Exotica may 2016

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 Assistant Editor Vaishali Dar Feature Writers 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

BHARAT PARIKRAMA

NOW

that my second term as Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha has come to an end, it is time to focus on some meaningful writing, which I have not been able to pursue for some time. As I have never quite fancied myself as a fiction writer, unlike some of my close friends from college — Amitav Ghosh being foremost among them — my genre will be confined to non-fiction works such as biographies, an autobiography, travelogue, Hindi film music and so on.

Shortly, Exotica readers will be offered a two-part travelogue, chronicling my car journey across the bulk of India: Delhi to Kochi via Kolkata and return from Kochi via Mumbai and Rajasthan. This approximately 10,000 km journey was undertaken between February and April this year, with a three-week break to attend the first part of the Budget Session in Delhi.

This journey completed my circumambulation of the Motherland; it was a journey of faith to pay tribute to Bharat Mata in her totality. Over the years, I have driven across snows in Ladakh, jungles in UP, steep hills in Sikkim, deserts in parts of Rajasthan and of course the vast Indo-Gangetic Plains from Wagah to Kolkata. Predictably, my one indulgence in life is a sturdy but comfortable SUV — I used to drive a Maruti Gypsy for many years followed by a Hyundai Terracan for over a decade and now I cruise in a Land Rover Discovery 4. Although you rarely need to employ the four wheel gear unless stuck in slush, the fact that you are driving a powerful vehicle gives you a sense of security.

Covering India’s massive coastline along the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea has been a long cherished ambition, which I was determined to undertake this time. Despite having traversed so many kilometres within the country, I feel I ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Well, at least I have now completed driving across Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream project, the Golden Quadrilateral connecting the four metros in the four corners of the country.

But his other ambitious plan, the East-West, North-South Highway chain remains to be done. Arguably, most of these two roads are still under construction but I hope to travel across them in the foreseeable future, as soon as they are in jeepable condition.

Although talk of constructing the Trans-Asian Highway from Singapore to Istanbul has gained ground recently, I don’t foresee my being able to see it materialise in my lifetime. Similarly, the fabled Stilwell Road built by the British during WW II from erstwhile NEFA (now Arunachal Pradesh) to Kunming in Yunnan, China may not become travel worthy before another 20 years or so.

But I still entertain the dream of driving across the interiors of this vast country while my reflexes permit. I have driven in Europe and the US too, but there is nothing as thrilling as driving in India. The sight and sounds are incredible and Indian roads are to be relished for their sheer unpredictability. So, I don’t intend to lift my leg off the accelerator for as many more years as I can.

[CHANDAN MITRA] Editor-in-Chief

[p38] [p8]

I N S I D E MAY 2016 VOLUME 10 NO 7

[p92]

Little Black Book [p8] Gaelyn Mendonca: A quick peek into her style file Q&A [26] The fire within: Ritu Beri Abbey Archives [p38] Echo from the roof of the world: Songtsen Library Trek Trail [p42] Lace up your boots: Amazing trekking destinations [p26] East Bound: [46] Arunachal Pradesh Offtrack Secrets [p56] Sanctum of solace: Naranag

COVER PHOTO: BHUMESH BHARTI/SONGTSEN LIBRARY DEHRADUN

CONTRIBUTORS Kushan Mitra [p62] Hotwheels: The Mile-Muncher Magandeep Singh [p98] Blithe spirit: Homegrown high Sri Sri Ravi Shankar [p100] Guruspeak: The Unending duet Bharat Thakur [p102] Fitness: Yoga for varicose veins Sanjay Jumaani [p104] Numbergame: Count your fate

Market Mantra [p64] The superplex is changing the movie-watching scene in the country Chef ’s Treat [p72] The Italian Job: La Piazza on its food legacy Oriental Nectar [p82] The elusive [p82] spirit: Japanese whisky as exotic liquor First Hand [p88] [p88] The royal hair cut: Truefitt & Hill Swimwear collection [p92] Summer sizzlers: The heat is on

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES 108 INCLUDING COVER

OUR

PARTNER

HOTELS

Send us your feedback at exoticapioneer2016@gmail.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/Exotica-394686670715776

I think my favourite fragrance has to be Eternity by Calvin Klein. I’ve been wearing it since college.

FAVOURITE HAUNTS OF STYLISH PEOPLE

I’m a tall girl so you would mostly find me in ballerinas or bohostyled flats. Currently I love wearing Adidas originals collection when it comes to casual footwear. Apart from that I also own a lot of Aldo and Steve Madden shoes.

I love music as I love to dance. I have eclectic tastes and I listen to everything from Bollywood to Beyonce. Currently Jason Derulo and Arijit Singh are on my iPod.

GAELYN MENDONCA is a VJ, model and an actress in the Hindi film industry. She is curently hosting MTV Roadies X4 and is an avid dancer

I’ll always go for a nice pair of sunnies from Ray Bans.

When it comes to watches I love wearing Michael Kors and Tissot.

I have a huge wanderlust in me.

Spain is my favourite place to holiday at. I last had a vaction in Bangkok with my girl gang and I plan to go to Cambodia next.

EXOTICA [8] MAY 2016

TRAVEL NEWS

FLIGHT TO PARADISE Delhi has won the best destination to holiday in the world with Cambodia being chosen as the best destination in Asia. TripAdvisor announced the winners of its Travellers’ Choice awards with India grabbing the second spot in Asia for the best destination chosen by travellers. The survey also identified top-rated hotels as well as popular attractions for travellers offering more insights about great things to discover in the award-winning destinations. The top five travellers’ choice destinations in India came about to be New Delhi, Jaipur, Goa, Mumbai and Udaipur.

NEW

THE WILD SIDE a land of snow peaks and sherpas, yaks and yetis, monasteries and mantras, where ancient temples, shrines, palaces and monuments offer a glimpse into the past, Chitwan National Park is a real jewel. From its prime position nestled on the banks of the Raptiriver, Meghauli Serai offers

IN

spectacular views of the park across the river from its 30 rooms and suites. Taj Safaris, the creators of India’s first luxury wildlife travel circuit in Madhya Pradesh, have opened their first lodge outside India — Meghauli Serai at the UNESCO World Heritagelisted Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

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SUN AND SAND you are thinking of where to spend your summers next, then look no further as Jamaica is the place to be to soak under the lovely sun. The island country is perfect to ditch the heat as the weather in Jamaica is always vacation-friendly.

The country is home to some breathtaking beaches, stunning resorts and scintillating waters. It’s home to many waterfront treasures waiting to be discovered by beach lovers. The azure waters of the Caribbean also offer a number of activities like scuba diving, snorkelling among others. Jamaican shores are known for their live reggae music, delicious jerk cuisine and beach bars. Some of the beach gems include Doctor’s Cave Beach, Seven Mile Beach, Silver Sands Beach to name a few.

Taking a horseback ride and swim is one of the most popular adventurous activities of Jamaica along with river tubing safari and white water rafting.

IF

A SUMPTUOUS HONOUR the Hyderabadi fine-dining restaurant at Taj Falaknuma Palace, has been included in the list of 100 best restaurants in the world by Elite Traveller for second time in a row, improving its ranking by nine stops to finish on the 91st position. The restaurant has been featured for two consecutive years as the only Indian restaurant to be named in the world's top 100 list comprising mainly American restaurants. Adaa is the only inclusion from South Asia. As part of the celebration, Executive Chef Sajesh Nair curated a gastronomical extravaganza of royal recipes from the kitchens of the Nizams. Taj Falaknuma Palace is renowned for its legendary hospitality and inspired dining destinations, continuing the tradition of fine living with custom tailored dining experiences.

ADAA,

KENYA CALLING recently received five destination awards at the 23rd annual World Travel Awards (WTA) in Africa. The awards included various coveted categories such as best National Park, Beach, African Cruise Port and Tourism Board.

Principal Secretary Fatuma Hirsi applauded the industry players who have consistently showcased the

KENYA

country amid challenging times.

Speaking at the event, she singled out Nairobi as indeed having become a city of choice for international conferencing and stating their happiness with the role that the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) has been playing. Kenya will be hosting UNCTAD and TICAD in July and August 2016 respectively.

LUXE AFFAIR is setting up a new hotel under their brand, “My Fortune”, in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. The hotel will offer 144 rooms, an all-day dining restaurant, speciality restaurant, bar and deli, plus a “wellness zone” equipped with a gym and spa. And for the MICE market, the hotel will feature a pillar-less ballroom that can accommodate around 500 guests.

ITC

TOWARDS A GREENER FUTURE Taj recently became the first hotel group in the world to have its 50 hotels achieve gold certification in the same year, having completed a minimum of five years of continuous benchmarking through EarthCheck certification.

Various hotels from the Taj Group portfolio, ranging from Rambagh Palace to Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences were awarded with data revealing an average 28.6 per cent reduction in energy, water and waste and $6,107,585 in savings for the group. With this Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces has confirmed its position as a true world leader in responsible tourism and a genuine source of inspiration to the international tourism community. The Taj EARTH sustainability programme is an initiative which reiterates the company’s conscious efforts towards sustainability and is aligned with Tata ethos of keeping communities at the heart of doing business.

THE

THE MAKEOVER

CHENNAI’S iconic Vivanta by Taj — Connemara will undergo a complete renovation.

Built in 1854, the legendary hotel after refurbishment will ensure that the discerning traveller finds all modern amenities and conveniences discreetly placed beneath the hotel’s old world charm, colonial legacy and heritage for which it has been admired for over a century.

EXOTICA [18] MAY 2016

EVENT CALENDAR

MAYFARE Your bizzare guide to cruise through wacky days this month 1ST MAY [NEW HOME OWNERS’ DAY]

4TH MAY

5TH MAY

[PIN PETITE AND PROUD DAY]

[CARTOONISTS’ DAY]

If you’ve recently taken the plunge and purchased a house, New Home Owners’ Day is the perfect time to celebrate with your friends.

It’s all about celebrating our lack of height and the advantages it brings. Besides short people live longer than their lankier counterparts.

The anniversary of the publishing of the first ever colour cartoon, The Yellow Kid, in 1895. Now cartoons are a core component of many newspapers and publications.

6TH MAY

9TH MAY

[NO PANTS DAY]

[LOST SOCK MEMORIAL DAY]

13TH MAY [FROG JUMPING DAY]

Feeling constrained by your clothing and taking it off to relax in the privacy of your home. Well no more as this day is the perfect opportunity to brandish your toned or even untoned legs.

It’s inevitable — for every load of laundry you sort through, there are odd socks. Over time, you may even find that you end up with entire drawers and storage boxes filled with odd socks. But worry not.

It’s a great day to jump like a frog. Or is today intended to jump over a frog? The roots of the day go back to Mark Twain’s first short story. It was first published in 1865 as Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.

14TH MAY [CHICKEN DANCE DAY]

15TH MAY [DRAWING DAY]

[PACK RAT DAY]

The Chicken Dance is a tradition at weddings, childrens’ discos and family events. In order to get some practice in, take some time on Chicken Dance Day to learn to dance like a chicken.

Drop everything, pick up a pencil and draw — and then share your art. Drawing Day (sometimes referred to as Pencil Day) encourages to spread the joy of drawing by sharing your creations with the community.

We’re all a little bit materialistic and tend to buy, own and hoard more stuff. The Day encourages us to embrace the fact that we really want to value and keep things we buy and shouldn’t throw our old belongings.

EXOTICA [20] MAY 2016

17TH MAY

THINK SKIN

Chanel Lego: First introduced by Chanel in the Fall/Winter 2014 grocery-themed runway collection, the Lego clutch is as much an object of desire for art connoisseurs as it is for handbag collectors. Crafted from Plexiglas and lined in lambskin, the Lego clutch can be held in hand or worn over-the-shoulder with a removable shoulder strap.

Hermès Birkin: There is nothing more chic than the classic Hermès Birkin in the brand's signature orange hue. This bright and cheerful tangerine ostrich skin stands out as an exquisite piece.

PLAY OF HAND Handbag specialist CAITLIN DONOVAN selects five standout pieces from Christie’s sale to update your wardrobe

Hermès Nilo Crocodile: This electric blue bag is a showstopping, modern interpretation of the timeless Hermès Drag Bag. Streamlined in design for the 21st century, the Drag Bag — both beautiful and practical showcases the brand’s high standards for functionality and attention to detail.

Hermès Toolbox: Perfect for everyday, the Hermès Toolbox embodies the Hermès aesthetic of streamlined style married to functionality. This jewel-toned Toolbox in matte alligator amethyst is sure to grab everyone’s attention with the matte crocodile skin.

EXOTICA [23] MAY 2016

Horseshoe Birkin: Extraordinarily rare and desirable, there is no greater status symbol than the Horseshoe Birkin. The jewel-toned amethyst crocodile exterior, crafted from the finest of the exotic skins, contrasts beautifully with the bright blue chevre interior. The porosus crocodile — known for its symmetric scales is buffed with an agate stone to reach its lustrous finish.

Q&A

Her covetable designs and personal style sensibilities speak of her inimitable and invincible attitude. Like a phoenix, she has reinvented herself time and again. From bringing back the romanticism of Victorian era in her collections to rooting for khadi as the ‘fabric of the moment’, RITU BERI has donned enough hats in her illustrious lifespan.

Celebrating 25 years in the industry, she has penned down the story of her life, narrating the journey of her first love, fashion, and how it has shaped her in two books. In the middle of her autobiographical moments, she talks her heart out to RINKU GHOSH

EXOTICA [26] MAY 2016

What prompted you to come up with two books at this benchmark moment in your life?

After 25 years in the fashion industry, this is certainly one of life’s full circle moments for me. It is a time to look back before going ahead. These books are an exciting portrayal of the various experiences I encountered through my fashion journeys. People know my name but not my story. They know what I have done but not what I have gone through, my struggles and how I got around them without following any formula. I have learnt a lot and evolved tremendously as a designer and even more as a person. I’m very glad and proud to make my life the way it is at present. It took me about two years to complete the books. I hope it works as an inspiration.

Maybe somebody can learn from my experiences.

How are the two books different from each other?

Of the two books, one is an autobiography, which documents my life from childhood to how I ventured into fashion. The second is a coffee table book which revolves around everything that has inspired and shaped me, including the karmic connect I’ve had with Paris. It captures my life graphically with several quotes on fashion.

I think once you have done everything in life, books are the only means to tell your story for the world to know and understand you.

Besides, they hold value for any young designer who wants to break

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OUT OF THE TWO BOOKS, ONE IS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY WHICH DOCUMENTS MY LIFE FROM CHILDHOOD TO HOW I VENTURED INTO FASHION. THE SECOND IS A COFFEE TABLE BOOK WHICH REVOLVES AROUND EVERYTHING THAT HAS INSPIRED AND SHAPED ME INCLUDING THE KARMIC CONNECT I’VE HAD WITH PARIS. IT’S BASICALLY CAPTURING OF LIFE WITH SEVERAL QUOTES ON FASHION

into the European market and grasp its nuances. When my generation started out, there was no media coverage of fashion as an emerging industry. Today, fashion is an integral part of any media platform. Also as a nation, we don’t value the importance of documenting our current history. I have been very lucky in that respect because my team has done an excellent job in archiving our many milestones. Did you know that I did the country’s first bridal show in 1997? The same year I introduced the concept of a fashion week, called India Fashion Week, and launched 25 young designers. I also launched the first kids’ fashion week with several editions of the Baby Beri shows. Each of these categories has now spawned multiple editions backed by industry consortiums. I hope the books genuinely help people to chase their dreams and fork their own way ahead even when there is no template to fall back upon. Finally, I did the books for my daughter Gia, so that she understands where her mother comes from.

Of course, I was encouraged by the fact that my earlier books did very well. The title, 101 Ways to Look Your Best, sold out in hours and we went into reprint the very next day! Firefly did very well too. Though not strictly an autobiography, I would prefer to call it a fairy tale.

Your hands are quite full these days with the Luxury League. What’s it about?

Does it have an alliance with the government’s “Make in India” initiative?

I have been working on the Luxury League for quite sometime now though my experience in initialising it got me a chance to speak at the

EXOTICA [30] MAY 2016

I DID THE COUNTRY’S FIRST BRIDAL SHOW IN 1997. THE SAME YEAR I INTRODUCED THE CONCEPT OF A FASHION WEEK, CALLED INDIA FASHION WEEK, AND LAUNCHED 25 YOUNG DESIGNERS. I ALSO LAUNCHED THE FIRST KIDS’ FASHION WEEK WITH SEVERAL EDITIONS OF THE BABY BERI SHOWS. EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES HAS NOW SPAWNED MULTIPLE EDITIONS BACKED BY INDUSTRY CONSORTIUMS

“Make in India� conference in Mumbai. It is sad that there is no Indian brand that’s recognised globally despite the fact that historically we have been connoisseurs of luxury. Our royals were the reason brands like Cartier became popular.

Our maharajas had at one time picked up everything that you associate with grand living today and given them cult status.

Yet, we could not develop a global brand considering we have the widest range of artisanal strength and craft to create products of great hand-made value and uniqueness. We have a huge talent pool. What is needed is the right perspective, packaging and marketing.

There are several bottlenecks in promoting the

Indian fashion industry, which is just 25 years old, a novice compared to fashion houses in the West which are hundreds of years old. Some of our own talented designers have been picked up by them. But no home-grown brand has managed an alliance.

If you look at it, it has taken a Westerner, John Bissell, to promote Fabindia, as a recognisable, wearable Indian brand. We do not yet know how to put things together the right way; it is either too much or too little, an extra button there or a threaded patch too less. We need an eye with a global perspective to package our art, to identify what works in the world market and help weavers and craftsmen create a contemporary vocabulary.

We always look at our fashion from a tribal and ethnic perspective.

It is for this reason that I have put together the Luxury League, a think tank which has experts, consultants, analysts, industry and government representatives from home and abroad, to brand India. We have already had round tables with luxury consultants. We are also promoting young designers who work with home-grown fabrics and marketing their collections as well.

I strongly believe that for Indian fashion to go really global, we have to get to Europe and America and follow the Zara model of doing business. Year after year, that brand reports strong earnings only because it is a highly integrated retail business, swiftly responsive to new trends, does accurate forecasting of categorywise sales and maximises margins.

Does this mean you are not into Paris at the moment?

I give Paris my time and I have not moved away from it. Just as I have not stopped designing my lines and have been able to hold on to my clientele.

But life is short and I do not want to do anything only because it is supposed to be done. This phase of my life is about passion and giving back something to society. And passion should not become business. For me my two foundations, Baby Beri and Luxury League, are fun and innovative. I now want to make khadi global and

IT HAS TAKEN A WESTERNER, JOHN BISSELL, TO PROMOTE FABINDIA, AS A RECOGNISABLE, WEARABLE INDIAN BRAND. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PUT THINGS TOGETHER THE RIGHT WAY; IT’S EITHER TOO MUCH OR TOO LITTLE, AN EXTRA BUTTON THERE OR A THREADED PATCH TOO LESS. WE NEED AN EYE WITH A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE TO PACKAGE OUR ART

EXOTICA [33] MAY 2016

FROM DESIGNER COLLECTIONS TO UNIFORMS FOR HOTELS AND CORPORATES, KHADI CAN BE USED ACROSS A WIDE SPECTRUM. IT WOULD EVEN BE INTERESTING TO DECLARE A ‘KHADI DAY’ TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE TOWARDS WEARING A HOME-GROWN FABRIC

give it the stature of linen. It is luxury because it is hand-made and an international fabric to reckon with.

You have been appointed advisor for Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). What changes do you propose?

I feel really fortunate to get an opportunity to serve on a board to revive khadi. It’s our national fabric and there’s so much that can be done with it. We intend to do effective promotions and exhibitions to enhance its image. Our endeavour is to encourage national and international fashion designers to create their collections using khadi. Since it’s a powerful pre-independence fabric of India, we need to make it the fabric of the moment.

Khadi is a true weaver’s delight. It is the most organic, breathable, comfortable and dyeable fabric that can be styled in many ways. In the hot summers, khadi is the fabric of the hour.

The Indian Navy recently incorporated khadi for one of its batches, Uttarakhand’s postal department ordered khadi for employees and Air India also decided to use khadi products for amenity kits on its international flights. Do you think the fabric is finally getting a wider acceptance?

From designer collections to uniforms for hotels and corporates, khadi can be used across a wide spectrum. It would even be interesting to declare a “Khadi Day” to motivate people towards wearing a home-grown fabric. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said his government wants to create a network of Khadi Gramodyogs across villages to provide more job opportunities. The sector employs 12.5 lakh individuals with 82 per cent of women.

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission boards have been imparting skill development training programmes to women at various levels.

You have said that giving khadi a global silhouette and a modish treatment will help millennials have a better connect with it. How do you plan to go about it?

The only way to popularise the weaves of India is market them well at a domestic level and then venture out of India. And I do realise the importance of the youth being involved in this process. Khadi has always been associated with politicians and the youth of the country has always found it boring and unfashionable. I plan to take khadi to colleges. The idea is to design clothes which are trendy with cutting edge

has been created around it, I think every state in the country has its own skill set and is promoting its art and craft in much the same manner. But I agree that some of the textile heritage needs immediate attention. Like my personal favourite, the Kanjeevaram sari. It is so regal and elegant, yet it has lost its appeal today because of its bulkiness.

We have to adapt it for the younger generation or the sari-making tradition will be under stress and confined to a very localised market. I have done Kanjeevaram jackets and other innovations for young people.

The problem is weavers’ children don’t want to stick to the profession anymore and are looking at corporate jobs. Finding somebody who knows the native weave is a luxury. But if we could incentivise artisans with policies and convince that his city education would also rescue his exclusive family trade, we would have gennext weavers who are in sync with the times. We need to set up textile museums to document the journey of our thread. People like Laila Tayyabji (craft revivalist and founder of Dastkar) have been

designs and are at par with global designs and brands.

In what capacity do you think social media can be employed to promote the khadi story?

Internet is the best tool to reach out to the masses.

Khadi is an amazing fabric but its qualities have not been recognised. What we need is awareness, strong advertising and promotion at every level. It’s absolutely crucial that mainstream designers add handcraft and handloom to their vocabulary for weavers and artisans to be nurtured. What has been happening until now is that designers show interest at the initial stages only, after which they go back to their imported or modern fabrics, easily abandoning the craftsmen. We need to change that mindset.

With the government’s initiative to popularise Indian fabrics, many designers are hopping on to the “Make in India” or “Made in Banaras” bandwagon. Do you think Banaras is being overdone to the detriment of our varied textile heritage?

I think the Banaras story is commendable as that’s where it all started from. And though there is a big noise which

EXOTICA [35] MAY 2016

sourcing and saving rare craftsmanship like the Lambani and Rabari embroidery simply on their own steam. We need to immediately modernise design sensibilities with the help of experts or risk losing our folk and native traditions. Worldwide fashion houses have died because of this.

Some of the strengths of the Indian textile industry are the large pool of skilled and experienced labour at unbelievably inexpensive prices. There is a huge demand of Indian textiles even in international markets because of their versatility and this is expected to grow at a rapid rate in the future thus contributing towards the economic development of the country.

What is the role of NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) in taking fashion to the next frontier? Isn’t it just a factory churning out an assembly line?

To me, NIFT is still the mother institute of fashion though right now it is in a mess. I was fortunate to have had the best faculty in my time.

However, the biggest mistake we’ve made is opening up too many NIFT centres, 16 at last count, to cater to growing demand. In the process the faculty is not professional and students, who are not so successful in the design trade, return as teachers. So quantity has meant a decline of expertise and experience. The institute must be run by a person who understands that institute, textiles and fashion. Otherwise things cannot work on the ground.

I think this is true of other sectors as well. In India, the school education is good but at the institutional level, we do not even figure among the top 100 global institutions. We should probably sit down together and do something about it.

EXOTICA [36] MAY 2016

FOR INDIA TO SUCCEED, EVERYTHING HAS TO BE INDIA-SPECIFIC. WE CANNOT FOLLOW SEASONS IN THE DOMESTIC MARKET LIKE IT IS IN THE WEST. YOU HAVE SPRING FOR TWO DAYS AND THEN THERE IS BLAZING SUMMER. WE NEED TO CELEBRATE OUR EVENTS AND FESTIVE SEASONS. ONLY THEN WILL THE BUSINESS OF FASHION MAKE SENSE What is your take on the blitz of fashion weeks?

Do they serve their intended purpose, namely improve bottomlines?

I agree that there is just too much going on and the dust has to settle down. For India to succeed, everything has to be India-specific. We cannot follow seasons in the domestic market like it is in the West. You have spring for two days and then there is blazing summer... we need to celebrate our events and festive seasons. Only then will the business of fashion make sense.

Designing is not an easy business to be in because you are constantly under performance pressure...it is still easier in India because you can show the same collection in Mumbai and Delhi. It is way too competitive in the West, enough to wear you out. Which is why we need to figure out we are not churning out stuff for its own sake. We must follow practical logic.

What hampers the Indian fashion industry from making a mark on the global fashion map?

Our fashion industry is only 25 years old which is very young and it’s absolutely unfair to compare ourselves with the global industries in international circuits which have been in existence for centuries. There is a need to have an international perspective to make it go global.

People now believe in India, they want to wear what’s being produced here. Initially we were not so great with the Western silhouettes and cuts but now we are improving on that aspect as well.

Besides, there is some dynamic entrepreneurship in India with conglomerates like Reliance getting into the fray. We need to go to US and Europe to get economies of scale. But foremost we need to be proud of our own identity. Even my eight-year-old daughter complains about all things “Made in China” but I think it’s our time now.

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ABBEY ARCHIVES

ECHO FROM THE ROOF OF THE WORLD the tree-lined Sahastradhara Road, a quiet lane meanders in an unassuming way flanked by trees and modest houses as it leads to this majestic, awe-inspiring centre. Named after King Songtsen Gampo, hailed as the father of Tibetan Culture, Songtsen Library is a spectacular replica of Tibet’s first castle built in 2nd century BC — the Yumbhu Lakhar.

ON

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If you like to seek spiritual and intellectual meaning in your travels, Songtsen Library girdled by the Himalayas, with gorgeous views of the valley of Dehradun in North India, promises a blissful retreat for self-regeneration.

ANUPMA KHANNA settles in

PHOTOS: BHUMESH BHARTI

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The place is very rich in character and its stone walls and landscape make an instant impression.

Nestled between the holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh, it is skirted in the West by lush shrubland in front of a hill on which long lines of Buddhist prayer flags dance in the wind. With its cultural richness, serene setting and mystical architecture, Songtsen attracts discerning travellers, spiritual seekers and scholars from across the world while being untouched by mad, modern tourism.

Constructed between 1999 to 2001, Songtsen Library was established by the head of the Drikung Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness, the Drikung Kyabgon Chettsang Rinpoche, and was inaugurated by the XIV Dalai Lama in 2003.

The retreat draws its name from the 33rd Dharma King of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo (617-650 AD) credited with bringing Buddhism to Tibet. The great Dharma King brought the teachings to flourish in Tibet — his memorial stands as a monument and an image of hope. Legend has it that the king sent sons of ministers to India to study the Bhotiya script of the Himalayan regions

of Ladakh and Kinnaur before the Tibetan script was born. And as one takes in the splendid vista, the eyes are rivetted on a beige-coloured vintage Mercedes Benz exhibited in a glass house — the one used by Dalai Lama from 1964 to 1982. intricate art painted on the doorway of the sanctuary is based on the door of the Potala in Tibet. The thangkas adorning the ceiling are a stately confluence of ancient cultures — the Persian, Tibetan and Chinese. The most unusual of the paintings is that of Nyatri Tsenpo. There are a few rare thangkas depicting Tibet's first king (c. 127 BC) and old traditions.

Artist Rinzin Chodrak created an original composition based on the council of artists at Kumbung Labrang in Amdo, Tibet. During this council, they collected the existing biographies and myths of his life forming a source for the narrative in the painting.

And paralleling its architectural marvel are the rare manuscripts and literary collections it houses.

A collection of particular significance is the one on the Dun Huang documents, the earliest written

THE

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sources on Tibetan society and history. One of the earliest sources on diverse subjects on Central Asian culture like astrology, religion, philosophy and geography, the original manuscripts date from around the 6th to the 12th century and were discovered at various caves on and near the famous Silk Route of Central Asia.

Then there are the Buddhist Kagyur (Buddha’s voice) and Tengyur, the commentaries, the personal collection and journals of the erudite pioneer of Buddhism, Lama Anagarika Govinda.

Born in a German family, he became a Buddhist and dwelt in Almora in the mid-eighties. He is believed to have introduced Buddhism to the West.

The library also houses over 6,000 digitised format Buddhist texts procured from the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Centre in New York.

The spiritual haven has a peaceful, undisturbed meditation room perched above the terrace of the edifice with an exhilirating view of the encircling mountains. Adding spiritual charm to this pious place is a huge statue of Avalokitesvara, a Bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas, made in pure sandalwood. This towerlike construction at the back that houses a shrine to Avalokitesvara was added after the building plans were approved. It was constructed at night because according to Indian law of the time, once the roof was tiled, a building could not be brought down. Nevertheless the planning department was very pleased with the results and granted approval, according to records.

“It was to be no ordinary building as its outward appearance was intended to reflect its function of preserving and transmitting Tibetan tradition,” describes Elmar Gruber in From The Heart Of Tibet. “After the library was completed, an area beside it was cleared for construction and a major new school of higher Buddhist studies, the Kagyu College, was soon built with an impressive temple at its centre. Inside the Lhakhang an enormous statue of Shakyamuni Buddha is flanked

by Nagarjuna and Asanga.” from around the world come for a retreat here for a few days to even six months.

There are high quality and modern guest lodgings for visitors, scholars and researchers in the idyllic environs that can be booked for a nominal rent by sending an email request to the director of the library. There are also good hotels in the vicinity.

Sahastradhara, one of the most popular tourist destinations of Uttarakhand, is very close to the retreat and a must visit for travellers. Meaning “thousand fold spring”, Sahastradhara is an invigorating excursion spot with remarkable natural beauty marked by waterfalls, caves where water drips from limestone stalactites, making the water sulphur abundant. If architecture be music in space, Songtsen Library is a song for the soul.

PEOPLE

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TREK TRAIL

ROOPKUND LAKE: It lies in the lap of Mt Trishul and has overwhelmed many travellers with its innumerable eerie stories. The lake is actually a mountainous graveyard where thousands of skeletons can be found. Legends range from it being a mass grave of soldiers to being a burial ground of the Mongolian army.

The only way to find out is to get there.

GETTING THERE: Train to Kathgodam — private taxi or public transport to Lohajung.

LACE UP YO Here are some lesser known but amazing trekking destinations — best kept secrets of North India — with their magnanimous mountains and plunging valleys

MARKHA VALLEY TREK: It takes the trekkers to Ganda La and Kongmaru La passes which are among the highest in the world. The place is laced with green fields, willow trees and a palace providing insight into Ladakhi history and culture.

GETTING THERE: Leh to Spituk is 7 km and can be reached by bus or cab.

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SINGALILA PASS TREK: With fascinating glimpses of Mt Kanchenjunga and its surrounding peaks you will be ascending through the rhododendron, giant magnolias, spruce and other forests of Maneybhanjan.

GETTING THERE: The trek base Hilley is 150 km from New Jalpaiguri railway station in Kolkata.

OUR BOOTS PARANG LA TREK: It originates from Kibber, a high altitude hamlet in the Himalayas, which is also the home to the rare snow leopard.

Trailing closely with the Tibet border, the trek falls between the ancient route of Ladakh and Spiti Valley.

GETTING THERE: Kibber is a remote village in Himachal Pradesh and the safest way to reach is by hiring a cab from Kaza or Manali.

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PATALSU PEAK TREK: This trek takes you through some exhilarating terrains to provide the most amazing views and is located near the Solang Nulla district of Himachal Pradesh.

An easy day hike around Manali, it enables you to explore some of the magnificent villages like Shanag, Solang and Burwa.

GETTING THERE: Himachal Pradesh Tourism operates buses.

BORASU PASS TREK: A connecting passage between the Himalayan Range of Himachal and Uttarakhand, the Borasu Pass trek is a unique experience. The trails of this amazing trek pass through the Har Ki Dun Valley and also through the Marinda Lake leading to lush meadows.

GETTING THERE: Dehradun is the nearest rail head to Sankri, which is the starting point of the trek.

From there Sankri is at an approximate distance of 186 km.

SUDARSHAN PARBAT TREK: A prominent peak on the trail from Gangotri to Gaumukh, Sudarshan Parbat trek is often approached through the Raktavarn Glacier route. The trek trail itself is a vibrant combination of levelwalks, gradual climbs and steep ascent going through glacial paths, birch forest and rocky inclines.

GETTING THERE: The nearest railhead is Haridwar. You can also take a cab or bus from Delhi to Gangotri.

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SNOW LEOPARD TREK: Sprawling over 600 sqkm, the Hemis National Park in Ladakh is home to the elusive snow leopards. A trek to this park through stunning locales comprises unknown views of the Himalayan range and pictorial landscapes.

GETTING THERE: You can easily get to the Hemis National Park by hiring a car or by accessing public transport as it is barely 5 km away from Leh Airport.

MILAM GLACIER TREK: Yet another engrossing trek in the Kumaon region, this takes you to some of the remote settlements of Uttarakhand. Around 28 km in length, it can be strenuous in nature, depending on the weather and climb.

GETTING THERE: The nearest rail heads to Munsiyari, the starting point of the trail, is Kathgodam. You can hire a car to take you from Chaukori to Munsiyari.

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EAST BOUND

go snow!

Valley ahead,

THE UPPER DIBANG VALLEY IS A SIGHT FOR SORE EYES WITH ITS SNOW-CAPPED MOUNTAINS MAKING EVERY OTHER POSTCARD LOOK LIKE A POOR COPY. AS SNOW FLAKES ROLL IN THROUGH OPEN WINDOWS, THERE IS STILL SO MUCH WARMTH AROUND, THANKS TO THE FRIENDLY IDU MISHMIS

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I lie back in the car, my eyes shut, my body jangling to the swerve of the tyres, I can sense that there is something different in the air. I half-open my eyes and look out the window. The colour. It seems a lot brighter than usual. I sit upright and am amazed at what I see. It’s a whiteout. And the sun is bouncing off every frozen pore. It’s the first time I am seeing snow and as cheesy as it sounds, it feels quite magical watching the little flakes drunkenly float about, directionless till gravity pulls them to earth. I roll down the window and the flakes filter in and stick to my skin. It is tingling, it is exhilarating, the cold creeping up on me with a furry softness.

We are at Mayudia, a hill station at Lower Dibang Valley. It is situated at a height of 2,653 m amid majestic hills, lush green forests and breathtaking landscapes. And of course, snow, as far as the eyes can see. But let me first start with the beginning of the journey at Roing.

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Roing: Beauty in the foothills from Tinsukia, Assam, brings us to Roing, a small town in Lower Dibang district, the land of the Idu Mishmis. The place is officially described as “beauty at the foothills” but at an emotional level, it means much more to me. It is like travelling back in time. With scarce population, it gives conveniences a miss and yet shows how conveniently simple life can be.

I remember a magazine article describing Idu Mishmi as one of the least spoken languages in the world which is on the verge of extinction. I meet a young tribal man called Jibin at an eatery in the evening. He has been born and brought up here but now studies in Delhi.

He likes to explore the truth on bicycle, he tells me, but I find it hard to believe that a bicycle can traverse the rugged

A DRIVE

terrain. Between mouthfuls of rice and dried fish, he tells me that his friends in Delhi are always very inquisitive about this place and the first joke almost usually is, “Are you rowing all the way to Roing?”

“My friends always ask me about the place I live in because it is unknown to the world,” he says. It is through his and many references that I get to meet a community leader. When he learns that I have some interest in nature and wildlife, he takes me to one of his agricultural fields. He carries his gun with him, and I think this may be for safety from elephants and other wild animals, as his land is next to the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest and least explored

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areas. Crossing Deopani and Etapani rivers, we reach the gate of his property, and before I can understand anything, he aims his gun at the tree canopy. His driver runs and brings two local birds, still warm. The proud leader exclaims, “You may have the forest produce for dinner today.” And he’s made sure he hasn’t touched anything that is endangered or forbidden.

I spend the next few days meeting Idu Mishmi men with colourful, interesting dresses and identical haircuts, carrying guns with them and a dao, all of which I later understand are a part of their identity. With my binoculars, I show some colourful pheasants and mammals to the community leader and explain to him how people from across the world will be happy to see these animals in their wild habitat.

Dibang Valley can be divided into two parts.

The uptown has all the picnic spots like Deopani river, Mayudia, a hill resort, Mehao and Sally lakes, Iphipani river, a park and a zoo. The downtown has a mix of commercial outlets, churches and temples. Some good Chinese and northeastern food joints are also found here for the conservative. An evening downtown is a heavenly treat for your taste buds as you can treat yourself to a variety of momos and steaming thukpas.

The centre of the town is where you will find residents living inside homes built on thick concrete pillars. It is done to minimise the effects of earthquakes that frequently rattle the town. All homes look similar with slanted rooftops for the rainwater to drain away. The soil is very fertile and every home has its own garden with flowers and vegetables. Looks like all of life’s needs can be met under a roof.

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Mayudia: A walk in the snow Roing, our destination is only 60 km but the roads delay us quite a bit. We haven’t even gone 10 km when cold winds begin to surge in. Fearing rain, we strive hard to move ahead. After packing myself with three sweaters and a cap, the rhythmic sound of the engine makes me drowsy and I go off to sleep only to wake up to the white mountains, bewitching in their beauty and almost frightening in their rugged severity.

Friend or foe, I wonder but nevertheless, we stop our car, step out and start making ice men before moving on.

We reach Mayudia at nearly 4 pm when the sun is going down, its rays colouring the whiteness of the surrounding with a tinge of orange. We go around town looking for a place to put up but all guest houses are full at this time. One of the keepers, however, recommends a hotel nearby and we reach there hoping to find a warm place to rest our wearied bones. It is only the next morning that we discover we indeed have a room with a

FROM

stunning view. The whole valley is awash with the sun that brightens the cottages built precariously on the slanting hills, the snow blobbing out the harsh edges like a smooth bridal trail. Such is the beauty that it makes me wonder why filmmakers rush to Europe for shoots when they can get the best right here in India.

We go to the town square where tourists gather to play with snowballs. I am surprised to see a group of Buddhist monks in the crowd, chasing and throwing snowballs at each other like school children. On participating in a little play with them, they tell me that they have come from Namsai in the Lohit district. “We are just here to see the snow,” one of them tells me.

Like Mechuka in the West Siang district, Mayudia in Upper Dibang Valley district is close to the China border. The place derives its name from Maya, a Nepali girl who disappeared in the snow years ago. Trackers failed to locate her but came back with stories of an out-of-thisworld place.

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Anini: Waiting to exhale snow, the source of so much happiness, can also be the biggest obstacle in driving. We soon find out that the road from Mayudia to Anini is painstakingly slow due to the mud and slush on the tracks. We strive on, hoping to reach Anini before nightfall. For my fellow travellers and I, Anini will be a tryst with the unknown since we hadn’t even heard its name before entering Arunachal.

We reach the small town almost as the sun disappears from between the mountains and it appears frozen in time, guarded preciously by mountains which rise as high as 5,000 m.

Anini in Upper Dibang district is one of India’s remotest places, with just four persons living per sq km. This is primarily due to the area’s closeness to international borders. But as they say, our best discoveries are still under wraps.

Here, houses are sparse and locals mostly sustain themselves through rice farms.

Vegetables are cultivated in the backyards and animals reared in the forests that range from tropical to coniferous and alpine in the higher reaches. The biodiversity of the area, though very rich, has not been studied properly and possibilities exist of discovering new species of both flora and fauna.

The Idu Mishmis appear friendly and jovial, their evenings a series of chats accompanied by local rice beer and homegrown meat. But to experience the best of Idu Mishmi hospitality, one must visit the place in February when the valley comes alive with music, dance and community feasting. The Reh Festival is the height of any cultural celebration. Anini is the last Idu Mishmi point in India, but like every land locked bordering syndrome, same communities share cross-border areas.

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During one of my walks I meet Deng, a farmer who also runs a small grocery shop. After telling him that I am visiting as a tourist, he invites me to his house that has been built just behind the shop.

Seated in the wooden house with just one window (to avoid chilly winds), he tells me that this place is not very frequented by tourists. “People usually come till Mayudia to see the snow and then head back,� he says.

The culture of this region is as distant and mysterious as the mountains. The Idu Mishmis as an indigenous tribe have thrived in the valleys for thousands of years. These highlanders follow an animist religion and a lifestyle which is unique, sustainable and fascinating. Believers of a supreme being known as Nanyi Intaya, they have faith in their shamans who look after many aspects of society like festival, birth, death, treatment of

illness, hunting and issuing verdicts. The Idu Mishmis are superbly skilled craftsmen who use bamboo and cane extensively to live a sustainable life independent of modern influences. Though expert hunters, their culture is primarily agricultural and gives importance to fellow creatures - the hunting of many wild animals is considered a taboo and the guilty are often cast away for days.

Anini is the only town in the entire Upper Dibang Valley district. With a population of a few thousand, the town has one basic government run guesthouse where the caretaker is always happy to take care of visitors who make the effort to come this far. Only a few shops exist apart from government offices, residential areas and a military base. There is not much to do other than submitting to the languid atmosphere, the

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humbling mountains and the rolling grasslands.

After leaving Deng’s house, that is what I do. I climb one of the hills and laze around, watching the cattle ignore me. The valleys here open up to magnificent grass, bamboo and conifer expanses.

Damben, a lonely military outpost some 20 miles from the border with China, is where the road ends.

We drive there in the afternoon. The road turns out to be extremely scenic, alongside the Dri river and crosses impressive countryside and bamboo forests. Another road on the east of Anini ends in Mipi, a small settlement of Tibetans whose ancestors had arrived here centuries ago in search of the holy land of Beyul Pemako, considered by them to be a hidden realm on earth, the shape of a lotus.

For adventure enthusiasts, the region offers numerous offbeat trails which cross extraordinary forests and remote villages. For wildlife lovers, the

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D I B A N G VA L L E Y

ANINI

Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, a 4,000 sq km primary Himalayan forest, is located amid virgin nature and exotic biodiversity. Due to the lack of infrastructure, the wildlife sanctuary can only be explored through hiking and camping. Rare mammals can be found in the region, such as Mishmi Takin, red goral, musk deer, red panda, tiger and even the rare snow leopard at higher elevations.

Call it hope or call it divine grace but just because the locals give back so much to Nature, it rewards them with abundance. The tiger and a rare butterfly returned to the wild a couple of years ago. The circle of life, complete as it were. So for me, it is my forever land. And possibly my best shot at nirvana.

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LOWER DIBANG VALLEY

MAYUDIA

ROING

S A F E WAT E R

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OFFTRACK SECRETS

PHOTOS: ISHAQ AHMAD

Sanctumof

solace

The ruins of Naranag in Kashmir Valley are believed to have been built by pilgrims as a thanksgiving gesture for a successful pilgrimage to Harmukh. The temple complex rustles to the sound of the Sindhu.

KHURSHEED WANI gets drawn in

morning broadcasts convey the message that Kashmir is a unique place for tourists. It maybe a cliche but truth is Kashmir’s paradisiacal variety does leave you at a loss for words. The overnight rainfall in the Valley has lowered the temperature by several notches to the extent that it is difficult to move round without woollens. And, in the immediate neighbourhood of the north Indian plains, a heat wave has turned river flats into furnaces. Scores of people have died and it is just the beginning of a long spell of scorching heat. The difference in climates is one of the major reasons for arrival of planeloads of tourists to Kashmir every day irrespective of how unpredictable the local situation turns out to be. Beginning with the tulip bloom at the end of March to the arrival of the “darling buds of May”, spring is one of the most cherished and distinctive features of Kashmir’s vacations. Of late, travellers are more eager to fan out to unexplored destinations away from the traditional circuit of

THE

Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg. This is partly due to a pleasant change in the travellers’ taste to look beyond sceneries and locales and explore other extraordinary features of Kashmir.

Few places in the world have a recorded history spanning several millennia and Kashmir is one of them. The archaeological sites scattered in every nook and cranny of the Valley, some partially intact and others decaying with perpetual and deliberate neglect, are a testimony to its rich past and its glorious outreach beyond the Himalayas.

This has encouraged a new brand of Kashmir explorers to go out in quest for history and anthropology and blend it with testing their adrenaline while hiking to hill stations and off-themark destinations. Over the years, Naranag—a historic place in the midst of dense forests in the northwest of Srinagar, almost 60 km from the city centre — has turned into one of the most-soughtafter destinations.

a misty April morning, it is natural to pick up woollens before setting out for a day-long trip to Naranag. You never know how the weather turns out in Kashmir, especially when you are in the hills. In a matter of minutes, the sun showering warmth perpendicularly is enveloped by clouds and a cool breeze begins to blow. Suddenly, a drizzle starts and temperatures fall. In such a situation, the travellers with no handy woollens are destined to go through a harsh experience.

Nevertheless, it is a warm Friday morning when we begin the trip from Srinagar to Naranag.

There are many road choices to hit but the charm of boulevard road along the Dal Lake is irresistible.

A quick round over Dal’s curvature has a soothing effect to tune you in. Few rowing boats or shikaras are visible in the expansive lake, some ferrying vegetables towards Hazratbal shrine that stands majestically in the backdrop. Only a few of

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swallows flutter wings over the lake’s shimmering waters to signal that summer has enough time to arrive.

It takes an hour and a half to reach Kangan village on the Srinagar-Leh highway, which is blocked beyond Zoji La pass for the past four months due to accumulation of heavy snow. At Kangan, we take a left turn towards Wangath—a cluster of villages, mostly inhabited by tribal Gujjars—perched on plateaus and mountains. Every frame that appears after negotiating a curve increases curiosity until the road ends.

Interestingly, the road culminates at the gates of the first temple of Naranag. The cool breeze blowing from the Harmukh mountain range and an eternal music played by the tributary of Sindh rivulet that passes by, as if touching the feet of the temple enclave, still and humble you in an instant.

The temples, originally built between the first to eighth centuries of the Common Era, are a treasure trove for archaeologists and history enthusiasts. Some of the temple portions seem to be intact but most of them have been damaged due to perpetual neglect, official apathy and vagaries of weather and times. Huge slabs of greyish granite are scattered in the premises with local Gujjar children playing something like cricket in a pathway. A decrepit signboard tells us it is a monument protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

further deterioration. Ahmad tells you that several rulers have contributed to building an assortment of temples and sites dedicated to various deities.

There is a mammoth pedestal that was used for bathing deities. A bathtub carved out of a single rock is an eye-catcher and tell-tale sign of the craft and grit of the ancient Kashmiri craftsmen. One of the oldest historical references on Kashmir, Rajtarangni written by Kalhana, has detailed the

this doesn’t stop the curious investigators. A small group of students has travelled from a far-off Degree College, Sopore, to study the architecture and historic importance of the site. “This is of tremendous significance to Kashmir’s cultural links to Central Asia and Europe,” says Prof Rafiq Ahmad, who leads the group of students. He adds that apart from being a important archaeological site, Naranag is contesting for an identity between a trekking base to Gangabal and a religious teertha for Kashmiri Hindus who find their own Ganges in the western Himalayas.

One temple has been tin-roofed to prevent

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misfortunes which befell the twin temple complexes, thanks to palace intrigues and enemy attacks.

Adjacent to the western temple enclave is the Naranag, the main spring that gives the place its name. The water oozes out from the base of a plateau, which is now home to a cluster of local families. They say the water comes from Gangabal Lake, perched miles away in stunning grasslands, 15,000 feet above sea level. The Gangabal lakes are actually two in number, almost identical, which are fed by the glacial melt of the Harmukh mountain ranges. Those who do not have the gumption to go for a day-long trek followed by a overnight stay, return by having a look or taking a glass of water at Naranag. decide to trek up to Domail, a confluence of two Sindh tributaries. It takes us 40 minutes on a pebbled path. Gul Muhammad, a local woodcutter, informs that Gangabal trekking is not possible till May-end as the passes are insurmountable due to presence of snow. At every shady place, we can see small glaciers oozing out a trickle of milky water.

Muhammad says that Gangabal is the latest obsession for bold sight-seers who want to surmount the captivating green or barren brown

WE

hills even at the expanse of taking risks.

Another villager Wali Khan says that Gangabal is fast turning into a trekker’s paradise as hundreds of foreigners and young Indian enthusiasts begin to flock the area between June and September. “It is like the old days have returned. My father says that the route was in huge currency before the Partition. It was frequented by cattle traders who would travel to Gilgit and Baltistan (now in Pakistan) through the Gurez Valley,” he says.

Hotelier Maqsood Ahmad says that a few years ago, Gangabal was introduced by a global travel publication as a promising trekking route. “Ever since, the route is becoming a favourite destination among foreigners”, he says. The expansive pastures, earlier dotted by shepherds and their flock, have been replaced by summer tourists.

“Naranag has an incredible historic importance and Gangabal offers the best opportunities for adventurous people, including trekkers, mountaineers and anglers”, says Prof Rafiq. From Dumail, we hasten to beat a retreat as the sun begins to hide behind clouds. On our way back, the refreshing scent of pine forests and the music of the stream gurgling under round boulders remind us why the mystic sages retreated here.

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HOTWHEELS Kushan Mitra Auto & tech expert

THE MILE-MUNCHER

The Audi Q7 is a great highway car and on India’s brand new tarmacs, it eats miles for breakfast, lunch and dinner

is one thing to drive a car on the smooth lovely Alpine roads of southern Switzerland but another to take that same car down an Indian highway. When I drove the new Audi Q7 in Europe, it was utterly brilliant.

The new car, which definitely looks far less aggressive and muscular than the car it replaces, feels far more planted on the road, far steadier and could handle the lovely switchbacks on the climb up to Verbier. Not something you would expect a big bruiser such as the Audi Q7 to do. But as we mentioned about the looks, this car is like a heavyweight boxer in a slim-fit tuxedo. It has even reduced a bit of its dimensions.

As it is the second-generation Q7, it has lost a lot of weight, thanks to more aluminium being used in the body and feels far more refined than the previous generation car. Yet, it also seems to have lost some of that brutish charm that it once had. And that is apparent on the highway, where despite

IT

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its size, it lacks the imposing nature of the previous generation car. Not that people do not move out of the way of this Q7 when they see it approaching at a massive rate of knots.

The Q7 will mainly be bought by people with an oversized sense of importance and driven to places where they should not be driven — Delhi’s Khan Market for example. However, it is on the highway that the Q7 actually shines. The brilliant new highways that Nitin Gadkari promised us are actually being delivered and the Q7 is a treat to drive on these fabulous loads. For one, like the old car it has a lot of space. Unfortunately, the spare tyre takes up almost a third of the luggage space.

Unlike BMW India, Audi has not decided to trust “run-flat” tyres as customer experience with them has been really poor. In Europe and America, all these cars now have modern tyres that remove the need for an underfloor spare but in India, buyers burned by the first generation of run-flats are demanding a spare and Audi India is giving them one.

Yet, given that the boot is the size of a small house, there is still more than enough space for a few large suitcases and more. The spare will have to be removed, which requires a few minutes of

manual labour, if one wants to access the two seats of the third row though. So despite the weight and size loss, the car is still huge inside. And quite comfortable too, both in the first and second row.

One could easily fall asleep in the back and not feel a thing. The brilliant sound system makes the car sound like being inside a concert hall. And the airconditioning? Well, in 40 degree heat, it chills the car in no time. for the driving experience, this refined beast is wonderful. It can build up speed fairly quickly and change direction rapidly when instructed. Few Q7s will ever go off the road in India but the air suspension is soft and the car will raise itself in difficult terrain. In fact, the hill climbing and descent qualities of the Q7 are surprisingly good if you ever find a need for them.

However, with the Supreme Court’s current ban on diesel cars with engines greater than 2000cc being registered in Delhi, the sad fact is that you can’t have one if you live in the capital right now.

Which is a pity really, because this new car is a class leading vehicle and at ` 72-77.5 lakh ex-showroom extremely good value for its size as well.

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MARKET MANTRA

a nation that loves and celebrates its cinema, thriving and feeding on multicrore blockbusters, laughing and crying as the reel rolls out in the theatre, it’s not a surprise that we are the biggest movie-making machine in the world. Our films continue to be, unchangingly, the only source of mass inspiration and entertainment, something so significant and ritualistic that the entire process of venturing out to watch a movie is still no less than a big day of sort.

One that has transformed the dynamics and business of watching a movie, from single screens to multiplexes and now superplexes, which are offering allied and interactive experiences and enhanced indoor comforts. If the seats have gotten plusher and already give you the lie-flat slider, popcorn in the couch experience, wait till you have had a 4DX, a three-dimesional visual experience with augmented reality. It is nothing short of a theme park experience, rolling, moving, spinning, swooshing, bathing, splashing and splattering in a moveable seat with threedimensional special effects raising your hair. Whoa, they even let you smell dinosaur piss from secret vents and jets!

FOR From multiplex to megaplex to superplex, the cinema-watching experience has slowly but steadily been changing. How is it going to evolve further and can it lure the millennials living in the parallel universe of their digital lives to come out of their cocoon?

DEVI SINGH attempts some answers

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Gourmet meals get delivered to your seats while even the popcorn now has an amazing array spanning buttery, mushroomy and the caramelicious. Kids can have an extended day out, watching their favourite characters come alive on the big screen as they sit back in bean bags with specially designed popcorn tubs. And should they feel bored, there’s a mini play area where minders watch over them. Adults get love seats to cuddle up. But if you are a serious movie aficionado, then maybe you can sift through a library or movie memorabilia and participate in a director’s workshop on premiere night.

With almost two decades since the first movie theatre with multiple screens made its way to the hearts of people, there are now 2,000-odd multiplex screens in the country. But this is one business which can never go sluggish as moviewatching has become a combined gaming, dining, mall-trawling and a lounge package. According to

figures, the multiplex industry in India has the potential to go up to 10,000 screens.

With an occupancy rate of 37 per cent and a reported footfall of `66 million, PVR’s online sales contribute around 36 per cent of the total ticket earnings. The company’s consolidated revenue for last year stood at `1,486 crore. It recently launched the PVR Icon brand, which is an ultra-premium category.

In June, PVR acquired DT Cinemas for `500 crore. The multiplex operator currently operates 477 screens across 44 cities in the country with four brands across different price points namely PVR Talkies, PVR Cinemas, PVR Premium and the newly-launched PVR Icon. It’s targeting to touch 1,000 screens by 2018 through organic growth.

Inox Leisure Ltd, India’s second-largest multiplex operator, acquired Satyam Cineplexes expanding Inox’s presence to 50 cities, with 91 multiplexes and 358 screens.

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Known for its inorganic growth, Carnival Cinemas, owned by Shrikant Bhasi, started with three screens in Kochi. Today the company has a strong foothold across south India and plans to have 300 screens in the country by entering smaller towns and cities. They aim for 1,000 screens by 2017. The group also owns a cafe chain and lounges.

THE GAME-CHANGERS pioneers of the multiplex revolution in India, the Bijli brothers of the PVR group, seem to be on a roll with their next offering — the superplex. Having changed the dynamics of the exhibition business in the country, they are now focussing on the world’s best technology to take the movie-watching experience to the next level. And though PVR may not have the scale of chains in the US or China, the brothers, Ajay and Sanjeev, being buffs themselves from an

THE

WE WANTED TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE PEOPLE COULD WATCH ALL FORMATS THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE IN THE WORLD. NATURALLY, IF YOU HAVE 15 SCREENS, YOU CAN PLAY MORE MOVIES, BE IT ENGLISH, HINDI OR REGIONAL — AJAY BIJLI

early age, are offering the best in the world to the Indian audience in terms of sound, projection or immersive technology like 4DX and IMAX. “The whole idea of a superplex has been on our minds for sometime now. But it came about only after we got a large space where we could house the entire brand under one roof. We wanted to create a space where people could watch all formats that are currently available in the world.

Naturally, if you have 15 screens, you can play more movies, be it English, Hindi or regional. We have done a dipstick and found out that certain regional films will draw in viable numbers. The mix of bigger and smaller auditoria helps us play around a bit. The multiplex exposure has indeed boosted the appeal of regional cinema. As a first, we are also playing movies which are slightly old, have had their run but are still popular enough for viewers who have missed them in their three weeks on the screen. I myself missed watching

Neerja and wished it was playing somewhere. That way we could generate some business out of residual interest,” says Ajay Bijli.

Seconds his brother Sanjeev Bijli, who believes the superplex really helps in sustaining the programming as that gives more space for multiple films in India with six releases a week on an average.

A superplex, besides providing multiple formats under one roof, is mutually beneficial for the production and distribution houses. This is because movies, which were earlier being released in selected formats or centres or were not showing in India at all, are getting screened, resulting in better revenue generation.

“Superplexes are a way forward and should be a good module wherein people will prefer to be at a cinema for watching sports and private screenings as well all under one roof,” says Kunal Sawhney, Associate VP, Operations and F&B, Carnival Cinemas.

THE WHOLE IDEA IS TO TAKE AWAY THE INCONVENIENCE OF WATCHING A MOVIE ON A MICRO SCREEN AND TO ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE EVEN MORE. YOU CAN’T BEAT THE GIANT SCREEN, THE SERVICE AND THE FACT THAT IT IS AN OUTING — SANJEEV BIJLI

THE IMAX MANIA brings the experience of a huge screen and better picture quality in a grand way which has a better recall value among its patrons. With 4DX, one can feel, smell and move along with the films. The level of viewer participation is such that he is almost in the frame, if not in the director’s chair. This trend is expected to drive the exhibition business further despite a sluggish film market.

According to data published in a CII report, with a higher proportion of multiplexes since 2010, Indian customers are more aware, discerning and willing to experiment with new genres.

Technologies like 3D, IMAX and animation and VFX have gained traction leading to a higher Average Revenue per User (ARPU). For instance 3D movies command 40 per cent higher ticket prices than 2D films. “I think with technology evolving at such pace, it’s helping in pulling people back to the theatres, a trend which was fading away,” says Sawhney.

Multiplex owners like INOX are keeping pace with this demand of the techno-savvy audience.

“The IMAX technology is a breakthrough in the movie-viewing experience. By associating ourselves with IMAX, we are shaping the future of cinema,” says Rajender Singh, VP, Programming and Distribution, INOX Leisure Ltd.

IMAX

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THE INTERNATIONAL STORY impetus for rising film consumption has come from an increasing number of screens, although screen density in India is pretty low with 9 per million compared to 25 in China and 125 in the US. So where do the Indian multiplex giants stand compared to the big daddies? “In terms of the number of screens, we found ourselves very small but qualitatively we are as good as any international format,” adds Sanjeev Bijli.

The US has almost 40,000 multiplex screens whereas China has 20,000 and India has a little over 2,000 multiplex screens. Long way to cover for sure. The growth trajectory has not been pacy enough. “We are a country selling maximum tickets but when it comes to movie screens, we are grossly under- screened. In India, we have just over 2,000 multiplex screens and around 10,000 screens altogether. But we do believe that this is the perfect time for the multiplex industry to expand all across the country,” Singh points out.

PVR has broken through by targetting Tier II and III cities which can consume enough content, given their healthy local and aspirant upper class character.

THE

THE YOUNG INDIAN CHALLENGE are multiplexes luring the young Indian to the cinemas as the newer breed seems to be more comfortable with the idea of downloading and watching in the comfort of their own space and zone? Ajay Bijli disagrees. “My children are a good litmus test for me; I can gauge and perceive a lot through them. I think even after many technologies available at home, kids still want to go out. Movie-watching is now a component of the entire night-out experience.”

How can multiplexes or even superplexes bring something new for the consumer at a time of digital streaming and downloads on personal devices? Explains Sanjeev Bijli, “The whole idea is to take away the inconvenience factor of watching a movie on a micro screen and to enhance the experience even more. You can’t beat the giant screen, the service and the fact that it is an outing of sort. We don’t want to be the reclusive bunch of people who depend on their downloads for entertainment. There has to be some sort of romance, an activity, hanging around with friends and family. So we try to keep on improving the concept of watching a film.”

PVR also plans on having a loyalty group

HOW

THE IMAX TECHNOLOGY IS A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE MOVIE-VIEWING EXPERIENCE. BY ASSOCIATING OURSELVES WITH IMAX, WE ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CINEMA — RAJENDER SINGH

at their Superplex which is an extension of their good CRM build-up for tailor-made events like meeting a director, filmmaker and private screenings where people can book a theatre for a small group.

Agrees Sawhney, “I think a multiplex offers you a lot more options to get you out of your den. It has got food, best in-class seats, state-ofthe-art technology and finest services calling for a wholesome experience.” According to Singh, Indian cinema exhibition business is shifting towards two polar points, convenience and technology.

A PUSH TO REGIONAL CINEMA though multiplexes have always encouraged regional cinema in big cities, there were still not many takers for it.

“In Delhi, we found Tamil movies work well. So that’s one of the advantages of having a large screen format as we will be able to provide more regional films depending upon the catchment,” says Sanjeev Bijli.

“Indian cinema, of course, is about more than just Bollywood. Over the years, films in other Indian languages have been upping their game with good content. With an increase in the release of these films every year, I definitely believe multiplexes have contributed a lot,” says Singh.

EVEN

Seconds Sawhney: “We couldn’t have imagined a regional movie like Bahubali could be released in so many languages and cross a milestone of `500 crore. With urban migration, there’s a demand for regional content which is not limited to a certain state. We have seen Bengali movies doing well in MP and Telugu in Punjab, which is like apples and oranges.”

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WHAT LIES AHEAD? recent trend of acquisition and buyouts has resulted in maximising profits for joint operations but many say it’s not a healthy alternative for expansion. Growth needs to be organic. For instance in the last two years, Carnival Cinemas has been competing with big chains of the industry edging its way to the top. By 2014 there were four major players in the multiple-screen theatre business namely PVR, Inox, Big Cinemas and Cinepolis. By the end of the year, Carnival Cinemas, after having acquired Big Cinemas, came to the third spot. Likewise Cinepolis too bought out Fun Cinemas.

Clearly the focus lies in moving on to small cities and towns which are still untapped areas for multiplexes. “We have a lot to do in India with tier II and III cities. We open about 60 screens a year, which is a large number, and it’s difficult to venture out of the country. If you take your eyes off the ball then you lose the focus. The only place we are looking outside India is Sri Lanka for its huge film consumption.

We would be signing a project there which will come about in three years,” informs Sanjeev Bijli.

If the stakeholders work collaboratively to improve the screen density, increase multiplex penetration, the industry can scale new heights especially in virgin towns and cities. These chains also need to find models for creating new screens outside malls if mall development stagnates. As long as we fantasise, the film-watching experience will become our personal escapist pod. Nothing else would matter.

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WITH URBAN MIGRATION, THERE’S A DEMAND FOR REGIONAL CONTENT WHICH IS NOT LIMITED TO A CERTAIN STATE. WE HAVE SEEN BENGALI MOVIES DOING WELL IN MP AND TELUGU IN PUNJAB — KUNAL SAWHNEY

S T Y L I S H A F FA I R

GLITTER ALL THE WAY SONAL JINDAL organised MEDUSA, an exclusive fashion and accessories exhibition luring the fashionistas in the capital

most talked about fashion and accessories lifestyle exhibition by Sonal Jindal drew a large number of city’s fashionistas. It was an extravagant affair as over a 100 fashion designers showcased their latest collections. The exhibition had everything from the hottest accessories, to trendy footwear and apparel which kept the patrons busy.

Talking about the high points of the exhibition, Sonal Jindal said, “Medusa exhibition brings together the best of designers and clientele looking only for exclusive and classy designs. We bring some of the most innovative and elegant, trendy fashion which befits the status and taste. We aim to showcase only the finest collection to the visitors.”

She further added, “We have been getting an overwhelming response for Medusa, as we saw many buyers coming in to shop at our last exhibition. We are now gearing up for more seasons, where in lots of designers are coming up with new trends and creativity.”

Medusa has emerged as a platform for latest trends in the fashion industry. It is widely regarded as the industry’s existing and next big thing, attracting a number of buyers. It promises the clientele will be dazzled by its portfolio which is an intriguing array of traditional and innovative materials and techniques.

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C H E F ’ S T R E AT It was almost seven years ago when he joined La Piazza as chef de cuisine after a brief stint in Tuscany. It comes full circle for him as he returns to his fave kitchen where he loves to roll his sleeves up and show his culinary skills off.

Hyatt Regency Delhi introduces Chef ALESSANDRO SANDROLINI as Executive Sous Chef. By DEVI SINGH

was never an iota of déjà vu for him even after donning the familiar-looking apron and stirring up a meal in the same environs. For the affable chef Alessandro Sandrolini, coming back to the place he had been associated with before was as exciting as when he started out. “It always feels new even if you come back to the same place again. You always create new experiences and memories for yourself,” says the super chef.

That thrill he owes to his parents. As a child, he would see them gather ingredients, set up the table, cook and lay the food with much love, surprise and joy, which inspired him to pursue cooking as a career. Having been associated with various Hyatt properties throughout his 28 years of

THERE

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professional life, he says, “It’s never a change of place but my passion for food, which remains the same. It does take time to adapt to new places but I feel if you know your job well, you can get accustomed to any place in the world.”

La Piazza, with its “trattoria” appeal, plays with your senses in the right way. Being one of the legendary places to relish Italian food, it has stood the test of time since its inception. Elaborating on what sets it apart from the rest of the Italian restaurants in Delhi, he says authenticity is the only key. “La Piazza is a historical place which dates back almost 20 years. There are not many places where you get an Italian cooking up traditional authentic food for you,” he shares.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the new menu, the chef tells us each dish has been thought of keeping the modern casual essence of the restaurant in mind. “The concept of La Piazza is more of a casual dining experience. So we wanted something which is a bit more modern than fancy.

We want to make our guests feel at ease by serving them dishes which are not too tough to understand and at the same time delectable too,” says he.

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INDIAN INFATUATION WITH ITALIAN FOOD have always been besotted with Italian food. Circa 90s, they were initiated to the piquancy of tomatoes in a never tasted before avatar with herbs unknown and far off. Though an entirely different set and mix of spices were doing the job of tantalising their palates, there was a certain familiarity hitting their taste buds. Since then, Italian cuisine has spread its wings in every nook and corner of the country. The essence of this can be found today in our kitchens filled with aromas of Italian herbs. So much so, our amateur cooks try their hands at getting the traditional recipes right watching YouTube.

So what is it about Italian food that ticks the Indian palate? Is it the similarity between Italian and Indian cuisine and the shared love for food which both countries have? “I feel the sameness comes from the fact that both cuisines are based on carbohydrates. Both countries use rice or flour.

INDIANS

Both are rich in fats. We use cheese and Indians use clarified butter. Both use the same kind of ingredients. Be it the flavourful tomatoes, which Italians use as sauce and Indians use in the form of rich curries, or spices such as thyme which is prevalent in both the cuisines,” says the chef.

Much has to do with the way food is celebrated in both countries. The close-knit familial bonds and the common love for hearty family meals are just the same.

TOO CLOSE YET TOO FAR can Indian food be reinterpreted in an Italian way or vice versa? Asked to name one Indian dish that he would want to alter according to the Italian palate, the chef replies, “Well as similar the two cuisines might seem to be, I won’t like to change anything. I think Indian food is extremely flavoursome on its own with its unique spices and taste. It can’t be replaced by any other cuisine and the same goes for Italian food.”

SO

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RAVIOLIRECIPE THE DOUGH Mix 700 gm of semolina with 300 gm of fine flour and make a small mountain with a well in the centre. Add 10 whole eggs with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Knead it for 15 minutes. Let the dough rest.

Admitting that he is not good at cooking Indian, the chef does have his favourites — butter chicken, chicken tikka and authentic Indian chicken curry.

Living in Delhi for long has also turned him into a street food fanatic. “It inspires a strong sense of belonging. My weekly indulgence in chaats makes me feel a part of this country.”

THE STUFFING Mix 500 gm of ricotta cheese, 100 gm of grated parmigiano or grana padano cheese, 500 gm finely chopped blanched spinach, pinch of grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, one soup spoon of extra virgin olive oil with one soup spoon of regular flour together and keep the mixture in the fridge.

MAKING RAVIOLI Make a thin layer of pasta around 18 cm by pressing it through pasta machine. Brush the dough a little with egg wash to make sure the ravioli doesn’t open while cooking. Place some ricotta cheese and spinach mixture in the middle of the pasta layer with a distance of 5 cm in between. Fold the dough to cover the mixture and with a round cutter of 8 cm diameter cut the pasta at half moon. Take each corner of the half moon ravioli and stick it together. Place the ravioli with some semolina flour to rest for at least an hour to keep the shape intact. Place it in boiling water until al dente.

THE SAUCE Pan fry onion and garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add tomatoes, salt, pepper and fresh basil leaves. Keep cooking for not more than 2 minutes. Add butter and a little water for that creamy consistency. Place the ravioli in sauce and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve it hot with parmigiano or grana padano cheese.

WHAT COMES NEXT? would think Italian food has reached its peak in terms of global exposure. It’s not just about getting the basics right anymore. People know it, love it, have tried making it, some of them have got it right, some are still at it. From a small pizzeria to high-end restaurants serving gourmet meals for two, making it one of the most romantic cuisines in the world, Italian food is one business option which is bound to turn lucrative.

You can make it easily at home with its gooeyness spreading certain warmth and comfort. Can experimentation or reinterpretation help build a renewed excitement around it? Or is it going to stay the way we know it? “The traditional recipes will acquire a modern twist. Of course with time people will come up with new things on the table.

That’s on my agenda too and you will see that in the new La Piazza menu that we have introduced recently which is full of traditional recipes like ravioli with a twist, for instance,” he concludes.

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IN FOCUS

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GOLDEN YEAR Telangana Tourism Secretary B VENKATESHAM shares initiatives to attract travellers and introduce new experiences

What are your expectations from growth in the tourism industry? What forms of tourism do you see as potential growth areas in the coming years?

The tourist footfall has definitely increased in the last year. We’ve seen a lot of improvement. Earlier in 2014, we only had 60,000 foreign tourists visiting Telangana whereas this year, it has already crossed 1.5 lakh. Hyderabad was their first port of entry. But if you account for all the people who come in after disembarking at Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru, then the number will go up to five lakh.

In terms of domestic tourism, we are doing very well but we need to further strengthen it. Since the growth rate of foreign tourists is phenomenal, we would like to continue the same trend.

We are working with tourism boards of other states, making a cooperative and a complementary effort rather than a competing one. If people come to Hyderabad and want to explore the seaside, we will recommend them to visit places like Goa and vice versa.

We want to promote Hyderabad as a leisure and a cultural destination. It’s a cosmopolitan city

with various festivals like the kite-flying festival which we have revived. Then we also have the Bathukamma festival where women celebrate the well-being of the girl child. More than a crore women celebrate this festival in every nook and corner of the state. Medical tourism is another area which we would want to work on in a big way. The next would be archaeological and historical tourism.

Telangana is the oldest inhabited place in India.

We have megalithic burials which run for 250 km dating back to thousands of years.

Besides it’s also a foodie’s paradise where one can relish delicious biryanis, haleem, Irani chai and other delicacies. For women, it’s the pearl capital of India; they can purchase exotic sarees and there is much more to do. Film tourism is an emerging revenue earner. We will offer a single window clearance for shooting. More Bollywood films are now being made in Hyderabad than in Mumbai.

What are the measures that the state is taking to assure safety and security of tourists, especially for those coming in from different countries?

Especially after the formation of the new state

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and government, there has been a steady emphasis on providing security to visitors from home and abroad. The Hyderabad police now has more than 1,500 vehicles. We have a mobile application called Hawk Eye where you can send in emergency information and the police will respond immediately.

We’ve created ‘She’ teams which are especially pressed into service at places frequented by women. Plus, we have adopted e-challans to tackle corruption.

The tourism department recently launched two new catamaran yachts for the Hussain Sagar Lake and helicopter rides as well. Are there more innovations?

Our only endeavour is to introduce different varieties of experiences available worldwide. One can opt for hot air balloons rides and by next month, we’ll be out with sea plane services. There will be amphibian buses in the next three-four months and other adventure sports like parasailing and paragliding. The plan is to introduce it all within six months.

The state also held an Amsterdam-based youth festival “Sensation India 2016”. Are you working on more such concepts?

Yes. There is a platform called “Happening Hyderabad” and our IT Minister KT Rama Rao has been its architect. Under this platform, we are trying to bring all major events to the city. Sensation was organised for the first time in Asia. We got Sunburn too. There are a number of events lined up. One is called Campus Out where 10,000 students from various universities around the world will get together and exchange views on various topics.

Anything else in the piepline other than experiential tourism?

There will be international events and conferences.

We have also tied up with NRIs of Telangana who have been a major source of strength for us, especially during state formation. We are talking to hotels, airlines, local tourist operators to come up with special packages for this segment. We are expecting four-five lakh foreign tourists by the end of this year. By 2020, it should touch 10 lakh.

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TOY TRAIN

Discover

Darjeeling quaint and once quiet town in West Bengal, Darjeeling perches at an altitude of 6,700 ft and has provided relief from the steaming hot plains of Bengal to all those looking for cooler climes for centuries.

The toy train (or the Darjeeling Heritage Railway as it is called after being granted World Heritage status by UNESCO) is probably the best way to explore Darjeeling. This blue locomotive has been chugging through these hills as long as one remembers and is an intrinsic part of the Darjeeling experience.

From New Jalpaiguri, the toy train gets to Siliguri, crosses the bridge of the mighty Mahanadi river and then at Sukna starts the climb into the Himalayas. At Rangtang, famous tea gardens can be seen and at Kurseong, you will be greeted by the mighty Himalayan forests of maple, cherry and chestnut.

THE

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is known as one of India’s most celebrated lines. The steam locomotive offers its passengers mesmerising panoramas as it chugs its way up on its two-foot gauge

When the train curls around some of the villages en-route, it passes so close to the houses that you can actually pick up clothes from the lines in the yards without leaving your seat. Keep looking at the views and peaks till you spot the mighty Kanchenjunga or as it’s known in Darjeeling, Kanchandzonga.

School children frequently jump off the moving train, pop across the road to a sweet shop and hop on the train a few minutes later. You can get off during one of the frequent halts, stretch your legs, take photographs or go and chat with the engine driver, guard or a local shopkeeper.

In the olden times though it was one of the most functional modes of transport, winding its way up the hills. It carried soldiers, planters, holiday makers, escaping the heat and dust of the plains of Bengal and collieries of the Chhota Nagpur plateau and European parents visiting their children at boarding schools.

GETTINGTHERE

BY AIR: Bagdogra Airport is 96 km away from Darjeeling.

BY BUS: The bus service from Siliguri is 70 km from Darjeeling.

BY TRAIN: New Jalpaiguri railway station is 62 km from the main town.

BEST TIME TO VISIT: Round the year except monsoons. (July-August)

O R I E N TA L N E C TA R

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When a certain Jim Murray picks Sherry cask single malt from the unheralded Yamazaki distillery and declares it as the best in the world, it was obvious his words would be taken in spirit. Coming across as a sermon from his whisky bible, the proclamation caused ripples across the world, bringing Japanese whisky into cognisance of popular culture.

After American, Irish, and Scotch, it is now the turn of Japanese whisky to rule the roost.

By DEVI SINGH

WITH

only a century-old existence and a limited number of distilleries, the Japanese have managed to build their own brand of whisky by cashing in on its exotic appeal especially in the West. A recent phenomenon, which is yet making inroads in India, is already riding high on the popularity quotient among private collectors with its blends and malts.

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HOW IT ALL BEGAN tryst with whisky apparently began in 1870 when Commodore Matthew Perry gifted Emperor Meiji Mutsuhito 100 gallons of American whiskey. Thus a bond between Japanese and the drink was established by two liquor legends Shinjiro Torii and Masataka Taketsuru.

In 1923, Shinjiro Torii, the founder of Suntory, built Japan’s first whisky distillery in the valley of Yamazaki, on the outskirts of Kyoto.

In 1923 Masataka Taketsuru travelled to Scotland to learn the art of malts from the Scotch.

He later found Nikka Whisky which operates out of two distilleries, namely Yoichi and Miyagikyo.

JAPAN’S

JAPANESE WHISKY: WHAT’S SO SPECIAL weather in Japan is warm compared to Scotland which ages the whisky faster giving it a distinct taste,” says Kumar Saswat, Corporate Director of Food & Beverage at Radisson Blu Mbd. The summer in Japan contributes a lot to distillation. The whisky industry thrives majorly on dynamics of weather which is conducive to maturation and creating the final product.

Yamazaki produces an eclectic range of peated or unpeated barley, different yeast strains and fermentations with a number of casks.

The pot stills in Yoichi are heated using powdered coal, a traditional technique which is not even found in Scotland. Nikka is hailed for its blended malts which are re-casked and bottled directly.

“THE

REFINED TASTE are lighter, elegant and far more refined, closer to complex wines than hard-nosed whiskies, making them more relatable to the palate. “I think it’s the novelty factor which is making people go crazy. Also, these whiskies are easy to drink; they are not heavy-bodied like Scotch,” says Saswat.

Another great contributor to the success of Japanese whisky is the complementary Japanese food which has been a huge success all over the

THEY

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Japanese have been showcasing their whiskies at the global whisky sampling event, Whisky Live, since 2008. Jim Murray by selecting Yamazaki in 2013, only leveraged the Japanese brand of whiskies in the industry, taking it to another level

world. “They couldn’t market their traditional drink, Sake, because of its ritualistic sacrosanct appeal. Their whisky reached the global market like sushi, which actually worked for the Japanese,” says Sandeep Arora, whisky connoisseur.

JAPANESE WHISKY AS A BOUTIQUE PLEASURE are a few people in the country who are collecting it for their private use or jazzing up their home bar collection. “I have a private collection of almost all Japanese whisky labels but it’s not available commercially on the bar menu of Dramz. People who travel a lot and want to try something novel are the ones who are on a lookout for Japanese whisky. It’s for people who are willing to buy a bottle worth `15,000 or more simply to satiate their curiosity,” says Sunil Aggarwal, owner, Dramz.

“I personally don't think there is any sort of an investment in these rare Japanese whiskies.

They are more of a statement right now than an investment. I collect them as well personally but don’t see a point investing in them as a private collector. You can only feel good about it by showing it off to your guests,” adds Arora.

THERE

THE JAPANESE STRATEGY astute investors and marketers, the Japanese have built equity for their whisky globally.

They learnt a lot from the Scots by embracing their whisky practices.

“The Japanese have been showcasing their whiskies at the global whisky sampling event, Whisky Live, since 2008. Jim Murray, by selecting Yamazaki in 2013, only leveraged the Japanese brand of whiskies in the industry, taking it to another level,” shares Arora.

Moreover, the availability of Japanese whisky is very limited, which makes its presence more significant. As he puts it, “Japanese whiskies get a higher off take from Russia, Taiwan and the US. India's turn comes after these markets and by the

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time they think of India, there’s no liquid left.

Besides, Nikka and Suntory have a direct presence in these countries which makes them import the liquid and invest in the brand.”

Scotch has had a presence for almost 400 years whereas the Japanese started marketing only a decade back. There are almost 104 distilleries in Scotland whereas in Japan there are only two primary players, Nikka and Suntory, with a few smaller ones at play. The huge comparison is obvious; even then Japanese have been successful in popularising their product.

Arora further adds, “Japanese themselves didn't accept their whiskies until ten years back.

They had to be introduced at highballs which turned out to be a rage across Japan. They loved the idea of a highball, which was nothing but whisky, soda and ice so much so that it became a turning point for Japanese whisky.” This was the time when Japanese started marketing their whiskies at global tasting affairs where they got a lot of acceptance. Their patience, consistent marketing and the genuine product have caught the fancy of the connoisseurs and consumers across the world.

THE INDIAN JET SETTERS only consistent Japanese whisky coming to India is through global travellers.

Elaborating on the duty free culture, Arora says, “Indians flying outside the country are the ones who are bringing in Japanese whisky for home bar consumption which is very defined and limited in our country. The awareness for Japanese whisky is definitely on the rise in India. It is still bordering on finesse, mystique and curiosity. People will have to consume different Japanese whiskies to understand and have an opinion on it which I feel is still 18 months away. It’s more of a fad right now. Indians are just finding it fashionable or luxe to talk about Japanese whisky.”

THE

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The Japanese have very smartly succeeded in coming up with special editions of non-age statement whisky and people have accepted this tactic as well. People across the world are only too happy to simply grab a bottle of any Japanese label

THE INDIAN STORY are still embracing Scotch and other international whiskies. Across the world, Scotch continues to lead in a big way.

The other categories which are being looked upon are Bourbon, Japanese and Irish.

“Beam Suntory, the world’s third largest spirit company, is still looking to sell Canadian, Bourbon or Scotch whiskies to India. The Suntory range of whisky will not come here until another two years because of shortage of volume,” Arora adds.

“If Beam Suntory can’t cope with the quantity for North Americans, how would they manage to bring the liquor to India,” asks Saswat.

In India, people are still in the process of getting a hand on these exquisite bottles. As of now, these rare whiskies are only available at duty free and they do not carry an age statement which is a letdown.

“One in every 20 whisky bottles sold in America is Japanese and because the demand is so high, they have stopped producing age statement labels.

For instance, Hibiki Suntory 12 YO doesn’t mention the age anymore on the bottle. They are selling nonage statement labels to meet the demand,” shares Saswat. This strategy might hit the Japanese whisky

INDIANS

market eventually as the Orient likes its brew aged.

With Japanese creating newer styles of whisky, the aged variant has been put on a pedestal. If a normal 18 YO whisky costs $100 then a Japanese label will come around at $160. “The Japanese have very smartly succeeded in coming up with special editions of non-age statement whisky and people have accepted this tactic as well. People across the world are only too happy to simply grab a Japanese label right now, irrespective of its pedigree or age,” concludes Arora.

EXOTICA [87] MAY 2016

FIRST HAND Although it has just been over a month, Truefitt & Hill already commands a certain aura of extreme comfort which makes it stand out in the crowd. A high end establishment at a swanky address in the capital, catering exclusively to men, convinces you to splurge. Boasting of notable patrons like Charles Dickens, this one will demand a second visit from the dapper in you. CHRISTY VARGHESE checks in

the intention of appeasing my parents’ incessant badgering about looking shabby all the time and ever-reducing chances for prospective brides, I finally decided to pamper myself a bit. The mission brings me to Truefitt & Hill salon, sipping on some first rate in-house coffee.

I observe wall to wall wood panelling, tapping my feet to the lilting rhythmic blues playing in the background. Their tagline, “Grooming Men for Greatness”, seems very much appropriate after I find out that apart from Dickens, Truefitt has catered to glittering names such as Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Wilde and Sir Winston Churchill. Established in 1805, Truefitt & Hill is the world’s oldest barber shop, according to the Guinness Book of records, and are barbers and Royal Warrant holders to The Duke of Edinburgh. This officially gives them the right to service the British Royal Family as and when they demand or require it. I chide myself for making a big deal out of a “puny” haircut even if it is from the royal barbers.

That is when an extremely courteous Anisur Rehman interrupts my train of thoughts. While engaging in some friendly small talk, he leads me to my chair. As the soft-spoken barber sizes up my hair, I recall the receptionist telling me that she will have the best barber under Truefitt & Hill’s tutelage tend to my dishevelled bush and give me a shave as smooth as smooth can get. I silently, and fervently, hope that the receptionist doesn't call every barber here, as “the best barber that we have”. But my apprehension disappears in a short while though, probably due to the polite demeanour of Rehman.

Though he seems really intent on attending to my hair with extreme concentration, my attempt at provoking him into a steady conversation proves successful as he opens up about himself and, to a large extent, the esteemed establishment that employs him. He had been practising his trade in Mumbai for the past 17 years and came down to Delhi after passing an interview and a month of training to work here. “A quick and witty Englishman from Truefitt & Hill trained us in the techniques and customs attached to their culture. He embedded in us trainees the thought that whatever service we provide to a customer, one thing should always be kept in mind, the comfort of the client is priority number one. After having learnt that last

WITH

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THE ROYAL TALE o The story of the oldest barber shop in the world began in fashionable Mayfair in 1805, the year of Nelson’s victorious battle at Cape Trafalgar, when King George III sat on England’s throne and William Pitt the younger served as the Prime Minister. o The Royal connection is continued to this day by Truefitt’s barbers, who visit either Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle to attend H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh, while other members of the Royal family and the Royal household visit Truefitt & Hill’s premises at St. James’s. o Truefitt & Hill have also attended to numerous Royals of other European courts and famous politicians such as William Gladstone, the Duke of Wellington, Sir Winston Churchill and Field Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamain. o Many legendary figures from the world of arts and entertainment, have also enjoyed the Truefitt touch including Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Sinatra among others.

lesson, I truly consider myself to be a part of Truefitt’s vast heritage”, Anisur tells me, while prancing around my chair with a pair of shiny scissors.

After he’s done trimming stray strands of hair to signal the conclusion of The Royal Haircut, he expectantly asks me for my opinion on his work. Well, I have to hand it to him, he has pulled off a miracle of some sorts. I never have liked the slick after-haircut look but even after trimming my hair to an extent which I consider brutally short, Rehman’s handiwork makes me look not so bad, on the whole. And no, I wasn't deliberately prodding myself on to be optimistic about it just because I’m spending some money on it.

When I mention this to him, he laughs, giving the products of Truefitt & Hill due credit for this miracle. “The products offered by the house of Truefitt & Hill are the cumulative results of over 209 years of research and intimate customer relationships”, he tells me. While there are several ranges to choose from, with each range having its own set of products under it, the colognes are the signature products here. To humour me, Rehman teases my olfactory senses with a brief whiff of every bottle that he has. Amongst them all, I find the essence of the West Indian Limes and Freshman cologne captivating enough to linger on.

Since its initiation, the franchisee has released limited products and makes sure that the essential composition and the appearance of the products aren’t tampered with.

Pointing to a bottle labeled C.A.R Cream, amongst several that are lying in front of me, Rehman recounts an interesting story. He tells me about an

incident of somewhat epic proportions wherein one of the salvage operations, amongst numerous others, to retrieve valuable items from the wreckage of the RMS Titanic recovered a Truefitt & Hill product, C.A.R Cream. How much more closely entwined with history can this place get, I think to myself. Coaxed by my seemingly undying curiosity, he tells me more about Truefitt & Hill than the official website possibly could. he wraps my face in a hot towel to cleanse my face of any leftover foam after the careful, time consuming Royal Shave, Rehman tells me that every object touching my skin happens to be a Truefitt & Hill product, including the towels, razor and the shaving brush. I can hear my vibrating (due to the machine-aided face massage) mind squeal with delight when he tells me that the bristles of the brush consist of hand knotted badger hair.

Once he’s done, Rehman ceremoniously dusts me off before bidding me adieu. While wishing me well for all future endeavours, he recommends that I should experience the relaxing Royal Manicure and Pedicure as well. I had always assumed that getting a manicure or pedicure is an act more in sync with the opposite sex. But since I am really pleased with the dapper treatment that I have received from the oldest barber shop in the world, I decide to go with the flow and enroll myself for a pamper session as well.

While the pair of therapists assigned to me, Ajay Kumar and Rahab, tend to my hands and feet with

WHILE

EXOTICA [90] MAY 2016

the lavender-scented scrub before dipping my feet into a tub of warm water, I close my eyes. The soothing mellow aroma of the lavender bath salts complement the relaxation-inducing churning motions of the adequately warm water and both sensations combine to aid me in dropping into a trance like state.

Next thing I know, Ajay is swivelling my toes, one by one while Rahab is applying the fragrant massage cream. I must have dozed off or something as I can’t account for what happened in the past 15 minutes. When I express my panic at this unexpected occurence, Ajay assures me that he's used to clients dropping into a brief siesta while he’s “oiling their squeaky hinges”, which is how he described his massages. He tells me that during the brusque duration while I was asleep, he vigorously scrubbed my heels to get rid of the dead skin I had amassed over a lot of time before applying a lather of lavender-based moisturiser. Ajay laughs wholeheartedly when I declare that this whole procedure seems manageable enough to do it by myself, before

asking me that why wasn’t I then taking the appropriate measures to care for my own skin, considering that it’s the only one I have? Saving me from an embarrassing silence, he calmly proceeds to tell me how we humans are too engrossed in chasing the things they want, while shying away from doing the things they need, like taking proper care of ourselves. A pretty philosophical justification as to why we need to visit salons for a monthly manicure and pedicure, I think to myself. there’s no bad blood between us, Ajay’s honest, genuine smile tells me while he shakes my hand before I take my leave.

While I descend the steps, I’m humming to the catchy tune I heard in the salon. I feel confident enough to approach a random stranger and strike a conversation and when she doesn’t shoo me away, I’m certain that I couldn’t have spent my money in a better way. And for that moment, after my “puny” haircut, I feel invincible. I feel like I have been finally “groomed for greatness”.

BUT

EXOTICA [91] MAY 2016

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EXOTICA [93] MAY 2016

F LY H I G H

Sudhir Raheja, Chairman, AAI (right) receiving the “India Pride Awards” from M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs in the presence of Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture

Beyond

triumph

AIRPORTS Authority of India won the “India Pride Awards” 2015-16 for “Excellence in infrastructure development” in the category of Public Sector Undertaking — Central for which all leading PSUs of India participated. As an organisation, it has been working tirelessly towards India’s sustainable growth and is renowned for providing state-of-theart infrastructure, passenger facilities and air navigation services at all airports across

THE

the nation. The award ceremony was held at The Taj Mahal Hotel in the capital. The winners were felicitated by M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Parliamentary Affairs, who was the Chief Guest for the evening, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology and Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister for Agriculture.

EXOTICA [94] MAY 2016

Awards galore feather was added in the cap of AAI recently as it was awarded the prestigious “Golden Peacock Award” 2016 for innovative services. This honour comes in the second consecutive year for Aerodrome Safeguarding application system also known as NOCAS (No Objection Certificate Application System) Version 2.0. The key benefits of this system are effective planning and saving the environment.

In India, ASAS saves 500 trees (4,500,000 sheets) per year. It has reduced staff requirement, saves cost, enables faster dissemination of height determination certificate and faster rollout of projects, ensures transparency.

ANOTHER

The award was presented to AAI at ‘Golden Peacock Awards Ceremony’ held in Dubai by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Government of UAE in the presence of a distinguished gathering of business leaders, academics, boardroom professionals and policy makers. The Golden Peacock Awards were instituted by the Institute of Directors, India in 1991, and are regarded as a benchmark of corporate excellence worldwide. The Golden Peacock Awards Secretariat receives over 1,000 entries per year for various categories from over 25 countries across the world.

S Raheja (centre) with the Golden Peacock Award for “Innovative Service” by the Institute of Directors in Dubai. Also seen in the picture are Anuj Aggarwal, Member (HR), A K Dutta, Member (ANS) and other senior officers of AAI

EXOTICA [95] MAY 2016

Manfred Blondeel, Director IATA and Anil Gupta, GM (Business Development), AAI exchanging the MoU in presence of S Suresh (in centre). Also seen in the picture is Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director (Finance), AAI (second from right) ORTS Authority of India (AAI), Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently joined hands for providing a comprehensive e-billing solution to ANSPs for data gathering, e-invoicing and collection of tariff from airlines.

An MoU was signed by Manfred Blondeel, Director, Enhancement and Financing services, IATA and Anil Gupta, General Manager, Business Development, AAI in the presence of S Suresh, Member Finance and Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director Finance, AAI during the strategic level

THE AIRP

meeting of AAI and IATA on making a collaborative effort. Speaking on the occasion, Suresh said, “AAI and IATA have more than a decade-long association of invoicing and collection, making it a robust and unique system, as there’s no other comprehensive e-billing system available for the same at present.

Blondeel stated that considering AAI’s expertise in data gathering and IATA’s in collection of invoices through BSP and ICH, the collaboration between IATA and AAI would be a milestone for the global aviation fraternity which now has a tested and effective comprehensive business solution.

Participants of workshop on Airport Information Management System (AIMS) with Member Finance, S Suresh

EXOTICA [96] MAY 2016

AAI also came up with a workshop on Airports Information Management System (AIMS) in Goa with participants from all major AAI airports attending the two-day event addressed by prominent guest faculty and the project lead of AIMS. AIMS is a comprehensive e-billing solution through which AAI is raising invoices to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore per annum, functional at 96 airports across India.

The workshop was inaugurated by S Suresh (Member Finance) in the presence of Rajesh Bhandari, Executive Director, Finance, P K Mishra, Executive Director, Air Traffic Management and S V Sathish, Executive Director Information Technology.

Speaking on the occasion, S Suresh, Member Finance, reiterated the importance of e-billing, transparency, accuracy and timely collection. He emphasised AAI’s commitment in ease of doing business by implementation of comprehensive e-invoicing AIMS system.

As a concluding activity, a cycle rally was organised to create environmental awareness aiming for a clean and green Goa. More than 40 participants from all over the country and visiting IATA delegations from IATA Corporate Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland led by Suresh, Blondeel and B C H Negi, Airport Director, Goa airport, participated in the rally.

Speaking on the occasion Suresh pointed out the importance of environmental issues and taking a cue from PM Modi’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.

Blondeel lauded the efforts and initiative taken by AAI in organising the rally for educating and creating awareness about environment in the society.

“We’ll ensure that Goa airport will be seen as an example in making the state clean and green,” said BCH Negi, Airport Director, Goa.

The

EXOTICA [97] MAY 2016

S Suresh, Member (Finance) and other senior officers of AAI and representatives from IATA, Geneva participated in a cycle rally organised to create environmental awareness after the AAI-IATA meeting in Goa, as a concluding activity which was a brainchild of Member Finance

BLITHESPIRIT

RECENTLY Magandeep Singh Sommelier

cannabis has been much in the news. People across the nation have been debating whether it should be legalised. It was always legal to begin with. In fact, it was more legal than alcohol. And then, America came pushing and under all sorts of international duress, we wrote it off. Now when they are readily embracing it, we are still struggling to come to terms with our first love. What I fear now is that cannabis will come back to India routed via America which is the most shameful passage for our history to undertake.

HOMEGROWN

HIGH Be it the Chang rice-ferment from the North East to the potent saffron spiced liquors from Rajasthan to Kesar Kasturi, we have as many ways to get high as we have languages or cuisines

A similar fate awaits our local brews and liquors if we don’t sit up and realise just what in ignorance we risk losing.

Mahua, as a distillate, has been made in India since longer than recorded civilisation has existed in the region. Other flowers (jasmine,rose), fruits (mangoes, berries), barks, roots, cereals, grains and even animal parts have somehow found a way to be made into alcohol. And not all of it was vile. Sure it was unpolished, edgy even and didn't have much shelf life but it was made for the purpose of drinking.

Evidence of alcohol being a part of our society are to be found in every historic text— from the Vedas (who mostly condemned alcohol even as they spoke of the Lords imbibing it), the Sutras (which were more kind in their outlook towards alcohol and its drinkers) to even popular ones like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In other words drinking or rather drunkenness are no invention of the modern man but a time jaded ritual almost embedded in our DNA. The Brahmins used to drink till, at one point, they decided to give it up and stick to fruit juices. The Kshatriyas could drink but only wine. Distillates were off limits

for them as also for the Vaishyas. The reason seems to be that for warriors as also the business community, losing the power of reasoning was never good. And finally the Shudras who were the only ones allowed to drink the potent stuff.

Nevertheless, there was clearly a lot of alcohol and a variety of it around in our society at all times.

Kesar Kasturi used to be so potent that just a few drops added to a tank of water was enough to intoxicate an entire wedding procession. Another distillate from the neighbouring Marwar was so stiff that even a spoon would float in it. Then there is the Eastern culture of drinking rice-based ferments. And how can one forget toddy? I remember in the golden era before Kerala went dry, I alighted from my house boat to visit a state-run toddy shop, where we men sat on a bench banging a table to a beat and singing a local song about well, drunkenness. And this is but the tip of the gin-soaked iceberg. It’s not up to us to ensure its longevity. So let’s raise a glass in the name of preservation.

EXOTICA [99] MAY 2016

GURUSPEAK Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Spiritual Guru

If something is beautiful, you cannot but love it.

Love and beauty go hand in hand.

When you love a creation, you see it as beautiful.

When you are tired of it, you find it ugly.

That’s why to appreciate beauty you must understand love

you love someone you see nothing wrong in them. You even justify their faults in some way or other. They are always on your mind.

Ordinary things become extraordinary. When you love someone, you want to see them happy and you want them to have the best.

The understanding I’m speaking about is not merely intellectual. Usually when we love something, we want to possess it. You have known only one way of loving — love it, possess it and

WHEN

forget it. When you try to possess love, you rob it of its beauty, and then that same love gives you pain. Whoever you love, you try to dictate terms to them. In a very subtle way you try to rule them.

And whatever you try to control turns ugly.

It all begins in childhood. When the second baby arrives, the first baby wants all the attention.

“Why did you bring this baby home? Give it away.”

Many children say, “You belong to me and me alone.” It’s a deep samskara, a deep impression, the fear of losing our place in the heart of someone we love.

THE

UNENDING DUET

When it becomes a little difficult to attain whatever you are attracted to, you start loving it. If you simply get whatever you are attracted to — just like that— you don’t develop love for it. A longing must arise which leads to love. And love brings the fear of loss. Yet, a love which has the fear of loss, does not blossom. It leads you to ugly sensations and feelings like jealousy. You try all sorts of gimmicks to deny what is happening within you. You never love something that is big because you haven’t yet become enormous yourself. And as long as you stay small, there is no

joy, happiness or peace. Joy is expansion, it’s about becoming big in your heart. This can only happen in a situation where you are very much in love but cannot possess what you love.

You can love someone for their qualities and not have a sense of intimacy. This type of love gives rise to competition and jealousy. If love is based on the qualities of a person, that love is not stable.

After some time the qualities change and the love becomes shaky. However, if you love someone because they belong to you, then that love remains for a lifetime. Loving someone because they belong to you, great or otherwise, is unconditional love which is pure bliss.

Spiritual practices, knowledge of the self, service and satsang (coming together in celebration) help to create a sense of belonging. When love springs from a sense of belonging, then the action or qualities don’t overshadow love. Neither qualities nor actions can be perfect all the time.

Only love and a feeling of kinship can be perfect.

EXOTICA [101] MAY 2016

FITNESS

GENERALLY

considered as a women’s health issue, varicose veins is a condition that not only affects women but men as well. Statistics say 3 out of 10 people suffer from varicose veins and it can be very uncomfortable. So what are varicose veins after all? When veins push the deBharat Thakur oxygenated blood to the heart, their internal valves open and is a yoga guru close really fast, not allowing blood to fall back. With age, and founder of obesity, standing or sitting for a long time, pregnancy and Artistic Yoga menopause or due to hereditary factors, these valves weaken and can leak, making blood flow backwards and balloon up the veins.

The various symptoms include tired, aching legs, swollen ankles and feet, swelling and discomfort that can make daily routine uncomfortable and painful. Doctors usually recommend self-care measures or, in extreme cases, surgical intervention.

Regular practice of yoga is invaluable as this science works on body both externally and internally. Yoga asanas, done regularly, can improve the overall vitality, strength, fitness, muscle tone and flexibility of the body. Along with yogic breathing exercises (pranayama) and the bandhas (neuromuscular locks), they detox the body and improve blood circulation.

Inverted postures like Sarvangasan (shoulder stand) as they reverse the body’s blood flow and allow stagnant, pooled blood to flow back to the heart. Swollen and damaged veins start to look more normal.

To really get long-term relief from varicose veins, it’s important to try these postures in which the legs are elevated or the body Mostly seen as a cosmetic problem, varicose inverted. Any of these will give you some immediate relief. veins, also called spider veins, are dark and

YOGA FOR

VARICOSE

VEINS

enlarged veins which can get really painful if left untreated. Here’s how yoga can bring relief to sufferers

EXOTICA [102] MAY 2016

UTTHANPADASANA o Lie on your back with legs together, arms by your side, palms on floor. o Inhale as you raise the right leg to 90 degrees or as high as comfortable. o Hold for 10-30 seconds, holding the breath. o Exhale as you slowly bring the leg down. Repeat with left leg. o Repeat, lifting both legs together.

Setp (1)

BENEFITS: o Facilitates blood circulation. o Strengthens ab muscles, digestive system and lower back.

VIPREETKARNI ASANA o Lie flat on your back, arms by your side and feet together. o Inhaling, slowly raise both your legs, keep them straight and together. o Raise your back off the floor and lower your legs towards your head. o Support the hips with both your hands. o Hold for a minute or as long as comfortable. o Slowly lower the hips, bringing arms by your side and lower the legs.

BENEFITS: o Redirects the flow of blood upwards, relieving varicose vein symptoms. o Improves blood circulation.

SARVANGASANA o Lie flat on your back, arms by your side and feet together. o Inhaling, slowly raise both your legs to 90 degrees, keeping them straight. o Support your back with both hands, roll and raise your legs, hips and back to a vertical position. o Gently push the chest forward so it presses against the chin. o Relax, breathe normally and hold for 30 seconds to a minute. o Slowly lower the hips, place arms by your side and lower the legs.

BENEFITS: o Redirects the flow of blood upwards, relieving varicose vein symptoms. o Strengthens the back and shoulders. o Improves blood circulation.

EXOTICA [103] MAY 2016

Setp (2)

NUMBERGAME Sanjay Jumaani Numerologist

COUNT YOUR FATE

NUMBER 1 (Ruled by Sun, people born on the 1st, 10th, 19th and 28th) A confused mind may continue to waver, making you feel indecisive. You can multi-task though if you feel you are achieving success. Give enough time to your projects; you will taste success, sooner or later. A slow balancing is in the offing after which it’s over to your own decisions and actions.

NUMBER 4 (Ruled by Uranus, people born on the 4th, 13th, 22nd and 31st) A creative mind and an adventurous attitude put together can make advanced inventions possible. Your revolutionary thinking is of good use if you are ready to neglect the detractors who may not understand your conceptual thinking. But don’t overthink too much as you are after all skillful.

NUMBER 7 (Ruled by Neptune, people born on the 7th, 16th and 25th) You may need to keep a tab on your diet. Physical fitness is the need of the hour. Perhaps it’s the key answer to any unusual tiredness you would be facing.

Your zest for success is justified and will be complete only if you sustain your health levels. If you intuitively mistrust someone, keep away from that person.

NUMBER 2 (Ruled by Moon, people born on the 2nd, 11th, 20th and 29th) It is likely that some unforeseen expense may mount up but if it is worthwhile, there is nothing much to fear. Good things in life do cost a little more so at times being “penny wise” does not always help. Keep a tab on your health, especially blood pressure. Try alternate therapies such as yoga or meditation.

NUMBER 5 (Ruled by Mercury, people born on the 5th, 14th and 23rd) Those in long-term relationships could work out mutually and create better understanding.

Socially too, you might be keeping busy on tenterhooks.

Work satisfaction could come only if you have convinced yourself that you have put in your best. So think twice before skipping decision to another.

NUMBER 8 (Ruled by Saturn, people born on the 8th, 17th and 26th) Those who are single may meet someone interesting and should make a move which will be fruitful. Don’t just rush into the scheme of things though. Your positive karma may reward you eventually and you must preach and illustrate your example to others, inspiring them to tread on the path of righteousness.

NUMBER 3 (Ruled by Jupiter, people born on the 3rd, 12th, 21st and 30th) We often fool ourselves that we work for our family but if we can’t give them time, then there is simply no use of money. You may not be after it for the love of it but you might be just under some obligation to others, which at times makes you feel insecure about your status.

NUMBER 6 (Ruled by Venus, people born on the 6th, 15th and 24th) Those on the lookout for work may get a pleasant surprise, romantic relationships could take a little backseat at the moment which could be a blessing. If work is worship, then there’s always time for love. Keep your mind open and be ready to welcome change.

NUMBER 9 (Ruled by Mars, people born on the 9th, 18th and 27th) Short trips or visits could make work a pleasure, you generally love adventures anyway. Those who are selfemployed may expect an interesting client. Finances are settling down but avoid get-richquick tricks. Otherwise being impulsive could prove hazardous for you.

EXOTICA [104] MAY 2016

AT L E I S U R E

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festival brings together the beauty of flowers and some decent knowledge about plantations.

Many species of orchids, gladioli, cacti, roses, creepers, climbers are put on display at Governor’s residence in Gangtok. For the ones who love adventure, there is river rafting. Another interesting feature of the Flower festival in Sikkim is the Yak Safari. Apart from this, lectures and seminars about indigenous plants are conducted. To be held from May 1 to 31.

H

E

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the first half of May, people enjoy the grand wedding of Lord Shiva and Meenakshi in Madurai’s Meenakshi Temple during the Chithirai festival. Legend goes that even Lord Vishnu himself came on a golden horse to attend this. The 3,500-year-old temple is the heart of spiritual fervour during this period. Chariot processions, devotional songs and numerous pujas continue throughout the fortnight. From May 1 to14.

THE

DURING

an important landmark of the Indian Buddhist Circuit, Sarnath hosts an elaborate fair and is home to a public procession of Buddhist relics. A huge number of Buddhists is seen coming to Sarnath for the occasion. Almost every other Buddhist capital celebrates Buddh Poornima with much fervour. On May 22.

BEING

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`864 `1,296

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SIGNOFF

By RINKU GHOSH

MYSTIC RIVER

T

he other day I came across a report that river cruising has reached a saturation point in global tourism. Some 23 new boats were launched in 2015, with more debuting the year before. “Not only is there limited space on the great rivers of the world (the Danube, the Rhine, the Seine, the Mekong, the Yangtze), but it may be that, in 2016, there will be more staterooms than would-be passengers...prices could continue to stay flat or bottom out,” said the Frommer’s study. I say good time to grab a summer deal.

India sadly is far from that saturation. In fact, a country blessed by natural rivers and waterways has done precious little to make river cruising popular, except in isolated pockets. That, too, as a privately-driven rather than an institutionalised, sectoral effort. Considering the effort we put into developing artificial water-themed parks in our cities, and swimming pools becoming aqua wrestling matches due to overcrowding, one wonders why our riverfronts and lakes cannot be developed for a more expansive and serene vacation experience.

River cruises have been fairly well-developed in the well-publicised tourist hubs of Kerala, Goa and Lakshadweep. While the boats on the Mandovi river cater to every budget and experience, Kerala tourism has developed plush houseboats for an exclusive soak of the backwaters at a languid pace.

Lakshadweep, with its luxury boats, has set the benchmark for island tourism. River cruises are a luxury in time and space. While the boats come with their modern conveniences, they allow you to be a seeking soul, dropping anchor every day at an unknown port and gathering unique experiences of the locals on the bank. You touch upon the vast swathes of the real India that are outside tourist circuits.

Rivers are also a great lesson in history as we pass ancient signposts, relics and old bridges to understand how their courses have impacted our

civilisational flow. The Ganga river cruise, for example, takes you past remnants of ancient, native kingdoms, Mughal ruins of palaces and forts, colonial era granaries, pavilions and structures, Buddhist monasteries in Vikramshila, sixth century rock carvings in Bateshwar and silk markets in Bhagalpur. It is all threaded together in a seamless experience, telling us where we come from and where we are headed. Rivers are also a great way to encounter the wild in an untamed surrounding, just as they are meant to be, be it the Gangetic dolphin, bobbing up and down in the afternoon sun, or the giant monitors and swimming tigers in the creeks of the Sundarbans delta. The Brahmaputra cruise promises to open up the deep confluence of ethnology and custom, where you might chance upon the native arts of mask-making and saree-weaving and have some smoked chicken stuffed in bamboo stalks. The Godavari cruise shows you that river beaches are silky and pearl-white, tempting you to camp out at Konaseema while at Chilika, you could go out with the fishermen at sunrise and bring back a gleaming haul.

Cradled by the boat and the rhythm of the river, sometimes furious and aggressive and sometimes tepid and steady, you seem to make a mystical connection with the universe. This whole range of journeys is just limited to boutique operators. On a developed scale, there’s much more of “the India unpeeled” experience that awaits us.

EXOTICA [106] MAY 2016

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