Chauraha by Praatika Mehra

CHAURAHA FASHION / ART / CINEMA / TRAVEL

VOL ONE / ISSUE ONE

{CHAURAHA}

{CONTENTS}

FASHION

ART

LA VIE EN SHAHPUR JAT / 16

FROM THE STREETS / 58

SAGA OF DRAPES / 26

FACELESS NAMES ON THE BOARD / 72

LEAVING THE NEST / 48

GARHI DIARY / 76

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK / 52

TRAVEL

CINEMA PURPLE SHADE OF CINEMA / 84

LANDSCAPING DELHI / 108

JOURNEY OF BOLLYWOOD POSTERS / 92

THE SEEKER / 112

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POCKET FULL OF MEMORIES / 124

HARSHITA BARTWAL

RUSHIL KHOKHAR

Chauraha. Four junctions. The number 4 has always stood for a perfect division of one complete entity. Mythology says, the fourth day of the creation week, God completed the material universe and created four seasons to divide the year. The number four has always been a symbol of order and symmetry. Our aim with calling this body of work Chauraha, was to segregate our underlining essence of the magazine into a nice square package of four segments that compliment each other yet are complete opposites. This issue is dedicated to people and ideas that are a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;work in progressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, divided into our Fashion, Art, Cinema and travel segment. Breeze through our fashionable vintage finds, explore your city through the eyes of new age travellers and experience a journey of an evolving cinema and art hub. Chauraha is the four divisions of an insane mind.

Fashion is a constantly evolving phenomenon, so it is important to tap into its pulse at any one point to get an idea of what it is about at a given place and time. The first issue of Chauraha does just that, as it explores the current scenario of the contemporary Indian fashion scene. We bring you people and places that are just beginning to unfurl themselves from the clutches of obscurity and are stepping into the world of fashion andt finding it, much their surprise, a very welcoming place, there are a plethora of people who have just begun to take their first steps in walking towards the (lime)light. There is a fresh sense of newness to the people and their works, and we explore the creativity that comes with novelty!

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PRAATIKA MEHRA

NAINAN CHOPRA

Print media plays a vital role in reflecting the society and the lifestyle of people at a given point of time. It is a mouthpiece to the culture that pumps through the veins of a city or a country. It is this beat that we want to recount to the readers of Chauraha. Through the journey of this magazine we want to bring the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;work in progressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; youth with its progressing culture; to encourage this fusion of old tradition with new, all leading to the construction of an evolving heritage.

Chauraha. Crossroad. An intersection. The magazine is about the coming together of ideas from four key avenues: Fashion, Art, Travel and Cinema. They meet at a juncture where magic happens. At chauraha we meet the underdogs who are work in progress. With a raw and edgy perspective we have identified a few names who belong to the four main elements of our magazine. I hope that you will enjoy reading these interviews and articles just the same way that we enjoyed curating them. Our cover photo is a sneak peek of our style. We have guest contributor as Rahul Lal who is a famous concert photographer sharing with us his travel journal. Over all the experience of making this magazine has been thrilling. Cheers to Team Chauraha!

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La Vie En Shahpurjat/ Saga of Drapes/ Leaving the Nest/ The New Kid On the Block/

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{ { Some say that finding a home away from home is a concept worth visiting other countries for. But it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite end there for Catherine Barbier Prakash and Lucie Salaunthey brought home alive away from home. Meet the creators behind the vintage concept store Les Parisiennes, a cafĂŠ catering to your French taste buds, and store catering to all your vintage needs- apparel or home and decor. The store is owned and run by Catherine and Lucie, both of a French origin and married to Indians, who have been teaching us Delhiites the true meaning of joie de vivre.

La vie en shahpurjat

TEXT BY NAINAN CHOPRA VISUALS BY RUSHIL KHOKHAR/PRAATIKA MEHRA

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Catherine and Lucie

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inside LES parisiennes 12

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This quintessential French store thrives right in the middle of the bustling lanes of Shahpur Jat. “The idea was to take you to a French place in a very typically Indian setting,” explains Catherine; and they have succeeded in this vision exquisitely. The French experience starts from the very second a person steps into the store. Done up with vintage cabinets and couches, they have the most classical clothes and accessories on display, every single article holding a strong character of its own. Sourcing, they say, “is the best part of our job since we both love shopping. Our sourcing is done from Paris as well as Jaipur and Muradabad for the home (accessory) part of our store.” Before recovering from

being love struck by all the vintage apparel, a narrow corridor leads you to another room brimming with a vast array of housing products, and a cafe that stirs up the air with the most divine smells. “The cafe as well as the home accessories had to be in the spirit of what we are, and today our house products sell the most, they are extremely popular,” informed a very proud duo of creators. Lucy tells us reminiscing to the start, “I had this house here in Shahpur Jat for a while and Catherine and I always wanted to start a venture like so. So I completely redid the whole house, and started with a small accessory store at firstwe wanted to give it time to breathe and see how people reacted. Then

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we gradually extended the store and here we are.” And their endeavour has been accepted very openly by Delhites, and the credit for the same would go to the amount of customisation they offer on their garments. They believe the success is to be credited on both sides, “The clients are so ready to experiment and try different things. Also the culture here- we find very often that our two cultures collide. The Calcutta bedsheets, for example, they fit into our shop’s product line and we sell it. All of this makes it all the more easier.” Sitting elegant in their dresses as they sip the last of their coffee, it was only fitting to ask them what they had to say about the

inside parisiennes

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THE HOME DECOR AT LES PARISIENNES

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“India is home now. We love going to France and visiting our families but home is here. It’s what India gives you I guess, the possibility of being home”

fashion scene in India in contrast to France, “France has become so much the country of fashion, and the people have out themselves under so much of pressure that there is very less freedom in terms of variations. They are dressed wonderfully and classically but everyone wears the same thing. Here, however, everyone’s individuality shines through because of this freedom to cloth, which is something we have really been enjoying.” Catherine and Lucy have come to not only love this house they rented in Shahpur Jat but also completely surrender to our city. They say that achieving all this would

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have proved to be very difficult in France; it is easy to start at your visions in this city. “India is home now. We love going to France and visiting our families but home is here. It’s what India gives you I guess, the possibility of being home,” they add with all smiles. Never did they think that a foreign land would come to be so close to their hearts, that they would be sitting in a concept store they own and that it would be something they love so immensely. In the process of building a piece of Paris in Delhi, a piece of Delhi has now become permanent in these two Parisians.

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The Apparel section of the store

Lucieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home, now also her beloved concept store

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inside les parisiennes

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Home decor & cafe 22

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Home decor & cafe

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When drapes are allowed to flow, and adorn a poetry of their own, listen closely to what they have to say; pay attention to their dance. The echo of a rich heritage that once thrived thrives once again when conventions are broken, when the drapes are once again allowed to breathe and take a free fall. And with this purpose in her eyes, and a new drift to set, there she is free falling to the tune of her drapes.

{ { SAGA OF DRAPES

TEXT BY NAINAN CHOPRA PHOTOGRAPHS BY HARSHITA BARTWAL/ NAINAN CHOPRA/PRAATIKA MEHRA/ RUSHIL KHOKHAR MODELS: JAHNVI AGGARWAL / KETAKI PRABHA

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Following in the footsteps of an illustrious mentor is never an easy feat, but when the mentor in question is Rohit Bal – one of the greatest designers in the country – it takes a lot to rise to the occasion. Young protégé Sahil Kochhar, not only rises to the occasion but also shows that when faced with the challenge of putting up a debut collection at a/w WIFW, he can definitely hold his own. In a casual chat with Harshita Bartwal, the debut designer talks about leaving the nest, the pressures and expectations that come with showcasing for the first time and the rich but greatly untapped cultural heritage of our country

{ { LEAVING THE NEST

VISUALS BY KARAN SINGH

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CHAURAHA: This is the first time you’re showcasing a collection, tell us what it’s about.

Since this is my first time on my own, I guess there are a lot of expectations from the industry.

SAHIL KOCHHAR: My collection is based on the craftsmanship of the Shola Pith Malakars of West Bengal. Shola Pith is used in other parts of the country as well, but I particularly concentrated on Bengal. It’s very popular in decorating Durga Pooja idols and other festivals. So naturally, my collection is mostly made out of handcrafted pieces with elaborate embroidery. C: What are your expectations from this fashion week? SK: See, I have worked

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with Rohit (Bal) for six years, so a lot people personally know me from the industry and viceversa. Since this is my first time on my own, I guess there are a lot of expectations from the industry in terms of the quality of work I deliver. C: Is there any pressure that you feel about meeting these expectations? SK: No, I won’t say there is ‘pressure’ as such, but of course, you set certain standards for yourself, and you have to meet them at the end of the day. I’m really looking for a good response from the public this time and hope all goes well.

C: Were there any challenges that you faced while putting together this collection? SK: The major challenge was that we are able to justice to the craft with the collection. We did a lot of intricate handwork, so working with surface embroidery is always a task. There were a few technical glitches while working and you know the time crunch is always a problem. C: Did you always want to

do fashion?

trouble (laughs)

SK: I am from Delhi and I studied in National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Gandhinagar . I was always very interested in creative arts and designing. In fact in school, there were three of us, who used to design T-shirts. It was very handy in a fight, you know, because we could always tuck in our shirts after the fight, but the other kids with buttondown shirts who had

C: How did you break into the industry?

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SK: I graduated from NIFT in 2006, with the Most Creative Collection award and the Best Academic Record, so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say it was a pretty good start. Then I joined Rohit Bal and went on to work with him for six years. Later with his encouragement, I started my own line for menswear as well as womenswear in 2012.

sahil kochhar aw 14/15

With her striking Oriental looks and playful charm, Nagaland girl Ketho Leno Kense is working the fashion circuit and is working it just right. Already being touted as the ‘Next Big Thing’, the winner of the Kingfisher Calendar Model Hunt, Leno has begun her long walk to fame and boy, is turning heads along the way!

{ { THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

TEXT BY harshita bartwal

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CHAURAHA: Tell us about your background and how you came to be in the world of fashion.

“Modelling was never a career I’d thought of pursuing”

KETHO LENO KENSE: I am from Chumukedima, Nagaland. I am the eldest in the family of six children. Modelling was never a career I thought of pursuing. It was just a hobby to me. I briefly started modelling when I was 16 years old for local shows and I won northeast supermodel 2011, but I never took it seriously. I came to Delhi last year in June just to see how the fashion industry is but I got a contract from VOGATI TALENT.

Kingfisher Calendar Hunt only because I wanted to get some good pictures for my book. I never expected to win! I have learnt so much from this contest. It has made me more resilient as well as I have learned to toughen myself when I’m on the verge of giving up. It was exhausting but I have no complains since it really made me discover myself again as an individual and helped me find out what I am made of. C: Which are the Indian designers whose work you like? Is there anyone that you look forward to work with in particular?

C: From modelling for local Nagaland shows to being on the cover of Elle Magazine, how has the ride been so far?

K: I have always admired Sabyasachi, Atsu, Tarun Tahiliani , JJ Vallaya. I am really looking forward to Tarun Tahiliani’s show.

K: The response from the industry has been overwhelming! Especially since I am an oriental looking girl from Nagaland and I never expected such a warm reception from the industry. I started getting good work assignments and went on to become a Kingfisher Calendar girl and now I am a Pool model for FDCI fashion week! I’d say it’s been a good ride so far!

C: What is your take on the future of the Northeastern Fashion scene?

C: You recently won the Kingfisher Calendar Model Hunt, how was experience with the reality show? K: I participated in the FASHION/VOLUME ONE/ISSUE ONE

K: Northeast is inherently very fashionable. Maybe because of the cultural influences from the neighbouring countries, but everyone there has a very individualistic sense of style. There have been many talented designers from there like Atsu Sekhose and Jenjum Gadi, both of whom I greatly admire! I’d say it has a very bright future!

Photo courtesy : Elle Magazine

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FROM THE STREETS/ FACELESS NAMES ON THE BOARDS/ GARHI DIARY/

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Delhi is a city of a myriad of roles. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a political powerhouse, a fashion capital, home to a variety of cultures and subcultures, and today, Delhi is slowly positioning itself as a major hub for art to grow and expand.

{ { from the streets TEXT & visuals BY RUSHIL KHOKHAR 59

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Giulia Ambrogi

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With the villages and art lanes of Delhi taking over fancy malls, people are embracing creativity and imperfection. One such example of a massive art movement that began this year was the St.Art Delhi, an initiative by Hanif Kureshi and Giulia Ambrogi. This 50 days long festival in the month of February bought together some of the best Indian and international artists to make walls their canvases and paint their visions. This festival ironically, was titled as “This is Not Street Art”

“The purpose of this exhibition was to explore the thought that goes behind creating a mural. Street art is beyond what we perceive street art to be. The streets and the walls are just a medium, just a canvas. If an artist chooses to express himself or herself though the medium of street art is because there is a different kind of interaction, another kind of expression that is at play. You can reach people that will never be able to go to a museum. And you can really change the landscape and change people. I believe, that art cannot be limited within four walls. Someone getting their art across through a huge wall in a tiny lane of Shahpur Jat is as much of an artist as the person painting a canvas in a museum. Ultimately, art is an expression of freedom and liberty to do as you want.” - Giulia Ambrogi/Curator,StART Delhi ART/VOLUME ONE/ISSUE ONE

entry at hauz khas village

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art by ink brush n me ART/VOLUME ONE/ISSUE ONE

graffiti at hauz khas village

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art by alina ART/VOLUME ONE/ISSUE ONE

graffiti at shahpurjat

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art by alina

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graffiti at shahpurjat 68

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graffiti at shahpurjat

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In a brief conversation with one of the local artist in the signage painting circuit, here is the other side of the graphic design world. He has passionately painted over thousands of boards in his lifetime. Prabhakar is a household name in Chandni Chowk. However locating him was quite a task. Through the spice route of chandni chowk, Chauraha visited the Patti gali where Prabhkar has own tiny studio in his ancestorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; house.

{ { faceless names on the boards TEXT & VISUALS BY PRAATIKA MEHRA

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There is a tremendous growth in acceptance and popularity of street art. The local definition of street art restricts itself to the quintessential graffiti done on walls – the mecca of street artists. However, the definition of street art is now warming up to the existence of typography-based signage works in the public domain. It is not a new occurrence for a graphic designer to get inspired by the signage boards that have flooded our existence from time immemorial. Labeling it as ‘kitsch’ the young graphic designers treat the art of hand painting a signage board for a shop, as a dying art form. The digital age bred designers are going back to the basics. By meeting these unknown faces behind a gazillion boards that we see hanging over various shops in every nook and corner of our city, they’re learning the real art of creating signage sans Adobe suite magic. Some are even collaborating with the local artists who are now practically out of work since the advent of the flex board printing era. It is amazing how some see the signage boards that bring business to a shop as an art form while others see it as an expense to communicate their presence in the local market. The free hand strokes, the grid73

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Digital printing has put us in a tough spot. Even though the time taken to complete one board has reduced but the artwork has lost its value in the processâ&#x20AC;?

less artworks have helped these countless local artists to earn a living without a formal training in a design school. Skill runs in their veins. They’re no less than an average graphic designer in the city. The only difference is they don’t have a design school chip on their shoulder. They became artists out of necessity not whim. While those who did follow it as a passion struggle as there is not much money. On top of it they now face a stiff competition from the flex printing consumerism. “Computer has ruined all our work,” says Prabhakar who learnt the art of sketching and painting from his uncle at a very young age. “I picked up a paint brush when I was in 9th grade. I used to see my uncle paint. Somewhere in my heart I knew that I could paint too” he adds. He left his high school education to follow the footsteps of his uncle. He received a formal training in painting from his

uncle. “Initially I worked under my uncle as he was my mentor and later I started my own work. This was in the year 1978,” he continues. How much did the digital printing impact him? “Changing a line is difficult. From being a painter I had to now learn the basics of computer skills. I had to employ few designers under me who would bring my ideas and concepts alive on the screen. Eventually I trained my self.” How much earning does it bring? Turns out you need to paint at least ten boards per day in order to earn a comfortable living. “The cost of 1.5 x 1 feet board is somewhere around Rs 300,” he states. Hence picking up as many assignments you can in one day is a necessity. “Digital printing has put us in a tough spot. Even though the time taken to complete one board has reduced but the artwork has lost its value in the process”, the artist says. “I have painted film posters as well to earn

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money. All the artists who solely based their income on painting of film posters have lost their livelihood because of the print revolution,” he further adds. Has he ever thought about collaborating with the upcoming graphic designers or be a part of art movements like ‘StART Delhi’? “The idea sounds really good but the opportunity is yet to come” he replies. It may come across as a utopian vision but it would be a delightful experience to see the local artists getting involved in street art movements. Imagine people like Prabhakar who are immensely talented working along with likes of Banksy. The exchange of ideas and art skills would be exhilarating. We wonder if the upcoming street organizations will bank upon the already existing talent thriving in the core of the city. But one wonders if the faceless names behind the boards will get their due recognition.

{ { Perfect strokes, sheer focus and no grids, this is the story of Jeevan, a signage painter from Garhi village.

GARHI DIARY

TEXT & VISUALS BY PRAATIKA MEHRA

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purple shade of cinema/ journey of bollywood posters/

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In one of the charming little lanes of Hauz Khas Village, rests a spacious, young office of the directorproducer duo, Ayesha Sood and Udayan Baijal. A space dedicated to a stimulating flow of ideas, execution of independent cinema and some stirring conversations.

{ { Purple Shade of Cinema

TEXT BY RUSHIL KHOKHAR

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Over the course of her career, Ayesha has assisted the likes of Mira Nair, Deepa Mehta, Pankaj Butalia and Farhan Akhtar among others. Her love for music and her art of direction and cinematography bought alive Season 2 of The Dewarists on our screens. Udayan on the other hand has worked on a bunch of international projects as an assistant director. Be it the Oscar nominated Zero Dark 30, Batman – The Dark Knight Rises, or Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist, he’s been part of some incredible international cinema. After a series of working on big scale films, a chanced encounter and their determined passion

for filmmaking led to The Jamun Collective – a one stop platform for them to give life to their own ideas and create their own body of work on digital media. One look at their website, http://www. jamun.net/, and it’s a myriad of stunning videos and short films ranging from collaborations with brands like Good Earth, Bhane, etc. plus ideas and incidents that they feel strongly about. A meeting with Ayesha and Udayan, to gain insight into The Jamun Collective, flowed into a stimulating conversation about cinema, memories, work, inspirations, reflections and life.

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CHAURAHA: How did you two meet? AYESHA: We’ve known each other for quite long. I was his senior in school. Right after college, I began working in international films. Udayan was also on a similar path. We knew of each other and kept bumping into each other. UDAYAN: We had concentric circles with people we knew in common. Essentially both of us worked in a non-Bollywood space and rather on international projects that came to India. So we knew of each other’s existence. C: How did The Jamun Collective came about? A: Initially, Jamun started off with three people, but that didn’t work out and everyone went their own way. And then by co-incidence, we both ended up at the same dinner. I was meeting a friend of mine who was staying at his house. So Udayan ended up coming along. We spoke about many things at this dinner like ideas and philosophies of life and the next day he turned up at the Jamun office and we haven’t looked back since. C: Was there a defining moment when you guys decided to make The Jamun Collective happen or was it just organic? U: It began very 86

organically. It was one project, and then another project. We started formalising and actually took this forward and develop our own projects.

the professionalism is maintained and you’re able to say what you want to say without massive budgets and massive production.

A: After that first dinner, we just decided to spend some time together and write something or think about things, and during those days or months we kind of figured that our points of view, our philosophies, thoughts about the industry, the craft and the work, are quite similar. Both of us were just relieved to have somebody else in the same space.

C: How would you describe your style of work? What is the USP?

C: What was the philosophy behind the creation of The Jamun Collective? A: We both come from a transitional time in films. We have worked in huge productions. A crew of 170 people, 3-4 film cameras. What we are trying to do with Jamun is to bring filmmaking into our own hands. When you work as an assistant or in art or direction, you never have the sense that you are making the film, you’re one part of a very big picture. So our thing was to explore the technologies and methods and crafts that allow us to make our film our own ways. U: And make our own film with the same quality that you would make with a 170 crew. So your quality isn’t suffering,

U: We want to tell stories. And that’s sort of what gets us going. A: We want to create an atmosphere that is open to ideas and creativity for everyone who works with us, the editors, writers, DOPs, and the actors. U: I think the original idea of having this space is a collective, something we really like, it’s the two of us on a permanent basis but when we get a group project lots of people come and plug in and it’s great to get their creative energies flowing and get them into an environment that is conducive to creativity, which is what we are trying to create in here. It’s a platform to make good films and tell good stories. C: Intrigued by the name. Why Jamun? A: Actually Jamun is the only name everyone agreed on. But what I like about it is that the colour (Jamun) is a mix of blue and red which are two primary colours and are opposites. It’s a nice rooted colour.

“We want to tell stories. And that’s sort of what gets us going”

C: You guys have worked with few brilliant personalities from the industry. What is it like to work with the likes of Mira Nair, Pankaj Butalia, Farhan Akhtar, Deepa Mehta and on international movies like Zero Dark Thirty and The Dark Night Rises? U: It’s an incredible experience working with these directors because they are really inspiring, you learn a lot from them and you realize that it’s hard and really challenging. Somehow there is this image of the big successful Hollywood director, but they are where they are after years of hard work, many setbacks, many failures, yet they are still at it.

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They do their homework, show up on the set on time, they prepare their material, they are really dedicated to what they do and none of them have had it easy! They’ve all put in the years to become the name they are today. A: And that is why people who are backing them up, producing them, take them seriously. C: When you’re collaborating, what is it that draws you to an idea? What makes you go ‘Yeah, I have to do this. U: I’ll be honest it’s one for the reel and one for the rent. What I do here is for the reel, its passion projects. It’s finding my voice and

“The challenge is no longer making things, the challenge is to find a voice and making the right things.”

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producing what I want to do. What I do outside is because it pays the bills. Ultimately, you’re helping execute someone else’s creative vision, you’re part of the cog, part of a much larger machinery, so at some level it’s not important if you connect with the project or not because it serves a purpose, it pays the bill and it’s done in a certain amount of time. Here we feel much more responsible for the choices we make. A: All of the international projects are highly professional. They treat you well and every department works hard and fights for themselves. It’s all very well done. It’s more about learning from them and being able to bring that efficiency

of production and that vision into your own work. C: Ayesha you’ve directed Season 2 of The Dewarists, a show that went on to become a cult phenomenon. What was that experience like? A: Dewarists was a great experience. Both of us were fans of the show. U: When we saw Season 1, we thought to ourselves, “We have to know who these guys are. This is amazing!” A: The way they are adapting the process seemed very similar to how we were doing it. So we were very curious and then they just randomly emailed one day and we were so happy and excited

that this is going to happen. It was incredible to see all these musicians collaborate and create what they did. I think it’s encouraging and inspiring if you grew up in this time in Delhi or India right now because I remember when we were growing up, there wasn’t this kind of exposure, opportunity, platform, or talent. People with the ability to do their own things in their own way. Form their own bands and not box into if this is western music or Indian music. It has gone way beyond that, and that’s inspiring. U: And people are able to make a living doing it. C: Lot of people are doing out of box thinking. Do

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you think there are more opportunities today or is or everything is just all over the place? A: It’s much easier today. What is not easy and has never been easy is what do you want to do and how do you want to do it. Everything else is much easier. We look at technology and information and you can become a professional on anything via the internet. U: The challenge is no longer making things, the challenge is to find a voice and making the right things. What is it that you want to say? What’s your story? A: Your USP can’t just be that I think out of the box. What you’re thinking

and saying, is of utmost importance. C: What is cinema to you? A: I think there are many kinds of cinema: Indian cinema, Bollywood cinema, independent cinema; Cinema is when your voice is really in it, when you’re saying something and in your own way. C: What keeps you guys going when you’re working on a project? A: I think it is personality traits. I am quite obsessive, so when I am in it I am not the kind to get bored and it’s his personality trait to always want to get it done. U: Exactly, it is personality driven. C: What piece of advice you would give to aspiring filmmakers? U: There are two aspects to that. It’s really

hard being a filmmaker. I personally don’t encourage anyone to become one. It’s a soul crushing profession and it can be really hard on you. If you want to work in Bollywood, this is a good place to be, because there is a lot of work going on. But what is your eventual aim in Bollywood? Is it to direct, to tell stories, because to be part the Bollywood wheel is very simple, and to find your own voice in Bollywood is quite hard. On the flipside, independent cinema is a real challenge, to get your own project off the ground, to find money to fund it, to get it commissioned, to get it released is virtually impossible because the hold of mainstream Bollywood cinema is so strong. So I wouldn’t advice anyone for it. But the other answer is, if you want to do it, you have to have a single minded determination and nothing can set you back. No failure, no lows, no

amount of rejection, you need to be relentlessly pursuing your own dream of making a film otherwise it’s not going to happen. C: Where is The Jamun Collective headed to, from here? What’s next? U: I think we are poised to transition from commissioned work to our own work. So we have a bunch of projects in development that we hoped to get on the floor by the end of this year. What we want to do is transition to a production house that has projects in development, projects on the floor, projects in post, projects that are for the future. We are headed towards our own work. Finding a better balance between commissioned work and producing our own independent original content. And it’s always going to be that way, I think it’s a healthy balance.

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JOURNEY OF BOLLYWOOD POSTERS From worshipped icons to a story in a picture, the ever evolving space of film posters.

TEXT BY RUSHIL KHOKHAR

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‘The most paradoxical effect of Bollywood rests with the film posters. Even today, spotting a poster of Shree 420 or Guide takes us back to the Golden Age of Bollywood’

We live in a country of ultimate paradox. We love passionately, we love to hate with equal enthusiasm. ‘Apna Bharat mahaan’, but Bombayites are better. Heck no! Delhiites are. South Indians are too uptight, yet our doctors and engineers make our chest swell with pride. Punjabis are too loud but we have the best laughs with our Punjabi yaars. Anyone from the east is not Bhartiya enough and everything west is just desert, yet we simply can’t resist the momos and spring rolls, or the wedding shopping in Jaipur. We are complete contrast of cultures and ideas, and roads that lead to the mountains, and traffic and highways, and a few hundred gods. The one thing that holds this country together is the mutual devotion for Bollywood. Our beloved film industry is a fine example of our paradoxical ways. We worship it, yet we objectify it. It’s everywhere, a part of our identity. Love it or hate

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it, Bollywood defines you. Right from our first silent film to the underground cinema today and every ounce of the melodrama, the romance, and the stories in between, Bollywood’s impact on us has been tremendous. In turn, Bollywood continues to thrive and create as it learns everything that the ever evolving Indian society has to offer. Perhaps the most paradoxical effect of Bollywood rests with the film posters. Their beauty is subtly overwhelming. Even today, spotting a poster of Shree 420 or Guide takes us back to the Golden Age of Bollywood when the golden trio of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand ruled the hearts, Madhubala, Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rehman were the true symbolism to ethereal beauty, Kishore Da had to be heard, and films were considered films when they were larger than life and over three hours long.

Bollywood film posters have been a true reflection of the mind space our society lives in at any given time. In the era of the Golden Age, the posters were handpainted, movie stars were worshipped, and iconic film scenes were revered. One look at the film poster of the legendary Mughal e azam or Mother India, and the exquisite paintings of actors in famous scenes from the movies, made the viewers believe that for one moment they were one step closer to their evasive superstars. These posters, back then and till today, are symbolic of restoring the godly faith in some of the most iconic personalities of the most thriving period of Indian cinema.

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While the commercial cinema in India created path breaking films that went on to become classics, a parallel cinema led by legendary filmmakers such as Bimal Roy and Satyajit Ray, paved way for the ‘Indian New Wave’. This art of cinema created films that went down as the ultimate Indian cinema globally, at power with the most powerful filmmakers worldwide. Film posters inspired by Parallel Cinema were more about the mood of the film and focused on just one iconic image from the film itself. These posters bought the films alive and gave some of the stars their iconic image. It was a cinema aimed at the ‘Thinking Man’ of that era.

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The Golden era of 1940s-1960s gave way to what is today known as the Modern Cinema. This period saw the rise of some of the most popular movie icons. Names such as Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Rekha and Zeenat Aman among others became bigger personalities than their movies. The film posters of Modern Cinema were a direct reflection of

the cinema of that era. High on melodrama and highlighted persona of the movie stars became the norm. It was the pull of the celebrities of that time. Everyone wanted a piece of them, everyone wanted to be them, they were hated and worshipped and just could not be ignored. Timelessness and larger than life stories gave way to flamboyance, young love, real issues and larger than life movie icons.

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photographs courtesy by getty images 99

Cinema as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known in the last couple of decades shifted gears to a more real, young and relaxed outlook. Movies became more about personal journeys and life with friends. Romance became more about personal setbacks than an angry rich father forcing the heroine to marry another rich fat man. The posters in this

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time period reflected the mood and mind-set that youngsters were in. Digital technology was replacing hand painted posters. The audience began to relate to the movie stars they admired. Film posters were photographed and digitally enhanced to give a more clean or stylized look.

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India is evolving, so is Bollywood. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a cycle with the two. And with the changing face of Indian cinema, the idea of film posters is the first aspect to alter. Today, no one idolizes anyone anymore. People are open to experimentation. Digitalization has opened up avenues that no one ever imagined before. The crux is to create the mood of the film in the posters. The focus has shifted from movie stars to the story and idea of the film coming across. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more about connecting with the viewer.

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Today, graphic designers are creating their own versions of famous movies using de-cluttered minimalism and satire as the core elements. Leave it to the imagination of the viewer. The space and mood of the poster should convey it all. Perhaps a brilliant example of this is the Facebook page â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Minimal Bollywood Posters, created by Akshar Pathak, a graphic designer who bought his favourite movies alive by picking one element from each film and designing a poster around it. Simple, funny and impactful.

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landscaping delhi/ the seeker/ pocket full of memories

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We live in an age where oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passions truly make up the very essence of a person. Today, one can let their passions forge their life rather than have life forge their passions. One such dreamer is Suchita Salwan, founder of Little Black Book Delhi, a site that is the reflection of the heartbeat and soul of Delhi. What started as a small blog has now become a pioneer of all things Delhi, all thanks to the dedicated and crazy-passionate team that loves their city in full glory of its cultural dichotomies, almost making them the modern-day guides. Here we have Suchita talking to us about her take on this city, its culture and working with Delhi on a daily basis.

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CHAURAHA: This initiative you took on to start a website dedicated to Delhi, what was the core driving towards it that made you take a final step that made it a reality?

“Start ups don’t give you any money; you just have to sweat it out. But what start up life teaches you is that you really have to love something to hold onto it”

SUCHITA: I was working with BBC and handling the marketing and PR for their channel, and I was frankly quite fed up of living in Delhi. It was the same boring rut with nothing happening and everyone was just sticking to their own cliques. So I challenged myself that maybe the problem isn’t with the city, the problem is the way I perceive my own city. I decided to change this perception and I started blogging, for the fun of it. Then one thing led to another, I

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found some amazing people who also believed in this perception of Delhi that I was desperate to create, and here we are. The past two years have been interesting because even though I’m a ‘meticulously planned’ person, the way I have seen little black book grow and develop it has been very go with the flow. For us it was never really about how many people we’re reaching out to (we don’t set targets like we want to achieve x amount of hits or visits), it’s about how many stories we were telling and how successfully we’re telling these stories. So yeah, that’s how it has come together and it has been awesome. C: So would you say it

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“Delhi is the city where you have the space to be whoever you want to be and you also have time to be someone you’ve never been before” 110

has become what you had envisioned back when you started? S: I actually never planned any of this. If two years ago you had told me that I will quit my job I would laugh because in my head I had this picture of how I’m going to be this super successful, rich person, working at a big company and now it’s the opposite. Start ups don’t give you any money; you just have to sweat it out. But what start up life teaches you is that you really have to love something to hold onto it, especially when it’s not giving you anything in return. So, has it become everything I envisioned- it has become a lot more which I guess is why we have people who have stuck around with us for a really long time and that’s what keeps me holding onto doing what I’m doing. C: How would you say the city has helped you? S: I think Delhi has changed drastically; this is not the city that existed three years ago. Everything, from infrastructure to even market places like Shahpur Jat- who would have thought that Shahpur Jat would be this haven of independent French store, greek/Lebanese stores. And all that is happeningthere are ten thousand yoga places in Delhi, there’s Italian, there’s French, there’s accented

Indian food- you name it. So I think it’s because of the city that we sort of exist because had Delhi not been as it is, we would not have anything to write about. C: And the people of the city play a major role too I’m sure. S: The benefit that a city like Delhi has is that most families here, unlike Bombay are very old. For instance I’m not a first generation dilliwallah, I’m the third-fourth generation, which is the case with most of the people here. So I think that’s what makes it different, it gives all of us leverage, we are very tied to our history and we also have the opportunity to explore things that our parents and grandparents didn’t have. We’re also so close to our history in Delhi, so there is a lot of cultural baggagein some ways it’s good, some ways it’s bad, but there is inkling towards traditions. We have so many different holidays so many different things but that’s the beauty of it, being tied to our history and our roots. That’s the beauty of a city like Delhi that no other city has- it is a metro, it is a hub for all these new interesting people to come in from all over the world but I think it’s also very slow to change and is anchored to this lineage you grow up with. C: How would you say Delhi

defines ‘home’ for you? S: To give a clichéd answer, home is where the heart is. Home is where your work is and where your friends are so that’s why Delhi is my home, I don’t know for how long but right now it is. You’re tied to so many things that even if you want to leave, it will reel you back in. You have so many memories here- that one kebab walla behind your house. I heard the Maharani stores in chana market were going to shut and my heart broke because I used to go there as a kid to get mango duet and what not. So you’re tied to all these small things that go into this big picture. So yeah, that is what Delhi is for me. C: Delhi is an amalgamation of so many cultures, which are somehow strung together. What do you think is this commonality that fuels it and let’s them all coexist in such harmony? S: What makes Delhi very different and why this is possible in Delhi rather than other places is because, like someone once told me- Delhi is the city where you have the space to be whoever you want to be and you also have time to be someone you’ve never been before. A city like Delhi, by virtue of how it’s constructed, you have parks and museums, arenas like Habitat centre and epicentre so many things that other people

in other cities don’t have access to. Such a system gives you the opportunity to express yourself. It allows such a freedom that you can be who you want to be and then at the end of the day cut away from identities. Once we’re back in our homes and flats, you don’t really give a s**t about what’s happening outside, you can live in your little oblivion, but then when you want to get down and dirty there is opportunities for that also. So C: There is a pool of new budding talent in Delhi, what do you think is the future of the city’s art and cultural scene? S: Even though it’s very vast right now, I think the audiences are taking really long to catch up with everything that’s happening. You have a lot of art, music, photography but I think people still need to evolve. People like us who are interested in figuring out what Delhi is all about, we’re all a very small minority in the larger scheme of things. I think change only happens when enough people move towards change and that’s going to take time for a city like ours- mostly because the priorities are very different here. There is a disparity in the demand and supply of art but it would be interesting to see how many people stick it out and find their way to make

it happen and change the landscape of Delhi. C: Do you think that newer arts are leading to the death of a few old arts and cultures? S: I actually believe the contrary because there is this reverse globalisation happening all over the world where people are becoming hyper sensitive to their own cultures. So in a country like India, it is amazing to see so many younger designers are using a lot of indeginous textiles weather it’s Khadi or Ikkat or the Banarsi weave. If you see a Rahul Mishra or a Gaurav Jai Gupta or a Rashmi Verma, so many people who are becoming sensitive to their roots. There is somehow a strong sense of belonging coming out. C: How has the journey been, and where is it headed? S: It has been amazing, I am so grateful everyday for everything I have access to; the exposure. I believe that if you’re a happy person and encouraging towards other people, the same is going to come back to you. My experience has shown that the more you try to dig up goodness, the more positive energies come your way. So even though this entire process has been really hard, it is all worth it. Delhi is all worth it.

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A product of NIFT, New Delhi, Rahul Lal is a recognised name in the photography circuit. An explorer at heart, he captures the essence of the present moment and tucks it away in his cherished travelogues. In a brief conversation we were able to string out an honest confession about his love for travel.

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visuals by rahul lal

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“Traveling to places you’ve not been to before frees your mind.”

“I’m not sure if I would call it a passion, but travel to me is more of a natural tendency to explore. Travelling to places you’ve not been to before frees your mind. Having been born and brought up in the hustle-bustle of a city, you yearn for those few days of peace where you can just sit and gaze into the horizon and not worry about your everyday chores, where you get to meet new people and listen to their amazing stories, and learn so much about yourself in the process. I personally love to trek in the mountains. And I remember, the very first trek I did was also the toughest one so far. Just being out in the middle of nowhere exposed to the elements and realising how insignificant you are on this huge and dynamic planet humbles you straight up to the core. You realise the importance of smallest things in life such as water and food

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when you have to go fetch water from a stream a kilometer away, and gather firewood to cook your meal at the camp, and have it sitting around that fire at night while listening to other people narrate their stories in exchange of yours. For me, business class, 5 star luxury, best of the best cuisines and getting photographed in front of the worlds. I like to get lost, I like meeting people who have genuine stories to tell, I like plucking berries from the tree while I trek and eating them, I like drinking spring water straight from the stream (and that I must admit, is the best tasting water I’ve ever had in my life). This, for me, is the definition of travel. One of the most prized possession that all these years of travel has give me is patience, which has helped me not only personally, but professionally as well.”

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{ { Travelling means different things to different people. For some it is a tedious side effect of a well paying job and for some it is a thirst for culture finally quenched. But one thing in common with each and every traveller is the meaning the smallest bud of paper can tend to carry. It could be her first ticket to Disneyland for a little girl or a foreign stamp for a stamp collector. Whatever be your choice of poison, we all love to hoard little trinkets from around the world that allows us to keep a part of the city we once

visited, untouched and alive with us. These little pieces of memories symbolise more than we actually accredit them. Of course they reflect a part of a country we left a far away, but with that reflect a part of a foreign culture that we recognise with, that we have made ours for lifethat makes us realise just how similarly our hearts lie in the larger scheme of events.So here are a few collections of an assortment of splendour from all over the world that are worth more than anything to these collectors.

Pocket full of memories TEXT BY NAINAN CHOPRA VISUALS BY RUSHIL KHOKHAR

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“The texture of sound through a vinyl is the thing dreams are made of!”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Memories are too precious to throw in the bin. So I keep all my tickets, maps, tour guides, everything.

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They’re like badges of honour from different countries.”

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“You know how everyone has a checklist? Well mine is a three dimensional memorabilia one. By the time I’m done, I’ll have a global village of my own.”

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“Coins have the most spectacular designs. Even as a kid I was very fascinated by coins and would keep trying to make my own with play-doh.”

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;It costs virtually nothing, it is the tiniest bit of almost insignificant paper yet it is all it take to get stuff around the world. Such power can only corrupt. Haha, I like to collect these tiny bits of powerful stories, I really do.â&#x20AC;? 130

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