THE DIRECTOR AND I STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THAT, WHICH IS WHY I ADAPT TO EVERY DIFFERENT DIRECTOR’S STYLE

EXOTICA [44] JANUARY 2016

PHOTOS: PANKAJ KUMAR

I BELIEVE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR BODIES ARE MORTAL AND MATERIAL AND WE REALLY ARE SOULS AND PURE ENERGY

have as an actor when it comes to performance or research for a role?

I’m completely a director’s actor. I surrender myself and submit myself to the creative vision of the director. It’s only when someone demands my input or interpretation that I offer my views but other than that, I’m completely like clay in the hands of the director. I do believe that films are definitely a director’s medium. I am but a stroke on his canvas. I’m just a piece of the puzzle, just a vehicle of communication. But what is being communicated is the prerogative of the director and I strongly believe in that, which is why I adapt to every filmmaker’s style. Maneesh (director Band Baaja Baaraat) has a different style and so do Vikram, Zoya and Mr Bhansali. Each has something unique which one can learn from and has a unique way of moulding us. They ask the interpretation of the actor in varying degrees.

I am an extremely disciplined actor. I ensure that I do everything in my capacity at every level with every ounce of my energy and ability to get into the character and portray it onscreen. No half-measures.

How do you avoid being stereotyped?

Sometimes you can’t avoid being stereotyped.

Stereotypes are tags. You are assigned tags as people like to put others in boxes for the convenience of their own cognition. In order to understand this person, let me describe him in five different ways. But when you do that, you limit a person to those five things. I believe that at the end of the day, our bodies are mortal and material and we really are souls and pure energy.

These souls are infinite and there is an infinite universal energy in all of us.

I get quirky, energetic, enthusiastic and happy-

EXOTICA [45] JANUARY 2016

go-lucky. I get these swings all too often but I don’t subscribe to them and I don’t believe in their validity. I believe myself not to be one-dimensional but a panoramic personality that empowers me to do what I do, which is, to act as different characters, different shades, with various moods and being very mercurial. If you ask me what type are you, I would respond by saying whatever your type is. I like to believe myself as an adaptable, mouldable actor and a panoramic and a wholesome personality.

Earliest film memories that made you an actor today...

My dadi used to call me over to her house frequently. I used to spend a lot of time there and she would make me watch a lot of films on the VCR, especially those of Amitabh Bachchan. She wanted me to grow up and be like him.

Understandably, I was fascinated by Hindi films ever since I was a kid. I started understanding the world around me through them and they were the only media that really excited and fascinated me. I used to read film magazines, listen to Hindi songs on cassettes and watch films on VCR. There used to be kids playing outside the building and I would be inside the house watching a movie or listening to music.

Besides, my grandma used to always encourage me

I BELIEVE MYSELF NOT TO BE ONE-DIMENSIONAL BUT A PANORAMIC PERSONALITY THAT EMPOWERS ME TO DO WHAT I DO, WHICH IS, TO ACT AS DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, DIFFERENT SHADES, WITH VARIOUS MOODS AND BEING VERY MERCURIAL. IF YOU ASK ME WHAT TYPE ARE YOU, I WOULD RESPOND BY SAYING WHATEVER YOUR TYPE IS

EXOTICA [46] JANUARY 2016

to get into elocution and dramatics. She used to demand that I get up on my feet and perform to kill her boredom and keep her amused. Those were the earliest memories of my performance. I remember dancing at birthday parties and getting a whole lot of applause. That was the first time I experienced the thrill of an applause which is important for a performer. It was a simpler time, the more I danced, the more they loved it, the more they clapped and got excited. This exchange of energy is just so cool.

Throughout school, I was very much inclined towards activities like debating and theatre. Annual Day used to be my main day of the year as it was the day I used to shine. I would be the main dancer and play the lead part in all the theatre productions and would also direct. I was the guy for all these sorts of things. From an early age, I knew that this is what I know how to do best and this is what I genuinely enjoy and love doing.

Walking that thin line between professional and personal life...

There isn’t a very thin line, there is a very clear, distinct and a bold line between both of them. I love what I do and I love that I am a mainstream Hindi film actor. I’m aligned or rather resigned to the fact that you’ll always have curiosity about your personal life which they say “comes with the territory.”

But over a period of time, I’ve realised that I want to draw that line where I select what aspects of my life I’m okay with speaking about in public space and which ones I’m not. There are a few things that I consciously protect from the glare of the media that fall into the realm of my personal space. For instance, I’ll never allow anybody to shoot anything inside my home. What I have learnt is how much I want to be privy to public knowledge and what I want to protect as my personal space.

I’VE REALISED THAT I WANT TO DRAW THAT LINE WHERE I SELECT WHAT ASPECTS OF MY LIFE I’M OKAY WITH SPEAKING ABOUT IN PUBLIC SPACE AND WHICH ONES I’M NOT. THERE ARE A FEW THINGS THAT I CONSCIOUSLY PROTECT FROM THE GLARE OF THE MEDIA THAT FALL INTO THE REALM OF MY PERSONAL SPACE

EXOTICA [47] JANUARY 2016

GRAND FEAST PHOTOS: PANKAJ KUMAR

THE KING’S LADLE During his childhood, he saw the cooks from his gharana travelling to Rampur in Uttar Pradesh to learn recipes.

CAPTAIN AMARINDER SINGH, Maharaja of Patiala, decodes some of the royal recipes from his then ‘kingdom’ for RIYA SHARMA, revealing how the cuisine of undivided Punjab was influenced not only by Afghanistan but Rampur and Bahadur Shah Zafar’s Delhi durbar

will be considered a fool in Punjab if you don an apron before cooking,” thunders Captain Amarinder Singh at a guest who urges him to wear one before taking his place at the cooking station. It is not everyday that a descendent of a royal family cooks for you near the poolside of a fine dining restaurant. At the launch of the Indus Express, Vivanta by Taj, Dwarka, he not only whipped up some mouth-watering dishes for the guests but also shared recipes and tales from his gharana.

“YOU

THE PATIALA PLATTER

SITTING

comfortably on a sofa with folded hands, Singh starts to speak about his kitchen secrets. He tells us very casually, “You know, Patiala is not a very old state, it is about 300 years old. Its cuisine has three influences — Afghanistan, Bahadur Shah’s Delhi durbar and Rampur from Uttar Pradesh. The blend of all three is what we know as the Patiala cuisine. My ancestor, Narinder Singh, was a great friend of Bahadur Shah Zafar, and with Rampur we had a very close association.”

He pauses and continues, “After 1850, we used to exchange our cooks with those of Rampur. They used to work for a couple of months for us and go back. We had a very close relationship with Afghanistan as well as we got our title from Kabul durbar. I remember most of the Afghan cooks and one of them was Fakir Muhammad. We used to call him Ali Baba.”

THE ROYAL CHEF

SINGH

scrutinises the ingredients, like a head chef at a lavish durbar, and starts to prepare chicken shorba for the guests. He throws in a paste of ginger and onion ground in a mortar and pestle while the chicken cooks in another

EXOTICA [49] JANUARY 2016

kadhai. He finishes off by adding plenty of cardamom and clove to the mix. His adroit fingers shiver as he stirs up the curry, readying it to be plunged into the reduced chicken stock, bringing in experiences from the bygone era.

“Ever since I have seen my parents cook, I have been drawn to the kitchen. Whenever our family got together, it was always a cooking party.

Though I started with making the usual sabzi, I graduated to richer delicacies later,” he shares.

THE FAMILY COOKBOOK

“LUCKILY

PATIALA CUISINE It is known for its heavy use of cardamom.

Rich in spices and flavours with a hint of yoghurt, some of the signature dishes are: o Quail kebab, which is a combination of chicken tikka and tandoori quail. It is served like a fruit chaat garnished with dates, mango chutney and red apples. o Zaveri fish tikka, where Hamour fish is marinated in a paste of fennel, ginger and dried mango powder. It is then cooked as tikka kebabs. o Murg malai kebab where the chicken is chargrilled in a cardamom and a kasuri methi marinade. o The cuisine also boasts some of the sumptuous breads like bakarkhani, sheermal, taftaan, kandhari naan and kesari ulta tawa parantha.

we haven’t maintained secrets. There are some families who have their patented recipes. Masters in the old days would deliberately miss out on a few details. But we have been lucky that they taught us everything the right way,” Singh laughs.

He gifts a book of recipes to the GM, Anil Malhotra, telling everyone that recipes in the book are from the 17th and 18th centuries. But it was only a year back when it got translated from Farsi to Punjabi and then to English.

THE INDUS STORY

“WE

got into villages and gharanas from the land of Five Rivers to learn the recipes from the cooks. From the last one year, we have been trying to get the right flavours.

During our research, we found that there were two things that were spoiling the flavours — packaged masala and refrigerators. This is why we are grinding the masala and not refrigerating the meat,” shares Malhotra.

He further explains differences between the style of cooking on either side of the border.

“The size of kebabs is different. In India, it is comparatively smaller,” he adds.

Keeping in mind the rustic theme of the restaurant, the chefs don’t just cook on fire.

There are some recipes that are cooked on mud while the others are steamed. “We are revisiting our roots and preparing the food the way it was made in that period,” he concludes.

EXOTICA [50] JANUARY 2016

MOSAIC OF EXPERIENCE Suchitra Sinha, Director Jharkhand Tourism, shares how the state has been focussing on comprehensive development of various destinations along with improved infrastructure

Are you working on a special promotion drive with a brand slogan?

Yes. Jharkhand Tourism does need special promotion and a brand slogan, which is being worked out. A specialised PR agency has been hired for the purpose. The objective is to position Jharkhand for all tourists, like nature lovers, adventure enthusiasts, as well as segmented travellers for heritage, tribal, rural and eco-tourism.

Besides, we need to promote pilgrimage sites, attract leisure travellers by way of creating tourism infrastructure and develop destinations.

How do you rate Jharkhand as a tourist destination?

The state has the potential of becoming one of the most sought after tourism destinations due to its unspoilt nature, its yet to be discovered treasures, waterfalls, dams in serene landscapes, tribal culture and unique handicrafts, to name a few. It is the infrastructure that we are focussing on to promote the state as a tourism destination for both domestic as well as international tourists.

Why is the private sector refraining from active participation in building the infrastructure and tourist facilities in the state?

The state did not have a specific policy for the tourism sector till recently. Now we have a defined policy describing the framework and focus areas of the state government. With the clear objective of the government to develop world class tourism infrastructure, I am sure of private participation in the time ahead.

and promote activities for forest, pilgrimage, dam, waterfall and adventure tourism as the expectation of visitors and the requirement of infrastructure would be largely different. It is the state government that has the detailed know-how of its treasure, so it will plan and implement accordingly.

It is the Central government which will support the initiative of the state government by way of providing intellectual inputs, as well as by way of sponsoring projects.

What, in your opinion, are the potential tourist areas for further development and promotion?

Deoghar and Parasnath have been sites of holy pilgrimage for Hindus and Jains respectively. Besides that, sanctuaries at Dalma, Betla, nature tourism at Netarhat and Massanjore, Hundru fall, Jonha fall, Hirni fall, Dimna lake, Chandil dam, Kanke Dam are already known places. Now the focus will be to develop good tourism infrastructure at all the locations with comprehensive development and activity-based tourism, along with adventure tourism, based on the profile of locations. A new addition to the lists will be the temple tourism at Maluti, which has ancient temples intricately carved in terracotta. Mining tourism will also be developed.

How do you characterise the specific roles that the Central and state governments should play for the development and promotion of tourism in the state?

The state government will choose the destinations and shall design, develop EXOTICA [51] JANUARY 2016

How would you like to compare Jharkhand with other states?

India is an unique country where every state is blessed with its own tourism assets. Jharkhand is also no different as it is blessed with abundant go-to spots. Now the process of developing the best possible tourism infrastructure has been initiated, which will be done in a phased manner. The best practices will be followed and the state will be developed as one of the most attractive tourism destinations of our country.

What steps has the Jharkhand government taken to market tourism?

All the media channels shall be tapped for disseminating the marketing information. It is not always the quantity but also the quality and the positioning, which are more important. Jharkhand will be appropriately positioned to attract tourists separately for all categories.

The private sector shall also be contracted for developing tourism assets and infrastructure in the state.

Marketing efforts of such initiatives will be supported by us.

He

It might have been a while since you’ve taken in a whiff of fresh air. Many would also be craving the sound of water splashing on the rocks and a cool sprinkle hitting their bare skin. We recommend a quick getaway to Jharkhand’s numerous spectacular waterfalls HUNDRU FALLS About 45 km from Ranchi, the Hundru Falls is one spectacular site to escape to. It is also the 34th highest waterfall in India that is created on the course of the Subarnarekha River which falls from a great height of 322 ft. A sight to behold, the base serves as a pool where you may take a dip to beat the heat.

HIRNI FALLS Surrounded by a thick cover of forest are the Hirni Falls located in the eponymous village of West Singhbum. A tower located nearby can provide the tourists a visual treat comprising the waterfall and the dense greenery. It falls from a height of 121 ft. There are various caves nearby that are home to wildlife.

DASSAM FALLS Earlier known as Da:song, which in Mundari language referred to the act of pouring water, the waterfall does resemble an individual pouring water. Pristine swathes drop from a height of 144 ft with the sound echoing a sense of serenity. It is a natural cascade across the Kanchi River.

EXOTICA [52] JANUARY 2016

JONHA FALLS Also known as Gautamdhara falls, it has been rightfully named after Lord Gautam Buddha as the sight brings within you a sense of tranquility. Falling from the Raru River, the water cascades down from a height of 141 ft and is located 40 km from Ranchi.

There is a tourist rest house which encloses a shrine with a deity of Lord Buddha. You may visit the temple and ashram dedicated to him by the sons of King Baldevdas Birla. The complex was built on the Gautam Pahar.

A hearty taste buds must already be familiar with the flavours of the ubiquitous dishes from all across the country. Be it the rich north Indian delicacies like rich and creamy butter chicken or rogan josh followed by the aromatic and the pungent south Indian cuisine of dosas, rasam and appams; you think you’ve had it all. But do not be so sure unless you’ve sampled the Jharkhand thali with timeless Adivasi favourites such as the famous festival dish of dhuska, dehati chicken, yam curry and much more.

The thali, with separate, delectable vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, has been carefully curated from tribal households and will take you back to your roots.

Vegetarians can gorge on the seasonal salad, dhania-lasoon chutney,

Your

The thali, with separate, delectable vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, has been carefully curated from tribal households and will take you back to your roots dhuska and aloo chana curry, kurthi dal, urad dal dumplings made with tomato puree, lal saag, yam and arbi leaf-besan curries, red and usna rice variants and chhilka and marwa rotis made of rice and ragi flours, respectively.

The non-vegetarian platter features EXOTICA [53] JANUARY 2016

Tickle your taste buds with a fare that is new and delicious as Jharkhand brings to you its own special thali from the kitchens of the tribals mutton ka jhol (mutton curry with gravy base) and dehati chicken. Your sweet cravings will be satiated by desserts like dudiya and dudh pitha.

The brilliant idea of bringing together various dishes and creating a thali that was unique to Jharkhand was done by the State Tourism Department. Its director Suchitra Sinha shared, “Jharkhand has a robust culinary culture. Like music, food gives uniqueness to any state, especially in terms of tourism.

Whenever we visit a place, we ask for the special dish of that place.

That's why we decided to offer the state's very own thali to domestic and foreign tourists.”

The next time you visit the state for its picturesque locations, including the beautiful waterfalls or temples, make sure you also look out for this sumptuous thali in between.

The

thread obscure yet spectacular tribal embroidery technique known as Santha came under the global spotlight recently when a collection of furnishings and wearables was showcased at the four-day World Travel Mart (WTM) held in London. The state tourism, art, culture, youth and sports affairs minister Amar Kumar Bauri, tourism secretary Avinash Kumar and director Suchitra Sinha attended the fair.

“This threadwork is mostly done by artisans of Santhal origin living in Hazaribagh, Seraikela-Kharsawan and parts of Jamshedpur in east Singhbhum, whom we inspired to translate age-old tribal wall paintings on cloth, substituting paints for threads,” said Sinha.

The name of the stitch has been derived from Santhal and kantha, coming across as a variation to the ones already available. It is distinct

The

Jharkhand recently displayed its USP through an exceptional tribal art form of transforming wall paintings on cloth at the World Travel Mart in London

The embroidery is done by artisans of Santhal origin living in Hazaribagh, Seraikela-Kharsawan and parts of Jamshedpur from other contemporary forms such as Lucknow’s chikankari, Bengal’s kantha or Punjab’s phulkari.

“Jharkhand has a rich and unique culture, be it art, handloom, music, dance, as well as stunning landscapes.

Through PowerPoint presentations, talks and one-on-one interactions with participants and visitors, we will establish Jharkhand’s uniqueness to the world. The idea is to build the brand Jharkhand,” Bauri said.

Santha designs displayed on a range of items like cushion covers, bed sheets, among others have regional motifs which have been derived from

EXOTICA [54] JANUARY 2016

traditional art forms such as jadupatua, sohrai, kohvar and other wall paintings of Jharkhand.

Although the tourism department attached rural artisans with design institutes in order to make their work more commercial for a decade, things took off only 2009-10 onwards.

The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi, even praised and certified the technique in 2011 for its unique style.

“Although not part of our mainstream embroideries such as chikankari, it has an unusual aesthetic folk appeal. The embroidery sample that was showed to me had beautiful tribal and regional motifs. Something similar is done in Italy, which is known as Punto in Aria and means a stitch in the air. I have not seen this kind of work in any other part of India. But, if it is done

by Santhals, maybe it remained only for their own expression. I was also informed that very few women are doing this embroidery as they have problems in selling this work," said Sudha Dhingra, chairperson, NIFT.

of Tagore significant landmark on Jharkhand’s map, which once used to be the home of Jyotindranath Tagore, eminent playwright and elder brother of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, has been in neglect since the owner’s death in 1925.

The tourism department of Jharkhand has decided to bring back the lost charm by refurbishing Tagore Hill, which has been associated with the Tagore clan for more than a century. Standing on a hilltop, it was meant for meditative and writing purposes. Tagore came here in search of some solitude and solace after his wife’s death and lived at Shantidham for 12 years.

A few years ago, SK Choudhary, Secretary, Tourism Department chose to rehabilitate a few spots in Jharkhand and Tagore Hill was one of them. The place was in a dilapidated state and had become a breeding hub for

The Jharkhand tourism is restoring Tagore Hill, once abode of the Tagore clan and pride of Ranchi

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Hill trespassers. The department then decided to build a periphery.

“I designed the entrance keeping the original character of the place intact,” said Haren Thakur, artist and art consultant at Metallurgical & Engineering Consultants (India) Limited (MECON).

After the initial development plans couldn’t take off, Suchitra Sinha, director, Jharkhand Tourism, took the initiative again with renewed plans to restore the site.

The insides of the rooms and panel boards were heavily damaged. The Tourism Department also plans a museum at the site which will have a statue of Jyotindranath Tagore along with a few rare pictures.

The place, which is a matter of pride for the people of Ranchi, will be ready and opened for tourists in a few months. The facade has been repaired while landscaping and construction are in full swing.

TRAVEL BUG

There’s a new discovery every time you visit the Andamans. If Radhanagar beach made international headlines and Havelock is becoming the new hub, there’s Neil Island which is quietly stealing the thunder with its incorruptible serenity, miles of pearl-white beaches and crystal clear waters that change colour by the moment. RINKU GHOSH dives in

Aerial view of Port Blair, the takeoff point for choppers

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COCO CHANNEL

Cadel bay

North Andaman Taralait Bay

Mayabunder Middle Andaman

Betapur

Rangat

BAY OF BENGAL

Havelock Islands

South Andaman N. Sentinel Island

Neil Island

Port Blair Chidiyattapu

Rutland

THE

world is not enough. Under water that is. Is it paradise then? Perhaps not. For that demands exclusivity, a qualified entry after earth. Where then would you see such heavenly creatures, in a mishmash of shapes and sizes, oddities and evenness, making way for and taking care of each other, flitting about a coral garden of unimaginable hue and spark?

Co-existence and harmony, predator and prey, creator and destroyer....exploding evolution, brutal survival and incandescent peace, all at once. They say nirvana is also in the here and now. I believe you get closest to that in the swirling green waters of the Andamans Sea, the biggest life lesson of wonder there ever is.

We are snorkelling off the jetty at Neil Island, a steady and gradual climbdown to the fringing reefs, a school of tiny black fish leading us to the corals and their secrets. It is here we have a chance encounter with the parrotfish, appearing silver, magenta, purple and blue with each turn of the tail, as if the Creator had a tough time putting his paintbrush to it and daubed every shade there was as it slipped out of his hands and overturned his palette. Many swish about, going hither thither, unperturbed by human

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PHOTOS: DIGANT DESAI

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PHOTOS: SOUMYAJIT

(Clockwise) A barrel sponge is surrounded by crinoids and yellow soft corals with dancing anthias; staghorn coral; brain coral; pennant fish scurrying around; a huge school of yellow snappers at Dixons Pinnacle

intrusion. They are an energetic bunch, spending 90 per cent of their day eating algae off the corals with their beak-like teeth to keep them healthy. And they poop sand (up to 200 pounds of it every year!) to keep the island beaches a virginal white. They can change their gender and colour repeatedly throughout their lives and even wear pajamas at night!

They secrete a transparent mucus from their heads and make a cocoon out of it to protect themselves from nocturnal predators, like moray eels.

Stingrays lie still in the sand as we get surrounded by a blooming school of bluestriped snappers, gliding about with their bright yellow fins. They seem shy but are ace mimics, moving around more blue fish to hide themselves. The lumpy brain corals are not silent either, hardening their exo-skeletons with calcium and drawing support and nutrition from the algae they harbour in their grooves. They extend their tentacles to catch food at night and wrap them around themselves at daytime. And should your flippers graze through, they may just expose their soft inside for a flash of moment, pink and purple. Corals are doing just fine around the islands. Turns out the biggest corals live up to a grand 900 years! So much is happening as we dive deep, life bursting in buoyant moments. And yet there’s a dead calm that seeps into us.

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Land’s end: Neil Island take the Pawan Hans from the heliport at Port Blair to get to Neil Island, a green boomerang amid cobalt waters from the top, the white surf a curly frill around sand bars. Neil is widest at 5 km and would make easily for a Robinson Crusoe-like trek on foot.

As our chopper descends, we fly over thick palm groves, their slender leaves weaving a canopy beneath us, thicket close and blocking out the tropical sun. We cruise over some clearings with scanty huts and vegetable farms, just enough to sustain locals, and then swoop down on the rainforest, the tall, dense mahuas and giant coconut palms almost stretching to the sea. This is a unique feature of the Andamans — you won’t get palm-fringed beaches but the forest which often wades into the sea at high tide. It is a two-minute drive to the jetty on a tar road, both sides of which are clustered with a panoply of every kind of plant species, so tightly wound with each other that you can barely see the soil beneath. The lofty evergreen trees like padauk and garjan, which are used for fuel and timber, are encircled by stunted stout

WE

trees like pandanus. Wide-branched, they are propped up by thick roots, which support them as they grow top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches. Around them are creepers and elephant leaves, shushing the forest floor into a deep slumber and wrapping a heart of darkness. But the climbing orchid is relentless and rises through the gaps for its day in the sun and bursts forth as creamy white fragrant flowers.

We drive to the jetty that emerges suddenly through the forest cover, like a gateway to another world — a white shell beach and an enormous expanse of aqua, seamless, limitless and all around. It is here that we take one of the colourful, bobbing boats to our snorkelling site, the shallow waters and gentle foam lovingly nudging us forward. And it drops us gently into the sea.

But it is at the Sunset point, the westernmost stretch of Neil, that we find our epiphany. This is truly land’s end, the powdery beach forming a triangle surrounded by the vastness of the sea on three sides. Standing at its edge, there’s no place to flee. There’s only sweet surrender, the see-through water lovingly playing at your feet, enticing you to go deeper. And deeper. The water turns a brilliant

(Left to right) The chopper connects the islands; an aerial view and the clustered greens

GETTINGTHERE Port Blair: Regular flights by Air India, Jet Airways and Spicejet Inter-island links: Regular speed boats operated by Government and private boat operators are available for inter-island movement. Or book nine-seater Pawans Hans helicopters from the Directorate of Civil Aviation/ANIIDCO. For schedule of boats and choppers, visit www.and.nic.in STAY AT: Neil Island: There are good private hotels in Neil Island offering reasonable rates.

Havelock: Stay options at Havelock range from high-end resorts to camping sites.

Reservation of accommodation in the Government-run Dolphin Resort at Havelock can be secured from the Tourist information Centre in the Directorate of Tourism at Port Blair by advance payment.

MUST DOS: Snorkelling, cycling, sunbathing, swimming, bird-watching, having local seafood platters and simply lazing at Neil Island. Scuba diving, sea walk, game fishing and trekking at Havelock.

(For details, click www.andamans.gov.in)

green, then blue, a purple streak in the middle, till it is azure on the distant horizon. It’s a primal call.

Neither a soul in sight, nor a lighthouse to guide you back. Just instant dissipation into the greatness of being. Call it the end of Noah’s ark as you perch on an ancient, gnarled trunk of a tree, soaking in the untouched fullness of Nature. As it is meant to be.

The sunset is still a couple of hours away as we imagine the fireball melt and mellow in the silent waters, dissolving its amber glow in their expansive depths. Even our footprints seem an intrusion in this place which has stayed exactly the same way since the beginning of time. The locals

are the protectors of the beach and much of Neil Islands, not allowing smokers on the beach and strategically placing cane waste baskets at every corner, from the heliport to the fringes of the forest. Shacks are not allowed on the beach, huts and open counters always tucked away behind the treeline. And since plastic is banned, you get fresh tropical fruits and coconuts for snacks. We sip countless coconuts, big, luscious and yellow, with a kernel that’s soft, creamy and tender. Time here is unhurried, laid-back and serene. Away from the madding crowd and civilisational comforts, Neil Islands remind you why the earth is still a great place to be.

(Above) The jetty at Neil Island; the Dolphin Bay; the palm-fringed coral beach and the beginning of a new day at Dolphin

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The wild side: Havelock drive from the heliport to the Dolphin Bay resort is lined by dive gear rentals and centres boasting the best instructors, courses and lessons. Compared to other destinations in Asia, dives in Andamans are indeed cheaper. And needless to say richer. Havelock is a wanted tourist destination but scratch deeper and there are layers that can still surprise you. Like the Kaala Paththar beach, a sea of rocky outcrops, denuded by the tidal caress into shingle and sand. Or that each beach has a distinct character. Or the fact that the Dolphin Bay resort, though government-run, has

THE

splendid facilities and literally lords over a unique coral garden that becomes a stepping stone to the shallow flats during low tide. Or that it is easy to lose your way in solitude with the lone fisherman ploughing his luck in the waist-high waters, a stray boat drifting in the distance and the slanting palms bending over the rustling waters at high tide. Or the rarity of a chance moonbeam choosing to light up a patch of the dark waters under a starry sky.

There are simple pleasures really. Chasing little crawlies and pea crabs under bouldery corals, watching a snail move its shell, holding a coconut falling from nowhere and finding broken down

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(Above) Elephant beach and sunrise at Dolphin

remnants of tree trunks scattered without design, yet making for the greatest abstract art…

These tiny miracles take us out of the hammock and to the Black Pearl, a jet ski that’s to take us to the Elephant beach for yet another round of snorkelling and sea walk. Young Soumyajit is no Johnny Depp but has his zest and panache. He surges ahead like an arrowhead as we hold on to our rails and ride the crests and troughs of the choppy waters. It’s a thrill ride like no other, the swerving boat churning and foaming up the

waters, which drench us at every turn and has our hair flying in the wind. It’s hugely liberating, the adrenaline making you want to go faster and rougher. For a moment, courage and danger become synonymous.

Our boat slices through the dark swell of waters, shattering the shimmer of the sun into a million mica dots that run ahead of us. Like schools of silverfish. Past old lighthouses, we are thrown in the deep, nothing but heaving waters around us, tossing and teasing us in their lap. Our young Capt

Jack Sparrow speeds up a notch higher. We have to get to Elephant beach before high tide and return to Havelock by 3 pm.

We reach Elephant beach, so named because elephants are believed to forage in the forest behind and take a bath in the sea.

We find no elephants though and are told that the tourist-friendly Rajan, who swims alongside tourists, has been rested. This is a day beach, which means that all operators, fruit sellers and divers collect their gear and props and vacate the beach by late afternoon, leaving it as pristine as they found it. Smoking isn’t allowed on the beaches lest stubs create a nuisance. In fact, they have a small hut as a smoking enclosure in a little clearing inside the forest. The tall mahua trees around would neutralise the smoke while the stubs can be easily collected and disposed. When it comes to enforcement, the locals are very effective, having internalised ecofriendly logic themselves. In fact, they collect every piece of garbage in bags and carry it back to Havelock for proper disposal.

They have set up huts for changing clothes and loos too, all easy to dismantle when tourist season ends.

We wade into the waters and get to the reefs in no time, the drops steeper and sudden here. Soumyajit gets us a sea cucumber from the sea bed, all spindly and inert inside. It’s the first time we see the staghorn coral, the tree-like branches lending a bonsai touch under water. Stony on the outside, who would know that a thousand polyps in brilliant colours lie under its white coat? These are the favourite haunts of reef fish who glide past with a mind of their own. Some jellyfish graze past our limbs, sensing foreign bodies. But the fish are unperturbed, their flat bodies making their way in and out of the coral colony with utmost ease and

(Clockwise) Going under; clown fish flit about a sea anemone; a plate coral and butterfly fish

without being preyed upon. Three pennant fish blaze a trail right beneath us with their white and black stripes and yellow fins. They move in cute twosomes, perhaps watching out for each other as they feed on planktons, the arched rays of their dorsal fins making them look like plumed warriors in pursuit of their enemy.

But it is the play of colours which has us in a tizzy, brighter than the sun with fluorescent green, neon yellow, indigo blue, iridescent orange and purple. Knowing that the water would absorb much of the sun, the Creator seemed to have saved his best artistic palette for creatures under it. The sheer combinations are difficult to conjure. There’s the copper band butterfly fish, with a huge black

dot on its back that looks like its eye but is meant to confuse predators. Beautiful and elegant, it is a smooth operator, using its long snout to pick out coral polyps and tube worms. Somewhere a black triggerfish reluctantly surfaces a bit, its colour changing from a dark blue to green in an instant of adaptability. This one is ill-tempered and aggressive, single-mindedly devouring molluscs and crustaceans and grazing the sea bed. The damsel fish are not just pretty but have brains, making their men work hard for attention. If a damsel fish is above you, it must be the male, going up with a water column and swimming back downward, the jump meant to impress the female.

However, we find a friend in the clown fish, or

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PHOTOS: SOUMYAJIT

Sunset at Barefoot and the coral garden at Elephant beach

“Nemo� fish as they are known by kids. In brilliant orange, black and white stripes, they flit in and out of the sea anemones that cluster on the coral shells. Looking like diode lamps with a cluster of filament-like polyps, they, unlike corals, have no protective shell. But they do have venom, trapping whoever grazes their hair, with it. Soumyajit touches one accidentally and it opens up one of its mouths, all purple and fleshy inside. Some sway like dahlias to make way for the clown fish to sit on them and hide themselves from predators. These fish have a mucus layer that protects them from the anemone’s sting. In return for its tenancy in its tentacles, the clown fish lends scraps of its meals to the anemone. Like their coral cousins, sea anemones also have a symbiotic relationship with algae, which produces oxygen and sugar through photosynthesis. All kinds of relationship dynamics exist on the sea bed in ceaseless tranquility.

By the time we have known the fish flitting around us, it is time for the sea walk. The waters are colder by the time we put on our helmets and let the divers take us to the sea bed. Walking in a netted enclosure, we meet them up, close, having silent conversations. Used to mutual sharing as they are, we tempt them with fish feed. They do not disappoint, shoaling up around us, nosing in with big bulging eyes, curious and warm at the same time, feeling and sizing us up, not guessing we could be the biggest predator around. This is as innocent as it can get and we rise up, holding on to the thread of a bond that had lasted minutes but given memories of an eternity.

Day’s end: Barefoot beach sun sets early in the Andamans and there is a mad rush among tourists to get their shots of a day’s end. The normally calm and expansive Radhanagar beach is teeming with people at sunset hour. Indeed the continuous run of pearly sand, impromptu sitouts of broken tree trunks, seasoned and toughened by waves, and the perceptible calm seas have made it a most wanted destination on a traveller’s itinerary.

Rustomji, our manager at Dolphin Bay, suggests if it is peace and quietitude we are seeking, we should move to Barefoot. So off we negotiate our way through thick groves and tall trees, scrunching on dead leaves on the forest floor and flashing our lights as the canopy above has already blocked out a weakening sun. Truly, you hear the sound of silence. And the twitter of a lone bird, flying back to its roost.

We hear the roar of the sea, so near and yet so far. And then two tree trunks open up in a V, framing the Navy ship on the horizon, giving us a panoramic shot. We step out to a wide expanse of beach, bewildering in its sweep, the powdery sand not clingy but sitting softly on our feet. You’ve got to trudge barefoot here. The sun is a ruby red now, hidden by a patch of cloud but flaming up the waters to our right. This is the blue hour, when the trees, water and sand get tinted by a sameness of a fading sun, breaking up into its rainbow beams and floating everywhere. The moon rises from the forest, symbolically taking things over.

The sea sighs at the end of another day and rushes in inch by inch to claim its territory and run among the monster roots of the mangrove at the far end. Again there’s nobody on the beach. The revellers have long gone. We are just a speckle in this mammoth moment as the sea unfurls its own twilight saga. Waves of deep purple, speckled grey and black. Kaala paani. Who said it was menacing?

THE

ECOLOGIC

Ever thought of producing your own fresh air indoors?

The answer, we learn from Paharpur Business Centre’s CEO KAMAL MEATTLE, is yes and that too with the help of three species of houseplants

GREEN AS

the concrete jungle spreads far and wide in a city which stops for no one, the feeling of asphyxia often hits an individual as the pollution levels spike and smog thickens. You would stop for a moment and blame it on lack of sleep, work stress or other deleterious

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PHOTOS: PANKAJ KUMAR

ARECA PALM: This plant takes carbon dioxide and turns it back into oxygen. For one person, four shoulder high plants are sufficient.

MONEY PLANT: Helps remove formaldehyde and other harmful chemicals from the air.

MOTHER-IN-LAW’S TONGUE: Also known as the ‘Bedroom Plant’ because it produces oxygen at night.

factors. The ultimate, yet temporary, resolution is to pack your bags and head to breathe in the reinvigorating mountain air, only to return to your work station a few days later.

But what if you were to learn about one particular structure in one of the most congested commercial hubs in Delhi that provides its occupants with Davos or Gulmarg quality air throughout the year? Paharpur Business Centre in Nehru Place has been manufacturing its own air with the help of around 1,200 indoor plants spread through six floors of the building and a scrubber on the roof which utilises water to clean the outside air of pollutants.

The man behind the green initiative is Kamal Meattle, CEO of the Paharpur Business Centre, who became allergic to Delhi air in the mid-90s. A discussion with the heads of all departments of the Indian Institute of Technology led to intense library research and raising a few questions like “Why did Buddha sit under a peepul tree” or “Why do most households in India have tulsi plants.”

“We found that there were three houseplants that detoxify indoor air and enrich it with oxygen — areca palm, mother-in-law’s tongue and money plant. They were also cost-effective and easily available,” says Meattle.

The three species are grown in hydroponic culture using charcoal blocks, which also absorb dust, coco pith, coconut husk, manure and other nutrients.

He further shares that indoors are more

polluted due to the presence of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compound) which is a group of chemicals that have their own toxicity levels and can affect health. VOCs are present in building materials like varnishes, paints and carpets. PBC’s green rooms on the rooftop house many plants and have been created using recycled wooden planks which emit lesser amount of VOC. In 2006-07, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as well as the Chittranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata, conducted a two-year study here on the occupants and found that there were fewer cases of eye irritation and headaches. The upper respiratory system improved by 20 per cent and lower respiratory by 34 per cent among inmates, the study found. It has also been rated as the healthiest ready-to-move-in office building by CPCB and MoEF. “We also did our own tests and found that if you stay in this building for 8-10 hours, there is a 42 per cent probability that your blood oxygen level would go up by about one per cent. When that happens, the brain works better and you feel less tired,” he explains, adding the PBC wants its clients and occupants to be healthy, extremely productive with their cognitive abilities right on top.

His TED 2009 talk “How to grow fresh air” has attracted over two million views. “Morally, I feel I’ve done my job and now it is for people to benefit from it, touch, feel, experience and ask questions,” he concludes.

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HOTWHEELS Kushan Mitra Auto & tech expert

OUTSIDER IN THE

HOOD

THERE

Roadsters and convertibles are fun to drive but in Delhi’s dust, they are a pain…

Unless you are willing to spend a fortune on shampoo and wearing masks while driving

are very few convertibles launched in India, and that makes sense. North Indian summers are excruciatingly hot and elsewhere in the country although the heat may be milder, it is coupled with humidity levels that would melt even the hardiest soul. And then there is the monsoon.

A few months ago, while driving a Mini Convertible on a day which dumped over 60mm of rain on Delhi, you learn that even the most capable and wellengineered roofs can spring a leak. Convertibles are designed for the milder stretches of European summers. Clearly not for India, where even the panoramic sunroofs of some imports seem decidedly odd on a hot summer day.

But there are stretches in the Delhi winter when one can put the roof down and enjoy the amazing feeling of having the wind running through your hair.

Given that having the wind run through your hair is currently illegal in Delhi if you own a motorcycle and sticking your head out of a moving vehicle’s window is downright dangerous, this is a great legal high.

It is a pleasant 22 degrees outside and the sun is out, so it might on the face of it seem like a good time to put the roof down on the lovely Audi A3 Convertible that I am driving. The problem is that the Particulate Matter counts for the day are already in the red zone; both the finer PM2.5 and the bigger PM10. This is clearly visible in the air as the blue sky merges into a brownish horizon, although the day is better than most so far this December.

And that is a pity because with the air rushing through your hair come assorted dust particles. Drive a convertible in Delhi or elsewhere in the NCR and you will require a gallon of shampoo and face-wash at the end of the drive.

There is another problem. Convertibles are so rare in India that when you do put the roof down, the entire 15-30 second process attracts gawkers by the dozen. People stop their motorcycles and cars to come observe the process. It is rather disconcerting to attract a crowd and this happens everywhere. Drive with the roof down and chances

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are that buses full of schoolchildren will cheer you.

And, of course, the occasional Western diplomat will look at you and think that you are utterly crazy to be doing such a thing.

Besides you get asked questions. While that is a fact of life of any automotive reviewer, particularly if you have a new car, I have been chased down a highway by a group of men in a Scorpio who wanted to take a look at the Suzuki Baleno ahead of its launch, not one of the more pleasant experiences of my life although a high-speed chase is good fun. But with a convertible you get asked things, “Baarish mein kya karte ho?” (What do you do in the rain?) and tens of requests to operate the roof. It is like you are an entertainer on wheels. If you want to get noticed on the roads, there is no car quite like one with its roof down. Unless it is a car in the process of taking its roof down.

BUT

the first paragraph of this story elucidates why convertibles are rare in India, and when you take such cars out on smaller highways, they do attract attention. And while it is an amazing feeling to drive with one’s roof down, it may not be the smartest thing to do in Delhi this winter.

Car climate-control units have very advanced and sophisticated air filters right now, and the air in cars is almost always cleaner than the air outside even in places like Scandinavia. The air in Delhi is currently

best described as toxic and driving with the roof down is possibly insane for this one reason.

And because convertibles are so rare in India, the Audi A3 Convertible is a completely built-up import unlike the assembled-in-India A3, so it costs a pretty penny. It is tagged at `44.75 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi; that is over 10 lakh more than the top-end variant of the sedan and almost 20 lakh more than the entry-level A3 in India.

KEEP

in mind that thanks to the roof mechanism, you lose a large part of the boot space. It is also available solely with the 1.8litre 178 horsepower petrol engine, which is a nice and peppy motor that ensures you always have enough power to get out of tough situations.

However, being a convertible and thus losing the structural rigidity of the roof and the B-Pillar, it doesn’t have the handling performance of the sedan.

The Mini Convertible is more affordable though at around `34 lakh, it is a very cute little car but even less practical than the A3. And the current Mini Convertible in India is based on the secondgeneration Mini and is not expected to be replaced until the middle of next year.

So should you buy a convertible in India? On a winter’s day it can be a pleasure to drive but thanks to the smog, this is one of the pleasures that has been snatched away from us.

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TRAVEL BUG DID YOU KNOW THAT THE MAURITIAN RUM IS READYING ITSELF TO GIVE A RUN TO THE JAMAICAN?

he warm Mauritian welcome and the island’s safe beaches and gentle seas make the destination a great place for a family getaway.

There are a plenty of thrilling and exhilarating activities for you at every turn like kite-surfing, deep-sea fishing, trekking, ATV rides, paragliding, scuba diving, skydiving, riding cruiser bikes, helicopter and seaplane trips.

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THE FIVE MUST-DO ACTIVITIES THIS NEW YEAR ARE: If you enjoy travelling at high velocities or love roller coaster rides, then a seakart ride is just the thrill you would seek.

Discover the beauty of the Mauritian lagoons while driving your own speedboat. This is an excursion to enjoy with your family or friends, reaching new levels of excitement in absolute safety.

Skydiving is a relatively new activity in Mauritius but extreme sport lovers will nonetheless appreciate the options available on the island. Gives you a Google Earth view.

Enjoy a helicopter flight to experience aerial panoramic sweeps. Feast your eyes on enchanting views of picture postcards transparent lagoons, a pristinely white coastline, undulating sugarcane fields and other spectacular scenes.

Enjoy diving underwater to a depth of 35 metres on board a real submarine. As part of this amazing, fantasy-like trip, you will get to view a shipwreck, corals of different shapes and sizes and various types of fish.

You can go for dolphin and whale-watching. Or simply have lunch or dinner on a private island, cruise on a private catamaran or yacht, relish the delicious food and enjoy some of the world’s best rum. Not kidding, the local distilleries brew nothing less than the Jamaican benchmark. Mauritian street food i s among the best in the world. A unique mix of Creole, African, Indian, and Chinese influences, the dishes offer bursts of intricate flavours. Spices, colours and flavours come together to form a scrumptious (yet little known!) cuisine.

Where else would you find a French bouillon laced with Indian spices?

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S P A R E T R E AT

WHO SAID YOU HAD TO WAIT TILL SPRING TO COME OUT OF THE COVERS? AT THE THERMAL WATERS OF BAD RAGAZ, SWITZERLAND, YOU JUST HAVE TO LET YOURSELF GO

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time to look beyond the snows and lakes of Switzerland, feel the spring in your step and flow with the elements at one of the world’s largest medical spas. And considering the digital age survives on reviews, you might want to read one of the guest accounts. “I was a lazy person. But here, I went up the mountains and met 85-year-olds climbing. The fresh air is anti-ageing. It gives you a natural detox and botox.”

Europe’s most abundant thermal source originates in the Tamina gorge near Bad Ragaz and was discovered long ago in the early Middle Ages (1242). The Tamina is the source of the healing thermal water, which flows at a delightful 36.5°C (body temperature). In the 16th century, the physician and alchemist Paracelsus praised the healing effects of the water, which, due to its low mineral content and a temperature of 36.5°C, is regarded as a warm spring.

In the early days, the first spa guests were lowered into the gorge on ropes. Since 1840, a fourkilometre pipe has brought the water to Bad Ragaz.

This helped it acquire a worldwide reputation as a bathing and spa resort, attracting notable guests such as Rainer Maria Rilke, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Thomas Mann and Victor Hugo. Since 1872, Bad Ragaz has been recognised as one of the most prominent spa resorts in the world.

For the body, immersion in water is in effect immersion in a transformed physical environment. This includes the water pressure, the buoyancy, the water density and the thermal conditions. The physical properties and the moderate mineral content of the thermal water bring about a whole host of positive effects pertaining to the heart, lungs, circulation, kidneys, motor system and even hormones.

Price starting from CHF 320 per person per night

THE MOST IMPORTANT EFFECTS ON OUR BODY ARE AS FOLLOWS: o A reduction of vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) in the legs. o An increase in blood circulation. o An improvement in pulmonary circulation and ventilation. o A reduction of blood pressure. o An improvement of cardiac function路 o A reduction of muscle tension and loosening of connective tissue. o Alleviation of non-rheumatoid pain. o An improvement to mobility in relation to the spine and the extremities. o The 36.5掳C thermal water, therefore, helps alleviate rheumatic and mechanical ailments, metabolic disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and also neurological complaints.

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Around 1240

1840

1969

Huntsmen discover the spring

Thermal water is funnelled in wooden channels to Ragaz

The east spa guests leave Bad Pfäfers

Ab 1350 Wooden bath houses rest on beams over the Tamina

1858

1970

The first railway reaches Ragaz

1630

1868

Eröffnung Rehabilitationsklinik Valens

Thermal water is funnelled 450 m in wooden channels to the outlet of the gorge – Old Bad Pfäfers is formed

The Quellenhof hotel is built

1983-1995

1872

The Valens rehabilitation clinic is opened

Europe’s first thermal water indoor pool was created

1704-1718

1936

Abbott Bonifaz Tschupp and Abbott Bonifaz of Gilgen establish the bath houses which are still partially preserved today

Ragaz parish becomes Bad Ragaz spa town

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2015 Thermal water is funnelled in a new channel to Ragaz

LIFE TRUTHS

E S DIL

From binge-watching episodes of Breaking Bad with his son, taking his daughter’s friends out for lunch, to spending quality time with his toddler, SHAH RUKH KHAN has his priorities right.

In a candid chat with RUPINDER KAUR, he stresses on space when it comes to maintaining long-term relationships and recommends romance as extremely individual

You’ve always formed a special bond with your co-stars, be it Rani or Preity and the current actresses like

Deepika or Anushka. But your pairing with Kajol is very organic. Ever thought about how it happens?

The first bond gets created between people, who start out as working co-partners or co-workers, through respect for each other.

Second is dignity for each other’s work, lifestyle and the third part is not being too nosy about each other. I think you have to give space, which you also give in marriage, life, romance, relationships. Space is most important.

With Kajol and I, sometimes without choosing to be so, we’ve had these spaces because we didn’t work back-to-back. But I think it starts with respect. I’ve always loved her and if there is an issue that she has as an actor, I would sort that out.

In life also, we’ve been working together and I recall when she lost her dad, I was driving down to the airport and Ajay called me and said you’re the first person I’m calling because you’re a friend. This was in spite of what people talk about Ajay and my relationship…

PHOTO: SANJEEV KUMAR

How much of your mind is in the heart of Dilwale?

I always say that the seal of creativity stems from the mind but the heart is the soil and that’s where it blossoms, you cannot put it anywhere else. The thought or the idea comes but I make films only from the heart. Whatever kind of films I make, you can question it or not, you may like it or not, you may have different ideologies like my directors have and tell me, ‘you know, nobody has tapped your talent and we should try to make you do something more edgy and different.’ Everything is said and done. A lot of times people forget that I’ve been working for 25 years and if I didn’t have my heart in it, I would not be able to do what I do day in and day out.

It’s not the money, name or fame. Somewhere down the line, without sounding pompous, I more or less have that conquered so to say. It is always about making something bigger.

It’s a commercial film, so let’s make it bigger and better, the technology should be nicer and we’ll do something new and not recreate DDLJ, which will be fun.

Each film of mine is distinct because my heart is in it.

Recently, Kajol said you and Ajay are not friends…

We’re not friends. We don’t sit down and chat, we are different people. Ajay is a very quiet guy and so am I actually in real life. I might come out as more talkative in public. That day, he just

I DON’T THINK ROMANCE WILL CHANGE BUT I WOULD SAY IT AS I’VE SAID IT FOR YEARS THAT THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS ROMANCE FOR A MAN OR A BOY IS TO HAVE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF RESPECT FOR THE WOMAN, PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY

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THE FIRST BOND GETS CREATED BETWEEN PEOPLE, WHO START OUT AS WORKING CO-PARTNERS OR CO-WORKERS, THROUGH RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER. SECOND IS DIGNITY FOR EACH OTHER’S WORK, LIFESTYLE AND THE THIRD PART IS NOT BEING TOO NOSY ABOUT EACH OTHER. I THINK YOU HAVE TO GIVE SPACE

called me and said come and be with Kajol. I turned around, called Karan (Johar) and told him let’s go to Kajol’s house and not because we were the only ones she could take support from but because we are friends. I also know that if I have an issue, I can call Ajay at 3 am and tell him that I need Kajol to come in and do this for me. We’ve gotten married, had kids and somewhere we have a similar life pattern running parallelly.

We both know that there is a Paracetamol liquid for children (laughs). And we both had used our mouths to extort snot from our children’s noses when they were young. We’ve journeyed together and yet we have given each other space.

What is romance for you now at 50?

Being supposedly a romantic hero, I’m asked that question but I don’t think about it like that.

You also said the King of Romance is a strange title for you…

It should be emperor. Different people, different

strokes, different folks. My son is 18 and I don’t know what romance stands for him but I think romance is extremely individual. It is nice to be able to take a generic song or a dance or a moment but the things said in romance are the same.

You know ‘mein tumhare bina jee nai sakta’, ‘I really like you’, ‘I miss you’, or maybe ‘hey babe, I’ve been thinking about you’, however you say it, the feelings are the same but the language keeps changing.

I don’t think romance will change but I would always say it as I’ve said it for years that the first step towards romance for a man or a boy is to have an immense amount of respect for the woman, physically, emotionally and mentally. Two things I’ll tell you — may be physically, not especially when you have a physiology like mine, many girls are stronger (laughs) but then even in that case, emotionally and mentally the girls are stronger. Kajol said something very beautiful that sometimes women allow you to feel superior; take that as a respect she’s giving you and not as a weakness. Many a time people tell me that I’ve mellowed, but no I’ve not mellowed. I’ve just

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I NEED TO GIVE BACK TO CINEMA. I CAN’T EXPLAIN IT TO EVERYONE BECAUSE PEOPLE SEE ME IN THEATRES FOR ONLY TWO-AND-A-HALFHOURS AND SAY WOH ROLE ACHCHA KIYA THA AB YEH KYU KAR RAHA HAI? YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO TO IMPROVE UPON THE CINEMA YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN AND I’VE DONE THAT

become stronger and I think women are extremely strong and you need to respect the fact that they allow you to feel superior. I think that’s romantic.

Beyond that, whether you give flowers or chocolates, starry night, or go on the beach skinny-dipping, these three aspects need to be the prime in any romantic relation from a man’s point of you. From a girl’s point of view, I know all girls love me unconditionally (laughs).

Risk-taking mantras?

Chak De! is eight years old and since 2008, I’ve been doing one film a year. As an actor for 25 years, I’ve done different kinds of films and I do them whenever I get an opportunity. I don’t write roles for myself. Somebody has to bring it up to me and I’ll tell them it’s very cool whether it is a Don, Chak De! or Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Asoka or Paheli. Whether it works or not, there is no fear and because as an actor, there is no creative fear.

Somewhere around 2007-08, when I turned a producer, the biggest risk-taking question for me was can I make cinema in this country because I’ve been put in that position which will take it forward through technology? That is what a producer can do.

The creative content can vary in the best of films. I dedicated myself and took a huge chance by turning into a producer and I have 225 people working for me. I look after their salaries and when I say I, it’s a

company. I worked really hard. The question was if I could introduce a new aspect of cinema in this country, be it through VFX or Avid machines. There is a lot of stuff I’ve gotten into this country. I’m very proud of it and lost a lot of money in the process but that was the risk-taking factor.

Now my company is established 12 years later and in between, I was plagued with injuries and had two shoulder surgeries, then a spine one and now I’m waiting for my knee to be done. No excuses because everybody asks me that earlier you used to take risks but now, you don’t. The answer is no, because the biggest risk that I’ve taken was to turn into a producer and try to make the kind of films I want. Yes I want a film like Dilwale, it’s an expensive film at `200 crore. You put all your money in it so that you can do all kinds of stuff and bring in technology. That is the chance I’ve taken which my friends like Adi (Aditya Chopra), Karan and even my family tell me very often that ‘why are you doing all this, you don’t need to, buy yourself a private plane and fly.’ That is what I could’ve done but I haven’t.

I need to give back to cinema. I can’t explain it to everyone because people see me in theatres for only two-and-a-half-hours and say woh role achcha kiya tha ab yeh kyu kar raha hai? You do what you have to do to improve upon the cinema you are participating in and I’ve done that.

I think I have one hugely organised company

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PHOTO: SANJEEV KUMAR

now and hopefully, it will sustain itself in the next few years or may not. If it does, good for it but now that I have an opportunity, I just jump at an interesting script like a Fan or a Raees. I couldn’t have done more than one film when I had my surgeries, so I did the one that I had committed to. Having said that, each film that I do, I really enjoy doing as an actor. You may ask why I did a Happy New Year but I loved it.

We are also turning into a studio by becoming distributors. The point is not to earn that extra money that we give to the distributor but to have a creative distribution of the film. A film doesn’t just need to be produced and directed with love and creativity but also to be released creatively. It has to be done from the inception of the idea till it reaches the final consumer. You have to control it creatively so that people get the right idea of the beautiful venture you’ve made.

When I started out, I never did a love story. I was 26 and I felt awkward saying that I’ll participate in a college-going film where I fall in love with a girl and her parents don’t like it. Six years down the line, I was 32 when I was sitting on a classroom bench wearing a ‘cool’ chain around my neck. Six years later that scenario changed THE QUESTION WAS IF I COULD INTRODUCE A NEW ASPECT OF CINEMA IN THIS COUNTRY, BE IT THROUGH VFX OR AVID MACHINES

again. Having done Baazigar and Anjaam, suddenly that became absolutely novel. I remember when DDLJ released and there is a scene where I say ‘palat, palat, palat’, a producer sitting with me told me, ‘yeh picture Shah Rukh bhai chalegi nai’. According to him, when I come to meet Kajol on the bridge, it seemed like I would push her down the bridge.

For me Dilwale was different after Baazigar and the others. It wasn’t a different film otherwise for a newcomer. It was a regular love story.

Were you aware of Kajol being an equally important pivot in Dilwale?

Kajol is the central character of the film. And I’m not trying to belittle anybody else but if it wasn’t for her, maybe this film wouldn’t work. She had to be the protagonist, the central focus of the film. I will be overstepping the director’s prerogative but we may have not made the film if Kajol hadn’t done it. It is a commercial film. It’s popular cinema with in-your-face madness. Even for a commercial popular film, sometimes you need to bring some semblance of gravitas or dignity. So you needed someone like her to play that role opposite me and otherwise too.

THERE IS A LOT OF STUFF I’VE GOTTEN INTO THIS COUNTRY. I’M VERY PROUD OF IT AND LOST A LOT OF MONEY IN THE PROCESS BUT THAT WAS A RISK I TOOK

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Thrive opportunities Chhattisgarh offers opportunities and facilities needed to bolster business enterprises

on new

mineral-rich state of Chhattisgarh has a lot to offer its investors who can expect to reap high returns in a short time due to availability of quality manpower, incentives for fixed and working capital on investments, including setting up and operational costs. The state also ranked fourth among 32 states and UTs as per World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) ranking released in September 2015.

The

Profitable investment avenues:

Mineral rich state The entire

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economy, technological advancements and other crucial innovations are dependent on mineral resources. Chhattisgarh boasts vast deposits of minerals such as limestone, iron ore, rock phosphate, bauxite, coal, asbestos and mica. It accounts for 16 per cent of India’s coal reserve.

Major area under forestation The growing trend of opting for natural alternatives when it comes to curing health issues can be supported by the state’s natural laboratory.

Various herbal treatments and strengthening of Ayurveda can be done since almost 44 per cent of the state is under a massive green cover.

Availability of manpower Look no further when it comes to getting on board some of the most resourceful members for your teams as the presence of premier educational institutes of national repute like Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and many more will ensure availability of quality manpower. A finishing school for engineers catering to the needs of electronics, IT/ITeS industry is also being set up.

Providing services through e-governance Delivering services provided by the government in a hassle-free manner has been the state’s priority which it has been effectively doing through IT and e-governance. It has further helped in improving interactions between the state and various industries/businesses. The state has bagged multiple awards for e-governance. It is one of the few

states with dedicated connectivity to all government offices and reliable core e-governance infrastructure. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned “Make in India” at the national level, Chief Minister Raman Singh has followed his cue and also aims to focus on “Make in Chhattisgarh.” In this context, a new policy is the need of the hour for promoting investment in electronics and information technology-enabled services related sectors.

Understanding the importance of technology The significance of technology in almost every aspect of a successful enterprise like production, effective management and communication is undeniable.

The state recognises the importance of information and communication. Accordingly, the state has prepared its IT/ITES Investment Policy with a vision of establishing an information society consisting of informed, active and, therefore, responsible citizens. The policy has been designed to achieve EXOTICA [89] JANUARY 2016

the vision of the government to create an enabled society effectively contributing to the social and economic development of the state.

Modern agricultural methods Not only has the state beefed up the financial capability of the farmers, it has also encouraged them to use modern agriculture methods and effective market structure. The results are for all to see: In 2015, Chhattisgarh recorded 39 per cent growth of paddy production as compared to national growth of 3 per cent.

The government plans to create 26,000 hectare additional land by installing 13,000 new handpumps and irrigation pumps.

Building blocks

From providing world-class health and educational facilities, to being the first power cut-free state, Chhattisgarh is an ideal investment hub

ease of doing business has always been linked to strong infrastructure and it has been the top priority of the state to provide an efficient and a reliable foundation for enterprises to grow on. In 2006, Chhattisgarh became the first power cut-free state. Not only this, the availability of uninterrupted quality power supply at a very competitive rate also aims to reduce the operational cost for Electronics Manufacturing Clusters and IT/ITeS industries, thereby leading to cost-effective production.

With this, attractive power tariff slab are also proposed for units in IT/ITeS sector.

First power cut-free state Chhattisgarh is a power surplus state with current generating capacity of 21,000 MW, which is

The

expected to increase to 41,000 MW by the end of 12th Five Year Plan.

The state’s electrical tariff is cheaper than the all-India average.

Availability of power There are two 500 MW thermal power plants in the state. At the time of state formation, the powergeneration capacity was 1,410 MW in 2003, which went up to 2,424 MW (increased by 71%) by 2015.

Installation of new power plants across the state is also on the government’s agenda.

The state government has set a goal of contributing more than 30 per cent of the country’s total power generation by the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan. Infrastructure is being strengthened for the purpose.

Rapid growth of transport There are various services under

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implementation like a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), 4/6 lane road connectivity in Raipur, Naya Raipur, Bhilai and Bilaspur.

Plus, travel time is less within the city and there are no traffic jams, which leads to more productivity and higher quality of life. As far as the road construction is concerned, the government is keen to touch the national average very soon.

AIIMS Raipur AIIMS Raipur has been established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It has been established with the aim of correcting regional imbalances in quality tertiary level healthcare in the country and to provide excellence in medical education. It also focusses on attaining selfsufficiency in graduate and postgraduate medical education.

Smart state’s vision of systematic and responsible growth has led to the creation of Naya Raipur — India’s first planned and executed greenfield city. A well-planned, progressive and sustainable new city close to the capital city of Raipur will begin another fascinating story. Naya Raipur is a member of Euro Asia Sustainable Towns, which promotes and guides construction and management of new towns and satellite cities in Asia.

The next IT hub With an area of 237 sq km, it is the first Smart City of India where an investment of `5,000 crore has already been done. With this,

The

city

NAYA RAIPUR, India’s first greenfield city, will take Chhattisgarh to new heights with its dynamic initiatives another investment of `10,000 crore is in the pipeline. There is a proposal for developing Naya Raipur as an IT hub of the state and demarcating it as an Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR). For IT/ITeS industries, an IT tower is going to be installed as plug-andplay infrastructure. A IT Incubation Centre and Startup Village are proposed to make the city the next hub. An entire sector of the city has been set aside for establishing a Electronic Manufacturing Cluster.

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Other projects A project led by the Naya Raipur Development Authority, the new city has well-defined zones for institutions, housing, commerce and recreation along with extensive green and open spaces.

A knowledge hub with university, research and institutional complexes.

World-class amenities, including theme township, convention centre, ITSEZ. Construction of over 75 km of road (phase-I), international cricket stadium, Hidayatullah National Law University, capitol complex, expressway (from NH-6 and airport to Naya Raipur), Muktangan.

WHITE OUT

SILVER MEADOW GOLD

IN THE

OF

SONAMARG IN KASHMIR IS NOT JUST THE BEST SKIING DESTINATION BUT ALSO THE PERFECT PERCH TO WATCH SNOWFLAKES FALL. KHURSHEED WANI LEAVES HIS MARK ON THE SNOW

PHOTOS: HABIB NAQASH

IF

Kashmir’s spring is compared to a beautiful painting, winter is the time when the artist colours his mind. In dreams.

For the snowflakes emerge from the heavens to soundlessly touch the window, swaying tantalisingly and shushing all creation in their sweep, ever so lightly, so that it bursts with the fresh breath energy on waking up. The colourful spring, mesmerising summer and

enchanting autumn are only but the expressions of white snow absorbed in every nook and cranny of Kashmir. Thy say apples are juicier, crisper and sweeter after spending the winter months hibernating in the snow. Shrouded vegetables growing under it are tastier and richer. This is the reason that locals, notwithstanding the miseries brought by the ice-dagger chill, extend greetings on the first snowfall of the year: “barf-e-nau uftaad, mubarakbaad.”

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Gulmarg and Pahalgam are legendary addresses of snow in Kashmir, primarily for their accessibility even in the harshest of winters. But they are not the only ones. In actual ranking, they can fare much lower as compared to the upper reaches of Shopian in south Kashmir or Sonamarg in northwest, the last point from the Valley side on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway. Beyond Sonamarg or The Meadow of Gold, the highway remains blocked for half a year because of the accumulation of heavy snow. The Zoji La Pass becomes insurmountable when layers upon layers erase its traces. The white drape thickens to the extent that Zoji La’s crests and troughs go invisible and the mammoth mountain becomes like a limestone pyramid. It is impossible to trace a truck that might have been abandoned by its owners on the tracks before the heavy snowfall started. Once the highway is blocked due to heavy snow, it can reopen only after six months!

THRILL CHILLS is difficult to convince a cab driver for travel to faraway Sonamarg on an overcast morning when the weatherman’s predictions for moderate to heavy rains in the plains and snowfall in the upper reaches are repetitive in news bulletins. What’s encouraging is that a dozen-odd passenger cabs are ready to launch at Tourist Reception Centre, probably the

IT

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last caravan to meander through Zoji La pass this year. “Routinely, the road is blocked for vehicular traffic in the last week of November. This year, the traffic is on in December. It is risky but many Ladakhis don’t mind jumping the gun. It is touch and go. Either you manage to cruise through or your vehicle is stranded for many months”, an SUV driver tells us.

Muhammad Ramzan’s fears are not hefty for

he is not an ordinary cab driver. Negotiating tough roads mostly in Kashmir’s countryside during inhospitable weather conditions is his forte. I remember how he negotiated the cab a few years ago when a sudden snowfall caught us while approaching the Kaman Post, the last point on Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Uri region. The windscreen wiper of his cab developed snag. The snowflakes were hitting the windscreen, blurring

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and blocking vision. Every minute, Ramzan pushed his right arm out, curved it artfully to grasp the base of the wiper to stir it manually. The left hand managed the wheel in the meantime. It was a situation when halting the vehicle was as dangerous as driving it though the latter option was much preferred. He continued to drive almost foot by foot until the dangerous area was negotiated. The experience inflicted heavy numbness in his right hand.

Sonamarg is more than 85 km from Srinagar.

As we embark on Boulevard Road encircling the famed Dal Lake, a thick fog surrounds the area. It’s surreal, the lake seemingly vapourising into a gigantic, smoky nothingness. The weather takes a turn soon after we leave the lake behind. The smog disappears but tiny droplets begin hitting the windscreen. Soon a pattern of dots appears on the

glass, forcing Ramzan to check the wipers’ ability.

“It is working”, he declares with a grin.

By the time we reach Ganderbal, the rainfall picks up and the temperature plummets after every kiometre. “It is going to be a heavy snowfall today”, Ramzan quips. “Yesterday evening, strong winds blew and now it is profusely raining. It will be followed by heavy snowfall”, he explains.

According to a Kashmiri saying, “Snow comes majestically. First, the wind sweeps and then rains clean up the surface. Finally snow comes and settles on a clean surface.”

And the pattern is quite visible. After a few minutes, the rain drops become thicker, gradually darkening and blobbing up as snowflakes. By the time we are negotiating a bridge over the Sindh rivulet, one of the major tributaries to Jhelum River, the snowfall becomes steady, rapidly

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changing the colour of countless pebbles and rocks spread out before us. At first, the snow caps each pebble. Then the creamy white melts and drips join each other to form a wave. Finally, the troughs fill up with more snow, enveloping all rough edges and equalising all features in the sameness of a white shroud. Only the flowing stream slips through the cracks. Around us, the imposing mountains suddenly seem eerie, like ancient raconteurs with flowing white beards, counting time and tide, ageing gracefully with fresh snow, layer upon layer. Their peaks remain hidden under dark clouds, ominous, frosty and waiting to explode. And when they do, they wipe out all oddities, human and natural, into unequivocal evenness. It’s skyfall.

Lakes around

Sonamarg GANGBAL: Located at the foot of the majestic Harmukh mountain, Gangabal lake has an average altitude of 12,000 ft. It is about 3.5 km long and half a km wide with a depth of 80 m. Formed by the melting waters of Harmukh glacier, some people believe that Gangabal is the source of Sindh rivulet. Trekkers take several days from Naranag to Gangabal lake to Sonamarg through the mountain valleys. The route is dotted with several other lakes like black water lake known as Bramsaar, a hot water lake called Sukhnag and Dukhnag.

VISHANSAR: This is located at 3,710 meters, 35 kilometres from Sonamarg market. This high altitude alpine lake is one kilometre long and 600 metres wide. It freezes during winter as the entire region is covered with several metres of snow.

KISHANSAR: Situated 3,801 m above sea level, this is visually stunning, mirroring the Kishansar peak in its still waters.

GADSAR: Perched 3,600 m above sea level, this is considered one of the highest altitude lakes in the Kashmir region. It is 28 km from Sonamarg and sits among snow-capped mountains. The pristine lake changes colours as per weather conditions.

On a clear day, it is dark blue and when clouds roll in, it turns a deep green. Witnessing sunrise and sunset here is the most mesmerising experience.

You would find the famous brown trout here.

NUNDKOL: This one is a small but beautiful lake with crystal clear water. At the foothills of Harmukh, the trek to this lake meanders through gorgeous valleys and flower-decked foothills. In summers, the lake basin surrounded by a sheet of Alpine flowers like the geum, blue poppy, potentilla and gentian. Hedysarum flowers are found in late spring. Licensed anglers can fish for trout.

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SKI, A METAPHOR wonder then that Sonamarg, at 2,730 metres, is one of the first places in Kashmir where heli-skiing was introduced decades ago, the snow cascading down its lofty slopes and deep valleys. I remember global heli-skier Sylvan Sudan who came here with his group. After checking in at the lone luxury hotel (now there are a few more) Lalit Grand in the lap of Zabarwan hills in Srinagar, they would board a helicopter at Nehru Guest House in the morning and head for Sonamarg peaks on a clear winter day. They would spending their days meandering through the virgin peaks. This winter, these slopes

LITTLE

are being opened to skiers again. Locals abandon Sonamarg during the harshest spell of winter, Chillai Kalan (from December 21 to January 31), Chillai Khurd (February 1 -20) and Chill Bacha (February 21 to 28), even as skiers look for magic.

My first run was all about crash, boom, bang but in the end, I can still look up at the mountain and tell myself at least I had made it down. I remember the whooshing wind around my ears, the pines blurring into a silver grey around me and the snowmelt accelerating my skidding skis, pushing me forward by leaps and bounds. For the first time, I felt good about being out-of-control; it restored my faith that sometimes it’s okay to let go. In skiing, much like life, you can never stop or go backwards, you just

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have to bend your knees and keep going forward like an arrow. No matter if everything around me seems falling apart, a bump of a shrub, a sharp turn, whistling past a tree stump, grating past a tree trunk and zigzagging by survival instinct...but skiing here has taught me that there is even grace in a fall.

The slopes of Sonamarg have always challenged the human spirit from the days of the Silk Route when it was a stopover for trundling caravans and merchants.

Today, travellers on the Srinagar-Leh highway pass through while a majority of Amarnath pilgrims halt here before embarking on the Baltal trek to access the holy cave.

CRYSTAL-GAZING offers glimpses of snow even in the peak of summers. Many travellers who arrive in Kashmir on scorching days (30oC is scorching by Kashmir standards) and want to have a glimpse of accumulated snow are guided to Sonamarg. That’s the time when you should head out seven kilometres ahead to the Thajiwas glacier. With partially frozen lakes, green waters peeping with a slip of a sunbeam, plateaus, snowfields, pine trees and islets, the Thajiwas glacier can be reached on the back of a sturdy pony. A sledge-ride on glacial snow works too.

As the glacier ambles out before me, a massive crystalline platform, I climb its slippery and hard ice.

This is an exercise in assumption as the surface ice belies the thinness of the sheet or millwells (sink holes formed by melting waters) beneath you. But today the ice gets denser, and I find it difficult to take each step, my legs clamming and freezing up in the effort, my shoes threatening to sit back instead. For reference sake, let me tell you that the climax of Bajrangi Bhaijaan was shot around the base of the glacier. A few guys offer me sledging services on a wooden plank. I negotiate a price with them and glide down easily. My skiing days are behind me as I cruise down effortlessly down the churned up track, ice shelves guarding me on both sides....me floating down and down, lazy and ceaseless... and leaving my mark on the snow.

SONAMARG

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BRUSHSTROKES Goa Centre for the Arts in Panaji

has a beach address

The new

(Left to right) Art Chamber at Calangute and the exterior of Casa de Menezes

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IN Once an isolated retreat of writers and artistes, looking for their personal muse, Goa is now poised to be the country’s new art hub.

MAYABHUSHAN lists the hotspots

trying to explain the art scene in Goa, there are a few metaphors more apt than that of a jackfruit — a bulky, spiny tropical fruit, often found hanging by the bunch from the non-descript trees which you drive by along the countryside in summer.

If the unceasing, drug-induced rave parties and the Electronic Dance Music dos make up for the Western Indian state’s harsh obvious edginess, much like the absolutely coarse thorny exterior of the jackfruit, dive deeper into its soft, succulent maw and you will find a facet of Goa that deigns to reveal itself as it pleases.

Goa’s avatar as a destination for the finer arts (and we are seriously moving away from the xacuti, feni, sorpotel here) is perhaps its best kept secret. Despite the fact that its sons of the soil, FN Souza, V Gaitonde and Mario Miranda, are saluted, feted, admired and acquired around the world today. The former Portuguese colony, which attracts hundreds and thousands of tourists every year for merriment and a spot of beach and fun, has come into its own over the last few years as a destination for art, artistes as well as aficionados.

Perhaps it’s the uniqueness of its culture – unlike the rest of India, which was ruled by the British for only a couple of centuries, Goa was under Portuguese yoke for four-and-a-half centuries — its natural beauty, the languid social landscape and its seemingly bohemian spirit or a mix of all the factors which is working in its favour. The market in Goa is still small but the local population is now regularly exposed to art events and are slowly appreciating and acquiring the best works.

As far as artists go, Goa has plenty of talent. So far they have had to exhibit their work outside in order to gain recognition. The number of students choosing art as a career is on the rise and so is the count of

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art galleries and promoters. Even popular art forms such as graffiti are being taken up by young artists to express themselves.

“Goa is fast transforming into a cultural hub. Many celebrated and emerging artists have moved to the state from big cities and this fosters an atmosphere of sharing, collaboration, experimentation and of course, expanding the boundaries of artistic discourse and practice,” says Leandre D’Souza, curator of the Sensorium Festival of Arts, Literature and Ideas, which is being organised at the Sunaparanta – Goa Centre for the Arts located at the Altinho hilltop in Panaji.

“The idea behind Sensorium is to bring visual arts, performance, music, drama and dance to a wider audience,” she adds.

Needless to say, Goa being the distillate of the global melting pot, spread among languid beaches, with its ceaseless rhythm of a life by the sea, its easy flow and tenor have drawn creative minds. For some time now, artistes and writers have retreated into their country homes to look for their muse in the idyllic Konkan, enwrapped by its verdant groves. And much like Ulysses, they have stayed back to engage in dialogue with each other and now, a community around them.

Exhibits at Sensorium

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FOR THE PAST DECADE, I HAVE BEEN ENGAGED WITH HISTORIES OF GOA. IT HAS HAD A VERY TUMULTUOUS PAST, WITH DIFFERENT EMPIRES PRESIDING OVER ITS DESTINY, EACH LEAVING A MARK ON ITS CHEQUERED HISTORY — SUBODH KERKAR Floating Rocks by Yahel Chirinian at her Monsoon Heritage studio

FOR

example, the 2015 edition of Sensorium responded to the idea of LOVE in its various avatars, a visual spiral that took the audience along a beautiful, unpredictable, extraordinary, painful and frightful journey, all of this conveyed through installations, sculptures, paintings, videos, mixed media work by some of the world’s most celebrated Indian artists.

Some of the events were the Cenere Project by Italian musicians Allulli, Ceccarelli and the Fraboni Trio in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Centre and the rendition of The Twelfth Night by the UK’s acclaimed Filter Theater Group, in partnership with the British Council, which gave the local audience a taste of Shakespearean love and tragedy. Sensorium will also feature a constellation of Indian and international contemporary visual artists from

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the star stables of Nature Morte, Photoink, Vadehra Art Gallery, Lakeeren Gallery, Experimenter and Jhaveri Contemporary.

“THE

Sensorium festival at Sunaparanta will host a few events in January, including the annual lecture delivered by Dr Vidya Dehejia and the Shanghvi Salon featuring author Siddharth Dhanvant Shanghvi in conversation with contemporary artist Bharti Kher,” says Isheta Salgaocar, Executive Director of the Sensorium edition: LOVE. The event began on December 14 and will wind up on February 19, 2016.

Art installation at the Museum of Goa

Over at Pilerne in North Goa, a 20-minute drive from Panaji, the newly opened art space MOG, which means “love” in Konkani, has already created waves within a month of its inauguration. Its first exhibition Gopakapattanam — named after the region’s first fort which was built by kings of the Kadamba dynasty — was the first attempt at looking inward into Goa’s latent history. “For the past decade, I have been engaged with histories of Goa. It has had a very tumultuous past, with different empires presiding over its destiny, each leaving a mark on its chequered history. Though the influences of 450 years of

THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS CHOOSING ART AS A CAREER IS ON THE RISE AND SO IS THE NUMBER OF ART GALLERIES AND PROMOTERS — DAEGAL GODINHO

Portuguese rule are most visible, many previous influences have survived the onslaught of time and can be traced to antiquity,” says installation artiste Subodh Kerkar, the man behind MOG. According to him, the sea has much to do with how the region has developed and shaped over the centuries. “The sea has played an important role in Goa’s history. The waves that unfurl across 100 km of Goa’s coast have not just carved and shaped rocks but also ideas, dreams and narratives… I became so fascinated with all these forces, as well as the stories that connected them, that unknowingly, history became a footnote to almost every work I created. I decided to work on sculptures, drawings, paintings, installations, videos and documentaries in response to Goa’s histories,” he says.

THE ART CHAMBER LOCATED IN CALANGUTE IS RUN BY ARTIST YOLANDA DE SOUSA KAMMERMEIR, WHICH DISPLAYS HER ART AS WELL AS THAT OF YOUNG GOA-BASED ARTISTS

KERKAR

has roped in

20 accomplished artistes, including the likes of Pablo Bartholomew, Friso Wittevenn

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(Netherlands) Urmila VG, Munir Kabani, Sanjeev Khandekar, Harshada Kerkar, to create his inaugural spread. “Instead of presenting only my own works, I spoke to other artists and requested them to explore histories through their own works as well. Gopakapattanam is the fruit of this collective endeavour. Apart from being an artistic exercise, it is also a unique pedagogical experiment of narrating history through a contemporary idiom,” he says. Curated by Dr Kerkar and German gallerist Peter Mueller, this one will be on display up to January 25.

Down south in Majorda, a beautiful palm-dotted coastal village, it’s time to seize the moment. Carpe Diem, the art and learning centre located in this village and run by Daegal Godinho, has a solo exhibition of paintings by local artist Mohan Naik from January 9 to 31, apart from classes at the in-house ceramic workshop every Wednesday. “Goa has a lot of talented artists who have often had to exhibit their work outside

THE ART SCENE IN GOA HAS BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD. THE GALLERIES NEED TO SUSTAIN AND KEEP PROMOTING ART. MORE THE MERRIER IS THE KEY. GOA BEING A TOURIST HUB IN INDIA HAS AN ADVANTAGE AND CAN BECOME A NATIONAL ART HUB. OPENING ART MUSEUMS AND GALLERIES AROUND THE STATE WILL DRIVE THE ART SCENE HERE FORWARD — DAVIS DE MENEZES

to gain recognition. Now they not only have takers at home but a creative environment to challenge themselves,” says Godinho.

THE

centre offers a café for refreshments as well as a cosy art and lifestyle store on the premises located near Our Lady of Guadalaupe in Batim village about 10 km from Panaji.

Over the last one year, Carpe Diem has hosted several successful exhibitions such as one of abstracts

by Goan artist Suhas Shilker as well as by internationally acclaimed artist Hesham Malik to name a few.

Commenting on the increasing interest in the art scene in Goa, Godinho says that art galleries need to step up the act vis-a-vis promotion of artists and art rather than just acting as “middle-men” selling art. “What we need to realise is that art galleries greatly help in the promotion and recognition of artists and art in the state as well as in raising their value and hence should not be

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NOT TO BE MISSED IS THE STUDIO OF FRENCH ARTISTE YAHEL CHIRINIAN, WHO IS WELL KNOWN FOR HER STUNNINGLY DELIGHTFUL MIRRORED MOSAICS DEDICATED TO ABSTRACT FORMS AS WELL AS HINDU DEITIES

treated in a negative light or bypassed by artists in general,” he says.

Promoting local artists and art is one thing, doing the same out of a gloriously maintained three-century old home like Casa Menezes is something else altogether. Proprietor Davis de Menezes will also be hosting an exhibition of watercolours on paper and a group show with various Goan artists in January at his mansion, which is used as a heritage homestay as well as an art gallery called Sala de Kala. It is a great setting for collectors and critics to view the works again and again without the pressure of a rush.

“The primary focus in the last year has been on promoting local talent and Goan artists. We have had group shows. Goa has more Marios (Mario Miranda) and

Fonsecas (Angelo de Fonseca) and younger artists have to work towards the benchmark. Let’s work and hope for the best while creativity flows,” he says.

SALA

de Kala has in the recent past hosted Vitesh Naik and his “Christian art” series, Sidharth Gosavi’s “Apealution” series based on mankind’s evolution from the ape, Hithesh Pankar’s six panel work “Old Goa Feast” and so on.

Promoting Goa as a destination for art will pay rich dividends for tourism in Goa, says de Menezes. “The art scene in Goa has brighter days ahead.

The galleries need to sustain and keep promoting art. More the merrier is the key. Goa being a tourist hub in India has an advantage and can become a national art hub. Opening art museums and galleries around the state will drive the art scene here forward,” he said.

Goa is already home to the famous Christian art museum, one of the only such repositories of Christian art in Asia. The museum, located in the Old Goa Church complex, around 10 km from Panaji, has an exquisite collection of sculptures, furniture, ivory, paintings and jewellery dating back to the Portuguese colonial days. The coast was first conquered by the Lusofonian forces way back in the 1500s.

The Big Foot Cross Museum, located in Loutolim, 40 km from

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Panaji, boasts over 1450 crosses from Goa and all over the world, which are emblematic of the state’s rich Roman Catholic history.

There are other pit stops which aficionados must drop by during their visit here. Not to be missed is the studio of French artiste Yahel Chirinian, who is well known for her stunningly delightful mirrored mosaics dedicated to abstract forms as well as Hindu deities.

The Art Chamber located in Calangute is run by artist Yolanda de Sousa Kammermeir, which displays her art as well as that of young Goa-based artists.

Gallery Gitanjali located in the quaint Latin quarter of Panaji is also a popular art hub and a must-stop. Carpe Diem has a guesthouse thoughtfully called the Rainbow’s End. Goa’s arc of creativity spans wider.

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DESIGNER SPEAK

return of the

native The

You may not have seen him showcase his craft at major fashion events of late.

Designer HEMANT TREVEDI believes in the philosophy, ‘Why scream when you can whisper and still be heard?’ SHRABASTI MALIK catches up with him at the Rajasthan Heritage Week in Jaipur

PERHAPS

he came ahead of his time. Been there, done that. Dressed up our beauty pageants and set up a design studio, the first of its kind in Bombay, that dictated the choices of the swish set.

He was fresh breath energy much before the big Western brands shaped the choices of an emergent

India. He was more ceremonial than what the wedding industry can sustain today. Yet he chose to stay in the shadows and resurfaced in Jaipur last month to rescue the grandeur of the simple khadi. The occasion? Rajasthan Heritage Week.

The reason: He could not say no to its creative director Prasad Bidapa, and second, it gave him

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quite unlike his lavish creations as head of Sheetal Design Studio and many flamboyant fashion weeks. Long after his last outing in 2003, he has gone back to digging the roots of Indian craftsmanship and developed a line of formal and semi-formal separates for men and women. Working in association with local Rajasthani weavers, he has not only resurrected their pride but also contemporised their art innovatively. “Khadi is an indigenous fabric, it spells freedom of the mind and I wanted to highlight this aspect. These materials have been crafted inch by inch by a human hand and it breathes in the body,” he said. The passion for everything hand-made, hand-spun and hand-woven echoes in his voice. “I see young designers replicating the West. I believe that if you are an Indian designer, embrace your own culture and craft. Why not create something which you can identify with?” asked the 56-year-old designer.

PHOTOS: SANJEEV KUMAR

THE

an opportunity to work with fabrics that are rooted to the Indian soil. “I’m an Indian and come from a land of colours, art and craft. And I have always believed in promoting handloom and hand-spun material through my work. If linen can command such attention, why can’t khadi? So, when Prasad asked me to be a part of the initiative, I just could not say no,” he smiled.

THE KHADI MAGIC collection at the Rajasthan Heritage Week was a modern take on khadi and vegetable dye block-printed handloom,

HIS

show opened with a female model gracefully swaying down the ramp in a long flowing dress, donning a sheer, block-printed black cape. He used block prints in some of the most unusual areas of garments — dupatta ends, lapels, stoles and scarves. We got to know later that they were rectangular pieces of fabric cut in panels. There were also beautiful strips of block prints at the bottom fold of pyjamas in the menswear collection. That apart, his men flaunted front open woollen khadi jackets and coats held in place with sashes in shades of dirty green, brown and black. One also reinvented a woollen khadi Nehru jacket with a hood no less.

Palazzos were aplenty, paired with long flowing coats, some with slits on the sides. We liked the kimono-style asymmetrical shrug cinched at the waist with a sash. Trevedi does not have a name for the cut. “The silhouettes do not have names. I just developed them from rectangular fabrics. I like the concept of origami and if you can replicate that in fabrics and drapes in a particular way, it turns into art,” he explained.

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dominated Trevedi’s collection and his inspiration came from the kalbelia dancers of Rajasthan. “I wanted to highlight the beauty of the costumes of the kalbelia dancers,” said he. The designer’s line also saw earthy shades of terracotta, sand dunes of the Thar and saffron. “I wanted to celebrate Rajput turbans and dhoti. There is a certain simplicity in a man in a lungi and I wanted to show that beauty,” he added.

BLACK

believed that the adage “out of sight, out of mind” would hold true for him. Only it wasn’t. “I guess it is because of the love of all my well-wishers and people who have appreciated and encouraged me all my life that I received such a stupendous response,” said the designer with a grin, perhaps the only one in the industry who does not have a PR team. “I like taking it slow and steady and try to let my work talk for me,” he averred.

THE LIFE CHANGER Trevedi was not like this earlier —

I was doing too many things at the same time. It was probably God's way of telling me to slow down done up the wardrobes of

HAVINGpageant queens like

Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta, Trevedi admitted that his ultimate fantasy was to make wearable clothes for every Indian girl and woman. “My creations should make them feel special about themselves. That’s why I incorporated so many layers to the design so that anyone can mix and match anything they want.

Fashion today has become very individualistic.

Now, more than ever, people know how to pair their clothes and appreciate an ensemble,” he pointed out.

The more we spoke to him, the more we realised that he did not expect the kind of response that he received (and by that we mean a standing ovation, several cat calls and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje congratulating him). He

BUTtaking such long sabbaticals. In and around 1999, he was a busy man, doing fashion shows, mentoring, designing and choreographing.

Life was on a roll before a fatal accident put him in coma for almost two weeks.

While many politely avoid talking about such deep personal tragedies, Trevedi gladly shared how that incident changed his life. “I was doing too many things at the same time. It was probably God’s way of telling me to slow down,” he said.

There have been several times when he wondered, “Why me?” It was during his recovery that he met someone who told him that God had chosen him because He believed that Trevedi had the strength to overcome hurdles and that anybody else would have succumbed to their injuries. “The accident has made me more tolerant and patient,” he shared. Such was the impact of the life-altering incident that even his visiting cards reflect it.

Trevedi wants the world to know just how fragile life is and is grateful to Nikunj Shah, the young man who designed his cards. The letter N in Hemant is a long hollow arc. “It signifies the transparency of life,” he said.

THE HUMBLE MAN is the first internationally trained Indian designer.

His academic career boasts of degrees from Technical College of Fashion, Perth (the first ever male graduate of the institute in 1979) and the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. One could only guess just how many international

TREVEDI

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labels had (and probably still have) their eyes on him. But he decided to return to India. He justified his decision, arguing, “It’s a place I call home. And why wouldn’t I? There was so much to explore, discover and work with in this country. Most NRIs come back and do something, don’t they?”

He then reminisced about his first job; teaching fashion at SNDT Women’s University in Mumbai.

“There I was, barely 19 and I had to teach this bunch of 18-year-old girls. They were all applying nail polish and waiting for their professor to come,” Trevedi laughed and blushed like a teenage boy.

Each time talk of his successes come up, he looks as if he wants to hide under a rock. It embarrasses him to celebrate his achievements, even though he has accomplished so much. Did you know that he was one of the eight designers from across the world chosen to be part of Idego, the biggest fashion fair in the world, in Dusseldorf, in 1996? The collection that he presented there was titled The Healing Colours of Ayurveda, much before back-to-the-roots was an industry mantra. “I developed something called the Vedic mode using fabrics like georgette, silk and crepe. The collection had shorts, long jackets, sweeping pants and halter tops in colours of Indian spices like cardamom, herbs, roots and seeds; everything that has healing properties,” he said. A little more nudging and he

very shyly told us how he was the first Indian to be invited to the Collection Premier Dusseldorf in 1999 and 2001. “I presented the Spring Summer collection there,” he shared.

NO BOLLYWOOD DREAMS a time when there were no design initiatives

ATin this part of the world, he was the only

trained designer exposed to international trends.

And even though he knew them at the back of his hand, he chose to draw inspiration from his roots.

This is the reason why, unlike Manish Malhotra and Neeta Lulla, Trevedi does not design for Bollywood and voluntarily chooses to stay away from glamour. He pointed out, “Why do you think I do not work for the film industry? I take my craft very seriously. It is my art. I cannot have someone instructing me and indicating specifications like wanting a cloth so fine that strong light would highlight the actor’s contour. Neither can I buy clothes and materials from abroad and toss them off as costumes. India is a land of myriad costumes, silhouettes and most importantly the nine magic yards of fabric. I like to design clothes which are comfortable.” And are we glad that he does!

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Bespoke

fashion Committed to bringing trend-setting designs, Frontier Bazar in Karol Bagh recently hosted Timeless Elegance, an exclusive in-store fashion show, presenting its latest bridal collection 2015-16

sashayed down in creations exemplifying Frontier Bazar's love for India's vivacious craftsmanship, rich history of textiles and elegant drapes featuring regal karigari. The collection had some intricately designed fairy tale bridal lehengas,

Models

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designer suits, luxe anarkalis, stunning Indo-westerns, elegant gowns and an eclectic selection of hand-crafted heritage sarees designed for the dream bride.

Incorporating the legendary weaves of India, the collection used lost craftsmanship of the rich traditions across India.

Synonymous with women’s ethnic wear marked by authentic designs and quality, Frontier Bazar began its journey in 1947 in Phagwara, Punjab where Bansi Lal Batra began retailing women's ethnic wear. From there, the chain now has a store in Karol Bagh and Rajouri Garden. Every season, it has brought forth exciting trends, path-breaking styles and iconic designs that have ruled enviable wardrobes.

The stunning lehengas in vibrant palettes befit regal wedding

dreams, capturing the fancy of even bridesmaids. Featuring designs in fabulous cuts, vivid embroidery and meticulous handwork, every piece is exclusively tailored to perfection.

With fairy tale gowns, embellished lehengas to handcrafted saris, the diverse collection will definitely make your distinct bridal dream come true. The show received overwhelming response and accolades from patrons and buyers alike. “With this range, we explore modern hues that are big on the international ramp, cuts that are a global rage and yet at the same time pay tribute to quintessentially Indian couture that compliments the woman of today while keeping her true to her roots.

It's a saga of timeless elegance,� said Tarsem Lal Batra, CEO, Frontier Bazar.

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GAME CHANGER

Chasing a ball with mallets while controlling frenzied ponies galloping on lush green grounds has caught the fancy of the rich and famous for years. The seduction of the sport has been in existence since it was first played in the villages of Manipur.

Inspired by the same, the then British Army structured what today is known as polo. Let’s take a glance at where the sport stands today in India, the home of modern polo. By DEVI SINGH

POLO

went public for the first time in 1862 at the historical Calcutta Polo Club, the oldest of its kind in the world.

Subsequently, more clubs were set up in cantonments of Barrackpore, Cawnpore and Meerut. The sport further travelled down south in a few years and by 1870 gained its foothold in India. From royals to the Army and now corporate India, “the sport of kings� is the latest youth obsession.

One of the oldest team sports, the thrill, excitement and adventure associated with it not only makes it perfect to watch but also do your own chukker.

(Left) Actor Randeep Hooda at the launch of his polo club in Gurgaon.

(Above) Sanjay Kapur in action during a polo match

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THE SPECTATOR SPORT

IN

its contemporary form, polo has emerged as more of a spectator sport with the backing of corporate houses sponsoring various tournaments. “I would say the glamour comes from the horse which has a noble appeal to it. The horses galloping at 45 km per hour make for some excellent photography,” says Col Tarun Sirohi, Co-Founder, Gurgaon Polo and Equestrian Club.

High end luxury brands sponsoring the game have turned the sport more chic with high teas on the side. Little wonder then that an aspirational lifestyle has now become synonymous with the sport. The face behind this new culture belongs to Adhiraj Singh, who is instrumental in revival of polo in modern times as a glamorous event. He organises matches, bringing in celebrities, big sponsors and uber stylish spectators. His equestrian and polo management company, Equisport, was the first in the country to do so, raising polo matches to the level of the derby. But this could only happen with the backing of sponsors.

“As far as sponsorship goes, it’s limited to very high end niche brands which can be seen in big

Neha Dhupia at Asia Cup polo match at Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai

events like the Indian Open or Masters. There’s a limited crowd which watches polo, making it a high end spectator sport. I’m not sure how many of them understand the game but they definitely like watching it. Besides it’s not available on television. So people like to come out on a Sunday, to experience the exclusivity. Luxury is an experience,” says Sanjay Kapur, industrialist, owner and player, Sona Polo team.

Many luxury brands like Bvlgari, Dom Perignon, BMW and Jaeger-LeCoultre among others have hosted and sponsored polo and continue doing so. But the glitch is these brands only sponsor tournaments and not teams or players which hamper the growth of the sport.

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THE ARMY HALT

MOST

of the polo clubs in India are run on government land or belong to the Army. At least 10 out of all the clubs under Indian Polo Association (IPA) are not functional. Many of these clubs don’t even have memberships. Elaborating on the same, Col Sirohi says, “Although Army Polo Riding Club (APRC) is the top club in the country in terms of infrastructure, it has no access. Even if people have money and the will to learn, there is no access to polo in the NCR since the Army Polo Club stopped membership for civilians. This was because of an audit which prohibits any civilian activity on government or defence land.”

Not many clubs under IPA are active anymore as there are not many players around. “Even the Calcutta polo club, which is the oldest in the country, is in a state of semi-coma as there’s a disagreement between the club and the Army as to who the land belongs to,” he adds.

THE CORPORATE STORY

POLO’S

(Top to bottom) Actor Randeep Hooda at his polo club in Gurgaon and Narendra Singh at a polo match at Royal Western India Turf Club in Pune

corporate image has much to do with it becoming a ruse for networking. “Polo is the new boardroom for corporates. It’s like a chain reaction, one of them joins, five more join in. It’s a good balance as they are the ones who are ultimately putting in the money. This way we can subsidise polo for the commoners,” says Col Sirohi.

“Every sport needs an audience and patrons and if young executives are the ones, then why not? It is indeed a sport associated with glamour and that can’t be changed. The key lies in keeping it aspirational and attracting youth towards it. My idea is to bring more people in contact with the horses which will also increase our spectator base.

People who are genuinely passionate about the game will eventually pursue the sport,” says Randeep Hooda, actor and co-founder, Gurgaon Polo and Equestrian Club.

“I would equate the corporates to modern day maharajas as they have the money and outlook

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needed to invest in polo. If there is more sponsorship, youngsters can think of becoming professional polo players. Today there is enough money flowing in the sport which wasn’t there around 20 years ago. Top players like Samir Suhag and Basher Ali earn around a crore in six months,” shares Col Sirohi.

Kapur is also keen on roping in the youth.

“Maintaining a horse is not cheap. We should encourage younger players by buying horses for them. I give my team players an opportunity to play outside of the Sona team whenever required. That is how I encourage them.”

“I

MOTIVATION MANTRA

didn’t open a club thinking people will flock to the place because of my celebrity status. It was always my dream to give an apt platform for equestrian facilities,” shares Hooda. The reason behind setting up a club in Haryana was not because it was his home turf. The symbolism of Jaipur and infrastructure of Delhi made him select Gurgaon as a location for his team Royal Roosters.

He emphasises that it is not expense but access

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which stops people from pursuing aspirational sports like polo. His approach is more holistic than concentrating on just one aspect of the sport. “I want to create young horse riders. I want to expose kids to nature,” says he. Agrees Angad Kalaan, polo player and co-founder, Haryana Polo Club. “People should learn polo simply because it is a great sport involving a communication with an intelligent animal like the horse.”

“A decade ago there were more teams compared to what we have today. But I think as far as India is concerned, it will never have more than six teams playing. The solution is more infrastructure, better grounds and overall encouragement of young players. Even schools should have polo facilities,” adds Kapur.

WILL A LEAGUE HELP?

THE

commercial potential of polo could be tapped with a league being introduced. It might help the sport which has so far remained restricted to its rich and elite patrons. “We need to put polo on television to make it more accessible to the masses. People will get more aware through a certain league

formation. More sponsors will kick in which will encourage people to learn the sport,” says Hooda.

The only question is will a league break the elitist image of the sport by taking it to the masses, which is crucial for the commercial success of the league? Narendra Singh, from the royal family of Jaipur, says, “Polo should always be remembered as a royal sport. People value it because of its exclusive appeal which it should retain.”

“We need more spectators for the survival of the sport. The aspirational quality will always be there but I don’t think anybody has the sole right to play polo, it’s nobody’s domain,” counters Hooda.

“Royals are not doing much for the survival of the sport. It’s the commoners who are playing it right now. Polo could become big if it gets the media coverage reserved for cricket,” adds Suresh Tapuriah, Bombay Polo Club.

However, much as Kapur would want that too, he worries if infrastructure is enough for the success of a league. “You need large grounds for polo, somewhere close to 12 acres. It’s difficult to have a set-up in terms of land and horses, so a league on the lines of IPL may not be easy,” he adds. But so long as there is galloping of intent, who knows?

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BLITHESPIRIT

A countdown to melting yourself down in the New Year India's first French-qualified Sommelier and the oldest wine professional in the country Magandeep Singh

RESOLUTION

times are truly trying. First, we are expected to make noble statements. Then we must abide by them for as long as we can. Eventually when we succumb to an inevitable failing, much to our ridicule and the enjoyment of our friends, they just can’t seem to wipe off that “I knew it” grin.

Every year we resolve to achieve stranger and more attainable goals. Why can’t our resolutions ever include one which instructs us to not make any more resolutions in the future ever? But I am not here to question general wisdom, instead here are a few more to add to your list — some heady options to put ticks beside in the coming year.

MEZCAL I thought this drink would have caught on by now but it seems to be taking its time. It is Tequila’s country cousin and guaranteed to bring the party every time it comes to town. With a mixer or just on the rocks, it is a lovely, flavourful sip with some herbaceous and earthy notes.

COCKTAILS Speaking of mixed drinks, make it a point to hit at least five good bars this year. Bars that are renowned for the quality of cocktails they churn out. Cocktails & Dreams is one, PCO is another. There’s

PDT in Mumbai which is good too although I’d boycott it for the sheer plagiarism (they copied the name and concept from a famous NYC bar of the same name without any acknowledgements whatsoever).

And recently I had some lovely ones at the Atrium lounge at The Taj Land's End. Find a fifth one (AER at Four Seasons or the bar at the newly-opened St Regis linger on my mind) and your resolution is resolutely fulfilled.

SAKE The famous Japanese ferment is so pricey that it makes good wine appear cheaper and yet what it packs by way of elegance and subtlety is unparalleled. From the purer styles of a Junmai Daiginjo to an oak-aged Taru, or a more rustic Honjozo, there are many styles and each one is best suited to a particular setting or dish. When you want a break from wine and can’t be bothered with beer, this is your ferment of choice.

BEER But how could we leave out this lovely brew? I am a big beer lover and it is gladdening to see so many styles and brands make India their destination. Bira 91 is the current market leader with decent versions of wheat and a lager.

What is awaited next are good hoppy IPAs and micro-breweries in the capital/NCR which are worth their malt; for the moment most serve nothing more than glorified dishwater.

WINE In the world of wines, look forward to the produce form Portugal, one of the best places to scout for value-formoney wines. They are also unique in that the

grapes are exclusive to their vineyards and not to be found anywhere else. Other countries of prominence could include Georgia, Greece, Spain, Chile and Argentina.

SPARKLING WINES Champagne is always good but there is a world of fizzy wines out there to try. If (and that can be a big if) you ever find yourself bored of the good stuff, try and find some English sparkling wine; it’s all the rage at the moment. So much so that even the Champenoise are trying to find a small patch of land in the UK countryside to make sparkling wine there. Else Italy is always reliably present. Cava by Gramona from Spain is among the finest products out there, so definitely try that. And if we can get some South African Cap Classique coming in, it would be just splendid.

PISCO Be it Chilean or Peruvian, Pisco is a lovely grape-based distillate, extremely aromatic and smooth on the palate. Best consumed in the classic Pisco sour mix (shaken with sugar, lemon juice and egg white over ice) it is a great drink for summers.

And of course winters. And it’s not too bad in autumn and sprint too. You get the drift…

So clearly the homework is set and it’s time to get busy. Take up these activities alone or combined but ensure it is conducted in moderation and under the accompanied supervision of good friends for that only makes the exercise more rewarding. And do get back and tell me how it all went. We can always add some more to the list, purely for sake of assignment; we’ll just file it under extracurricular activities then.

CHART TOPPER

Genre-llyspeaking WITH ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC CONTINUING TO RULE THE ROOST, CHRISTY VARGHESE LISTS A FEW GENRES FOR YOU TO LEAN ON

DURING

the past couple of years, Electronic Dance Music has grown to become more than a household term. For some, it has become the very definition of popularity. Though it is a given fact that all instances of music under a particular genre won’t be “good”, one should first try to understand that categorisations are just a technicality. Still, we list some which you just might want to check out.

DUBSTEP When people say dubstep, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is the grimy beat and the heady tempo. You must not be aware that many have been playing with this genre, fine tuning it until something ear-worthy emerges. Many sub-genres of dubstep like jazzstep (or dubstazz— an amalgamation of jazz and dubstep) have developed. Many instances of this music seem monotonous but artistes like Goth Trad seem worth the effort of sifting through bland repetitive beats.

ELECTRO SWING Electro swing combines the influence of vintage or modern swing and/or jazz mixed with house, hip hop and electronic elements. Successful examples of this genre create a dance-floor focussed sound that retains the energetic excitement of the early lilting swing rhythms. The one-off single We No Speak Americano

by Australian duo Yolanda Be Cool Vs DCUP is one popular example. Pieces like Booty Swing and The Mojo Radio Gang by the pioneer of electro swing, Parov Stelar, are worth listening to.

DOWNTEMPO MUSIC Alternatively referred to as “chillout” or “ambient” music, downtempo has amassed strength in terms of fan-following over the last couple of years. It consists of electronically manipulated slow-paced beats with a soothing rhythm that is adept at inducing relaxation. Though there are many accomplished artistes, Phaeleh is a prominent one.

Check out his remix of Ludovico Einaudi’s Walk.

UK DJ Phaeleh

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GURUSPEAK

HAPPINESS

is the one thing that everybody is seeking. People do find happiness but it is momentary; for couple of hours or days. True happiness is when you find inner stability and comfort. You know you are connected to something unimaginably bigger and that there is an unshakable power within you. Here are a few pointers to ensure that happiness simply wells up in you.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Spiritual Guru

HEALTH: In India, “swastha” refers to one who is established in oneself. A healthy person has a smile on the face, love in the heart and strength and vitality in the body. Seeing life with the eyes of wisdom makes negative emotions go away and you start smiling from the core of your being.

ONE WORD THAT WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH BUT OFTEN IGNORE IS HAPPINESS. A NEW YEAR IS LIKE A NEW BEGINNING, SO WHY NOT START BY EMBRACING HAPPINESS AND LIVING A FULLER LIFE

Inner

healing EXOTICA [126] JANUARY 2016

ATTACHMENTS: These cause feverishness that take away peace of mind. You are in pieces and fall prey to misery. Your first step is directing your attachment to the Knowledge and the Divine. Your non-attachment to the mundane is your charm. Your attachment to the Divine is your beauty.

PROBLEM: Five steps to solve a problem are as follows: 1) Accept the problem and see it as a challenge. 2) Know that the problem is not real. 3) Know that nature has provided you the solution even before giving you the problem. 4) If it concerns people, keep in touch with them instead of avoiding them. 5) Talk less and give time a chance.

INSECURITY: How much time have you spent being insecure and gloomy? It builds up toxins in your body.

Know that there are good people in the world who will come to your help. There is a power which will guide you and help you out. With this wisdom and understanding, get over your insecurity.

NEGATIVITY: This mindset needs a hook to hang on — this person or that thing. Negativity or aversion for even one person can guarantee a one-way ticket to hell — you need nothing else! Don't focus on the support of negativity; look at the seed. In a negative atmosphere, be like a drop of ghee and float.

SUCCESS: My parameter for success is an undying smile, a confidence that cannot be shaken and a fearless attitude.

Take life not as a struggle but as a challenge; not as a suffering but a way to express the multitude of emotions.

Break through all the barriers and feel that you are Blessed. This is the one and only step you have to take — the rest will happen happily enough. (www.artofliving.org)

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NUMBERGAMEIT

Sanjay Jumaani Numerologist

COUNT YOUR FATE 1 2

2016 will be ruled by number 9. It will Be governed by Mars, symbolising abundant energy. In terms of global warming (read warning), this could well be the hottest year ever. Let us analyse how 2016 would fare for people born on numbers 1 to 9

Ruled by the Sun, people born on the 1st, 10th, 19th and 28th. abundant energy of the sun can make your constructive ideas see the light of day if only channelised well. If not, it would be like a ticking grenade. In relationships, be patient and diplomatic, else there could be fallouts with loved ones. You will be healthier if you learn to draw a line between work and play.

THE

Ruled by Moon, people born on 2nd, 11th, 20th and 29th. could to a large extent come out of lethargy, restlessness and moodswings which means it’s time to put the dreamy ideas into play. But for this, you would need to pull up your socks and pick up the pace. Don’t be too much of a spendthrift. Have a peaceful state of mind by being with people you love.

YOU

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3

6

Ruled by Jupiter, people born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st and 30th that you are, your investments will grow if you show patience. Try not getting too authoritative. Don’t neglect loved ones in your endeavour to achieve more.

Ruled by Venus, people born on the 6th, 15th and 24th year for new projects or entrepreneurship. Those looking for matrimony should put their best foot forward. You will benefit from buying a vehicle or property. You won’t have to worry about health.

Ruled by Uranus, people born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd and 31st year will be a mixed bag in terms of opportunities. Treat this as a learning experience. Avoid being outspoken and try to be a good listener. Alternate remedies can help you battle health issues. You are likely to remain busy throughout the year.

Ruled by Neptune, people born on the 7th, 16th and 25th done this year shall determine the outcome of a more productive 2017.

Avoid getting in unnecessary arguments.

Mentally, you would feel more energetic. Travel could increase, even if not always for a holiday.

AMBITIOUS

4

THIS

5

Ruled by Mercury, people born on the 5th, 14th, 23rd melts with heat and 9, Mars (2016) is fiery, so like a pendulum, fortunes could swing either way.

Buoyancy might cause insecurities. Try to overcome fear by thinking constructively and be with positive-minded people.

MERCURY

9

A BETTER

7

GROUNDWORK

8

Ruled by Saturn people born on the 8th, 17th, and 26th year gone by may have been extreme but same may not be the case this time round. New beginnings could later translate into success if you can exude tolerance. You will find your confidence go up. Do not reduce the momentum and push harder towards your goals.

THE

Ruled by Mars, people born on the 9th, 18th and 27th could be in top form and raise the bar but be tolerant. The burst of energy should be channelised in a manner that can benefit many. Those of you who are looking for a career change can take a calculated risk. www.jumaani.com

YOU

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FITNESS

J

Bharat Thakur is a yoga expert and founder of Artistic Yoga

oint

exercise

SITTING REQUIRES LESS MUSCULAR EFFORT THAN STANDING BUT IT STILL CAUSES PHYSICAL FATIGUE (TIREDNESS) AND HOLDS PARTS OF YOUR BODY IN ONE POSITION FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME. EASE OUT WITH THESE ASANAS

WORK

always carries some health risks but we live in a time when computers, mobile phones and the internet dominate the lives of young people. Sitting requires less muscular effort than standing but it still causes physical fatigue. This reduces circulation of blood to your muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments, sometimes leading to stiffness and pain. If a work station has monitors, desks and chairs at wrong heights, it can invariably lead to bad posture.

To position the monitor at the right height for your back and neck makes you lift your arms and shoulders too high. But to position the keyboard at the best height for your arms and shoulders, you must hunch your shoulders and neck to see the monitor.

Additionally, muscles and tendons can become painful with repetitive

EXOTICA [130] JANUARY 2016

movements and awkward postures.

This is known as 'overuse injury' and typically occurs in the elbow, wrist or hand of computer users. Symptoms of these overuse injuries include pain, swelling, stiffness of the joints, weakness and numbness.

So, as we see, the neck, shoulders, arms, the spine and the body’s joints are at risk. It begins with sore muscles and aches which need to be taken seriously. Young working people must understand that if you don’t do anything about this, these can develop into more serious conditions (cervical spondylosis, tendonitis, lower back problems etc) that will affect the quality of your life in the years to come.

Yoga offers a range of exercises to help counter these problems. If parts of the body are already sore or stiff, it’s important to start with simple loosening up exercises and asanas.

Take a look at a few of them.

ARDHACHAKRASANA q Stand with back straight, feet slightly apart, arms by q q

q q q

your sides.

As you breathe in, raise your right arm up to shoulder level.

Turn your palm upwards and, stretching well, exhale as you raise your right arm over the head and stretch to the side.

Hold for 10-30 seconds, breathing normally.

Inhale and come back to start position.

Repeat the other side.

1

KATI CHAKRASANA q Stand with your feet together and arms q

2

q q q q

beside you.

Bending your elbows, wrap your left arm around your back and place your right arm on your left shoulder.

Twist your body towards your left, pushing your left shoulder as far back as possible.

Turn your head towards the left as well.

Hold for 10-30 seconds.

Repeat with right arm behind you, left hand on your right shoulder, head turning to the right.

TADASANA q Stand with your feet slightly apart, arms by your side.

3

q Breathing in, raise your arms above your head and bring your palms together, stretch

upwards and rise up on your toes, balancing your weight equally on both feet. q Hold for 10-15 seconds, breathing normally. q Breathe in, exhale as you come down to start position

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(b) SARNAGATMUDRA q From the start position of 4A,

(a) MARJARIASANA (Cat stretch)

4

q Come down on your hands and knees.

q q

q

q Place arms below your shoulders, knees in line with q

your hips. q Inhale as you look up, head upwards and dip the back. q Exhale and arch the

q

back, dropping the head to look at your navel. q Breathe in, come back to the start position.

q

Dos

sit back on your heels, hands on your knees.

Inhale as you raise your arms above your head.

Exhale slowly as you bend your body forward till your forehead touches the ground.

Make sure your buttocks are resting on your heels.

Breathe normally, relaxing the body.

Hold 10-30 seconds Breathe in as you slowly come up.

&dont’s

really feel the effects of practising yoga, you must commit to attending a class regularly.

TOI would recommend a minimum of three times a week. q Pick and commit to a class time that works for

you. Traditionally, yoga was done early in the morning as that was a time when the air was pure and there was no pollution. That is no longer the case. What is important in today’s busy world is to select a time that works for you — morning or evening — and commit to it . q Yoga is best done on an empty stomach and there should be a gap of at least three hours if you have had a heavy meal and one hour after a light snack. It is also advisable not to drink too much water before a class. q Wear comfortable clothing so that you can stretch easily and do asanas without any discomfort.

q It’s important to do a good warm-up and the yoga class you go to should have this in their session. q Doing yoga in a group class is a great motivator. However, don’t get competitive or discouraged if the person next to you is more flexible. Work at your own pace according to what your body can do and watch your own progress. q If you have a particular disease or medical condition, be patient. The effects of practising yoga can be seen in 30-90 days. To cure an ailment needs commitment and regular practice. q After a yoga session, it’s best to wait half-anhour before eating and an hour before bathing.

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AT L E I S U R E CULTURE CONNECT

JAIPUR LITERATURE FESTIVAL ninth edition of the highly anticipated Zee Jaipur Literature Festival will be held from January 21 to 25 at the historic Diggi Palace Hotel. Visitors can look forward to sessions by Tara Gandhi Bhattacharjee and Canadian author Margaret Atwood. Get to meet British comedian, actor and writer Stephen Fry and American photojournalist Steve McCurry among others.

THE

RANN UTSAV ready to be mesmerised by the most scenic celebration of life, festivities and culture of Kutch and Gujarat. The ongoing Rann Utsav, cradled in the largest salt marsh of the world - The Great Rann of Kutch, is a revival of local artisans, folk artists and musicians of Kutch. Listen to live music and watch artisans work on their crafts. The Utsav goes on till February 24.

BE

TECH TOYS

Check out some of the tech innovations hitting the market in 2016 HOLOLENS BY MICROSOFT: With this holographic computer, use simple hand gestures and voice to create and design holograms and communicate with people.

FOLDABLE SMARTPHONE BY SAMSUNG: Bend and fold the phone like plastic which fits into your pocket.

JIBO: A robot that can help out with daily tasks like sending reminders, taking photos and even having conversations with humans.

OCULUS RIFT: It’s a virtual reality headmounted display headset developed by Oculus VR. These are the first consumer-targeted virtual reality headsets.

THE WIRELESS SOUND SYSTEM BY DEVIALET PHANTOM: Dubbed as the best wireless speaker in the world, it has over 3,000 watts and offers an ultra-dense sound.

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SIGN OFF

By RINKU GHOSH

N

PORT BLAIR DIARY

ewspapers are always hungry about turnaround stories of India’s hinterland, of one-man crusaders who do the impossible and shape a little part of the nation’s collective destiny. Or smart cities and an emergent India, waiting to explode into the next big mushroom cloud of ideas. But in search of the newsmakers, we miss out on the real news.

A recent visit to Port Blair was quite the revelation.

Away from the mainland, you would believe that you are nothing better than a castaway in this historic capital of the islands. But on a moonlit evening that gently swivels into the night, this promenade town’s vibrancy did take me by surprise. So much so that I would recommend an easy evening here, in the microcosm of a changing India.

First of all, Port Blair, though seen as a one-time colonial outpost of oppression, has indeed come of its own. It has proudly made the Swachch Bharat Movement its credo. For all its cosmopolitan cauldron of settlers and tourists, Port Blair is a neat little town with clean roads, luscious foliage, where even an abandoned house with slanting roofs has character. My night crawl began with a leisurely walk along the promenade (night lights across Andamans are shaded so as not to disturb nocturnal life) and a customary but voluntary visit to the son et lumiere at the Cellular Jail, where tales of the incarceration of our freedom fighters and spirit resonate with each roar of the distant wave.

I came away impressed by the disciplined queue of visitors, who spanned every profile and were engrossed in the hour-long proceedings in complete silence. Though the digital age has many diversions, this traditional format works with a centurion peepal tree as story-teller and witness, shedding light on the unbeatable resilience of our founding fathers, the sea connecting you to the

immediacy of the past. Words haven’t lost their power. As the light falls on the cells of Veer Savarkar or Ulhaskar, the sound of the trap door whooshing open at the gallows, the spotlight on the doom tower of the colonial guard and the resplendent tricolour across the facade of beehive cells do give you the goosebumps.

After such intense moments of total recall, I wandered around the bazaars, the mofussilised oeuvre seamlessly giving way to a bustling night of business. And walked in to the rooftop lounge at Sea Shell, one of the many upmarket hotels that dot the bay area and make for a relaxed evening. Smoking is not allowed on the bay front but a rear terrace. The crowd that evening was a mixed bag of honeymooners, divers, the young and the restless, the old and the sedate. The Mizo singer, who is here on a six-month contract, belted out an amazing repertoire of classic Western rock and pop, ballads and love songs. Pleasantly, there was no loud and disgruntled hip hop, rap or Honey Singh in the channel music. The food was simply to die for, the seafood platter the freshest, lushest and with rounded cajun flavours, the crab cakes melt-in-the-mouth explosive.

But it is its young general manager Parvaiz, a boy from UP, who gave me a life lesson. Tired of his maniacal work life in Delhi, driving around and catering to unpredictable demands at The Leela, Chanakyapuri, he chucked it all for a posting in far away Andamans. He is at peace here, leading a balanced life. An ace diver in two years, he is an explorer of the waterworld and likes to walk his dog on the beach. He is working on harnessing solar energy, recycling waste and packaging idyll as the ultimate luxury. “What is life if not joyful and easy?” he asked. The lighthouse blinked in agreement.

EXOTICA

RNI NO. DELENG/2006/18084 POSTAL REGN. NO. DL (C)-01/1151/2016-2018 Posted at NDPSO on 10th, 11th & 12th of same month Published on 30th of Advance Month

VOL 10 NO 3 JANUARY 2016