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EDITOR’S NOTE “Of life’s two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a labourer’s hand” - Khalil Gibran Finding your passion is about finding your true self. The one you’ve hidden and doubted, perhaps even been afraid of. And to follow through with this true self means “Meraki”- to put the essence of your soul in your work (in Greek). This issue is about people who have dared to follow through.
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THE TEAM TANOY BANERJI Managing Partner SAURAV ROY Founding Partner Director, Human Resources PRERNA MAHESHWARI Editor in Chief DEVIKA DHUMAL Senior Editor HARSHAL DUDDALWAR Director, Technical & Design SIDDHANT CHAWLA Director, Marketing & Sales AVANI AWASTHEE Assistant Director, Marketing and Public Relations RADHIKA BHOLE Assistant Director, Marketing and Sales ROHAN RAO Creative Director
Cover by Harshal Duddalwar
WRITING AND EDITORIAL Ashwini Patankar Dhruv Singh Meemansa Parashar Rohan Rao Sharanya Shivaraman DESIGN Pooja Chaudhary Radhika Dhumal Sanika Deshpande Shailja Patel Shivangi Sah PHOTOGRAPHY Pranav Shinde Shaantanu Kulkarni Swapnil Pai TECHNOLOGY Nachiket Kulkarni Riaz Moradian
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CONT ENTS
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Mother and Child
// 07
Pretty Rad World
// 09
Photo Stories
// 11
Meraki in the mud
// 15
Reading as an Orphic Amour
// 16
Finding the Passion in Pro Bono Publico
// 20
Paisa VS Passion
// 22
The Starting Line for Start-ups
// 31
Portfolios
// 30
Reviews
// 50
By Shailja Patel
By Teach For India
By Pranav Shinde and Swapnil Pai
By Shivangi Sah
By Devika Dhumal
By Sharanya Shivaraman
By Ashwini Patankar
By Sharanya Shivaraman
Photography - Suhrid Kothari Design - Yash Jain
Movie Review The Lobster by Tanoy Banerji Book Review Mistress by Meemansa Parashar
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Written by Prerna Maheshwari Illustarted by Shailja Patel
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Meraki [may-rah-kee] (adjective) Greek, often used to describe doing something with soul, creativity, or love – when you put “something of yourself” into what you’re doing, whatever it may be. Mother /ˈmʌðə/ Noun Any language One who puts their soul into another being within, to part with them later and give life.
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PrettyRadWorld
Written by Teach For India
Teach For India is a non-profit organization that believes in an excellent education for all children and is striving to end the problem of educational inequity in our country. In the short-term, through Fellowship program, India’s brightest and most promising individuals serve as full-time teachers to children from low-income communities in some of the nation’s most underresourced schools. In the long-term, a powerful force of Teach For India Alumni, who informed by their experiences and insights, work towards affecting systemic changes to realize educational opportunity for all. Through this two-part theory of change, Teach For India seeks to engage everyone in the fight for an excellent education for all. Learn more at www.teachforindia.org. Take up the challenge to lead change. Apply for the Teach For India 2017-19 Fellowship program at http://apply.teachforindia.org/ before 13th December!
‘Empowering women in the community with the skills to build a livelihood’ Like many great stories, PrettyRadWorld started as an idea. That idea turned into a project which turned into a community coming together to explore the uncharted. Three Teach For India Fellows and members of the Matoshri school team- Shashanka Lakshmipathy, Jayantha Das Gupta and Simrin Chhachhi- sat together in the summer of 2015 to plan a project as part of their Be The Change Project. Knowing that the children they taught faced problems outside the boundaries of their school, the team decided to make the focus of the project the community where their students came from – the community of Yerwada in Pune. PrettyRadWorld at its inception was designed to provide an alternative source of income to the residents of the Yerwada community in a twofold manner – providing the group with entrepreneurial skills, as well as training them to make paper bags to be sold to vendors. Through panels, support structures and thought partners, the proposal was dissected and remodeled. Necessary additions and subtractions were also made when the idea was rolled out to the parents at Parent Teacher Conferences. Over time, although the objective of providing an alternate income remained the same, the focus shifted towards catering to only the mothers of the community, and the product diversified at their hands. The project began with 25 women coming together once a week to learn, feel and share together. On their feedback, PrettyRadWorld started imparting
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basic literacy and mathematics classes along with entrepreneurial and bag-making skills. The mothers were quick to pick up the skills and some of them even volunteered to do market research. They visited medical stores to find out cost of bags from existing vendors and they shared their learnings with the rest of the group. Their research led to a change in the product from bags to handmade lamps. The team sat together for weeks and learnt how to make the perfect lamp from scratch and then replicated it to make many colourful, intricate wall lamps. In a few months the team was ready to put their training to use. Using the platform of Teach For India’s city conference, PrettyRadWorld held their first exhibition. The mothers set up their stalls and displayed their lamps. Using their salesmanship skills they made a profit of four thousand rupees in one evening. This small success led to many wonderful things. The mothers now took ownership of the products, making them not only during the meetings, but at home as well. It fostered their confidence and allowed them to open their minds to newer avenues. The next step of the process was releasing complete control to the mothers – from ideating and finding resources to setting up stalls. The process was seamlessly executed by the mothers who decided to set up food stalls at a football tournament organized by JustForKicks for Teach for India’s students.
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Sitting together more than once a week, the entrepreneurs made menus based on the audience they were targeting, decided prices, decided the quantity to produce, and other details to a tee. The mothers set up stalls on not one, but three of the tournament weekends. This event saw the birth of the initiative PrettyRadWorld. The starting process was complete. It was time to expand. At the end of the academic year, PrettyRadWorld brought on more mothers through more Parent Teacher Conferences. Both groups functioned under the banner of PrettyRadWorld and learnt how to quill jewellery together. The story of PrettyRadWorld continues, but the biggest successes came not from profit margins but from seeing a group of women come together, work together and support each other. Contact: Sruthi Jayakumar sruthi.jayakumar2015@ teachforindia.org +91 91585 12200
PHOTO STORIES.
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By Pranav Shinde and Swapnil Pai
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Small or big workspace doesn’t matter. It’s about what you strive to achieve in whatever you’ve got.
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“You always have to get work done. It’s not always about being on time, it’s about how hard you work in the time you’ve got.”
It’s all about patience in whatever work you do, if you don’t have it, you’ll never be able to succeed
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It’s not always about being on time, it’s about how hard you work in the time you’ve got, you always have to get work done from them, which irritates me the most.
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Meraki in the Mud Written by Rohan Rao Illustrated by Shivangi Sah Humans have always been inspired by nature. Birds have inspired aviation, Whale fins have served as a template to design turbines with less drag, while Velcro was invented when a scientist studied burrs, seeds with microscopic hooks that stick to fur. But it isn't just objects of utility and function that have developed from observations of the natural world. Art and Philosophy too have gained much from close interactions with Flora and Fauna. Humans live in a complex organized society that we like to think is one of a kind among all species. But it isn't. Ants live and interact in thousands. They form huge colonies with structured jobs, followed with such dedication that it seems like one giant being, often called the superorganism. And it is this, this passion for their work, the ability to work not just for oneself, but with the realization that your individual actions play a role in ensuring the society you live in benefits as well, that should serve as inspiration for us. We might not be able to carry loads fifty times are own weight, but we can definitely try to bring such passion into our lives. Meraki can be found everywhere, even in the muddy worlds beneath our feet.
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Reading as an Orphic Amour vis-Ă -vis E-reading as a Narcissist Obsession
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The book is the “Orphic Amour”, that, through the medium of its external factors transports the reader beyond himself to an extent that the reader disremembers his or her individual identity and duty.
“A book is really like a lover. It arranges itself in your life in a way that is beautiful.” -Maurice Sendak The act of Reading brings about an artistic and intimate melange of “The Book” with its “reader”. The reader is deliberately placed at a distance from the text, with the sole objective of getting him or her closer to the text, and finally absorbing this reader into the book. There have been many reader-response theories that explore this relationship between a reader and the book. Some postulate
that the reader completes the text by “filling in the gaps” that were intentionally left behind by the author, and some develop an analogous relationship between the ‘sexual’ and the ‘textual’ elements, which in turn formulates a fundamental argument wherein the act of reading is expounded through the metaphor of the act of making love.
Written by Devika Dhumal Illustrated by Sanika Deshpande
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The feel of the paper, the tiny folds and dog ears of a page, the unique whiff of a newly purchased book, the feeling of running one’s fingers through the book and listening to the pages flutter like a flock of birds, the silent pleasure of the temptation to secretly read the last page of the book and then regret to have read it, and every miniscule constituent or emotion related to reading, is divested from the reader. The ‘screen’ steals away the opportunity from the reader to engage in the aforementioned “foreplay” of reading. The “amorous bonding” that the process of reading generates between the reader and the book will never cease to exist. This love moulds itself as passion, intimacy, friendship, commitment, involvement or even obsession depending on the way the book is manipulated and presented to its readers by the author, printer and publisher. They succeed in developing certain emotions amongst the readers that are evoked by factors that extend beyond the context and content of the text. When a reader smells and takes in the fragrance of those “virgin” pages, gently runs his or her hands over them and feels their texture and smoothness, admires and delve into the beauty of its form and cover, this reader is captivated by this aesthetic seduction extended by the book after which he or she commences the process of indulgent reading and “falling in love”. That is to claim, the book is the “Orphic Amour”, that, through the medium of its external factors transports the reader beyond himself to an extent that the reader disremembers his or her individual identity and duty. Therefore, publishing houses are the “Cupids” responsible for the infusion of the “orphic amour” among readers for their books. The term “Orphic”, is derived from the mythological character Orpheus, a hyper-talented musician, who was empowered with the boon of a unique musical ability through which he could transport, soothe and elevate his audience to transcend and identify themselves with his music. This myth is a
metaphorical representation of the act of reading a book in the printed form, wherein the publishers and printers represent Orpheus, as they are empowered with the volition to entice and charm the readers through their aesthetic skills and marketing strategies. Thus, the process of reading in the pre-computerised era can be located and defined in a specific framework that we can analyse as an era of the orphic communion. Over time, with the introduction of the “E-book”, newer processes and influences of the reading process on the readers were defined due to this paradigm shift. This shift justified how reading was similar and yet different at the same time. Reading as a process, prevailed to be a physical, mental and moral act that evoked a multitude of curiosity that resulted in absolute pleasure. However, this emotion of “love” between the reader and the book, gradually got shaped into a slightly different kind of love with the change in form and medium. When a reader is exposed to an e-book, all the factors that “seduce” the reader are snatched away through the process of digitalisation. The feel of the paper, the tiny folds and dog ears of a page, the unique whiff of a newly purchased book, the feeling of running one’s fingers through the book and listening to the pages flutter like a flock of birds, the silent pleasure of the temptation to secretly read the last page of the book and then regret to have read it, and every miniscule constituent or emotion related to read-
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ing, is divested from the reader. The ‘screen’ steals away the opportunity from the reader to engage in the aforementioned “foreplay” of reading. Hence, the reader, who is in a constant pursuit of the components that would unite him or her with the book, frantically attempts to surpass the digital device that separates him or her from the book. This desperate attempt develops the amorous emotion of “love” in the form of an “obsession”. While, on one hand, the reader was seeking every aesthetic constituent of the book, now with the Kindle variety of reading, the reader is imparted with too much of volition. This excessive agency is what makes the reader too self-involved rather than involved in the book and in getting synchronised with the book. This reading creates a mere extension of the reader. Also, the roles of the publisher, printer, and the illustrator now become invisible to the reader, as the reader believes that he or she alone is responsible for bringing the book closer to them. It is this assumption of the e-readers that spontaneously converts their act of reading into a narcissistic obsession. The reader through the process of e-reading instead of being elevated into another world, in fact attempts to search for himself and cater to his or her needs through this process of reading. On one hand, the book is a porous surface, and the reader becomes one with the paper. However, conversely, the e-book plays the role of a “mirror” through which the reader constructs and looks at his or her
own reflection and gets “obsessed” with that mirrored self that they perceive and pursue. Therefore, reading an e-book could be perceived as a metaphorical representation of the mythological character of Narcissus who saw his reflection in a river, and fell in love with himself to the extent that he fell into that river and drowned. Additionally, several book historians and theorists, when harping upon readership state the significance of the marginalia, footnotes and endnotes, and comments that each reader wrote and expressed in the book. When this book was read by another reader, these marginalia, and comments were now crucial components of the book. Therefore, the role of the previous reader too, is substantial in arousing the emotions of love that are to develop between the next reader and the book through a new reading. However, in the case of e-reading, the reader enters his personal notes and comments onto the Kindle, which remains unshared with other readers. Thus, a constant individualistic and narcissistic loop is created between the e-reader and his Kindle. To conclude, it is thus justified how reading as an act is similar and yet different. The “orphic amour” has now become a “narcissistic obsession” as the traditional book is on its gradual path to extinction. Hence, we as readers must locate these sentiments and preserve them through our reading as it explores and culls out the truest, most genuine and intense emotions in the form of love. The e-book plays the role of a “mirror” through which the reader constructs and looks at his or her own reflection and gets “obsessed” with that mirrored self that they perceive and pursue.
Fin d in P ing t ro B he p ono ass Pu ion blic o
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Popular perception portrays lawyers as the evil, deceiving people who manipulate you and only look for ways to extract money at the expense of your time and justice. However, there is a version of this story that is not told. Ever wondered what it would be like to do your work without being paid? Or not receive any perks or monetary rewards for doing your job? Well, that is the exact definition of Pro bono. Pro bono is all the cases a lawyer deals with, free of charge. Yet, professionals driven by sheer passion for law and securing justice for even the most disadvantaged fragment of the society graciously indulge in Pro bono and derive satisfaction from it. Popular perception portrays lawyers as the evil, deceiving people who manipulate you and only look for ways to extract money at the expense of your time and justice. However, there is a version of this story that is not told. While there are some evil characters prevalent in our society, there is also a small yet significant group of lawyers persistently working towards altering this perception. Some of them are popular names in the legal fraternity and some are the unsung heroes. But together, they have tried to ensure that justice is not something only the rich can afford. But what compels these busy lawyers to leave the so called ‘Ivory towers’ and engage in service towards the society? The maverick Ram Jethmalani, one of India’s most successful lawyers, decided to defend Dr. Binak Sen in a sedition case. When he said, “What have I been charged with? At least, tell me what I have done,” the entire courtroom could feel the pulse of a passionate lawyer with a mission to demolish the false claims of the prosecution in this case. With his fierce arguments shooting straight across the courtroom to the Judge’s’ bench, he secured bail for Dr. Sen. Not only, Mr. Jethmalani, but many successful advocates defy the norm from time to time and take up cases which they feel are laden with staggering illegalities. And reading about such cases only makes me believe that there are lawyers who do not quantify the time or the monetary value of pro bono work done.
Perhaps, the most fundamental and challenging pursuit for any student of law is understanding the process of justice. An innocent languishing in jail for a crime he did not commit or a punishment not commensurate to the gravity of default, a trip too many to the courts for a case long pending, these instances stir the desire in law students to ensure that a fair treatment is meted out to the people involved and they are given their due. However, the passion for justice irrespective of the odds has propelled websites like i-Probono where lawyers can offer legal aid and legal assistance. The Pro bono culture has not completely seeped into the Indian legal system yet. However, the passion for justice irrespective of the odds has propelled websites like i-Probono where lawyers can offer legal aid and legal assistance. In addition to galvanizing humanitarian advocacy, such websites have also contributed to the rights based approach that has been adopted by courts of law in recent times. It give lawyers an opportunity to connect and offer help to those in need but who lack funds to pay for their services. As a student of law, our college also provides legal aid to people in rural areas where there is a dearth of awareness of one’s’ rights. Legal aid centers in colleges and educational institutions aim at instilling a sense of civic duty and social responsibility in students early on. It is said that justice is nothing but a balance. When the balance tilts in favor of one, a battle ensues for revival of the balance. It is often seen that this noble message gets lost somewhere in the race to climb the greasy poles of success. But those who stand by this principle of service not for monetary reward but for satisfaction, are people who are exceptionally passionate about the work they do and have an inherent desire to impact people’s life through their work. And reading about such cases only makes me believe that there are lawyers who do not quantify the time or the monetary value of pro bono work done. Truly, justice is a passionate and relentless struggle.
Written by Sharanya Shivaraman Illustrated by Sanika Deshpande
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P A I S A Her success was astounding and her brainchild gave her the wealth her multiple jobs couldn’t. This was primarily because she was driven towards her goal of creation and she derived happiness out of it. What is passion exactly? How would you chalk out a perfect definition? A lot of people face this dilemma when they begin their career. In fact as early as in their schooling years, it’s a hard decision to make. Following your parents or peers into a career choice may seem like the easier way to earn but it isn’t always prudent, especially if you are not happy with it. The movie ‘Joy’, whose lead was Jennifer Lawrence, was an inspiring film about Joy Mangano, who pursued her passion of creation after she quit her job as an airline executive in times of economic crisis. Her success was astounding and her brainchild gave her the wealth her multiple jobs couldn’t.
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This was primarily because she was driven towards her goal of creation and she derived happiness out of it. Another such a driven woman is Trudy Ann D’souzadancer, airhostess and currently a PR head in Edelweiss, Mumbai. She has followed her passion for dancing throughout her ups and downs alike. What is better is that she has been successful at it. Dancing was introduced to her back in her school days, with a musical that a celebrity choreographer had set up. She then decided to pursue it even when dancing didn’t make much money. In one such event, (The very famous ‘Malhar’) she was handpicked by Shiamak Davar himself, whose crew she later joined to be his lead dancing partner and together they performed in innumerable shows for which she travelled across the country. At a point of time when she finished her education, she realized that she had a bustling passion for travelling as well. She eventually became an airhostess with Delta airlines, though her passion for
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dancing never took a setback. Later with closure of the Delta airlines base in India, she took up what she had left only momentarily, dancing. She became a certified Zumba trainer and started classes at home while she looked after her two lovely daughters. She has not given up on training for Zumba and other dance forms even today. Also, she has been teaching the same for various age groups for the past three years. She wants to encourage fitness and dancing amongst all. Her rapport with people and her father’s emphasis on education has made her the PR head for the Because in the end, you will get exhausted by the demands of your work and tossed around by your choices, whether it was your passion or not, but what will matters if you love every bit of what you are doing. That’s when what you fancy really proves to be your passion.
Mumbai division of the company she works in. Here as well she has inspired one too many to dance and participate in various intra company events. Though her financial situation has definitely been a setback in the past, she suggests that with discipline and perseverance, you can always follow anything you love. To those who are clueless, she also advises to grab every opportunity, big or small, without considering about the monetary aspect; since the more exposure you have the more credibility you gain. So follow the path that calls you from your heart and not the one that lures you just for the money. Because in the end, you will get exhausted by the demands of your work and tossed around by your choices, whether it was your passion or not. But what will matter is you love every bit of what you are doing. That’s when what you fancy really proves to be your passion. And that’s what will help to win over the race against money. Written by Ashwini Patankar Illustrated by Sanika Deshpande
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THE STARTING LINE FOR START UPS Written by Sharanya Shivaraman
Though only an amateur, cooking was something she always ensued with great passion. Her husband’s lunchbox was a big hit in the entire office and fetched her appreciation frequently.
A new and exciting path for young professionals today, seems to be the start-ups path. A few years ago, it would have been tough to imagine so many people taking risks, investing in novel ideas. But all initiative comes along with a bundle of apprehension and anxiety. But what are those success stories which gives hope and motivation to young start up aspirants to look beyond the obvious and take risks to enter supposedly troubled waters? A story which has potential to inspire us to take to our passion is that of Ruchita’s. Ruchita followed her dream of opening a cafe which serves some good coffee snacks on the menu. Within no time, 70 beans cafe was conceived. Ruchita started 70 beans cafe in 2003 after quitting her job at a top multinational firm. A civil engineer by profession, she was really interested in the IT field but at the back of her mind, she always had a passion for cooking. In college, her mess would serve special meals on special occasions. She would go and cook in the
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mess. Though only an amateur, cooking was some- cafe had to face numerous hurdles before it became thing she always ensued with great passion. Her the success that it is today. The cafe not being on husband’s lunchbox was a big hit in the entire office a prime location and frequent economic crunches and fetched her appreciation frequently. She found caused turbulence in their journey. But Ruchita enherself at crossroads when she wanted to pursue sured that all difficult times were followed by introher passion for food professionally but had to work spection, discussion and rational decisions. within her stiff MNC job schedule. After all, she was When asked what differentiates 70 beans from othreally good at it and had ascended the ladder of er cafes, she remarks casually that at 70 beans, the success rapidly. Howevcustomers receive a very er, the downside of sur- Passion can make miracles happen unique treatment. Ruchviving in this cut throat sometimes it can bring a set of complete ita herself ensures that competition was losing strangers together and propel them to cre- she personally interacts contact with school and ate something brilliant and magical. Pictori- with customers, takes college friends, many care of their needs and ally Speaking’s journey has been somewhat missed vacations and values all feedback resimilar to this. family functions. She ceived from them. And fihad to make a decision. nally, when asked about And hers was made by her heart. She followed her the significance of the name, 70 beans cafe, she redream, opened a cafe which serves good coffee and plies a few savoury snacks on the menu. What started off saying, “You need to ground 70 beans to make as an outlet for snacks and sandwiches has now be- the perfect coffee. And that is how the cafe got its come an all time hit on Zomato! name!” “The experience of working in a big company gave us a heads up on how to improve efficiency, HR management techniques and most of all, how to bounce back from setbacks.”, says Ruchita. 70 beans
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Pictorially Speaking is the product of the Start up company by the name of Capture Publishing LLP. Though at a nascent stage, this company has already reached targets which only a few would be able to reach. Capture, the parent company of Pictorially Speaking is a publishing platform for budding authors. The Company has now expanded into content writing solutions, design solutions and social media management.
ers people’s unique stories and experiences. It is extremely heartening to have 25 talented individuals join you in your venture with nothing but their belief in your idea.
Though the idea of having a magazine that targets experience based writing and photography was vague and raw, our team developed on this basic theme to make the magazine what it is today! This magazine aims to develop an online platform for Our Founder, Tanoy Banerji, while people to come and share their sharing the story of how the mag- unique experiences from all over azine was conceptualised said, the world. Not just that, our writ“The idea of Pictorially Speaking ers bring to our readers articles was conceived in a small town that aim to break stereotypes and called Puerto Vallarta situated redefine perspectives. With ideas on the Pacific Coast in Mexico. It like ‘Picspeak Projects’ we aim to is Paradise on Earth and it was a showcase talent from around the rare experience for someone on world where we feature the portmy side of the world to get the folios of talented photographers, opportunity to visit this beauti- designers and artists. ful coastal town. The idea of the magazine was to build a plat- We aim to make Pictorially Speakform where people could share ing huge.” The optimism and their unique experience through sheer belief Tanoy and his team pictures and words so that oth- infuse into Capture Publishing ers could have the same experi- LLP and the magazine Pictorially ence as well. My passion for pho- Speaking is inspiring. tography was one of the reasons the idea of Pictorially Speaking The stories of these successful came to me. Puerto Vallarta is a start ups continue to resonate paradise for photographers and through our passion and dream I wanted all photography enthu- to achieve what they have siasts to see and experience the achieved in their respective arebeauty of this place! Pictorially as of work. And this passion has Speaking aims to bring about a the ability to transcend all apprenexus between photographers hension, doubts and obstacles in and writers to bring to our view- its way!
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PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO
SUHRID KOTHARI Written by Devika Dhumal
Suhrid discovered photography as a passion that lay embedded into another one of his passions: mountaineering. An enthusiastic, carefree and adventurous mountaineer who confessed that he’d rather die on a mountain perceived photography as a perfect medium to capture the beauty that stayed unexplored, but spoke volumes. This self-taught photographer beautifully blended his passions that reflect and communicate aesthetically through his captivating photographs. A former BBA student at the MITSOM College and a current professional at Techno Ceiling Products, a firm in Mumbai, Suhrid gets candid about the passion that he seeks solace in: Photography..
On how he got involved with photography Suhrid started developing an interest for photography during his school days. He narrates that they had a photography workshop in school where they used to shoot on film and develop it in a dark room. He was also delighted by the fact that they made a pinhole camera by themselves in the carpentry room which was a successful experiment.
On the reason behind photography being his chosen medium of expression Suhrid explains his inclination towards photography because he believes that photographs possess the power to communicate intricately. Every portrait has so much to convey, and it endows a responsibility to the imagination of the spectator. He confesses to have been inspired by the famous words of Ansel Adams: “A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.”
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On his inspiration For Suhrid, his biggest inspiration is his school teacher, Mr. Prabhat, who used to conduct photography workshops for the students. He also considers his father to be a comotivator as he too used to do a lot of photography in his college days and Suhrid takes pride in having learnt photography on his 35 year old Pentax film camera as shooting on film was also always a treat. Talking about his father, he mentions, “He always encouraged me to take it forward and never said no when I wanted to buy new gear.”
On his work and his personal favourites “Once I started reading and researching more about photography, the works of Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson and many others started to inspire me.” He further states that Ansel Adams’ landscapes could undoubtedly qualify as the best photographs till date. There is another photograph that stands out the most for him which he describes as the picture of Nanda Devi peak in Uttarakhand. Having read extensively about the peak and his long pending dream of climbing it, he asserts that there is something really mysterious and intimidating about this peak, “It’s a weird nexus, something you want so bad but you know you can never achieve it. Yet it sits there right in front of you in all its grandeur. Definitely the closest to my heart.”
On his goals and achievements Highly inspired by his teacher and encouraged by his father, Suhrid took up a photography course in Mumbai, at Udaan School of Photography where he was extremely fortunate to be trained by world renowned photojournalist Arko Dutta who had covered several war affected areas, the 2004 tsunami, and the Mumbai attacks and is an award winning photojournalist. He expresses his awe by saying, “Listening to him speak about his experiences in war zones and conflict areas was moving. It makes you realize the true power of a photograph.”
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DESIGN PORTFOLIO
YASH JAIN Written by Devika Dhumal
With a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Symbiosis School of Economics, Yash is a self-taught artist with a mind bent towards conceptualizing art in distinct forms. Observation has been his biggest asset as a human, and the thought that art and fashion can be so beautifully explored aided him towards progress. Straightforward, confident yet reserved are certain characteristics of Yash as a person, which is incorporated in his artwork. Yash seeks absolute freedom in expression. Space, time, mood and vibe are the themes which are of utmost importance to him. Here is more to Yash’s passion and talent as he opens up about his relationship with design.
On how he got involved with design Yash responds promptly in a single word. Kasabian. He confesses that Kasabian, an indie rock British band with music,extensively moulded him and his thoughts. For him, it all started with a wish to own a T-shirt with one of Kasabian’s album cover, which was unfortunately almost impossible for him to find. He claims, “I wasn’t able to find one even after a thorough search. So I just decided to pick up some markers and an old ragged T-shirt I had. Although I hadn’t received any formal training in design or painting, the artwork turned out to be quite nice. I then began working on more t-shirts and designs for various people around me. And I absolutely loved it because it allowed me to create original wearable artworks that people wanted, but couldn’t get their hands on
otherwise.” There’s a certain warmth to this kind of artwork and design, that associates well with people’s whims and fancies which he loves bringing to life. After a few instances of trial and error, he began exploring other facets of design and painting and opened into canvas as well as an extensive array of clothing- t-shirts, saris, dupattas, angrakhas, stoles and scarves, even lampshades. Additionally, experimenting with varied products and media visibly excites him because of the challenges that are a part and parcel of it. It is these challenges, he admits, that aid him constantly to shape himself into a better, more flexible artist.
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On the reason behind design being his chosen medium of expression
On his inspiration
Yash ardently believes that design is one of the most respected, tangible faculty of expression. The most important characteristic being its malleability into any product. Even so, in this ever-changing digital age, design as a form of expression is omnipotent. He considers mass-production and bulk designing to be very impersonal, artificial and noninformative. He justifies his belief by delineating it on a personal front, “In this context, designing and conceptualising anything originally, as a one-of-a-kind piece gives it a whole new layer of credibility. Whatever I make has a story behind it, and to me, that is what provides value, wholesome information, and a more holistic style of expression that can be used more confidently.” Also, being able to design
“I take anything and everything that could essentially be inspiring, from everything I see, feel or think. Music, movies, culture, history, geometry and even architecture interest me a lot.” He believes that these factors manifest into interesting artworks with bold and unusual usage of colour. He adds, “But, my most important source of inspiration is colour by itself, since it’s dynamic in nature. An artist represents mood, emotion, time, values and characteristics by colour as he perceives it, and a viewer unconsciously infers details from it based on his or her own views and experiences. That, I believe, is the most exciting part. Colour is an asset that must be used wisely. I’m constantly playing with various colour combinations to be able to achieve maximum utility.”
something is clear of any qualification or such, there’s a lot more freedom attached to it. For Yash, it is more of an asset and must be edified with an equally clear aptitude.
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On his work and his personal favourites
On his goals and achievements
For Yash, his very first series in canvas, ‘Independent Realism’ is extremely close to his heart, for the simple reason that it opened up several possibilities for him, in terms of work, style and method. From the series, he claims that he is particularly fond of two pieces, titled ‘Dining Alfresco’ and ‘Sicily, Italy’. He affirms that these two pieces were the most challenging for him to date, both of them being portrayed through opposing styles and conveying different and distinct emotions.
According to Yash, his biggest achievement would be conceptualising Fashion+Art. ‘These independent pieces of painted clothing are his most diligent attempts at amalgamating fashion and art. “I believe in exclusivity. I believe in personalized expression. I believe in individuality because that must be of utmost importance to oneself. I believe in incessantly trying to understand people and their preferences. I believe in Fashion+Art.” He explains that these pieces draw design inspiration from a multitude of views. concepts and fancies, and that the vibe and style of a particular piece of clothing are edifying to the artist. Harping upon his future plans
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he says, “I have plans of introducing this concept in a way which coincides with concepts of a business model.� Yash is also currently working on a project, an e-commerce space essentially, which will propagate the idea behind fashion+art, with original handcrafted and handpainted pieces as an epitome of wearable art. To be launched in October, this new brand will be the ultimate luxury destination for exquisite clothing, whilst maintaining all ideas, beliefs and values aforementioned.
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Written by Rohan Rao Photographs by Rhea Rao
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Movie Review
written by Tanoy Banerji PicSpeak Rating: 4.5/5
The Lobster
I love British cinema. They tend to follow a simple formula that emerges out of their shows and movies. A beautiful, cinematic landscape, bleak and dark overtones throughout the movie, a subtleness and uniformity of emotions, and nothing over the top. Interjections of dark and dry humor, an intense and constant background score, with some of the most shocking acts as something that happens in day-to-day life support their core of a very good story. The Lobster is one such movie that follows this formula to the tee. However, it is much more than that, making it one of the best movies to come out this year.
to conform to this society. The more loners you bring back, the more number of days get added to your life. Yes, you read that right.
Colin Farrell plays David, the newest guest to check into the hotel after his wife left him and reported him to the authorities. He chooses to be transformed into a lobster in the event that he is unable to find a partner in the stipulated time. Farrell pulls off the character of a timid man attempting to find himself between the struggle of finding a partner or being a “loner” to perfection. Rachel Weisz is Rachel Weisz, seamlessly fitting into whatever role that is required of her. Olivia The Lobster, using very dark humor, is an extreme Colman, Britain’s latest fascination, of The Night take on the social pressures that face a lot of us Manager fame, doesn’t have much to do as the today. It portrays an absurd world where nobody hotel manager. Lea Seydoux is truly horrifying as is allowed to be single. All the single people are the loners’ leader. All in all, the cast matches the sent to a hotel where they are supposed to find a brilliance that is this film. partner in 45 days or they will be transformed into an animal of their choice and set free. Every day, The Lobster mocks human society with its they are given a gun and 20 tranquilisers to go and satirical take on the societal pressures of human hunt the “loners” who live in the woods and refuse relationships. Believe me when I tell you that it makes you laugh out loud to some of the most horrible things happening on the screen. Though, towards the end, it loses its comic feel and crosses the line into something truly dark that leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth, it is definitely one of the weirdest and most brilliant films you will watch this year.
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Book Review
MISTRESS By Anita Nair Mistress portrays the traditional dance, Kathakali. The book depicts art as a tantalising mistress. The vibe of the nine rasas - love, contempt, sorrow, fury, courage, fear, wonder and peace dictates your mood with the passage of each poignant chapter. The fable revolves in and around art and explores the inner turmoil of the players. As the story unfolds, Anita Nair takes you deeper with complete mastery over words, capturing the aesthetic beauty of Kerala. The tale starts with the arrival of a foreigner, Chris and the instant attraction he holds for Koman, a Kathakali dancer and his niece Radha. Soon Chris ceases to be a spectator and enters the scene.
The richness of the fable is harboured by Koman as he pursues Kathakali- his mistress. He gives a fascinating account of his twisted past and parents. Koman is a passive observer focusing his knowledge and wisdom on heroes and princess.
Shyam, Radha’s husband is a rendition of sorrow and sweetness as he displays his one sided devotion to his wife. As the story progresses Radha and Shyaam hurt each other, the misunderstandings deepen and Shyam is mispronounced petty.
Radha feels an immediate, unexplained connection to Chris. She has to choose between her emotionally closed relationship with her husband and the risk of shunning society for what she perceives is true love. Radha, bored with her contemptuous and possessive husband gives herself to Chris but will she be able to get out of the maelstrom of emotions once she gets to know of the true intentions behind Chris’ visit?
The mistress is a commendably smooth running fiction entangling myriads of emotions which create a literary magic that cannot be forgotten. With its glossary of art, it is sure to form a place in your imagination.
Written by Meemansa Parashar
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