RITZ March 2016 Issue

SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

MARCH 2016 VOL 12 | ISSUE 08

`100

DETAILED & EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF

SHRUTI HAASAN WOWS AS SOUTH INDIA'S MOST ADMIRED CELEBRITY

POWERED BY

WOMEN’S HOUR SHOWCASING SOME OF SOUTH INDIA'S AGENTS OF CHANGE

True Essence of The

Beauty

PHILANTHROPIST AND BUSINESSWOMAN KULSUM SHADAB WAHAB IMPRESSES WITH HER FOCUS ON CHARITY FASHION UPDATES, FEATURES AND LOTS MORE

MY VIEW

Last month, RITZ forayed into Kerala with our much-awaited launch in scenic Kochi. With this clean sweep of South India, RITZ has indeed created history. Needless to say, we are overjoyed.

Our next big venture is into business journalism and with this giant step, we are all set to go national!

I can't think of very many South Indian media houses, including newspapers who have ventured from the south into the north and succeeded. But hey, the best way to predict the future is to create it.

Do wish us well, as embark on this brand new journey, which may well be our most exciting yet!

ARUNA R KRISHNAN

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RITZ MARCH 2016

Inside 10 Buzzin'

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There’s loads happening across the South.

While some celebrate milestone birthdays, others make a statement with elaborate gifts, edgy shows and lavish parties. We bring you a round up of how the Deccan’s been buzzin’

23 RSVP Hyderabad saw a celebrity golf event that gained much mileage because of the noble cause it supported VR Bengaluru applied its core philosophy by connection communities at a grand event hosted by the Directors of Virtuous Retail and Xander ,and co-hosted by Anisha Bhandary

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RITZ made a clean sweep of South India by foraying into the Kerala market. The magazine was launched at a cozy event in Kochi, and the cover featuring Mr TS Kalyanaraman was unveiled by Mithun Chittilappilly and Beena Kannan The Audi RITZ Style Awards Powered

by Bols, was a star-studded affair. All of Chennai witnessed some of the most stylish achievers from the city receive awards for succeeding in their respective careers in absolute style

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The third edition of the MSV Cycling Carnival in association with the Tamil Nadu Cycling Association took place at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore amidst much excitement Sadhana, FLO’s annual event, recognised and honoured outstanding women achievers and this year they timed the event to commemorate International Women's Day

42 Cover Story

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62 Spotlight This year RITZ commemorates the spirit of International Women's Day by showcasing women who are society's change-agents and are actually shifting the country's idea of right and wrong, and in the process transforming the world in fresh and exhilarating ways. They go beyond the traditional taxonomy of the power elite, leaving their mark in their field of expertise.

79 Over A Cuppa Celebrating with a barbecue party is the new way to be. Weber, the world’s premier manufacturer of grills tells us why

87 Wanderlust A travel and photography enthusiast takes us on a journey across east and north-east India, allowing us glimpses of its scenic beauty through the lens of his camera

91 Point Blank Sanjay Pinto voices his opinion over how a paying passenger using an airline service is the only one to suffer through endless queues, untimely traffic jams and crappy helpline services

92 Corridors of Power Najmul Hoda, DIG (Kancheepuram) is feared by criminals and loved by genuine petitioners. Sanjay Pinto meets the top cop and tells us his story

94 Design Elements

Ghattamaneni Namrata Shirodkar is the ideal star wife, the ideal mother, daughter and companion. The First Lady of Tollywood talks about her life before her marriage to Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu and how it changed post wedded bliss

96 Foodies Inc

Suchitra Karthik Kumar gives us a little sneak peek into how she manages to look fabulous effortlessly

RITZ MARCH 2016

Anshul Choda, Karan Bhangay and Sanjay Jayraman may not be models or movie stars, but they’re pretty smokin’ in their own right.

We catch them in their comfort zone - the kitchen

Her polished appearance and compassionate nature make her the perfect ambassador for philanthropy from the city. Kulsum Shadab Wahab, Bengaluru’s stunning philanthropist speaks about how she’s happy being on the giving end of life

54 Look Book

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Sanchita Wahi, Nikita Mankani and Dia Bhandary look stylish in their film-inspired ensembles as they make a special effort to capture the essence of a stylish cinema icon in their own interpretation

One of the most well known names in the art world today, Laxman Aelay’s home in Hyderabad is a melange of creativity and simplicity, reflecting the artist's exquisite taste Designers Vivek Karunakaran and Chaitanya Rao sample what's on offer at the Upper Deck at Vivanta by Taj, Fisherman’s Cove

SILK ATION IN

edge design house

SOPHISTIC

E-1, LOTUS COLONY, CHAMIERS ROAD, NANDANAM, CHENNAI 600 035 | PH: +91 97899 37149

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ARUNA R KRISHNAN EDITOR’S SECRETARY & COORDINATOR JAFFAR ABDUL HAMEED REGIONAL EDITOR - KARNATAKA ARCHANA SHENOY REGIONAL EDITOR - TELANGANA & ANDHRA PRADESH VANAJA BANAGIRI FEATURES EDITOR - CHENNAI REBECCA VARGESE FEATURES EDITOR - HYDERABAD AJULI TULSYAN LEGAL COUNSEL SANJAY PINTO CHENNAI CORRESPONDENT DIYA SUBRAMANIAN GENERAL MANAGER - MARKETING PRAVEEN KUMAR M DESIGNER NARAYANAN SATHISH MARKETING CONSULTANT - BENGALURU SANJAY JARIWAL EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - CHENNAI M.GURUNATH PRABHU EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - BENGALURU FAHEEM HUSSAIN EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - HYDERABAD SANTOSH KUMAR Edited and Published by Aruna R Krishnan from 7th Floor, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towers, 177 Anna Salai, Chennai 600002. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. RITZ is not responsible for unsolicited material.

RITZ assumes no responsibility for the veracity and authenticity of the advertisements published herein. Readers are requested to make appropriate enquiries before incurring any expenses or acting on medical recommendations or otherwise in relation to any advertisement or article published herein. Also views in articles published herein are those of the respective authors only. RITZ does not necessarily subscribe to these views.

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To advertise in RITZ, call Praveen Kumar on +91 98419 73090 /+91 44 4211 3871 All correspondence should be addressed to: RITZ, 7th Floor, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towers, 177, Anna Salai, Chennai 600 002. Contact: 4211 3871 / 2 Email: radmin@ritzmagazine.in

BUZZ IN’

GOLD RUSH IN QATAR India's trusted jewellery brand Kalyan Jewellers is on a massive expansion spree. The brand is slated to open seven stores in Qatar in one day, a massive feat that they have previously successfully undertaken and pulled off effortlessly in Dubai last year. With their foray into a new market in the Middle East, Kalyan Jewellers that is spearheaded by the dynamic patriarch of the family TS Kalyanaraman, is gaining a stronghold in one of the biggest buying communities in the world. Rumour also has it that the brand will be roping on some of the biggest and most sought after celebrities from the film industry to be part of their Qatar store launches.

We’re certain the Indian diaspora in Qatar will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of their favourite jewellery brand into the country.

BEAUTY BEATS WITH SEPHORA Missing your favourite Sephora mascara and colour lip balm? Look no further, as the French cosmetic brand opens its doors to Bengaluru! We have great news for you lovely ladies! Bengaluru’s premium lifestyle shopping centre – Forum Mall Koramangala will now be home to the world’s largest beauty retailer, Sephora! With presence in 31 countries, this is Sephora’s sixth outlet in India and a brand new first in Bengaluru. Are we excited? Spread across 3000 square-feet, the new Sephora store will house the iconic retailer’s curated and exclusive brands across make-up, skincare, fragrances, bath, haircare, accessories categories, men’s grooming and gift factory which you won’t be able to buy anywhere else in the country.

Keeping in line with international standards, the store has been tastefully created and divided into different sections clutter free adorned with Sephora’s beauty and animation themes, highlighting the various make up products making it easy for beauty enthusiasts to pick their favourite beauty essentials. The upbeat music and bright colours create a lively shopping experience for the consumers.

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BUZZ IN’

FARHAN AKHTAR IN CHENNAI The man is no less than a rockstar. Farhan Akhtar, who was in the city for the second time in less than three years, put on a firecracker of a show. Farhan Live held at the historic Amir Mahal saw a considerable turnout of fans.

People, young and old, crooned, cooed and sang along to the actor's most famous numbers from Rock On!, Dil Dhadakne Do and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The actor was also prompt to promote his initiative MARD.

BIKER CHICK

CHENNAI

Self-confessed automobile & fitness enthusiast, biker and adrenalin junkie Gul Panag was ‘in class’ at the California Super Bike School in Chennai. The actress spent three days in Chennai on the track improving her street riding skills. An excited Gul Panag took to social media to share pictures of her training in the city.

LOVEY DOVEY NIKKY On the Eve of Valentine's Day Nikhil Chinapa and his wife Pearl brought the house down at Q bar at The Hilton. It was an evening filled with great music and people who were ready to party all night. On the whole it was the best way to bring in the romantic holiday.

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RITZ MARCH 2016

BUZZ IN’

OF STARS AND THEIR TANTURMS The long awaited, re-scheduled Sunburn Arena with global sensation Afrojack was a muchawaited. But in a bizarre sequence of events on the morning of the gig, the star switched off his phone refusing to wake up for his interviews.

Later on, he threw the hotel into a tizzy, as staff desperately tried to organise Chicken Nuggets from McD's to pacify the man. Following suit, Afrojack arrived way past schedule only to be greeted by 8,000 patient fans. All said and done, the Dutch DJ did set the stage on fire and had fans dancing non-stop, once he got there!

AN ANUSUAL READ

CHENNAI

Actress Anu Aggarwal launched her book 'Anusual' at Amethyst with path-breaking and hugely respected film director Mani Ratnam gracing the occasion as the chief guest. The book covers the actress' journey after a near fatal car crash. The launch was peppered with interesting and intellectual conversations.

QUEEN-SIZED AFFAIR Spectacular may be too small a word to describe Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday which was celebrated at the British Deputy High Commission Chennai at Nungambakkam. The event also marked the Queen's reign as the longest serving British monarch last September, and even observed the 400th death anniversary of the Bard, William Shakespeare. The party was alive with diverse stage shows and music performances. The night ended with the Deputy High Commissioner raising a toast to the monarch and inviting guests to dine on Britain’s popular dish – Chicken Tikka Masala!

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BUZZ IN’

AN EVENING IN BANGKOK Anisha Bhandary is one lucky lady! She was one of the few from Bengaluru who got to go to Bangkok with her husband to watch Madonna perform live. Apparently a huge fan of the pop queen, Ani (as she is fondly called) had a blast at the concert held at Impact Arena despite the star’s late arrival and subsequent wardrobe malfunction while on stage.

A RAY OF SUNSHINE IN BENGALURU

BENGALURU

Lisa Ray made a quick pit-stop in the city to promote her film Ishq Forever.

Despite being dressed in a rather odd printed outfit by designers Shivan Narresh, the Canadian-Indian star looked fetching, as she joined her fellow actors and director at Amoeba Bowling Alley to meet and greet the media at a special interactive session.

RICKY KEJ IN LA Ricky Kej was at Los Angeles again with his partner collaborator Wouter Kellerman for the Grammy Awards. Though Kej did not bring home any laurels this year he definitely made his presence felt at the ceremony, where he was accompanied by his beautiful wife Varsha and his manager.

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BENGALURU

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upholstery, wall covering, blinds, Curtains THE SPA’RTY’ AT SHANGRI-LA There are parties and then there are Spa’rtys’ and Shangri-la threw its favourite guests one grand spa’rty’ recently. The hotel celebrated the launch of CHI, the spa; the signature spa of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts worldwide. The first CHI was launched in 2004 at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, highlighting the traditions of China and its philosophies through its treatments.

The spa’rty’ was well attended by Bengaluru's wellness enthusiasts and some of the hotel’s loyal guests.

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BUZZ IN’

BENGALURU

FLAUNTING HIS CONNECTIONS Bengaluru’s own creative genius and one of the most regular speakers at TED, has been enjoying the annual conference in Vancouver. In true Raghava KK style he took to social media to post pictures of himself with some of the celebs who attended the event. Seen posing with the young artist were music maestro AR Rahman, Benoit Mandelbrot, Jason Silva, Jaden Smith and Amanda Palmer.

We must say father of four is not shy at all flaunt his connections on social media!

THE NEW KING OF GOOD TIMES TURNS 50 !!!

It’s the Golden year for one of Bengaluru’s favourite people. Our very own billionaire, who has been featured on the list of 100 richest Indians

by Forbes, turned 50 in style! Outside of the elaborate party for some 350 odd guests that happened at his stunning farmhouse in Bengaluru, Jitu Virwani also took a bunch of his special friends off to the Caribbean to celebrate his 50th birthday in true billionaire style.

For his house party, invitees were pleasantly surprised when a blond lass drove up to each house in a fabulous vintage car to deliver personal invites. And for his special bash in the Caribbean it was a chartered jet and an all-expenses-paid-for trip for some of his closest buddies.

It looks like the city has found its new king of good times…. this one presently tipping the flamboyant scales largely in his favour!

LONDON CALLS BENGALURU GALS A bunch of 20 or so women took off to London at the invitation of Vandana Virwani, to celebrate her 50th birthday in private, a friend told us. While Vandana’s friends in the city have been celebrating her special year with wonderful house parties, the lady whisked off a few friends and her three sons to Sri Lanka a month or so earlier to celebrate there as well.

And now it is her and her girlfriends off to London for a few days to party like girls would love to - loads of shopping, some good clean fun and barrels of laughter over a draught and fish ’n chips! manager.

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BENGALURU

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE Car enthusiast and businessman Ranjit Sundermurthy got himself a new baby - a canary yellow Ferrari 488 GTB. And though normally shy and not one to flaunt his collection of super cars, Ranjit took to social media and posted a few pics of the new beauty. Suffice to say a lot of men from the city turned green around the gills and would probably kill for a chance to get into that hot, but supremely comfortable seat.

BUZZ IN’

HYDERABAD

FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA Taking fashion to the next level, Anam Mirza and Tanya Rao are rendering a new experience to the city’s fashion connoisseurs. Their maiden foray into designer wear exhibitions, ‘The Label Bazaar’ was testimony to the same. Apart from celeb sister Sania Mirza, Tollywood celebs too are supporting the Hyderabad girl in a big way.

While Sania Mirza was seen in the promotional poster, actress Shriya Saran was spotted as the Chief Guest in the curtain raiser.

Way to go girls!

BEAUTY WITH BRAINS! Actress Rakul Preet Singh has now turned businesswoman.

The beauty is in love with the city and has bought a beautiful apartment here too. Apart from this the actress has recently made a business investment as well.

Rakul Preet loves to work out and, sure enough, her investment is related to fitness. Pradeep from F45 told Rakul that they were planning to expand. She immediately jumped in and got herself a franchise which will be run by her brother Aman. Rakul says she is going to make sure her high-end gym has the best equipment for all those who come to work out.

THE BIG FAT WEDDING The wedding reception of Aamer Javeed (national secretary of NSUI) and Ruba Khan was an evening of glitz and glam.

It was a huge gathering of the city’s who’s who; from socialites, businessmen to Politicians and more, the city’s swish set turned up in their best attire to be a part of the celebration.

Spotted were Digvijaya Singh, Samia Alam Khan, Laila Kajani, M Rashed Ali Khan, Fasi Saberi, Uttam Kumar Reddy, Shabbir Reddy, Fareed Khan and others.

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BUZZ IN’

HYDERABAD

BIRTHDAY BASH! After a long time actress Jyotii Sethi was seen in public. Recently she was spotted celebrating her birthday at Air Live Acoustic Bar, Hyderabad. Also seen were her buddies like actress Madhu Shalini, model Sridhar and other close pals. Everyone was seen having a blast with no celeb air whatsoever.

The Punjabi actress debuted in Telugu with ‘Where is Vidya Balan?' Happy Birthday girl!

TELUGU WARRIORS BAG THE CCL 2016 TROPHY The sixth season of Celebrity Cricket League, CCL 2016, saw the defending champions Telugu Warriors defeat the two-time CCL winner Karnataka Bulldozers in an exciting final played at the Uppal Stadium, Hyderabad.

Celebrities spiced up the atmosphere at the stadium and had the audience super excited. A complete entertainment package, CCL 6 provided minute to minute entertainment and the crowd went ecstatic as Akhil Akkineni’s Warriors bagged the Trophy!

MAGIC OF GIFTING! Jr NTR seems to be going the Mahesh Babu way. The latter’s ‘Srimanthudu’, directed by Koratala Siva had turned into a huge blockbuster. Post the movie’s success; the mega star had gifted an Audi sedan worth 50 lakhs to the director.

With Jr NTR’s ‘Janatha Garage’ around the corner, again directed by Koratala Siva; the director has been gifted a wrist watch worth 20 lakhs by the actor, who says he was highly impressed with the script, hence the gift.

Koratala Siva must keep directing movies (with good scripts) as often as he can and get bestowed with gifts in abundance!

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RSVP

HYDERABAD

tion erabad International Conven The ‘Celebrity Playoff’ at Hyd d floo er und ed play was It ir. affa Centre was a glitzy and fun . The women from all walks of life lights on the 18th hole and had ms), tea ’ ‘She the of ef Chi & Lakra (ACP participants included Swati (MD, Telangana State Tourism Dr. Christina Z Chongthu IAS geeta Reddy (Jt MD, Apollo San n), Development Corporatio s India), shion Designer & former Mr Hospitals), Shilpa Reddy (Fa nd Ana y Vija P Dr. of e wif r and Dr P Shashikala Reddy (Docto Lakshmi , ses res Act and ) eur ren Reddy), Saptala Reddy (Entrep off, which and Madhu Shalini. The play Manchu, Rakul Preet Singh Cup ion itat Inv ers sad Cancer Cru was the grand climax of the pating tici par 250 r ove h wit s ces – 2016, an overwhelming suc cancer organised as a fund raiser and golfers. The tournament was b.

Clu lf erabad Go awareness initiative at the Hyd

MARCH 2016 RITZ

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BUZZ IN’

Winning For

Education

Dr Mariazeena Johnson’s most recent recognition for her contribution towards education that has made an impact in society, is just another feather in the spectacular achiever’s cap. The award was conferred on her at Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Hon'ble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, along with Union Minister for Woman and Child Development Smt Maneka Gandhi and Ms Ankhi Das of Facebook. For the first time in the country, the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development, in collaboration with Facebook launched the '#100 Women Initiative', that is aimed at recognising and acknowledging women who are making a difference in their communities across the country.

Dr Mariazeena Johnson, Managing Director of Satyabhama University received the award for education, a cause

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close to her heart and a field that she tirelessly works in to ensure the right of proper education for underprivileged women and children. This award was conferred upon her in recognition of her contribution towards education which has made an impact in society. Dr. Mariazeena has completed her Ph.D. from the University of Madras and has undertaken various projects for self employment of women through inclusive education (an exclusive program for the visually challenged and under privileged children in society), My Saturday University, University School Adoption Program (in which five schools have been adopted so far – Nalambakkam Village School, Hastinapuram Government Higher Secondary School, Karappakkam Primary School, Kannagi Nagar Government School, Ezhil Nagar

Government School), Village Adoption programme (Nalabakkam Village) and a few other initiatives that were created and implemented by her.

Humble as always, Maria, as she is fondly called, says that she “still has a long way to go and a lot more to do for the upliftment of women and the underprivileged in society and this award is in honour of the contributions of women in every field.”

The selection of the 100 shortlisted women achievers was finalised after three initial levels of screening. After going through the applications a jury selected 200 women achievers, whose credentials were uploaded on the MWCD page on Facebook. This was followed by public voting and the winners in each category were selected based on the number of votes they each got.

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RSVP

BENGALURU

VR Bengaluru applied its core philosophy by connecting communities at the grand event hosted by the Directors of Virtuous Retail and Xander, and co-hosted by Anisha Bhandary.

The regional director of Sotheby's, Priyanka Mathew was the auctioneer for the evening and the invitees were Bengaluru's generous art lovers, high net worth individuals and representatives of established corporations who were in attendance to contribute to the VR Green project by participating enthusiastically in the auction.

The Black Box of Bengaluru was dazzling with life and vitality

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BENGALURU

rt of old Bengaluru, was the A gorgeous old villa, in the hea garment presentation by r perfect canvas to a spectacula jay Garg on a balmy Friday renowned textile designer San vers and textile revivalist par evening. The champion of wea r, the wcased for the first time eve excellence, Sanjay Garg sho r wea nal of luxury and occasio ‘Sanjay Garg Signature Line’ e. styl and e d by eleganc garments, at an evening marke hul Choda and Shuba Ans dy, Red i rth Kee e wer Present Namrata Sudhindra, Jason and n Dharmana, Suma Sudhindra a eri and Naresh Ponappa, Esh Cherian and Anshu Arora, Kav . ers oth ong am sla ya Kho Bagla, Ahalya Matthan and Tan

MARCH 2016 RITZ

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RSVP

KOCHI

Conquering South India!

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South India’s premier lifestyle magazine RITZ completed its conquest of the south with its foray into Kochi. The high-powered launch of the magazine, which is known for its association with the biggest and most influential and respected personalities of South India, included a grand unveiling of the cover featuring jewellery magnate and billionaire businessman TS Kalyanaraman of Kalyan Jewellers.

The event took place at Le Meridian Kochi with the who’s who of the city attending the event.

Gorgeous Malayalam star Manju Warrier spoke eloquently and impressed audiences. The charming and thoroughly inspiring hero of the evening TS Kalyanaraman, who was dressed traditionally in a white mundu and shirt smiled gracefully as the larger than life cover showcasing him was unveiled.

His two sons, Ramesh and Rajesh smiled with pride as RITZ showcased a video of their incredible success story. Speaking at the event, TS Kalyanaraman who is regularly featured in the Forbes list of India’s richest businessmen reiterated his belief in RITZ as the best lifestyle magazine in South India. The first copies of the magazine were received by Mithun Chittilappilly, the young and dynamic Managing Director of V Guard and the impressive Beena Kannan of Seematti Silks. Anjali Kurien emceed the event.

With this launch, Ritz pulls off in style, what was hitherto considered impossible in South India!

MARCH 2016 RITZ

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CHENNAI

POWERED BY

The Audi Ritz Style Awards powered by Bols at ITC Grand Chola on February 19, 2016 was a glamorous, glitzy affair and a stupendous success with the guest list comprising the city’s young elite and the movers and shakers.

Award winners included Industrialist Sriya Chari of Rajsriya Industries, Swathy Rohit of Premier Mills in Coimbatore, Archana Kalpathi of AGS Cinemas, who is also the producer of Thani Oruvan, one of the biggest blockbusters of 2015, Gopi Shetty, CEO of the renowned GK Shetty Builders, Amit Mahtaney of Ambattur Developers and Park Hyatt Hotel Chennai, Girish Mathrubootham

Awards Instituted By

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RITZ MARCH 2016

Presenting Partner

of Fresh Desk, one of the most talked about and watched tech CEOs today, Dr Ashvin Agarwal of Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, who is also one of the busiest and most successful ophthalmologists in the country, Vignesh Shivan, director of Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, another huge hit of 2015, businessman TT Varadarajan who also runs the California Superbike School, Shruti Haasan and Jayam Ravi who got the Award for South India’s Most Admired Celebrity and Vijay Sethupathi who was awarded The Game Changer.

Shruti Haasan who won the Award for South India’s Most Admired Celebrity hands down looked ravishing in a

Powered By

Associate Partner

beautiful evening gown with a tulle train showing off the sexy tattoo on her back.

Jayam Ravi wore a suit from Dhruv Vaish, while his gorgeous wife Aarthi wore a Rahul Mishra creation. Swathy Rohit wore an Emilio Pucci dress accessorised

by Studio Tara jewellery. RITZ Editor and Publisher Aruna R Krishnan wore a Toni Maticevski dress with Dolce and Gabbana shoes and jewellery by Studio Tara.

Vijay Sethupathi evoked thunderous applause when he spoke in Tamil while Jayam Ravi charmed audiences with his down-to-earth and candid speech.

Experiential Partner

Hospitality Partner

Pushpanjali Banerjee

Vijay Sethupathi

Suresh Kumar

Shruti Haasan

Jayam Ravi

Vignesh Shivan

Amit Mahtaney

TT Varadarajan

MARCH 2016 RITZ

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RSVP Winners of the Audi Ritz Style Awards 2016, along with sponsors and RITZ Editor and Publisher Aruna R Krishnan, pose for a photograph

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RSVP

resh Celebrity from Su ired South Indian m Ad t os M r fo ls njali of Bo ives his Award ong with Pushpa Jayam Ravi rece Audi Chennai al

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Anil Cha dda of IT C present the Risin Hotels and Aru n g Star A ward to a R Krishnan Vignesh Shivan

Dr. Ashvin Agarwal receives his Powerhouse Award from Bharathi Raviprakash

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hi Bharat da and nt the d a h C Anil rese akash p ward to Ravipr A n o le Ic Lifesty na Kalpathi Archa

Luminary Aruna R Krishnan presents the tham boo thru Ma sh Award to Giri

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Vijay Sethupathi receives his Game Changer Award from Ajay Bhalla and Anil Chadda

Sriya Chari re ceives her W oman of Substance Award from K rithika Subramanian

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RSVP

COIMBATORE The third edition of the MSV Cycling Carnival in association with the Tamil Nadu Cycling Association took place at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore amidst much excitement.

Elite riders, veterans, masters, amateurs and kids alike took to their saddles and enjoyed a two day extravaganza. This year the event saw a new addition - the Enduro round which was the competitive side of mountain biking - in addition to the regular Criterium round which was the short road race on a fixed circuit. The winners got to walk away with exciting prizes like bikes, kits and racing gear, things that any hard-core biker would enjoy.

The event was a huge success and was sponsored by cycling giants Scott and luxury watch brand Tissot, along with other sponsor brands.

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RSVP

COIMBATORE

Sadhana is FLO’s annual event, which recognises and honours outstanding women achievers and this year they timed the event to commemorate International Women's Day. The FICCI Ladies Organisation popularly known as FLO has an active chapter in Coimbatore and Srivyshnavi Annush, the charming chairperson along with her team, organised this beautiful event at Zone by The Park.

The Coimbatore Chapter of FLO commenced its journey under the stewardship of L. Nagaswarna with 20 members during the year 1992 and today it boasts of 88 members.This unit of FLO has done much over the years and has been widely recognised in this part of the country for its good work.

An entrepreneurial city that has grown with modern India, the event was graced by Suhasini Maniratnam who spoke at length about herself, her career, her special moments while also sharing interesting anecdotes relating to her son who is at Oxford and had a productive interaction with the audience. The event also saw special awards being presented to D. Yuvarani, an entrepreneur and beautician and Ranjana Singhal, owner of the popular restaurant That’s Y On The Go.

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Photography: Haider Khan Location: ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru Make up & Hair: Zorain from Zorain Studio

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BENGALURU

The

True

Essence Of

Beauty Her polished appearance and compassionate nature make her the picture perfect ambassador for philanthropy from the city. She works tirelessly spearheading her family’s charitable ventures - as CEO of Hothur Charitable Trust and Director of the Asian Arab Chamber of Commerce for Riyadh, this dynamic lady is a smart businesswoman and compassionate philanthropist all rolled into one stunning package. Her dedication to humanitarian work is commendable and has been recognised on many levels by the scores of less privileged people whom she works with, more recently by the Global Achievers Foundation for her active participation in social work. Be it orphaned children, differently abled adults, neglected elders or acid attack victims, Kulsum Shadab Wahab is happy to lend her compassionate shoulder, along with generously opening her purse-strings to the underprivileged who need her support. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, RITZ commends this philanthropist with a heart of gold and lauds her efforts at doing the best she can to give back to society.

Text: Archana Shenoy

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I work with people less privileged, have a large and supportive family who I adore and gain the blessings and good wishes of everyone I help

Beyond her stunning looks, flawless skin and perfect sense of fashion lies the heart of a woman who tirelessly reaches out to those who are less privileged than she is, especially acid attack victims who are the current focus of her philanthropic work.

Says the lady herself, “I choose not to publicize my charitable work a lot because all of what I do is funded by a family-held trust. The Hothur Charitable Trust is promoted by Wahab Group of Companies, a name associated with diverse businesses in Karnataka. The company has always believed in giving back to society and our

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Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) initiatives are overseen by me.”

Many of Kulsum Shadab Wahab’s days are spent visiting various centres in the city that have tied up with the Hothur Charitable Trust. Sometimes you can find her in the midst of a group of excited children clambering all over her, often smearing her garments with paint-smudged fingers. She’s actively working to give voice to victims of acid attacks and the problems they face being re-integrated into society. She’s vociferous in her advocation of skin banking, a concept still new and

uncommon in India, but one that needs to be popularized immediately. “Skin banking is a process in which skin is removed from a donor body, tested for suitability as a graft material, packaged, stored, and finally reused as a graft. The process is similar to that of blood banking and comes as a life saver for those suffering from burns or acid attacks,” explains the pretty crusader.

“Most of my work with acid attack victims is concentrated out of cities like Delhi and Mumbai, where such attacks are more common. My heart bleeds when I meet and interact with these women, for most of them life has been dramatically altered in the fraction of a minute. They need compassion, understanding and unequivocal love and support from us, but are so weary of being treated like pariahs that they hardly ever leave the confines of

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their home. My work with them gives them courage, our charity pays for their medical treatment and often we are able to help them gain a new lease to life and help them find work in back offices or other places where they can earn a comfortable living and find new meaning to their life,” she tells passionately.

Quick to recognise her husband, Hothur Shadab Wahab’s support and guidance in finding the real meaning to her life, Kulsum says that she loves being on the giving end and is eternally thankful for having been given the opportunity to serve others. “Not everyone can say they have a life like mine,” she tells with her trademark tinkling laugh. “I work with people less privileged, have a large and supportive family who I adore and gain the blessings and good wishes of everyone who I help. I’m at peace with myself doing what I’m doing and have no regrets that I’m not in a corporate job making tons of money. I feel blessed to have been chosen to do what I do,” she adds.

THAT LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE Helping the differently abled and underprivileged is something that I always wanted to do. While walking past a park near my home some years ago I came upon a group of young differently abled children playing in a small playcentre created for them there. I had read a book ‘Exceptional Children Exceptional Art’ by Davis and it really touched my heart. I knew then that I wanted to do something more to help such young children using a medium through which I could boost their confidence and give them a purpose to life.

HOW IT ALL STARTED The head of our family, my father– in–law Hothur Abdul Wahab, always taught us to give back to society. He encourages philanthropic work and taught us the importance of serving society. He has been instrumental in establishing the Trust and the work it does today. Going forward my husband Hothur Shadab Wahab established a corporate structure into the Trust by hiring professionals to manage it efficiently. Our entire work is monitored

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by professionals who report to me in my capacity as the CEO. We have conducted various projects and programmes for disabled children, education, adequate meals, medical support, sports facilities, self-employment, constructing bus shelters and social and woman empowerment. Our trust also works with other associate organisations like Smyle Foundation, Save The Children, ProVISION Asia, and we also do our bit for wild life protection. Another initiative of the trust close to my heart is called Colours of Hope – a small art camp for underprivileged children, just so that they can spend their time productively.

What began as a small art workshop for eight or nine children gradually grew into Colours Of Hope, an initiative of the trust, that works towards empowering differently abled children through art therapy. After employing a full-time psychiatrist and roping in volunteers and helpers, we now work with more than 320 children. These children draw and paint and we convert their work into greeting cards, tea coasters, book marks, calendars and other such stationery and sell them through various exhibitions held in Bengaluru. The proceeds from these sales go towards betterment of the charity.

I also started EMPOWHER WITH ProVISION Asia, a platform through which we offer differently abled women vocational training and job placements.

SAROJ is another initiative of the trust where we work with female acid attack victims, offering them training and placements so that they too can earn a livelihood and be a part of society.

WHAT WE ARE TODAY From starting out with eight children and a few women, my charities today support more than 320 children and 170 women. My goal is to provide all those supported through my charity with the opportunity to lead a rich and fulfilling life. I work in tandem with several agencies making these people aware of their rights and the kind of benefits being offered to them by the government.

I

especially want to make acid attack victims the main focus of my work for a while now because I really feel for them and want to offer them some quality to a life that was cruelly snatched away from them. Harsher punishment for attackers is also something I seriously advocate because many times we have seen offenders walk free after serving

a sentence of just 4 or 5 years. The victim however, is scarred for life and her future very rarely takes a turn for the better.

People from the upper echelons of society often do not know or understand such victims’ pain. It’s only after you interact with them and begin to care for them that you actually feel the bleakness of life as

they live it each day.

Yet another of our programs is in association with ProVISION Asia when we sponsored some students in pursuing their education. Hothur Charitable trust is planning a hospital, that will benefit the needy. Treatment at subsidised rates will be offered to them.

For more details please visit: www.hothurtrust.com MARCH 2016 RITZ

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HYDERABAD

Strength of

a woman When you think Namrata, the word Ideal comes to mind - Ideal star wife and Ideal mother... Most of the perceptions are based on her public persona, the one that is captured by the media during her rare appearances. Rarer are her superstar husband’s off screen glimpses but even in those few and far between appearances he makes, she is always by his side holding her own with simplicity and dignity. That she has an intelligent mind inside that pretty head is a foregone conclusion.

But we’re not talking of the brightness of the brain; we’re talking of the activity on the right side of it – the creativity and the emotional quotient that are nestled in abundant measures there. Now you know why we chose the stunner – inside and out – Ghattamaneni Namrata Shirodkar to adorn our much coveted cover of the special women’s issue to speak on all things feminine and fair. Excerpts from the conversation with the First Lady of Tollywood...

Text: Vanaja Banagiri

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The fear of fading into insignificance next to the overshadowing stardom of your other half can be daunting. Especially, if you’ve been there and done that on a larger platform! But, she stands there with her head held high, subtle smile in place, looking like a million bucks and yet not taking the limelight away from her superstar husband! How, on earth, does she do it? Especially, for somebody like her who dazzled the world with her Miss India crown, sashayed on the world’s best ramps, endorsed reputed brand names, what would it take to stay on the sidelines? And the beauty of it all is that she has been no silent spectator to her husband’s meteoric rise. On the contrary, she has had a major role to play in it. The recent blockbuster, Srimanthudu, the all time hit of Mahesh Babu’s career, is a shining example of her active involvement in its promos.

“I admire my mother the most,” says Namrata setting the tone for our conversation, “Purely because of the way she led her life and the way she raised us. She loved us unconditionally. She was a working woman but never let us feel neglected or lost. She was always around when we needed her. My sister Shilpa and I are what we are because of her. I miss her deeply. I see a lot of her in my sister.”

Incidentally, her mother Vinita Shirodkar, who passed away in 2008, was a professional model and the only reason she couldn’t enter Miss India contest was because she was married. A desire that her daughter, Namrata, fulfilled! “It was my mum’s dream to see me up there and I did it,” she reminisces, “The Miss India crown was my gift to my parents. It was something I did for them. In retrospect, I thinking winning the pageant was the biggest challenge for me.”

The days of her financial independence began quite early. Life did give her the best but she did her bit to get to where she reached. “I started working at the age of 16,” narrates Namrata letting us have a glimpse of lesser known facts of her life, “I was just out of school and I had it real easy right from my first modelling assignment.

From there to movies was a smooth transition. I lived life on my terms and made my own choices.” With such drop dead good looks and acting talent, we aren’t quite surprised that things came to her easily. But we do doff our hats to the years of sheer

I started working at the age of 16, I was just out of school and I had it real easy right from my first modelling assignment. From there to movies was a smooth transition. I lived life on my terms and made my own choices

hard work that went into her career in the industry where glamour is the queen and talent is the key.

With humility firmly ingrained in her upbringing, she never let showbiz glamour get the better of her. She is known to be steadfast in her friendships and relationships, a fact that several of her contemporaries from her Mumbai days vouch for. “My parents instilled down-toearth values in us. We were very grounded and reality was presented to us as it is,” she explains, “That’s the value system I try to pass on to my kids too. The real world is always a challenge for most kids and they need to be ready to face it with a strong mind. More importantly, with the heart in the right place and humility at all times.”

So what’s her advice to women who give up their individual aspirations for the collective good of the family? “There is no advice, really,” she says convincingly, “I did it because I wanted to. I love being at home with my husband and kids. That’s what makes me happy. The main thing here is, you have to be happy doing what you are doing. And not many people get to do that. Love makes the world go round and I believe that if you truly find love in your life, you will find happiness and in turn succeed in everything you do.”

Is it that simple? “It takes immense inner strength for wives of superstars to support their spouses in the background and yet retain their identity. It’s not easy but it’s enriching when love is the driving factor,” she states.

In a world where relationships are sinking like half-baked cookies, Namrata and Mahesh have become the icons of a lasting marriage. What gives? “Marriage is a beautiful blend of two people finding their happiness at various levels,” she holds forth, “It has its plus and minus but overall it’s a fulfilling journey and I highly recommend it.”

It must have been tough for her to adjust to a different culture. “I moved to Hyderabad from Mumbai where I was born and brought up. But honestly, Mahesh and his family never made me feel I was away from home. They welcomed me with open arms and they are my family now. In fact, the only family I have.”

On the professional front, she’s credited with branding Mahesh as Tollywood’s only superstar. Apparently, all those brands he endorses and the uber stylish look he MARCH 2016 RITZ

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sports of late is thanks to her careful strategy.

“I am very proud of Mahesh's success and where he has reached today, because he's done it all on his own. I admire the way he's handled himself at home and outside. And my only contribution to all this would be the balance I have tried to provide in his life.

I don't physically sit at a studio to decide his look, or go to his dress trials. When everything is put together, I might make a suggestion or two.

People think I am involved in everything Mahesh does, only because he is not so accessible. He is a shy person; he doesn't carry his phone to the sets. So, those who want to reach him, end up speaking to me. But how he's shaped his career, the choices he's made, are all his own.

But his endorsements are something I'm actively involved in. It was our mutual decision and we took a conscious step to build his brand as a national brand.

I worked towards it and set the ball rolling, and it worked out well.”

Namrata manages all of Mahesh’s endorsements and talks to the agencies regarding all aspects of the contract – from the creatives to the execution and the right stills and his clothes – on his behalf. There are 12 brands that Mahesh endorses “I believe that it is important to keep yourself busy doing something that you like,” she says. They have also turned producers with Srimanthudu which makes them a formidable team. What prompted the decision and what is her role in the company?

“Mahesh always felt that he wanted to be part of films that were close to his heart in some way, a little more than just an actor. He always wanted to give all he can to the canvas of a film. And by being a producer all the technical aspects and the budgets are in his control. When your lead actor is also the co-producer, the budget automatically lessens. This really helps the actual producer who is funding the film. So the film does not go into impossible numbers. When an actor comes on board as co-producer you can spend on the film the way you need to

RITZ MARCH 2016

spend and the actor probably sits back and says at the end of it, when the film is released, let me become a part of the profits. But not many people can afford to do that. It only happens with bigger stars, that is the basic concept,” she says giving us a glimpse or two of her business acumen.

Their production house may have debuted with a film starring Mahesh Babu, but Namrata says, “It does not mean we are going to only produce our own films, he is going to lend his name to movies he really wants to be part of and he will continue to do films with outside banners too.”

What’s her role in all this? “I am looking into the marketing side of the films. It is a very commanding, demanding job, but is exciting as I have time to do it. My kids are older and this is a way to keep myself busy and add a little bit to the film.”

Nobody knows him better than her. So what does she think of him as an actor?

“I am an unabashed Mahesh Babu fan.

I don't think there is anyone in today's industry who is more talented or better than him. And that's what pushes him to do better. I want our industry to move forward, and I think it always takes a Mahesh to push the envelope at

different points in his career. In fact, I watch only Mahesh Babu films,” she says proudly.

Considering the fact that they ideate together, how do they deal with competition?

“Mahesh has no competition. He is way, way ahead of his contemporaries. Even when I married him, I thought he was the best, even though there may have been better ranked stars back then,” she says smugly. It’s not just singing praises of her husband that she is good at; we heard that Namrata is a good singer otherwise too. “Yes, I sing to my kids. The latest song that I sing for my daughter Sitara is `Let it go’ from Frozen.

We do a little dance too. She likes Rama, Rama too and for my son Gautam, I sing songs from Mahesh’s films.”

Srimanthudu was a super duper hit and consolidated Mahesh’s position as the Numero Uno. He may at a high now but there was a time soon after their marriage when he took a 3-year sabbatical to sort out things in his head.

It must have been tough to deal with the situation. In spite of all they went through, the spark between them is quite evident even after a decade.

“If you say there's a spark, then it's only love. When marriages fall apart, I feel it could be because love is missing. That leads to a lot of insecurity. I don't feel insecure because Mahesh doesn't give me any reason to feel so. I am lucky that he is different from the rest. He needs his home, his family, his kids, and he needs me. He maintains that balance beautifully. That said, it is not a fairytale.

It is a regular marriage with kids, his work and everything. We've been through our lows and highs. Our most challenging period was three years post marriage. He was on a long career break, I had lost my parents and he had lost his grandmother, who he was closest to.

Plus, he was in this whole dilemma of what movie to sign next. But that period made us stronger as a couple, and as individuals. Our foundation today is more solid thanks to that phase — we became one strong unit. I look back

at all of it as a blessing. Gautam was just about a year-plus at that time. Mahesh literally watched him grow up and his whole connect with Gautam has become so strong that today he is like a fish out of water without his father. That's such a rare thing, especially with fathers who work all the time. Though we try our best to give Sitara the same kind of time, it might not really happen again the same way,” she holds forth.

Both the kids are exceptionally well behaved but what we don’t get to see, are the challenges she has had to face bringing them up. “There is this complete paranoia when you have a baby but you learn to manoeuvre your way through.

Gautam, was a premature child, born at eight months so he was underweight. The first year went in fattening him up. I had no time to worry about my weight or looks or anything. And Sitara was unwell during her first month and I had to be with her all the time till she got well.” Interestingly, Gautam, who was barely 6 when his sister was born, gave her the name Sitara, which means Star. Talk of clarity!

Namrata has evolved with motherhood.

Her fulfilment with the whole experience is evident when she shares, “It is a whole new phase – this tiny baby growing magically within you, the miracle of birth, the wonder of looking after them...

Motherhood makes you selfless. Before the kids are born, we tend to be selfabsorbed, but after you have a child, you become more giving, less self oriented.

For Mahesh and me, becoming parents has been a beautiful experience. Nothing comes even close to it. All the fame, money and success in the world pales in comparison," she says.

The superstars make a sincere effort to keep their kids down to earth. “Both Mahesh and I try to instil as much good as we can in our kids. For us, what matters most is being good human beings. We tell them to respect every individual, elders and women, especially. As far as career choices are concerned, every parent has aspirations and hopes for their kids. We are no different. But we’ll never impose our decisions on them if they have different options,” she says.

A strong woman who knows where she wants to go and how to get there, Namrata has pearls of wisdom to share

with the fairer gender... “If you’re a single woman, make a name. You’re important, so just go out there and make a difference.

And all you married women, lead your life with love as its root. You’ll see how beautiful the journey is... And mothers like me, always be who you are. Be a figure of immense strength for your kids. It’s the best phase of being a woman. Celebrate it,” she advises.

According to her, “A woman’s strength is the love she has and feels towards the people who matter most to her.

Confidence, strength and will power, stem from love. With these three strengths, she can win the world.” One woman from history she admires most is, “Jackie Onassis for her simplicity and sheer class; the way she handled her family and the pressures of being the first lady with such finesse and complete ease.”

About the youngest lady from her own family, she says, “Sitara is already a fiercely independent girl with a mind of her own.

She’s very focussed, very social and extremely affectionate.” She is talking of a 4-year old, mind you! But then what do they say about a chip off the old block?

True that!

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CHENNAI

Minimalist elegance

Suchitra Karthik Kumar is no newcomer to the spotlight. The singer gives us a sneak peek into how she manages to look fabulous while making it all look so easy.

Text: Rebecca Vargese How would you describe your personal sense of style?

Comfortable, but with great emphasis on fit. I wouldn't wear something just because it is in style, if the cut doesn’t look good on me. I tend to investment-shop rather than buy into trends. My look is minimal, neat and thoughtfully put-together. I only wear clothes I love. I don't ‘put up’ with outfits or make compromises.

You always manage to have this doe-eyed, dewy-fresh look. What is your make-up regime like?

Make up is very important to me, and I almost always follow the same code eyeliner on the upper eyelids, curled lashes, mascara, a highlighter on the lids, a touch of blush and a bold lip. I used to use a lot of kohl, but not so much now days. I don't use foundation, sometimes not even on stage.

I try my best to only pick cosmetics that are not tested on animals, so my choice is almost always Lush.

Do you have a no make-up day?

Yes, sometimes when my skin is absolutely glowing and I feel like letting it be. Even then, a dash of lipstick would probably sneak in.

A work day outfit Since I don't have a corporate job, I don't necessarily have to dress ‘for work’. But I quite like the salwar-kameez. It is my go-to outfit for any semi-formal event.

So does that mean you prefer the ethnic look over an evening gown?

I like both Indian and Western wear, but

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it all depends on the occasion. I don’t understand this ‘Indo-western’ look, so I don’t wear it.

Do you prefer a different hair-do now that summer is here?

I like to leave my hair open most of the time.

Maybe scrunch it up a little with Lush’s ‘Sea Spray’.

How about accessories? What are you favourites?

I’m not a big fan of jewellery per se. I sometimes wear one statement piece and on those occasions my clothes and make-up would be far subtler to allow the piece to pop. I love my diamond wedding ring and a pair of diamond studs, both of which I rarely take off. And no, I don’t wear my ‘thali’.

Ever had one of those ‘I have nothing to wear’ days?

I used to. Not anymore! Ever since I KonMari-ed my closet, I have more than enough choices for any occasion. I am not much of a shoe person; I probably have 3-4 pairs, which serve me just fine.

What’s keeping you busy career wise?

What are your upcoming albums/work?

Music, mostly. playback, gigs and composing. I've been doing a fair bit of song writing (composing & lyrics). My association with singer Ranjith has extended to our second single, 'Elumiccham Pazham' - a fun, flirty song with folk overtones - which we released on December 31. The video

crossed 40,000 views within a day of release on Facebook - with no marketing or promotion. We were also blown away when Sun TV asked us to perform a medley of our independent singles at the finale of their top rated reality show.

A solo album called ’The Butter Club' is also in the works. I’m too lazy and unambitious to run after labels, so I’m just going to release this on my own on Soundcloud, Bandcamp etc. I've also been cooking, experimentally, and I find great joy in that. The activities I choose to do are not necessarily linked to income or success. I do whatever makes me happy.

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LOOKBOOK

Sanchita Wahi, Nikita Mankani and Dia Bhandary look stylish in their film-inspired ensembles as they make a special effort to capture the essence of a stylish cinema icon in their own interpretation

BENGALURU

The Pretty Woman from ‘Luru Three years ago Sanchita Wahi launched I Heart BLR, the low-down on B-town, as she refers to it. Far too opinionated for her own good, and this by her own admission, she’s a control freak and hence her need to skip working ‘under’ someone and set out on her own with a vision in place and not much else in hand. The niece of one of Bengaluru’s most influential men, this young lass is our own Pretty Woman, what with her carrying off Julia Robert’s ‘red’ look from the film with equal aplomb.

Gown: Zara Umrigar Couture Shoes: Steve Madden Photograph: Faheem Hussain Location: The Open Box, Bengaluru

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LOOKBOOK BENGALURU

As Beautiful As A Rose Twenty-four year old Nikita Mankani calls herself a travel junkie, fashion enthusiast, coffee devotee and history nerd. Careerwise she’s the brand and content head for a city-based website that gives you daily doses of Bengaluru’s happenings, hidden secrets and spicy gossip. Her fresh-faced looks remind us of a young Rose (Kate Winslet) from James Cameron’s Titanic.

This stunning, yet simple black gown is an apt throwback to the actress’ look as she descends the grand staircase of the opulent ship.

Gown: Zara Umrigar Couture Shoes: Steve Madden Photograph: Faheem Hussain Location: The Open Box, Bengaluru MARCH 2016 RITZ

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Sex And The City Of Nizams!

No one can pull off a Carrie Bradshaw better than Hyderabad’s own Dia Bhandary. The luxury brand consultant ticks all the right boxes - she’s the quintessential fashionista, has in-depth knowledge of fashion and the season’s best looks, can pull off any sort of look and is the go-to-girl if you want to throw the best party in your city. There’s probably not a person of consequence in Bengaluru and Hyderabad that this lady doesn’t know born in Bengaluru, she calls it her home and married into Hyderabad she’s made it her home base now.

Eminently loveable and much envied for her fashion sense and warm demeanour, Dia Bhandary pulls off Sarah Jessica Parker’s look (her version of one of the actor’s many avatars) from Sex And The City 2.

Corset: Top Shop Sarong: Giorgio Armani Shoes: Guiseppe Zanotti peep-toes Shades: Judith Leiber Belt: Shanghai Tang

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Co-ordination: Ajuli Tulsyan Photography: Santosh Kumar

LOOKBOOK

Anshul Choda, Karan Bhangay and Sanjay Jayaraman may not be models or movie stars, but they’re pretty smokin’ in their own right. We catch them in their comfort zone - the kitchen

BENGALURU

Building That Bod! Anshul Choda is no stranger to Bengaluru and its beautiful people. The talented architect is a whiz when it comes to design and interior styling. And he’s no slouch in the kitchen either. Added to that is his new fitness fad that reflects in his welldeveloped abs and pecs.

For this holistic design guru, life post 40 is all about fitness and good health.

Hence he grows his own wheat grass, has got himself a new smoothie maker and practices eating right and staying fit. He’s learnt martial arts, weight and fitness training and even practices yoga and meditation to stay strong. He’s dabbled in his mother’s iconic restaurant Queen’s and can make a mean Punjabi Tikka Masala. But that’s not his bill of fare these days. Life for him now is all about wholistic food and organic produce, with less emphasis on carbs and fat. Hence almond milk, smoothies and wheat grass shots win hands down over lassi and masala chai!

Photography: Faheem Hussain

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HYDERABAD

Too Hot To Handle

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Photography: Santosh Kumar Location: Mamagoto, Hyderabad

If you’re thinking luxury in Hyderabad, think no further than Karan Bhangay. The Founder and CEO of The Indian Luxury Expo, showcasing high-end cars, bikes, luxury goods and even private jets and yachts is only one of the many facets of Karan’s impressive persona. Armed with ambition and an invigorating passion for growth, he has been pivotal in establishing Jukebox Entertainment, a leading entertainment and lifestyle firm in South India.

He is also the co-founder of WOWSOME, a feature rich augmented reality app available on Android and iOS which can create wonders for brands with its exciting and engaging features like Motion Print and WOW Art. We caught him pondering his next move in the kitchen, a space he is as comfortable in as he is in the boardroom!

CHENNAI

LOOKBOOK

The Juicy Groover

Clothes: Splash Shoes: Woodlands Styled by: Studio 9696 Location courtesy: Vivanta by Taj - Connemara

Drive across Chennai and you are sure to see Sanjay Jayaraman’s face splashed on billboards. Walk into the Russian Cultural Centre on a Saturday and you are sure to get your groove on with one of the best contemporary dancers in the city. That is unless he’s out teaching Argentinians and Brazilians how to move it or on a set, shooting.

Sanjay Jayaraman’s latest short film Kolza for Karthik Subbaraj’s Bench Culture has sure been receiving rave reviews.

An alumnus of New York Film Academy, one can certainly hope to see him on the big screen soon enough. Being fit is as part of the job description and Sanjay likes to couple his long hours of yoga and strength training with his favourite fruit juices in the kitchen. Though he experiments with his vitalizer smoothies, his personal favourite is the tangy orange juice with his Hurom slow juicer. He tells us his next dance video Yellow Horizon shot in Hong Kong is up for release soon.

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SPOTLIGHT

Women's This year RITZ commemorates the spirit of International Women's Day by showcasing women who are society's change-agents and are actually shifting the country's idea of right and wrong, and in the process transforming the world in fresh and exhilarating ways. They go beyond the traditional taxonomy of the power elite, leaving their mark in their field of expertise.

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Photographs: Faheem Hussain Location: Smoke House Deli, Lavelle Road

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BENGALURU

Star With A Sense Of Right She’s an accomplished actress, a doting mother and the perfect wife. Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of cine-star turned politician Ambareesh, has done more than 200 films in all South Indian languages, including a few in Hindi. Today, after having worked in the film industry for more than 25 years, the veteran actress continues to do quality roles in regional language cinema and has recently gained much popularity in Andhra Pradesh for the Oprah-style talk show that she hosts. RITZ meets the graceful actress who promotes women’s empowerment and hopes to start her own NGO for the upliftment of women sometime soon.

Text: Archana Shenoy

Sumalatha Ambarish isn’t your stereotypical heroine with airs and graces and an entourage trailing behind her. An actress of much repute who has churned out superhits and blockbusters in all South Indian languages, she has a sensible head on her shoulders, her value system firmly in place with her family and its welfare being her top priority.

“My husband, being a minister (for housing with the Karnataka State Government), his schedule is demanding and despite my filming schedules I make it a point to be around when he needs me,” she tells.

“Similarly for my son Abhishek, who is completing his Masters in UK, I try to be around whenever he is home. Making family my top priority was something I decided on and consciously abided by from the very beginning,” adds the beautiful lady.

Born in Chennai and raised in a Telugu family in Bethapudi, Andhra Pradesh, Sumalatha made her debut in films at the tender age of 15 with a Tamil movie but gained much popularity in Malayalam cinema because of the kind of roles that came her way. Her grasp of all South

Indian languages gave her an edge over her female counterparts and she easily bagged roles in the industry, making films in four different languages. “In fact some of my best roles have been in Malayalam films,” tells Sumalatha, adding that she was extremely lucky to work with some of the best directors across all four industries.

“I got into films by chance,” she says, describing how the thought of entering the world of cinema had never occurred to her since she came from a completely non-film associated family. “I entered a beauty contest in 1979 and from there on, one thing led to another, I was approached by a director and to my young 15-year-old mind it seemed like the offer of a lifetime.

My only regret is that I began acting so young and could not complete my formal education due to that. Hence, both my husband and I have insisted that our son Abhishek must complete his education before he makes the decision on what he wants to take up as a career option,” she tells.

Presently though the star-couple have no plans of launching their son’s film career.

They’re happy to allow the youngster the

opportunity to make his own choices. “I don't want him to have to live up to the expectations of others simply because he is a star-child,” she tells. “Let him decide what he wants to do and we will unanimously support his decision.”

A staunch propagator of women empowerment and equal rights, Sumalatha says that the talk show that she presently hosts in Telugu has opened her eyes to some of the atrocities that women face on a day-to-day basis. “I try to spread the message of being independent, earning your own living and not cowering down to abuse and violence through my show. Yet, each time I have a woman who opens up to me on the show, it breaks my heart to see them suffering,” she tells.

Considering her privileged lifestyle and position that enables her to reach out to those in need, Sumalatha says that she plans to start an organisation that will work towards the betterment of such abused women, offering them a new change to pick up the pieces of their life and start afresh. She’s already in talks with a few likeminded people and hopes that her plan will soon see fruition.

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BENGALURU

A ‘Rejoov’enating Way Of Life A doctor with a degree in nutrition, a culinary artist with a fitness fetish and an angel investor and marketing genius - a team of three formidable women who have taken it upon themselves to propagate healthy nutritional practices to Bengaluru and live by this example. Though most people today are conscious and aware of their dietary habits it isn’t often that you see three high-profile women come together to promote their brand of specially cold pressed juices, in an effort to spread awareness of good health and apt eating habits.

RITZ speaks to Dr. Anju Sood, Anu Berry and Angie Mahtaney, the forces behind Rejoov, a local brand of cold pressed juices in unique combinations that is the trio’s formula for healthy and sustainable eating habits.

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Anu Berry is a fitness enthusiast who has lived in different parts of the world. Her passion for experimenting with different cuisines made her a true culinary artist.

She is a firm believer in conscious nutrition and lives by the belief that eating healthy makes you look and feel great. She has been juicing all her life and believes in it as a natural cure for many ailments and its positive impact on the body. Her command of gourmet recipes and belief in natural nutrition helped her team up with Dr Anju Sood to produce signature cold press recipes to nourish and delight consumers and make a difference.

Dr. Anju Sood has been in the nutrition field for over 25 years and is committed to researching life-style related problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart ailments, etc.

Her passion to teach and promote healthy nutritional practices was the impetus to establish Rejoov. Angie Mahtaney is the CEO of K Mohan & Company, one of India’s leading garment manufacturing and export companies. She is also an avid Angel Investor, having invested in early stage Consumer Tech companies such as Buttercups Bras Pvt. Ltd and DropKaffe Pvt. Ltd. She previously worked with Deloitte Consulting in their Strategy & Operations practice in New York.

“The Rejoov idea was born out of a conversation between the three of us on the challenges of staying healthy in a fast-paced environment where we're always on the move.

We realised that there are a limited number of healthy products in the market that are wholesome, tasty and convenient. We wanted to create a product that allows consumers to adopt healthier eating habits that are sustainable. We believe that by starting to change small eating habits, such as replacing unhealthy snacks with more nutritious options, one can adopt a much healthier way of living.

Rejoov juices are made using the latest cold-press technology, this hydraulics driven approach helps preserve the nutrition all the ingredients have to offer, making it a very healthy meal supplement and snack,” tells founder Anu Berry, who is also the wife of Varun Berry, Managing

Director of Britannia Industries.

Anju Sood has over 12 years of experience as a lecturer at the Delhi University and has researched under Dr. C Gopalan Father of Nutrition in India. Dr. Sood has garnered national and international awards and recognition and her work has been widely published in Times of India, NDTV Foods, DNA, Deccan Herald to name a few. Dr. Sood has also presented scientific papers at national conferences like NSI (NIN), IAP, writes regularly and advises big corporations on diet, nutrition and weight management.

The Rejoov idea was born out of a conversation between the three of us on the challenges of staying healthy in a fast-paced environment where we're always on the move. We realised that there are a limited number of healthy products in the market that are wholesome, tasty and convenient.

We wanted to create a product that allows consumers to adopt healthier eating habits that are sustainable Through her holistic approach, tailored programs, extensive industry knowledge, and expertise in the field of food and nutrition, Dr. Anju Sood has become a familiar, well-respected, and a trusted source for food and nutrition, health choices, and lifestyle information. She holds a Master of Sci-ence (M.Sc.) and Ph.D in Nutrition. “Given our mastery of the product, we aim to be the go-to option across India for all customers who

aim to stay happy and healthy via good nutritional habits. Furthermore, our goal is to be known as the brand that proves good health and great taste can co-exist. In addition, we are in the process of designing new and exciting product lines that will allow us to expand our reach dramatically over the next two years,” she tells us.

Angie Mahtaney, the third founder and the marketing genius of the team, has earned her MBA from Columbia Business School. She speaks: “My experiences in the business world allow me to take responsibility for establishing and implementing business processes, and running business development on the non-retail side. While the three of us have different strengths, we also have a lot in common - all of us are passionate and driven women. Given our handson nature and the need to roll-up our sleeves in a start-up environment, we all get involved in some of the major areas of the business such as strategy, expansion, people management, etc.”

Rejoov has been on the stands for approximately four months now, the response has been far greater than the trio had expected. “It has been a great acknowledgement of all the time we spent in the lab working on getting the recipes right both, from a health and taste perspective. Today we are a 15-member strong team, as well as have sales representatives at each of the 15 outlets we currently retail out of. We have the privilege of expanding our team size at a rapid pace. Our operation is based out of Marthahalli in Bengaluru, but we often find ourselves running around the city in an effort to address various aspects of the business,” explains Anu Berry.

Anju Sood adds, “We're excited to be part of this surge in the number of working women in India today, as three women entrepreneurs, we believe the dedication, passion, attention-to-detail, and ability to adapt / think on our feet only increases the likelihood of success in our business. We take the privilege of serving as role models for young women or women who want to re-enter the working world very seriously, and are extremely honoured to be in this position,” she says, picking up a glass of their ‘Rejoov’enating beverage and toasting to the success of their venture.

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BENGALURU

The Mistress Of Scents

Ahalya Mathan of Ally Matthan retails her brand of fragrance and fragrance-based products for personal care. Trained for three years at a French perfumery, this lady with a nose that’s conditioned much differently from yours or mine, is one of the few perfumers in the country to have made a success of her brand Areev. RITZ meets the creative genius who makes skin and hair care products that smell good enough to eat and even creates bespoke fragrances depending on a person’s intrinsic traits and characteristics Text: Archana Shenoy 68

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Ahalya Mathan always wanted to be a perfumer. Her Bengaluru-based brand Areev is little known because she chooses to keep things low profile still. But her main business for the last decade has been creating and providing spa and hotel chains with customised body care products and fragrances. Tells the 38-year-old lady on her unique choice of profession as a perfumer, “I can’t remember a time when I had plans to be anything else,” she says.

Ally, as she is fondly called, was exposed to the perfume industry ever since she was a little girl, as her father owned a factory that provided ingredients that went into fragrances. “I used to collect empty perfume bottles like a maniac,” she recalls.

At 15, she decided to seriously consider it as a profession but her mother wouldn’t hear of it as “it involved joining a perfume house and training under a perfumer, with no formal degree,” she says. So she researched and zeroed in on a school in Versailles, France, that offered a formal course.

However, it required a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, which she went on to complete at Stella Mary’s College in Chennai. She then enrolled to ISIPCA in Versailles, the first perfume school in the world, and hasn’t looked back since.

“I didn’t know a word of French, but I had to learn it within the first three months of being there or I would have been sent back home. Day in and day out, I was memorising descriptive words and feelings and the names of the essential oils and ingredients,” she says. Apparently creating and relearning a vocabulary relating to scents is the first line of action for anyone who wants to be a perfumer. “I had to disassociate words with different scents in my mind and re-associate them with new words that we were supposed to use in order to have the right vocabulary,” she explains.

Calling herself the “perpetual dreamer who is constantly dreaming of new fragrances to create,” Ally has been seeing a huge boom in her business over the last few years. “India is like a riot on the senses as

far as scents are concerned. I think inside every Indian woman lies a dormant kitchen beautician for we’re always experimenting with ingredients like turmeric, tulsi, amla, pepper, honey etc. These ingredients have proven beauty and health benefits through Ayurveda and I try and use these to create gentle and high-quality body care products, but with a more contemporary and modern day twist,” she tells us.

A very popular vertical of Ally’s business is the bespoke fragrances that she creates for clients. She says she needs a while to sit down with clients, understand them and their intrinsic characteristics and quirks, before coming up with a bouquet that would suit their personality. “There’s a way to match a particular scent with a trait and that’s what is done when bespoke fragrances are created. Though it is hard work, very time consuming and sometimes trying, the final product is usually spot on.

Bespoke fragrances make the perfect gift and sometimes go a long way in enhancing a person’s personality,” she explains.

Of late Ally Mathan gained much popularity in the city for having kicked off the 100 saree pact, a movement that went viral in Bengaluru and many other parts of the south, where women were challenged to wear a hundred or more sarees during a year. “There’s something so unique about India and being Indian,” she says, as she casually adjusts her pretty mustard, black and red saree and poses for our lensman. “Telling the story of how you got the saree, why you chose to wear it and its sentimental value, is an experience unto itself. This pact brought a large community of like-minded people together and though it is more than a year now since the pact, women are still holding strong and continuing to wear sarees on a daily basis.”

As we walk through Ally’s factory, she leads the way with a skip in her step, a dreamy expression on her face, already concocting the next scent in her head, simultaneously planning her next saree for the week, the colours of which might just give rise to another magic formula in the creative genius’s head.

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HYDERABAD

The Taste of Success When fashion becomes a mission and the mission gets a direction, a success story is born.

From fashion and modelling to Mrs India International and being the CEO of a fashion company and director of a celebrity sports franchise (CCL Punjab cricket team - Punjab De Sher), Reet Sahu is definitely the ideal beauty with brains. RITZ gets candid with this inspiring lady to get an insight into her glitzy world of dreams and success.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan

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From early childhood the ultra-glam world of modelling and fashion intrigued Reet Sahu and she honed her skills in international fashion retail from LDT Nagold, Academy of Fashion Business Management & Marketing, Germany. This exposure widened her horizons rendering an international business vision. While studying, the fashion aspirant also pursued modelling assignments on the ramp and in print commercials.

During her growing years, she looked up in awe at the Indian beauties making a mark internationally, winning pageants and making India proud. Deep in her heart, this was what she aspired for – participating in a Miss India pageant and making everyone proud.

But destiny had something more in store for her. Reet found her soul mate, Piyush, got hooked and began a blissful marital journey. “He shared and supported my dream and I decided to participate in the ‘Mrs. India International, USA’, where I bagged the title. This was a dream come true and a priceless moment in my life. Being crowned with the Mrs. India International Title at USA, and seeing the sense of pride in my overwhelmed parents’ and husband’s eyes is perhaps my moment of pride till date,” recalls Reet with a fond smile.

After bagging the prestigious title, a plethora or varied avenues opened up for Reet. Deep within, the charming beauty had a business streak too and therein donned the hat of a CEO with a fashion company, where everyday work situations were like conquering new terrains. Very recently she has moved on to a new role as director of a celebrity sports franchise, Celebrity Cricket League, Punjab De Sher.

“This has given me new vistas to explore and I am thoroughly making the most of the stint and loving every moment of it,” admits the feisty lady.

Reet Sahu enjoys being the Director of ‘Punjab De Sher’ which has prominent Bollywood star Sonu Sood as the captain of the team and star players from the Punjab Film Industry like Mika Singh, Daler Mehndi, Hans Raj Hans and Gurdas Maan. “The constantly evolving dynamic situations which have their own demands

sometimes are very challenging to deal with. Over a period of time dealing with professionals having a sharp business sense on an everyday basis is a cakewalk,” she states.

Reet Sahu looks up to Dame Anita Lucia Roddick, founder of The Body Shop for her business acumen and compassion towards the society. “Anita Roddick launched a global campaign to raise selfesteem in women and voiced concern against the media stereotyping women. It focused on unreasonably skinny models in the context of rising numbers in

anorexia,” she explains, stressing that such campaigns garner her full support and admiration.

As time passes by, one tends to learn more and gain more from life. Reet believes the same and says, “I am someone who believes 50 percent is planning with some sort of direction and for the rest I leave space for spontaneity. Nonetheless, I see myself turning more responsible as a human being, an entrepreneur heading a couple of verticals and by God’s grace a mother to a healthy and bubbly child sometime in the near future.”

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The Victory Dance Sandhya Raju is a name that has given a new outlook to the creative arena of Kuchipudi dance. A childhood passion became a profession and she meticulously worked to secure her name in the global arena of dancing. RITZ meets the woman who represents the ‘refined’ style of Kuchipudi and the continuous improvisation to her existing dance has given an additional finesse to her form and sets her apart.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan

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Many summers ago a little girl of nine was wooed by the dance drama ‘Ksheera Sagara Madanam’ and came home to try and emulate the steps she saw being performed. Noticing her interest in this classical dance form her mother took her to the Kuchipudi Arts Academy of Padma Bhushan Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, which happened to be very close to their residence. Sandhya Raju, a little girl of 10 then, was completely awed by what she saw. The atmosphere, the positive vibe, the infectious enthusiasm of the students called to the dancer in her and she decided then that her future lay right there. “Call it the stubbornness of a child or sheer grit and determination, I knew then that I wanted to excel in this dance form,” states Sandhya, as we get her to tell us the story of her journey into the world of classical dance.

Like any other youngster, her mind too was confused in the early years, swaying between a variety of options like dance, art and design, film making (since she loved story telling). In fact at one point she even wanted to be a marine biologist and is a certified scuba diver. But, finally her mind was made up and she took the firm decision of pursuing her career as a professional dancer.

As she continued to study dance there was a twist in the tale as she got married and had to move to Hyderabad. A new place,

new role and being disconnected from her passion left her a bit lonely. But watching a few dance performances rekindled her passion and she decided to continue her dance journey by teaching others what she had learnt from her guru. “Initially it started in a very small way. I rented a hall in Saptaparini and then there was no looking back,” she tells.

Seeing her dedication and devotion to dance, her husband proved to be instrumental in motivating her to start her own institution, Nishrinkala Dance Academy. “This was a life-changing experience for me. Teaching opened up new vistas and I opened my eyes to understand my art with a deeper insight, which helped me mature as an artist,” confides Sandhya.

She teaches young talented students and concentrates on just a few students at a time to do justice to the quality of training.

Senior students in turn train the juniors.

She also inducts young talented children from poor family backgrounds, not only by teaching them free of cost, but also by lending them a hand of support by providing them with job opportunities in her own company. This encourages them not only to continue with the art of their heart’s desire, but has also taught them to stand on their own feet.

Besides dancing, she has played a small role as a dancer in SP Basubramanian and K Vishwanath’s movie ‘Devasthanam’ and Sharada Ramanathan’s documentary ‘Natyanubhava’.

No journey is bereft of turbulences and Sandhya too has had her share of ups and downs but she admits that whatever challenges she has had to face were solely her internal struggles. Born and married into luxury, she always had the benefit of the proverbial ‘silver spoon’ and time-to-time distractions have been her sole challenges. Her share of accolades have been plentiful too.

“Earlier I had to slog hard to get my way but my hard work has now gained immense recognition. When I get

calls from various places across the globe requesting for my performance, it speaks volumes as it indicates that my talent is getting global recognition,” says the dancer.

Just to break the monotony and have a little fun, Sandhya takes up workshops in other dance forms like Hip Hop, free style and Telugu mass as well. According to her each dance form has its own specialty and she strives to pick the best traits from each and improvise her own art.

“There are two very important projects in the pipeline for me and both of them will be released this month. The first is a YouTube film where I enact the role of a Kuchipudi dancer. The film is all about re-discovering oneself by listening to the inner voice. The second is a project on the my first ever attempt at choreography - ‘Tales of Gods & Love’ that is being performed at Shilpa Kala Vedika Auditorium in Hyderabad.

“Change is the only constant in life”, runs an age old adage and Sandhya totally goes by it. She keeps adding interesting elements to her art form to give it a contemporary look, yet retaining its traditional beauty.

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KOCHI

Making A Stylish Statement Celebrity wife, TV host, fashion designer and animal lover; Poornima Indrajith wears many hats. But the mother of two looks but a teenager, with the sprightly energy of one too. She has to thank her genes for that, she says, while admitting that she doesn’t really balance all her roles perfectly. RITZ chats up with Poornima, wife of actor Indrajith, founder of the designer label Pranaah.

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How did you hit upon the idea of launching your own clothing label?

Well, I always had an eye for fashion, and believed in giving my own touch to whatever I wore. And my film friends would invariably ransack my wardrobe when they wanted something good to wear, saying my clothes are ‘safe’ options. But I never thought I would end up with a brand of my own, and I have to thank social networking sites for that. I had been hosting TV shows and whatever I wore on screen was always my own. After Facebook came about, I realized that people were noticing what I wore, the colours, the way I accessorize or the way I cut the blouse.They began asking me where they could get the same stuff.

And then it dawned on me that a label of my own is something achievable. So the only reaction I got when I finally launched Pranaah in September 2013 was ‘About time you did it’!

But then, it’s only after you launch a brand that the real work begins. Balancing creativity and economics is no easy task but I’m a fighter, and I push myself until I get what I want. I soon realised what I know of fashion is just an iota of what it is but the learning process has been continuous for me.

How different is it to be a fashion designer in Kerala now as opposed to 2013?

The exposure levels of the customers were way too less in 2013, and I had to educate them first on what they were offered. The positive was that I could give them what is not there in the market! The evolution of the fashion scene in Kerala in these three years has been phenomenal. Earlier, if you needed to travel and read to be updated on the latest trends, now a person sitting at home in Kochi can be aware of the latest in Milan, with the help of the internet. All you need is to be a learner.

Styles which were termed ridiculous have more acceptance now, but at the same time, the expectations too are higher.

Competition is greater now, and every third day there is a new designer. You have to keep updating yourself, and like in every profession, it’s all about who does it fastest.

Does being a celeb wife give your label an edge over others? What would you describe your USP as?

To be very honest, people from the film industry form just 10 percent of my clientele. It’s just that their visibility is higher. Ultimately, what matters is creating an identity for your brand, which should personify what you are. I always feel it’s important to add a touch of the client’s personality to what they wear. If I try to convince someone to buy something just because it looks good on a celebrity, I’m losing a customer there. I always ensure the customer feels comfortable and confident in what they wear, primarily. It then becomes natural for them to look beautiful.

And only when someone truly looks like they want to be seen in a particular outfit will others want to wear it.

You recently created Jacqueline Fernandez's outfit for Asin’s reception…

How easy is it for a South Indian designer to get into Bollywood?

It’s a fact that there are very few South Indian designers in Bollywood which is another ballgame altogether. When asked to design for Jacqueline, what I kept in mind was that the outfit should speak for my state as well as my brand, but at the same time make her look beautiful. I wanted to break the misconception that the only South Indian fabric is Kanjeevaram; there is Pochampalli, Chanderi and a host of other materials. And Kerala handloom is the most underrated fabric ever; it is comfortable to wear, the fall is perfect, and the colours are elegant, but we are used to associating it with older people.With a little experimentation, it can make even younger MARCH 2016 RITZ

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Asin’s reception was exclusive for her close friends, and I too was fortunate enough to be one among them, to see Jacqueline being admired in her outfit.

What is your ultimate dream?

I plan to keep experimenting, keep learning,

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dozen with no one to stitch clothes for them. I hope to open a platform which will help revive the handloom industry.

So how do you and Indrajith manage to spend time together as a family, what with your respective careers on full swing?

Sometimes I do feel my plate is too full, and I have to admit I don’t do everything with 100 percent perfection. But I try, and my support system is great, for which I thank my stars every day. I am married to an artist, a family of artists, in fact, who respect art a lot. I am blessed in that regard. Both Indran and I are busy with our careers, but I feel it has made our girls, Prarthana and Nakshatra, more mature and self-sufficient. We are not able to spend as much quality time with our children as we would like to. We are not able to take them out to the beach or the park, and they are forced to spend time indoors a lot. But during vacations we make sure we go some place where we are outdoors all the time.

I feel a bit sorry for Indran for he likes to bring them up in a rugged way, which he is not able to.

but I also feel strongly about the biggest issue which the world of fashion is facing today in India – the death of the handloom.

It’s only natural that the powerloom has taken it over, and is less expensive as well, but disappearing with it is the entire tribe of patternmakers and embroiderers. A pattern maker’s son doesn’t want to be a pattern maker anymore, as the profession is looked down upon. There is little awareness about this issue, and eventually we will have designers passing out by the

You were one of the founder members of the Anbodu Kochi team and have adopted two Indian dogs as pets…

Yes, as part of the initiative, we were able to send 20 plus trucks of supplies during the Chennai floods, and it was an amazing experience to get calls from random strangers, thanking us. As for our dogs, they are the best example that Indian dogs make the most adorable pets. The female, Kili is deaf but she and the male, Puli make a hilarious duo. Children today are too dependant on technology and having two dogs in the house is the sole reason my kids stay in touch with touching, feeling, hugging, running around and jumping, I feel.

CHENNAI

She knows her strengths and plays to them with perfection. But ask her if she ever thought she’d be associated with one of the biggest names in the cine industry and she answers in the negative. Be that as it may, Kavita Prasad now heads the largest division of an even larger behemoth - the visual effects and film restoration and digitisation division - Prasad EFX of the L.V. Prasad Group

SPOTLIGHT

Woman on top

Text: Rebecca Vargese “Prasad EFX has worked on many of the biggies that the film industry has churned out over the last few years, from Krrish to Aranmanai to Bahubali” says Kavita Prasad, Director Prasad EFX. It is certainly safe to say that the post-production of most Tollywood and Kollywood has passed through Prasads.

An MBA in marketing from Mumbai University, Kavita has 25 years of experience of handling the sales, marketing, finance and all ‘non-creative’ administration of the EFX division. Today Prasad EFX boasts of facilities in Hollywood, Germany, Singapore, UK, Japan and Dubai – most markets captured under the leadership of the lady herself.

“Our first contract in Hollywood came from Warner Brothers. Initially they were hesitant about the project, but during their trip to India they were flabbergasted with the Prasad empire. We set up a facility there but after Visa rules were made stringent, WB began outsourcing work to us in India,” Kavita says. Somehow the idea of an Indian player making a global mark seems surreal, but Kavita believes that India has the technical know-how.

“We lack the creative, out-of-the-box-

thinking but we make up for it with our skill set,” she adds.

For those of us who may have overlooked the South Indian contribution to Indian cinema, Kavita sneaks in a little trivia, “Visual effects in India have been around since the early 1990s and was first started in the south.”

What started off as a 25 member group at Prasad has now multiplied manifold to 250 members. While the L.V. Prasad Group is proud of its association with more than a fair chunk of movies, Krrish remains a personal and company favourite. “Krrish was a trendsetter. Up until then, EFX only used to work on effects for regional movies,” says Kavita.

Prasad EFX largely works on digitisation and restoration. So far the division has worked on 400 titles and the count is ever increasing.

“We are making amends. The industry has lost classics that will never be seen again,” says Kavita. So what does the future of cinema restoration look like at Prasads? To which she answers, “We are moving past just digital restoration of film. Currently we are training and preparing our team for physical restoration. This could be the beginning of a new era in restoration and storage of content.”

Though Kavita Prasad is candid about her lack of creative prowess, this 50-year-old handles clientele from all over the world.

“I am personally overlooking restoration for the Rotana group in Cairo. We have a scanner on site and are digitising almost 1,500 titles for this client alone. We manage to complete around 40 to 50 restorations a month. You cannot be found slacking as entrepreneurs.”

With a woman at the helm of affairs, the L.V. Prasad group seems to be striving towards encouraging the fairer-sex to enter a thoroughly male dominated field of work. It is nothing less than a hint of pride on Kavita’s face when she talks about the ‘Venus’ restoration team. “At present about 10-12% of the restoration team are women.”

Husband, Sai Prasad and she look forward to working towards reviving shooting on film in India. “Star Wars was shot on film and then worked on digitally. We expect to see a revival in India as well,” Kavita hopes.

From banker to the Director of Prasad EFX Kavita Prasad has grown into a perfect fit for the job. It is heartening to know that legacy and history-in-the making rest in capable hands.

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SPOTLIGHT

CHENNAI

A Spring Of Creativity “Art has always been treated as a secondary subject and even in schools where it is given its due importance, teachers struggle to create an exhaustive syllabus to teach and grade students,” says Sara Vetteth of a predicament that most art teachers all over the country still face. It was this dilemma that prompted her to start Rainbow Fish Studios.

Text: Diya Subramanian

Two years since its inception, Rainbow Fish Studios has built, tested and refined a strong curriculum for teachers and students alike with contributions from over 30 artists, designers, architects and educators. “Today we teach almost 1,000 students a week across city schools like Sishya, Lady Andal and Sir Mutha. We also run a centre where students can come for an after-school or holiday art class,” says Sara Vetteth, who manages the studio along with her partners.

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A graduate from Parsons School of Design, New York, Sara taught undergrad and graduate classes at her alma mater and has been an art faculty for NYC public schools.

Talking about her experience in the Big Apple, she says, “I saw how much exposure kids in the west received to art and design.

I wanted my kids to experience the same.

The idea is not to convert all children into artists but to make sure that they are able to appreciate art and design. Learning to draw is a skill like learning to swim and anybody can do it.”

Currently city schools outsource their art programmes to the studio, which in turn sends teachers to conduct the art classes.

When Sara is not working, travelling is a passion. “I love to travel with my family some memorable trips in the last few years have been - a week travelling through Burma with my mother and daughter, climbing volcanoes and snorkeling in the Galapagos Islands with my mother-in-law and my son and exploring Mayan ruins in Mexico with my husband and kids,” she mentions, recalling her adventures. She also manages to go on an annual trek to the Himalayas, a six year tradition so far.

As a woman head we asked her if there are any gender related challenges she faces, to which she answers, “I face the same challenges that anyone - man or womanfaces when running a small company, getting word out on a shoe string marketing budget, staffing, putting processes in place and so on. We need young art school graduates to join our teaching staff and we're looking for people with a strong business development background to help us scale,” A\adding with a smile, “Hopefully your article will help us in this regard.”

Sara draws her inspiration from all the women in her life – from family to friends.

“Each of them is intelligent, strong and despite looking after large families they manage to do so much. All these women inspire me every day and without them I'd probably be a mess!”

Ending with some advice for women entrepreneurs, she says, “I guess you just have to think about a format for your work that allows you to balance life and priorities. I have a wonderful husband who has helped me through it all.”

CHENNAI

connection

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The Indian

It’s been quite a journey for this expatriate with roots in Gujarat. From being the only Asian family for miles on end in the Kent to today representing the British Government as the Deputy British High Commissioner of South India, life seems to have come full circle for Bharat Joshi.

Text: Rebecca Vargese MARCH 2016 RITZ

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Cottingley, the official residence of the Deputy British High Commissioner, takes you back to an era of long ago. A sprawling colonial-style house, lush gardens, a coat of arms above the great big green front door and an 8-foot terracotta elephant, the only thing linking all things English to the city, is nothing short of luxuriant.

Bharat Joshi, the man behind the title, isn’t as bureaucratic as one would imagine.

Dressed in a shirt and jeans early on a Saturday morning, the man exudes a certain charm that would put any tense individual at ease. The 46-year-old, who has been a diplomat for 20 years now, is the first ever British ambassador of Indian origin. “I have the best job in the world. Being the deputy high commissioner allows me to better people’s lives. More than anything I feel humbled to do what I do,” beams Joshi.

As the saying goes, if you haven't failed at something, you have never fully lived. “I applied for a post in the foreign affairs after I graduated, but did not make the cut. I was a revenue controller in a hotel for two years, before making it into service,” he says. It often takes a mother to let you know that you can do more in life and in Bharat Joshi’s case things were no different. “My mother saw I was not satisfied with my job. After much ‘nagging’, I decided to re-apply for the post. I was one of the eight people selected from the 13,000 who had applied!”

Being of Indian origin himself, Bharat Joshi believes that the diaspora plays a major role in India-UK relationships. “Diaspora is a key element to our relationship. India and Britain are joined at the hip. It is imperative to acknowledge our shared history, if we hope to make progress together.”

Despite being a man of influence and power, Bharat Joshi insists that life at Cottingley is like that of every other middle-class family.

“Every morning is about waking the kids and Bhakti up. I am an early-riser, so once I am done with my morning jog I am on wake up duty,” he smiles.

A highly sought-after face at important city events, Bharat Joshi is involved in furthering British and Indian trade and investment relationships on one hand and Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pondicherry on the other. “On a professional level I look forward to bringing in more UK companies to Tamil Nadu and Kerala. This is the land of opportunity, but the nature of Chennai is to be rather conservative and because of that we risk

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missing out on good things,” Mr Joshi reveals. The deputy high commissioner also hopes to push for greater Indian investments in Britain. “We have managed to attract Indian companies in the UK. Today, TVS Logistics has a large interest in the UK.” However, with the restrictions on the poststudy work visas ties with the UK seem to be strained. Taking it upon himself to debunk myths Bharat Joshi sums up the situation in five words - “Quality education provides quality jobs.” He adds, “We want students to put their grad skills to use. Not work at a fast food joint after spending huge amounts on their education.”

Besides being the deputy high commissioner, Bharat Joshi, the man certainly has a few culinary skills up his sleeve. His wife, Bhakti Joshi, is all praise for his Mexican cuisine and swears he makes the best pizzas. “I’m baking Garlic butter bread today,” Joshi adds.

Take a peek at a man’s music collection and it reveals his soul. Bharat Joshi is a definite romantic with Jazz classics adorning his collection. The list goes on from Ray Charles, to Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra.

It certainly is no wonder that the couple's first dance was to Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers.

Being loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. “It’s been 19 years since we’ve been married and have two lovely girls. I wouldn’t have reached this level of success without Bhakti. It’s her hard work…”, “Our hard work,” she suggests. “...Our hard work,” agrees Joshi. This deputy high commissioner certainly has no qualms in flaunting how in love the couple are.

A self-confessed Marvel comic buff, Bharat Joshi is as excited as any other fan-boy about the the string of superhero movies set to hit the big screen in 2016. “I love the way that the movies have stayed true to the comics. The portrayal of characters has been impeccable,” he gushes.

Joking about his retirement plan he says, “I’ve told the kids to make more money than me, so we can afford a jet or yacht to travel the world.” Bharat Joshi has close to 16,000 followers on Twitter and is one of the most active foreign ambassadors on the micro blogging site.

His year-end goal for 2016 is to make a speech in Tamil, even if it is a very small one, that goes beyond ‘Konjam, Konjam Tamil theriyum.’

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CHENNAI

A man for all seasons

He may flaunt his perfect macho handlebar moustache with much swagger but Gopalakrishnan Shetty, better known as Gopi Shetty, is a thorough gentleman and hardworking CEO. Text: Rebecca Vargese MARCH 2016 RITZ

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CEO of the 60-year-old GK Shetty Builders Private Limited, a large and well-established real estate builder and construction firm in the city, Gopi Shetty believes in staying away from the limelight and getting the job done from behind the scenes. “We are conservative in our business and it is about sustained growth. My vision as the CEO is growth at a 45-degree angle. Gradual and stable growth ensures sustainability,” says Gopi.

Born and raised a Chennai-lad, Gopi modestly confesses, “I don’t believe that I have achieved greatness as yet. I have just taken over my father’s company. I think my biggest job is not to screw it up.” Carrying forward the GK Shetty legacy, Gopi Shetty is an engineer through and through and loves to see the work of his hands. “The satisfaction I get is from seeing what I have built. Years from now, I can still drive down the city roads and say, hey that’s what I built,” Gopi says. One can probably picture a young Gopi Shetty building skyscrapers with his Lego sets.

Gopi’s love for construction seems to flow organically. “It was never purposefully ingrained that I had to do what dad did. I remember going to construction sites with him during school holidays and spending time there,” he says. Eight years on the job, Gopi’s most cherished assignment is his first project, The Radisson Blu City Centre. “I love to build things, and the first assignment I took up was a five-star hotel which was close to home,” he says with a smile.

A car and motorsport enthusiast, the man does not believe in flaunting his privileged life and is as modest as they come. “My most prized possession as a kid was my dinky cars. I still have them, so I think it’s safe to say that like construction, cars are also in my blood,” Gopi says, adding that his father and brother also share this passion.

But is the strapping CEO a speed demon?

He laughs it off saying, “I will never do justice to the top speed of the car. I am all about ‘cruising’, though it’s hard to do on Chennai streets.” Gopi, however, tactfully avoids divulging the fastest he has driven.

Gopalakrishnan Shetty seems to be bringing a stable and disciplined life back into vogue. “Growing up you’d probably call me a boring person. I never found studying hard. I was a nerd,” he says. It is hard not to notice his penchant for the disciplined when it comes to motorsports as well. A Formula 1 buff, Gopi loves the precision and accuracy of the sport. “The beauty of F1 lies in the how things come down to a matter of seconds. NASCAR is just about brute speed. Formula 1 was about the champagne and glamour and how things could change in a jiffy. I remember watching some of the greatest rivalries on track between Michael Schumacher and Mikka Haikkonen or Pablo Montoya.”

A pronounced Rajinikanth fan, Gopi says he continues to love watching Tamil movies and he sure seems to enjoy them. “My wife makes fun of these movies that I watch. It maybe nonsensical, but when everything else in my life makes sense why not enjoy a little nonsense?” Amen to that. “I love going for Pongal releases. I still remember heading to the theatre in the afternoon after eating Pongal at home as a kid,” he adds.

Talking of his personal sense of style, he says, “I always thought I was good-looking, but I think I graduated and grew into my own style in my teenage years and I owe that transformation to my uncle. I am confident with whatever I wear because in the end only two opinions matter to me - those of my wife and my mother. I am however, a private person” In his free time, this dashing CEO loves watching TV series on the mafia. His present favourite is Narcos. “I love The Godfather too. I think the closest I can come to being a Mafioso is owning a car that you have seen the mafia use. The cars that I own need to have a story behind them – a legend.”

Gopi and wife Rukmini are soon to be parents and the father-in-waiting is nothing short of excited. Maybe truer words were never spoken by Don Corleone from The Godfather: “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”

HYDERABAD

Medicine Man

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Musically Inclined

It was an incidental visit to the Enron power project that led Dr. Mahesh Joshi to identify Emergency Medicine as the important missing link in the Healthcare system and he decided to pursue it as his career. After observing in USA for a short duration he came to Apollo Hyderabad and established Emergency Medicine (EM) in India. The other side of him is ‘Mahajosh’, the talented musician who is steadily gaining popularity in the city.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan MARCH 2016 RITZ

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when I had to choose between medicine and music; but having spent close to six years studying medicine I decided to choose medicine first but ensured that I keep the creativity in me intact. Now after having reached a certain stage in my professional career as a doctor, I feel I must give a little more time to my passion for singing. The feeling of entertaining an audience you hardly know and taking them along into a world of happiness and joy is unparalleled,” confesses Mahajosh.

Dr. Joshi always wanted to be a doctor since his childhood days and probably the inspiration came from the family physician who used to visit his ancestral home at Jalgaon.

He did his MBBS from PDM Medical College Amravati in Maharashtra and thereafter went to Mumbai and did his further studies at the Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.

As CEO of Apollo Home Healthcare, his biggest challenge in the sector so far has been to make the healthcare providers and the patients understand a difference between high quality professional healthcare and general duty assistant services.

Earlier Dr. Mahesh’s role was largely handling the patients and taking care of their problems as a clinician. As a CEO now, his responsibilities have grown manifold. “I have been fortunate to have been in a situation when people needed desperate help. The number of lives we have been able to save/make difference to is the greatest

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satisfaction I have in life. Also, I take great pride in the fact that more than 300 doctors and paramedics who at some time were my students are practicing EM in India and other parts of the world,” says the doc proudly.

“It’s been my privilege and pride having been able to represent EM development in India at institutions like Stanford and Mayo Clinic-USA,” adds Dr. Joshi. Dr. Mahesh Joshi idolises quite a few people for their various traits like Dr. VR Joshi, Amitabh Bachchan, Kishore Kumar and looks upto his wife Varsha, for her efficiency in multitasking and perseverance.

Dr. Mahesh Joshi aka Mahajosh always had a keen ear for music. It was during his MBBS days that he discovered his talent when he got a lot of appreciation from his seniors and colleagues which made him pursue music more sincerely.

“I have participated in various contests and won awards. There was a time

Dr. Mahesh Joshi beautifully balances his two worlds of profession and passion and takes inspiration from each to enhance the other. “For me being an artist keeps the human being in me alive. This is very essential for Healthcare providers, particularly doctors. Because, we see so much of illness on a long term basis, we tend to get de-sensitised over time. I think creativity/music keeps your sensitivity alive.

As long as your priorities are clear, multitasking is usually not a problem. Yes, sometimes when you have back to back performances etc., and you need to travel; things do get demanding. In the process of balancing - the sleep gets sacrificed!” admits Mahajosh.

Dr. Mahesh Joshi is also the proud recipient of quite a few awards such as – the Life time achievement award by the SEMI (Society for Emergency Medicine India) for Excellence and dedication to specialty of Emergency Medicine India, the Kalakriti award for Excellence and Achievement 2014 and the Rotary Club SACEVocational Excellence award 2016.

The plan in the pipeline for Apollo Home Healthcare is to introduce chronic disease management programs like Home dialysis and home chemotherapy in the coming year. “We will be integrating technology to enable an easy access to any kind of healthcare service at home including video consults with specialists etc., in the next year,” says the doctor.

Five years hence, Dr. Mahesh Joshi hopes to see Apollo homecare as the biggest and the best home healthcare provider in this part of the world. The musician in him hopes to release his first album, ‘Mahajosh’.

Apart from this he also wishes to do a tour across India to support a genuine cause.

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BENGALURU

Exercising His

Entrepreneurial Skills

At 27, Vijay Abhimanyu Rajendran brings to the table the energy of a youngster, streamlined by a level of maturity that’s well beyond his age. He started with one standalone restaurant in Bengaluru when he was just 20 years old and today, eight years hence, owns fifteen restaurants across three states in India and has massive expansion plans for the next year.

RITZ meets the tireless entrepreneur who is driven by the ambition to make a difference in everything he does.

Text: Archana Shenoy MARCH 2016 RITZ

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Photographs: Faheem Hussain

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Vijay Abhimanyu is the young entrepreneur behind the Billion Smiles Hospitality venture, a fast growing hospitality chain with interests in three different business verticals - QSR, casual dining and the catering space. Vijay has successfully created well respected brands like Southindies, bonSouth and UpSouth, spread across Bengaluru, Pune and Himachal Pradesh. He has been spearheading this venture from the age of seventeen, thereby becoming one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the country. The vision of creating a scalable hospitality venture caught his imagination while assisting his father trying to convince his larger family to change their approach to the hospitality industry by professionalizing their management and working towards a larger vision.

“Energized by a successful beginning, the company is on a rapid expansion drive, with plans to open over 250 restaurants in cities across India and overseas within a span of six to seven years. The future will also witness the company foraying into other unique hospitality ventures. Billionsmiles aims to build a scalable business in the food industry with high quality offerings.

It is a venture with new economic values with a strong focus in building value for all stakeholders – customers, employees and shareholders,” explains Vijay.

This year the brand bagged the title of best South Indian restaurant from the Times Food Guide Awards for both Bengaluru and Pune and this is not their first accolade. From its year of inception Southindies and then bonSouth have been consecutively raking in awards from many credible culinary and restaurant award sources.

“Everyone was entrepreneurial in my family, that’s what pushed me to start something on my own. My father always used to say that this economy will be built and driven by entrepreneurs and we will build India into one of the top three nations, in spite of its governance. That entrepreneurs will drive the country’s growth is something that is evident from the last fifteen years. In the mid 2000s consumer retail consumption driven

business had reached a significant scale.

Foreign fast food chains were expanding, opening hundreds of outlets across our country. This ignited a passion in me, as a business the space seemed right, opportunity seemed fantastic, the timing seemed perfect, so the idea really appealed to me. At that point, my dad decided to back this venture and the initial seed money came from the group holding company Billionways and I started Billion Smiles Hospitality,” he explains in detail.

Vijay’s dream is to build a world class, highly scalable hospitality venture.

Founded in 2007, the company owns three brands - Southindies, an upscale casual dining South Indian vegetarian restaurant chain, bonSouth, a casual dining South Indian non vegetarian restaurant chain and UpSouth a highly scalable South Indian vegetarian quick service restaurant chain.

Currently the company operates fifteen restaurants across Bengaluru, Pune and Himachal Pradesh.

“We were from an IT background and running a restaurant was new, so we made it a professionally run business from day one. But core competence and capability in South Indian food was a challenge so we got Ventatesh Bhat who previously worked with the Taj and Leela group of hotels to bring in the core competence with regard to cuisine. We wanted to specialize in this and take South Indian food to a new level as a casual dining brand and monopolise the fine dining South Indian dining space which was vacant,” Vijay tells us.

Having succeeded beyond his dreams in eight years since the brand’s inception, the man recently took some time off his hectic work schedule to tie the knot last month, but made sure he was back to work the following Monday after his wedding!

“There’s never a spare day when you’re building a business from scratch,” he tells, confiding that he’s yet to make time off from his schedule to whisk his wife away on a honeymoon.

He obviously lives by the mantra that hard work is the only formula to success, and going by what we’ve seen of him and his restaurants flourishing in the city, we agree with him completely.

Nilesh Iyer takes us on a journey through the unique beauty of India, a land so diverse in culture, tradition and religion that its sounds, smells and sights transform even the most jaded traveller into a lover of this eclectic hodgepodge of mystery and adventure.

WANDERLUST

Following the trail of religion, culture and history

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I’m a total buff for all that is historical and all that characterizes the potpourri of culture that we call India. Coupled with this, is my desire to capture this bounty of character through the lens. My friend and I, being of like minds, set off on a shoe-string budget to explore the north and north-east of the country. Our journey of ten days took us from the 'Silicon Valley' of India (where we live) to Kolkata (Calcutta to those that belong) and from there to the centre of Hindu religion, Varanasi; the ancient city of Kashi. We then followed the flow of the holy river to Bihar, and to Bodh Gaya, the place of birth for Buddhism. Then on to Sikkim and finally back to Kolkata, the culmination of the holy river and our trip.

Varanasi We travelled by train (the Doon Express, which had memories of my school days) from Kolkata to Varanasi. This is the city that in ancient times was the capital of the kingdom of Kashi, with which it became synonymous. Varanasi has been a part of India’s culture for centuries and has played witness to the many religions that this country has made its own.

Scriptures tell the story of Shiva – the rejuvenator of the Hindu Trinity and Parvati/ Sati – the incarnation of the Divine Feminine. It is said that here, in Kashi, where the holy river Ganga flows, Sati’s father Daksha humiliated Shiva during a holy ceremony. Sati, in penance for this, immolated herself. Shiva in anger and grief laid ruin to all and took Sati’s burning body to the Himalayas. On the way, her earrings (Manikarna in Sanskrit) are said to have fallen by the banks of the river. It is said that the spot

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where the earrings fell, marks the location of the Manikarnika Ghat. Shiva cursed the land to forever be the site of funeral pyres, but later relented and converted his curse to a boon, that they who are cremated on these pyres will attain salvation or moksha. Today, Manikarnika Ghat, is still the main cremation site in Varanasi and it is estimated that eighty to a hundred bodies are cremated here, everyday.

The ghats of Varanasi are the site of daily worship of the Holy River Ganga. Lifeline of India’s agrarian economy and even today, the lifeline of commerce in the north and northeast, the Ganga is subject of much debate and activism, directed at cleansing its waters and preventing its pollution due to chemical and organic waste. The ghats of Varanasi are sites for excellent photo opportunities and attending the evening aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat is a breath-taking experience.

Varanasi, is not only one of the Hindu religion’s main centres of pilgrimage, but it has also been a major site in the evolution of other major Indian religions, such as Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.

In Sarnath, 13 kilometers from Varanasi, we visited the Deer Park, where Gautama Buddha delivered his famous sermon on the Progression of the Wheel of Justice, or the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra in Sanskrit).

This first sermon defined the four noble truths, to all who would listen – the true reason for sorrow; desire and its role in the endless cycle of mortality; end of desire being the end of sorrow and finally, the noble eight-fold path of ideal existence.

We returned from our day-trip to Sarnath to the hustle and bustle of Varanasi. It was time to sample some of this city’s excellent street-food. Chaat and Kachoris were the order of the evening and did for the appetite, what the city’s shrines did for the soul.

Little wonder, then, that there are about as many outlets selling chaat and lassi, as there are temples.

As we sat at Blue Lassi bar, sampling some of their excellent product, it was a bit weird to see the progression of corpses to nearby Manikarnika Ghat.

The residents however, didn’t bat an eyelid.

The next day, we left for Gaya, the next stop on our journey.

Gaya While Gaya is every bit the quintessential small town, with its power cuts, it has the feel of a town at peace with itself, bereft of the desire to become something bigger, comfortable in its own skin. We arrived in Gaya during election time. Police spot-checks were common, as Bihar has a history of electoral malpractice. We navigated through these to get to our destination, the temple of Bodh Gaya, the site where a prince became an enlightened ascetic and a religion was born, which would shake the ritualistic foundations of incumbent religion, with its simplicity.

As we sat at the temple with the noise of the rain and our thoughts for company, we were soon joined by the friendly monks and the even more friendly dogs, all of us taking shelter, in a manner which was somehow fittingly egalitarian and reflective of the tenets of the religion that had blossomed in that location.

Gaya is the site of many Buddhist temples, which are sponsored by the many Buddhist nations of the world. The main temple here, is declared a UNESCO world heritage site.

Sikkim We travelled by rail from Gaya to Patna and from there to New Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway station to the city of Gangtok. This sleepy little town, is the capital of the north-eastern state of Sikkim, which represents part of India’s border with Tibetan China, Bhutan and Nepal. As a consequence, not only is Gangtok a melting pot of cultures, but it is also a key strategic location from a defense stand-point.

Here we got to see Tsongmo Lake, en route to Nathu La, which was the site of a major skirmish between the Indian and Chinese forces, in 1967, following the Sino-Indian War. Nathu La or the Pass of the Listening Ears, is 4300m above sea level, and is one of the two open border trading posts between India and China. Visitors to Nathu La require special permits, due to its strategic location.

Not far from Nathu La, is the Baba Mandir, dedicated to Major "Baba" Harbhajan Singh, a martyr of the Sino-Indian war, whose spirit is said to protect soldiers who guard our borders. Legend has it that Baba would warn the Indian soldiers of any impending attack at least three days in advance. Baba Harbhajan Singh is also believed to be present in the flag meetings of the Chinese and Indian forces and in reverence, a place is set aside for him by the Chinese during flag meetings at Nathu La. The different cultures which make up Gangtok’s society, also represent themselves in the variety of cuisine which we were able to sample. From the ever-present momos, to the thukpa, kachoris and even dosas, the food was more than a match for our keen appetites, made all the more keen by the cold weather.

Kolkata We returned to Kolkata for the final leg of our journey. It was time for Duga Puja, or as Calcuttans

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know it, Pujo. We were in time to visit the idol-makers of Kumortuli (Kumor is Bengali for potter). Legend has it, that the idols of the goddess were traditionally prepared from the clay gathered from the front of the brothels in nearby Sonagacchi, as it was believed that men left their purity in the soil before they entered the brothels.

Be that as it may, the idol makers of Kumortuli are the subjects of many a roving photographer. So much so, that one has to pay a fee to be able to photograph the workshops of the artisans during the idol-making time of the year.

From Kumortuli, one can follow Rabindra Sarani through the heart of old Calcutta. Past the home of the Bard of Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore at Jorasanko, to the centre of modern Kolkata’s commerce at Barabazar.

After a productive day of photography, Kalakar Street – home of Kolkata’s famous Tewari Brothers and other chaat outlets, was a no-brainer. This became the start of the gastronomic delight that is Kolkata’s street food. We went on to Kusum’s on Park Street for rolls and finally wound up the evening and our trip, at Someplace Else, the rock music lover’s haunt.

Afterword As we returned to Bengaluru, home of modern India’s continued tryst with its infotech destiny, I thought of this country, its all-encompassing culture and the true nature of its soul.

In Varanasi, I heard the oarsman, as he rowed our boat on the Ganga, tell the tales of Gods and Goddesses, who lived on earth and roamed the lands, who blessed its rivers to forever purify souls and cursed the land to forever reduce man to ash.

In Gaya, I heard the tale of the man who became God. In Sarnath, I learnt again of his lesson of the ever-turning wheel of law. I felt too, the rising of a religion from the remains of another, to fill the thirst in the minds of the masses – the thirst to know, to realise and to understand.

Not just to be told.

In Sikkim, I saw the place where the spirit of man guards our borders and then in Kolkata, I saw the god-makers, who made gods from clay, the clay from the banks of the blessed river, which has given life over the millennia to this land of myth, faith and belief.

These gods, who would return to the river from whence they came, once man was done celebrating the triumph of good over evil, in the unending cycle of belief, which seems to be the only tangibility for man to desperately cling to in his faith.

In a country which has seen religions come and has embraced them all, it’s difficult to say what true faith is, other than to say that it is the aggregate of them all.

And through all this, the immortal river still flows, witness to man’s deeds and vehicle of his soul’s salvation.

(Nilesh Iyer is a travel buff, an enthusiastic photographer and wannabe writer who presently earns his living working in Bengaluru)

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POINT BLANK

'WITHERING' HEIGHTS!

have a separate toll free helpline to exclusively handle emergency requests from passengers?

The existing helplines with their IVRS menu need help as it takes more than three minutes to get to speak to an executive.

Last weekend, I was stuck in an inexplicable traffic jam at 5.30 am barely a few kilometres away from the Chennai Airport. There were close to a hundred vehicles piled up.

Most of the passengers were presumably on early morning flights. Everyone was obviously helpless and tense over the prospect of missing their flights.

For a good half hour, the traffic was crawling, inch by inch.

Not a single cop was in sight to regulate or divert the flow of vehicles to the opposite side. All I could spot was a Metro Rail barricade blocking the road at one point for no fathomable reason and a solitary private security guard trying to do his bit to ease the snarl.

Under normal circumstances, I would have reached the airport at 5.30 am for the 6.50 am flight with my web boarding pass in hand. It was already 6:05 am. Thanks to Murphy's Law, this time I had baggage to check in.

As my name, along with many others who were also caught in that jam, was being announced, more as the airline's 'due diligence' and legal defence, I just about managed to hop on to my flight on time. I didn't feel like reading the newspapers. Such issues seldom find space amidst all those jacket full page ads. Traffic diversions may be routinely hammered out but not stories of passengers missing flights due to poor crisis management by the authorities.

BY SANJAY PINTO

Such delays can stare at anyone. And it evidently did to even the pilot of my flight who scampered in on the dot. Why is our crisis management so pathetic? How can airport authorities be so cut off from ground realities a stone's throw away? If more than a hundred passengers on the most common route are stuck in traffic near the airport, does it need sixth sense or some out of this world method to relay the information to the concerned staff at the airport to get their act together?

Traffic signals may be switched on only at a certain time but how can such an important stretch be devoid of a single traffic constable, especially with the Metro Rail related work on in full swing? 5.30 to 6.30 am is a rush hour for airport arrivals.

You can have a sizeable chunk of the force out on the roads for 'VIP bandobust' duty but no deployment for the common man travelling to the airport during a peak hour? Adverse weather conditions fall under the 'Force Majeure' disclaimer and a convenient defence for airlines when flights are delayed or cancelled. Isn't a

traffic jam near the airport also a situation that passengers have no control over?

How did events unfold at the airport as I made a dash in a franctic bid to catch my flight and my breath? The CISF personnel kept staring at my web boarding pass for what seemed like 30 seconds, in which time, I would have reached the check in counter. Mercifully, an alert and helpful airline executive expedited my check-in formalities. If VIPs can have separate lounges and mineral water diverted to bathrooms for their use and sometimes even hold up flights, if airline staff can jump queues, why can't the common passenger (who buys his own tickets as opposed to the State exchequer paying for elected representatives) have a 'priority' security check line to deal with such emergencies? The half a dozen fee heads, from convenience to common user terminal equipment, on every ticket can certainly take care of such situations faced by passengers. Why can't airlines

If you miss your flight, pray that it's not a non-refundable ticket. Because 'Force Majeure' is a curtain that only airlines can hide behind. Do also pray that you don't have to reschedule your travel, like I had to, on my return due to a nasty fall in a bathroom,designed like a death trap, in a 'star' hotel. Although the airline had empty seats on an earlier flight, it sought to exploit the pain and helplessness of a wounded passenger by demanding more than double the cost of the original ticket. I dug my heels in and waited for three hours to board my original flight. The airline went with empty seats but refused to show an iota of humanity to an injured passenger it ironically labels as a 'privileged member'.

Aside of all the court judgments and legalese, two pieces from literature flashed across my mind - Shylock in the Merchant of Venice and 'Dog in the Manger'.

Thankfully, nothing fell from the ceiling.

(Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor & Former Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7) MARCH 2016 RITZ

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WITH

A SHARPER MIND

(Pic: Najmul Hoda, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Kancheepuram)

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There used to be a detergent ad with the tagline 'hard on dirt, soft on clothes.' This dual approach to policing has made Najmul Hoda feared by criminals and loved by genuine petitioners. When I first bumped into him at a party, I almost conjured up the image of a stethoscope around his neck rather than the 9 mm pistol or lathi in his hand. Mild mannered and soft spoken, his personality seemed to reflect that trademark doctor's demeanor. It was only in the middle of the conversation, when I noticed another officer saluting him, did I realise that he was a cop.

Recently transferred and posted as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Kancheepuram, due to the Election Commission's dictum that no officer should be in a post or area for more than 3 years before elections, Najmul's response when I broached the subject of featuring him in this column was true to his unassuming self.

“What's there to write about me?” Quite a bit. Humility is obviously one of his virtues, although he has little to be humble about.

There was no proverbial silver spoon.

Or any spoon for that matter. A native of Darbhanga in Bihar, as a young lad, seeing his mother Mobina Khatun toiling at home and his father Muhammad Manzoor, a voracious reader and literary figure, struggle to climb up the 'sarkari' ladder, as an Inspector in the Civil Supplies Department, Najmul often wondered that “his learning was not commensurate with his job.” Bihar was not well developed, especially in the early nineties when Najmul was just out of school. “There were few avenues for social mobility and the Civil Services seemed like the only

BY SANJAY PINTO

decent route to come up in life.” The career goal was clear. That dictated his choice of History, in which he graduated from the Aligarh Muslim University followed by a Masters in Modern History from the premier Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The first crack at the Civil Services Examination landed him a berth in the Indian Railway Traffic Service in 2000. “I was initially happy but soon got bored.” A second attempt ensured that he changed tracks with his selection to the Indian Police Service (IPS) in 2001. Anyone who is remotely familiar with the exam will vouch for hardwork being a prerequisite. Najmul, however, attributes his success to the “Blessing of Democracy.”

In the first decade of his service, Najmul has had hard core Law & Order roles in six districts – Tuticorin, Madurai, Theni, Dharmapuri, Ariyalur and Virudhnagar.

Dharmapuri, for instance was the main hub of illicit liquor. Najmul made it his mission to eradicate the menace. Then came a hotbed of caste clashes at Virudhnagar, where two communities were at loggerheads for over fifty years, resulting in mindless killings. The young Superintendent of Police took a bold decision of withdrawing the police post and “arrested about a hundred trouble makers in one go.” Soon, “we were able to sanitise the area.”

A cameo innings at the CB CID and a stint as the Deputy Commissioner of Police – Secretariat Security in Chennai

preceded what could probably be the most action oriented phase of his career. North Chennai is notorious for rowdy gangs.

And Washermanpet is at the epicentre of gang rivalry. In his three year tenure as the Deputy Commissioner of Police – Washermanpet, Najmul took on the gangsters head on. As many as five hundred rowdies were detained under the Goondas Act. “If the police means business, it can be hell for wrong doers and heaven for law abiding citizens.” I have seen Najmul helping citizens who have genuine grievances even if it doesn't fall under his jurisdiction, as he is not averse to speaking to his counterparts in other places. On his recent promotion as DIG, Najmul was posted as the Joint Commissioner of Police, West Chennai, before being transferred as DIG Kancheepuram.

That Najmul's best companions are books would be more than evident after a two minute conversation with him. He is like a walking encyclopaedia with an informed viewpoint on just about any issue. “I lap up

books on Philosophy, History, Literature and Religion.” During the Global Investors Meet in Chennai, I was astounded by his knowledge of scriptures, even biblical parables and their interpretation. His facebook updates, all in his individual capacity, reveal his intellectual prowess.

“I am opposed to fundamentalism in any faith.” Quite a polyglot, Najmul speaks Urudu, Hindi, Persian, Arabic, Tamil, and of course, English. “I often unwind with Sufi Music.” Not to speak with quality family time with his lovely little daughters Samreen and Afreen. I had no idea that his wife Amreen, a home maker, is the daughter of Shahid Ahmed, a top cop, scholar and author of the 'History of Islam', who recently retired as the Director General of Police of Manipur. But then, you don't expect Najmul to ever brag about anything.

That's the hallmark of real intellectuals.

(Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor and Former Resident Editor of NDTV 24x7) MARCH 2016 RITZ

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Photography: Santosh Kumar

DESIGN ELEMENTS

HYDERABAD

MĂŠlange of

Creativity One of the most well known names in the art world today, Laxman Aelay’s home in Hyderabad is a melange of creativity and simplicity, reflecting the artist's exquisite taste and creativity.

RITZ takes a tour of his personal space, noting his love for his craft and his passion for the eclectic clearly visible in even the little nooks and crannies of his home.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan

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As soon as you enter the artistic abode of Laxman Aelay, you are greeted by his mesmerising work on canvas. This is a mixed media painting which happens to be from his latest ‘Traveller series’, called Mudra.

A backless settee in front has made it the favourite spot for the family - Laxman, his wife, Lalitha, daughter Priyanka (an artist herself) and their adorable eight year old Lhasa Apso, Shiro.

One cannot help getting captivated by the exquisite sculptures too, all around the house. The intricate workmanship in the wood carving that the artist picked up from Thailand, renders further spark to the creative outlook in the hall. The showcase is beautifully decorated with artistic memoirs that Laxman picked up from across the globe. There are also souvenirs that he carried back from Italy, Egypt, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, various places in India and more.

The tinge of reddish orange splashed around is captivating - both because of the striking shade and the way it accentuates the space - be it his paintings or a few of the walls in the house. This gives a vibrant outlook to the cozy artistic abode. Apart from orange, the play of white is very prominent in the house. “This is intentional as it lets the paintings appear prominent and speak for themselves,” says Priyanka.

The house is clutter free, spic and span with artistic touches in every nook and corner. Marble flooring and neat woodwork is another highlight of the house.

“I like breathing space and hence have kept the house very minimalistic with only the essentials in place.

The art display too keeps changing,” shares Laxman Aelay.

The living room is not too opulent or elaborate, but the artist’s display of his works renders a classy look.

Rajaya’s painting and Rajshekhar Nair’s sculpture in the living-cum-dining area echoes a creative aura, fascinating yet tranquil. Other paintings displayed are from renowned artists like Vaikuntam, Laxma Goud, Shiva Ramachary and of course the young, talented Priyanka herself.

As we walk around, I notice that even the refrigerator in the kitchen has interesting fridge magnets splashed on the surface. The master bedroom boasts of works by Vaikuntam, Laxma Goud and Chandra Bhattacharya - a place where the artist is enveloped by creative vibes.

Priyanka’s room has an interesting mix of art by Laxma Goud and Badri Narayan’s, alongside her Japanese doll, Japanese mask, Barbie dolls and Shrek family miniatures.

A tour around the house may finish quickly but there is a lot of creative prowess to see and absorb and one is reminded of the famous lines from John Keats, “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.

MARCH 2016 RITZ

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FOODIES INC.

CHENNAI

At The Table By The Sea

Just a little wine and a fine dine seems to be overrated with fine-dine restaurants opening a dime a dozen. But add a generous splash of the ocean, the soothing sound of the waves, a gentle breeze that ruffles your hair, not to mention the expertise of the Taj and you are set for an evening of fun. Vivanta by Taj – Fisherman’s Cove offers you something that is exclusively unique - a bistro style meal just yards away from the deep-blue waters of the Bay of Bengal.

The iconic Julia Child once said, “The people who love to eat are always the best people.”

And by those standards we are joined by two of the best, most fashionable and sought after designers, Vivek Karunakaran and Chaitanya Rao. At Upper Deck of Vivanta by Taj – Fisherman’s Cove we are greeted with a welcome cocktail - Daiquiri Basilicum, which is certainly a mouthful but, is equally flavoursome. The cool ocean breeze, elegant lighting, white gazebos and the rustic wooden floors put us at ease right away; a quick way to unwind on an extremely tense workday.

The food brigade at Upper Deck is led

by Executive Chef Sumeet Sood and

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RITZ MARCH 2016

Text: Rebecca Vargese

junior sous chef Mrinalinee S Majumdar, whose bistro style menu is inspired by the continental cuisine from Northern France and North Western Italy. Chef Sumeet hands over a menu as he explains the concept behind our meal for the night and prepares us for an epicurean feast. We toast the night with our Pinot Noire and

get to talking as the chef heads back to wow us with his food.

Vivek Karunakaran is no new name to the fashion elite of Chennai or the rest of the country. It has been over 10 years since Vivek debuted at Lakme Fashion Week and his designs continue to make heads turn any day of the week. His latest Valentine’s Day collection Just Love has also been creating quite a buzz.

City-based designer Chaitanya Rao may have hit a rough patch recently, but that has in no way got his spirits down. The fiery designer is known for his strong ties with the film world and currently working on three projects: Styling Trisha in Nayaki, working with Trisha and Anupama in Kodi

and styling Keerthi Suresh in her upcoming flick with Sivakarthikeyan.

Our first course for the night arrives even as we tuck into our bread basket. The Sea Food Bisque, a melange of seafood extracts and pepper rouille is flavoursome and very rich.

Though the pepper rouille makes a slightly buttery bisque, it is still delicious. Next on our plate is the Leek Tart with Goat Cheese. The tart baked to perfection; light and crumbly, the goat cheese rich and creamy, all brought beautifully together by the crunch of the walnuts. ‘Tart connoisseur Vivek’ as Chaitanya calls him, however, is not all praise for the dish.

We are in for a little surprise as the charming sous chef Mrinalinee tells us though the leek tart is her star dish and a crowd pleaser, she agrees with Vivek.

As we wait for the chef’s next, we dig into a fresh Caprese salad with the right mix of buffalo mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil, perfectly seasoned with salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. No doubt a salad which leaves you feeling light is just what we need since our next entrée Chicken Liver Pate is a table favourite.

The Chicken Liver Pate is accompanied by Walnut bread, Arugula, Apple chutney and caramelised onion. Chef Mrinalinee makes a trip to the table, educating us on how to enjoy the dish. To say the least, all our plates are spotless at the end of this dish.

Another favourite is the Fillet of snapper, broiled to perfection; the flesh still moist and succulent complimented by polenta and the sweetness of cherry tomatoes. We get to our main course Coq Au Vin with mushrooms, onions and bacon braised in Pinot Noir. The meat is tender with a deeply infused flavour from the braising; a definite must try at Upper Deck.

Despite protests, we are served our dessert, moist chocolate cake, apple tart and a scoop of vanilla ice cream with crumble. While we slowly nibble away at our dessert, our guests Vivek and Chaitanya cannot stop gushing about the Chicken Liver Pate, the Snapper Fillet and the Coq au Vin. We on the other hand have simply enjoyed a fabulous meal set in such romantic ambience with our two charming gentlemen.

Taj Upper Deck has sure left us with a wonderful aftertaste, a lovely evening and renewed friendships.

Vivanta By Taj Fisherman's Cove is at Covelong Beach, Kancheepuram District.

For reservations call +91 44 67413333 MARCH 2016 RITZ

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