SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
july 2015 VOL 11 | ISSUE 12
Men Who Mean Business
Harish Bijoor & TT Varadarajan
`100
Trending Now
Discovering The Dad Bod: South Indians speak out on the dad bod and what they make of it
High On Life TELANGANA special edition:
THE COMPLETE MAN
TELANGANA’S MINISTER FOR IT & PANCHAYAT RAJ GETS CANDID IN tHIS exclusive
When do you realise it’s time to stop partying and get your life on track? Former party animals from the Deccan share their stories
my view Ladies and gentlemen, let me ask you something: What better rainbow can there be in India than the reality of Telangana? So while some wear their pride on their Facebook timelines and others on their sleeve, we at RITZ do it on our magazine cover! Presenting the dynamic and enterprising KT Rama Rao, son of Telangana Chief Minister KCR and Minister for IT and Panchayat Raj for the state in an exclusive, candid interview. As South India’s Premier Lifestyle Magazine expands its footprint into Telangana, we hope to present to you in our inimitable style, a 360-degree sweep of the most promising, dynamic and sought-after names in the state in the coming editions. Jai Ho Telangana!
ARUNA R KRISHNAN 6
RITZ july 2015
Inside
july 2015
32
12 IfBuzzin’ you’re up to something novel, we’ve
gotten wind of it… find out in our pages
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Cindy Crawford launched Omega’s new Constellation Pluma collection in India
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CaratLane moves out of the digital realm and makes a stunning entry with a bespoke store in Chennai
20 RSVP
Dressed up to party? We caught you on camera
23 Haute Stuff
60 Corridors of Power
28 Showcase
62 Wanderlust
32 Cover Story
67 Spotlight
Usually associated with military and utilitarian looks, khaki is the elegant and chic colour of the season
It’s the country’s newest state and has a lot to offer on the food and travel front. Showcasing some of the unique cuisines and holiday hotspots from Telangana
He’s the new man of the new millennium. One of the youngest and most progressive in thought, KT Rama Rao, Minister for IT and Panchyat Raj, Telangana gets candid in a heart-to-heart chat
39 Trending Now
We’re always bringing you the newest, the hottest and the most insanely popular trends. This month read about why women love the dad bod; and how and when do you know it’s time to clean up your act and get serious in life
49 Look Book
From South India’s most popular designers dressing up their muses, to delving deep into their stash of exclusive goodies in the wardrobe of 3 fashionistas, we explore fashion’s new shores
59 Point Blank
There’s no compromise in certain cases. Sanjay Pinto offers his trademark incisive perspective
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RITZ july 2015
JK Tripathy (Director General Of Police, Prisons) is the quintessential khaki action hero. Sanjay Pinto meets the dynamic man
There’s more to Thailand than just shopping, malls and ladyboys. Discover some of the hidden Thai gems that lay a little off the beaten track
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They’re a cut above the rest, more driven, committed and successful. Meet two enterprising CEOs from the South
72 Design Elements
Every house has a story to tell, especially those decked out in resplendent antiques
81 Advertorial
A round-up on the Wedding Expo and all it did for the marital scene in Chennai
85 Over A Cuppa
We tell the story of three young couples who are about to step into the world of marital bliss
92 Foodies Inc
72
Find out what’s cooking in some speciality kitchens in Hyderabad and Chennai
98 Viewpoint
Does the occasional spank help to groom your child into a better individual? Sujaya Chandran offers her perspective
Corrigendum In last month’s issue dated June 2015, due to an oversight, we had mistakenly referred to Amrutha Anandanathan as the fiancé of Vishwajit Thirumurti in our section Look Book (page 65). the error is deeply regretted.
To know more:Visit us at www.mulshisprings.com Or call toll free 1800 - 2222 - 01
EDITOR & PUBLISHER ARUNA R KRISHNAN EDITOR’s secretary & coordinator jaffar hameed Regional EDITOR - BENGALURU ARCHANA SHENOY Regional EDITOR - HYDERABAD VANAJA BANAGIRI senior correspondent & celebrity relations coordinator shankaran malini HYDERABAD CORRESPONDENT DEEKSHA MARUR chennai CORRESPONDENT diya subramanian EDITORIAL AND LEGAL CONSULTANT SANJAY PINTO GUEST COLUMNIST sujaya chandran GENERAL MANAGER - MARKETING PRAVEEN KUMAR M MANAGER - CLIENT SERVICE SWATHI RAMAKRISHNAN Designer narayanan sathish MARKETING consultant - bengaluru sanjay jariwal EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - CHENNAI M.GURUNATH PRABHU EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - BENGALURU FAHEEM HUSSAIN 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 600002. Contact: 42113871 / 2 Email: ritzmag@rediffmail.com or ritzmag@gmail.com 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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RITZ july 2015
buzz in’
Showing his support the LGBT way
Bengaluru
Playback singer and entertainer Anuj Gurwara is living up his two month holiday in the US like it’s going out of fashion. (#YOLO) On a much different note, while the whole world took to their social media profiles to showcase their support towards same sex marriages post USA legalising it, the singer was up front at the New York Pride Parade two days ago to show his support as well. He took to social media and posted pictures of the parade. Way to go Anuj! We love your spunk…
hyderabad
To The Land Of Fire And Ice Seema Jaisingh’s headed to Iceland with a group of five, all to experience a specially curated itinerary put together by the Extraordinary Travel Company. Travelling across the continent, Seema and her group are doing some pretty funky things - visiting the South to see natural geysers and waterfalls, then heading West to walk some glaciers and ride Icelandic horses and finally heading to a dormant volcano where the adventurers will sit in its crater and meditate with a guru in the volcano’s magnetic field. Phew! Those are some experiences we say….
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RITZ july 2015
TM
by
Jayadevi Cholayil
urcare@cholayil.com
buzz in’
Gorgeous At 49!
She braved the Mumbai rain and posed with an umbrella for shutterbugs, in honour of her two decade long association with world-renowned Swiss watchmaker Omega. American supermodel Cindy Crawford was in India recently to launch the elegant Constellation Pluma Collection, a gorgeous range of wristwatches, that takes its name from the Latin word for ‘feather’. Commenting on her long-standing association with the brand, Cindy who looked resplendent in a multi-hued dress, said she’s been part of the Omega family longer than she’s even been married! “I’ve evolved with the brand,” she told media persons, who thronged to catch a glimpse of the stunning lady at the Omega store in Mumbai. As special guest at a gala dinner hosted to celebrate the unveiling of the new collection at the luxurious Taj Mahal Palace hotel, Cindy, who arrived in a stunning green gown, sat alongisde the Indian brand ambassador for Omega, the dashing Abhishek Bachchan. Also accompanying the duo was Raynald Aeschlimann, the brand’s Vice President & International Sales Director, Member of Swatch Group’s Extended Group Management Board. Cindy took to Instagram to share a snap from the event and even gushed about her fellow Omega ambassador terming the party a Bollywood dream night in Mumbai!
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GET YOUR HOURLY FIX OF FASHION, SHOPPING, PARTIES, FOOD AND CULTURE visit www.ritzmagazine.in
South India's Uber Lifestyle Website
buzz in’
hyderabad
Being Naughty In Croatia Nawabzada Saad Bin Jung and his beautiful wife Sangeeta have been enjoying a nice holiday in Venice and Croatia with close friends former cricketer Atul Wassan and his wife Sonu. A former cricketer himself Saad and his wife were in Venice to celebrate the nuptials of a close family friend and then went on to extend their holiday by a few more weeks. Trust Saad to get up to some naughty tricks while away. Knowing you, we weren’t too shocked, Saad!
Bengaluru
Full On Horse Power For Rathan Reddy For those of you who know Rathan Reddy, you already know what a big automobile fanatic he is. Obviously, that’s why he is into the transport business too. So it isn’t surprising that he got extremely excited about his new car. Well, it’s a Ford Mustang alright, who wouldn’t be excited? What’s an even bigger deal is that Rathan happens to be the only person in South India to own this baby. Fancy, eh?
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RITZ july 2015
buzz in’
Bespoke Shopping Experience If shopping online for jewellery was an experience in itself that CaratLane pioneered, its ensemble store in Chennai brings the niche market for jewellery outside the digital realm. And it is nothing short of pioneering, as well. The hackneyed style in jewellery stores involve row upon row of touchme-not arrangements of jewellery, with glinting shades of gold overwhelming you in a way that they jostle for space. But CaratLane is all about creating an enchanting experience that makes buying jewellery a beautiful tryst enhanced by ambience and comfort. A chic store that brings the best of lighting and
spatial usage, this flagship store in Chennai allows its jewellery to do all the talking. With nifty display hubs crafted inside the walls, earrings, pendants and necklaces, bracelets and bangles, are artfully displayed along with books and other decorous items – as if to remind you that wearing classy jewellery is a part of your lifestyle. The accented interiors speak of bespoke craftsmanship and yet, they stand silently while allowing their star products, the jewellery, to do all the talking. The myriad hues of gemstones glint in the light, as the pure metallic enclosures in gold and silver preserve their stunning beauty in a range of designs and patterns that speak volumes of intricate craftsmanship and careful handcrafted efforts. The store format is such that it makes it easy to shop and everything is comfortably accessible. Think muted colours, elegant esplanades crafted out of grey, brown and silver panelling. It has a delightful lounge space with comfortable sitting areas that help you relax with your choices and be taken through all that you’ve thought of as ideal, before making a final selection. For the bohemian in you, majestic shelves in a separate enclosure with neon and geometric patterns come alive while creating a boho-chic section to help pick out jewellery true to your free spirited style. With a range of options that import their brand philosophy from their online store, their collections are perfect for the modern woman, bridling the elegance and sophistry on the one hand, and spunk and candour on the other, with equal ease and aplomb. In the days to come, separate spots in the store will be designated for jewellery cleaning, display of new collections and even a little hole-in-the-wall cafeteria to make for a wholesome indulgence of all the senses. Address: 1st Floor, No 32, Rutland Gate 2nd Street, Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai. Phone: +91 44 42935000
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RITZ july 2015
rsvp
Bengaluru The city was buzzing with golfers and everyone came out to watch them tee off at the 4th edition of the Louis Philippe Cup, that was held at Karnataka Golf Association in Bengaluru. India’s golfing sensations Jyoti Randhawa, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Sharmila Nicolette, and other pro golfers Rahil Gangjee, Mithun Perera and SSP Chourasia were spotted mingling with the guests at the party held at ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru.
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RITZ july 2015
rsvp
hyderabad A night of fun and frolic can only happen when like-minded people come together. That’s exactly what happened when artist/ musician Pranati Khanna Razvi took center stage at The Gallery Café in Banjara Hills. She unveiled a 20 x 6 feet illustration of the café she designed and then went on to play for those present there.
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haute stuff
Khaki Goes Pretty
Usually associated with military and utilitarian looks, this season the colour is elegant and chic. The earthy hues of khaki, camel, sand and green take on a classic metropolitan influence for the modern woman. Looking great on the Indian olive skin tone, it’s a perfect transition colour from summer to monsoon. Text: Vira Shah
RITZ july 2015
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haute stuff
Maxi Dress by Monica Dogra for Stylista.com `3250
Satin Dress by Victoria Beckham available on netaporter `46080approx
Metallic Finish Top by Mango `3990
Draped Top by Zara `4990
Chevron Printed Skirt by `1999
Minimal classic Watch by Emporio Armani `12495
Embroidered top by Morphe available on rocknshop.com `20440
Camo watch by GUESS `11,900
Printed Trousers by Sisley available on Jabong.com `1400
Wide leg trousers by Marks & Spencers `3599
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RITZ july 2015
Moustache print stole by indian fashion Guru on amazon.in `298
Candy Striped Doctor Bag by Pazzion at Heel and Buckle `6600
Blocked Teal Bag by Holii `2995
Color Block Satchel by DSquared available on amazon.in `40500
Coffee Break Satchel by Viari `2100
Blowup Perfume by Forever New available on Koovs. com Forever `3400
Sling Bag by Fossil available on amazon.in Bag `9995 Monster Baguette by Fendi `95715 (Approx.)
Peach Tote by Clarks `4500
Moschino Spring Summer 2015
Fabric Bag by Zara `3990
Cutwork mini by Tommy Hilfiger
Style Notes: Glam it up: Pick an embellished piece or pair with gold accessories for the evening Tonal Colours: Keep it chic by layering up different shades of the colour for day Classic Black: Wear a single colour combined with neutral black for a strong, clean look
Half Saddle by Charles & Keith `6800 RITZ july 2015
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haute stuff
Swarovski Celebrates Donald Duck’s 81st Birthday Donald Duck gets a shiny birthday makeover from Swarovski to celebrate this milestone in a luxurious manner. The icon sparkles with crystals in his famous sailor shirt, bow tie and cap in his signature colours. This authentic representation of one of the most appreciated Disney characters showcases Swarovski’s unique craftsmanship using the Pointiage technique. Swarovski Donald Duck priced at Rs. 4,81,500 is limited to 150 pieces worldwide and designed to be available in 2015 only.
Louis Moinet Introduces The Jurrasic Watch Swiss watchmaker Louis Moinet is known for using unusual, yet exceptionally rare materials to create extraordinary dials in watches that are produced in limited editions only. The watchmaker’s latest offering is the first to feature a dial made from Jurassic-era dinosaur bone, dated between 145 and 200 million years old. The bone, discovered in North America, comes from the family of herbivores that includes the Diplodocus recognisable for its distinctive shape of long neck and tail. The genuine fossilised bone along with the award winning Mecanograph chronometer makes it highly covetable and is available in a highly limited edition of only 12 watches.
Italian Icons Armani And Vespa Collaborate A new version of the Vespa 946 has been created to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Piaggio Group (creator of the Vespa 946) and the 40th of the Giorgio Armani brand. This classy version of the 946 sports an exclusive colour scheme conceived by the designer himself: a dark shade of matte Armani grey with a touch of green that pops up only under specific lighting conditions, which complements the retro styling of the Vespa 946 and further enhances its appeal. The Vespa 946 Emporio Armani is being produced in a limited run of individually numbered units, and sold in major cities internationally.
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jUNE 2015 VOL 11 | ISSUE 11
SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
When Love has Gone
PROMINENT SOUTH INDIANS TALK ABOUT HEARTBREAK AND HOw LONg IT TAKES TO MOvE ON
`100
Weapon of MaSS Seduction
RANA dAGGUbATI ON TURNING 30, HIS IdEAL WOMAN ANd THE bIGGEST bLESSING IN HIS cAREER
MAY 2015 VOL 11 | ISSUE 10
SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
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breaking new ground Scripting the aesthetic essence of Chennai - Mital Surendira, Aditya Patel and Gitanjali Selvaraghavan
UPId s canda esS getcamer DrIconr the g Ion fo in’S facShheeky ayIndIatad PSol utahnd a
Jyothika’S
NEW FILM HAS A POWERFUL MESSAGE FOR WOMEN. WE FINd OUT WHAT!
PROMINENT SOUTH INdIAN bUSINESS LEAdERS ON WHy AN OccASIONAL dIGITAL dETOx IS vITAL TO SUccESS ANd STAyING HAPPy
RITZ `100
are Men
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MORE cONScIOUS OF THEIR LOOkS THAN WOMEN? A TRENd REPORT
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Menbold and individuals Their who have Machines chosen ExPLORINg MEN’S alternative PASSION fOR BIKES lifestyles AND LOvE fOR SPEED
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Staying stylish in checks, the best watches, and a whole lot of bling!
APRIL 2015 VOL 11 | ISSUE 9
7
young South Indians show us their interpretation of street fashion
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‘I am who I am because of my worth and not my birth’
Upasna Kamineni talks about work, her enchanting life, her fight against childhood obesity and much more
RITZ july 2015
27
Showcase
The Taste of Telangana Vijay Marur is an Advertising Professional who specialises in producing Corporate Films and is a Digital Marketing Expert. A television show host, a published author and a poet, he is an avid foodie and has written extensively about the different kinds of food available in Hyderabad. In an exclusive column for RITZ, he dives right into the melting pot of Telangana cuisine. Once upon a time, there was a state called Andhra Pradesh. It was an amalgam of three areas, Telangana, Andhra and Rayalaseema. In the half century and more of common statehood the food of the Andhra region became synonymous with the state. Fortunately the state was bifurcated and Telangana, having got its fair share of land and revenue, is now poised to gain some recognition for its unique cuisine. The taste of Telangana is driven by the people of the state. The state has always had royalty, both by way of the Muslim rulers and the Hindu zamindars. And the common man has been an integral part of its history.
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The clear distinction between rulers and people has led to a situation where the food of the state has had to choose between appealing to the more extravagant palates of the rich and the more modest tastes of the common man. Too, the deciding factors that shaped the cuisine of Telangana are the crop patterns in the region. As against the rice bowl wealth of Andhra, Telangana has always been more of a millet and roti kind of a place. Jowar and bajra feature prominently in the harvests of the state. So Jonna Rotte (bread made from sorghum), Sajja Rotte (bread made from penisetum) and in rare cases, Uppudu Pindi (broken rice) are the lead
components in a meal. The Telangana palate is hungry for spice and the dishes are ‘hot’. Whether it is the raw and basic Yerra Kaaram Podi (spicy red powder) or Yellipai Kaaram (spicy garlic powder) or a host of kooras (curries), pulusus (gravies) and vepudus (fries), the table is always set for a fiery encounter. But painting Telangana cuisine with a spicy brush is not fair. Let’s take a look at a few Telangana households and see what is typically served by these people. Mrs. Suguna Narsinga Rao, a native of Nalgonda had this to say when asked about deciding on a simple menu for
a guest who was keen on sampling Telangana fare. “The highlight of what I’d like to serve is that I prefer the Dosakayas (cucumbers) from Choutuppal (a small town outside Hyderabad). Once I have them, I make Dosakaya Pappu. The taste is divine. Then I make a good, thick Pappu Chaaru. I like to serve Stuffed Vankayas (brinjals) and I think chutney made from Beerakaya (ridge gourd) is pretty awesome. For curries I can choose between Chuukakoora (red sorrel) or Pudina (mint) leaves and make something light and healthy. It is custom also to serve bajjis – fritters. These can be made from brinjals or potatoes. Of course, we serve the famous Puli Hora. And sometimes some curd rice as well, especially with papads and challa mirapakayas. Dessert usually is Rava Kesari.” Now see the difference when we spoke to Sabahat Ali, a long time resident of Hyderabad and a connoisseur of food. We discovered that while there was a rich side to Hyderabadi cuisine with its Biryanis and Nalli Gosht, Marag and so on, there was a wholesomeness that crept in when a Hyderabadi decides to keep it simple. “Maybe I’ll start my guest with some hot Chapattis and Chicken Khorma. The Khorma has to have a particular texture that makes it not too liquidy and not too solid either. The granularity is often the benchmark with Khormas. Then you have the classic Tamatar ka Cutt. Throw in some succulent Shaami Kababs and you’re good to go.
When it comes to the rice item, there’s nothing that can beat a Yakhni Pulao. Or even a Hara Boot Pulao. And to end it all on a sweet note, a serving or two of Phirnee.” But talk to a caterer who specializes in serving multi-course dinners to wedding guests and his menu may be entirely different and richer in variety as well as in texture. For example, you may be invited to start with Soups and Salads where the salad is green and the soup is Marag. Lukhmis, Haleem, Reshmi Kababs and a serving or two of Tali Hui Machchi could set the tone for the rest of the evening as delicious appetisers. The main course would take you through a journey that stops at Lagan ka Murgh
or Dum ka Murgh and takes you on to a typical Gosht ki Biryani. You would also be offered a bread of sorts, a Sheermal perhaps. With Dahi ki Chutney and the all time favourite Mirchi ka Saalan. For dessert they may not compromise. Double ka meetha, also known as Shahi Tukda is usually served. What is obvious is that there is a huge Mughlai influence on the cuisine of Hyderabad, and by virtue of its popularity, on the cuisine of Telangana. And it is interesting to note that the influence has not restricted itself to food alone. The typical Telangana man, or woman, is extremely polite and speaks strictly within the domains of protocol. The pace of life too has been dictated by a comfort loving, laid back, ‘Where’s the urgency?’ kind of attitude. While this has meant that a ‘kal’ can mean anything in the future or in the distant
past, and parson is the word that almost means eternity, the people by and large are loveable and extremely affable. There is of course a wild side to the region. Wild boar, deer meat (Venison), Teethar and Bateyr (Quail and Partridge) are all delicacies. They are rare nowadays but you do get to try them sometimes. Like rabbit meat which used to be illegal, but is not now. Vasanta, a Telangana village girl, now a Hyderabad housewife, remembers how they would make a special chicken curry (mildly spiced) and a mutton curry (spicy) in their village. Ulavacharu would be served and then there would be Semiya (Vermicelli) Payasam. The two other dishes she remembers fondly are Jonna Sankati which is called Ghatka and had with Yellipaya Kaaram or mango pickle, and Sarva Pindi which is truly a Telangana flag bearer in the cuisine world. Pickles too can be different from the Andhra varieties. “Here in Telangana, we make pickles without oil and with a generous use of mustard,” Suguna adds. The cuisine of Telangana has been underplayed for decades. It is however a treasure chest waiting to be explored. Sit down. Relax. Take a bowl of Vepudu Biyyam (puffed rice with a twist) that has been tempered with onions and a tadaka. And the world will stop and stare at you with envy…just before it says Jai Telangana.
RITZ july 2015
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Telangana
t-spots
From forts to waterfalls and wildlife sanctuaries, museums, temples to churches, here’s your go-to-list for traveling around Telangana. Hyderabad: The capital of the state and the home to the old city and lots of places to see. For sightseeing here, one day will never suffice. From the Charminar, to the Chowmahallah and Falaknuma Palace to the Qutub Shahi Tombs, a walk around Golkonda Fort etc – there’s so much for one to see and take in when you come to the city of pearls. Adilabad: Known for its Nirmal Fort and the art and crafts that come with it. Adilabad is 290 km from Hyderabad and offers tourists a holistic experience with its historical temples, monuments and breathtaking waterfalls. The Pochera waterfalls located amidst a thick forest where the Godavari descends from a height of 20 m, is a sight to behold. Ranga Reddy: For some filmy fun, there’s the Ramoji Film City, for some time with nature – there’s the Shamirpet Deer Park and Mrugavani National Park. There’s even adventure at Vikarabad as well as in Ananthagiri Hills. There are famous temples like the Chilkur Balaji Temple, Sanghi Temple, Keesargutta Temple and the likes to visit. It encircles Hyderabad, but to main Ranga Reddy it’s about 105 km away.
Find your T Spots… For those of you who crave mini getaways from the city, there’s a whole list of places that you might want to check out. Whether you are up for a few lessons in history or want to explore your devotional side, Telangana has a lot to offer. 30
RITZ july 2015
Mahbubnagar: For that peace and quiet by the seaside, your best bet is Dindi. There are always other sightseeing places like the Umamaheshwaram temple in the hills of Nallamala forests. Even Kollapur is a famous tourist attraction with architectural sites dating back to 2nd century BC. It is 96 km away from the city. Warangal: A walk through of the splendor of the Kakatiya Dynasty… that’s what you get when you visit Warangal. From the 1000 pillar temple, to the Warangal Fort and the Khush Mahal and the Ramappa Lake – these places tell a story of the Kakatiyas like it is right out of a history book. Warangal is 145 km from the main city.
Karimnagar: If you’re into some wildlife spotting and crocodiles intrigue you, then the Sivaram Wildlife Sanctuary is for you. Then again, if you’re a history buff, be sure to check out the Nagunur Fort, Dhulikatta, Elgandal Fort, Ramagiri Killa, Molanguru Fort and the likes. Also if you like sceneries, then the waters of the lower Manair Dam are breathtaking and only 165 km away from the main city. Khammam: When you’re in Khammam, 194 km away from Hyderabad, you have to make a stop at Bhadrachalam. It is important for its pilgrimage and is situated on the banks of Godavari River. It is believed that Lord Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana visited this town during their exile. Medak: This town celebrates the various festivals of Telangana very lavishly, specially, the festival of Bathukamma. It is a nine day worship of patron goddess of womanhood, Maha Gauri. Apart from temples that one can visit, there is also the Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary and the Medak Cathedral that one can check out. The Cathedral falls under the Diocese of Medal and is known to be the single largest diocese in Asia. Medak is 104 km north of Hyderabad. Nalgonda: It is the birthplace of famous Telugu poet Pillamarri Pina Virabhadrudu and is the abode of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. Nalgonda houses many tourist attractions like Yadagiri Gutta, Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple and Mellacheruvu. There are still traces of the Kakatiya dynasty in the city – especially in Mellacheruvu – one can see the splendid architecture. It is 101 km away from Hyderabad. Nizamabad: Named after Nizam-ulMulk, the fourth Nizam, this city was earlier known as Indur and was the headquarters of the district. It houses a forest, Mallaram – an eco-tourism spot as well as the Nizam Sagar, a large reservoir located across the Manjira river and is 176 km away from the city. There is an archeological museum that showcased several artefacts that represent the past local civilization from the Paleolithic Era to the Vijayanagara Empire. RITZ july 2015
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Cover Story 32
RITZ july 2015
The
Complete
Man
To call him the man of the moment would be understating his longevity in public life. He is, in fact, the new man of the new millennium. For all those who had apprehensions about the newly elected Government of the youngest State of India, here’s the good news. Not only is he an antithesis of the archetypal politician but also somebody who has the conviction and the means to make Telangana one of the finest global hubs. And if you go by the achievements of the ruling party Telangana Rashtra Samithi in the last one year, it’s quite obvious that his portfolio has contributed immensely to the party’s and the State’s growth. One of the youngest and most progressive in thought, dashing, dapper and dynamic, Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao aka KTR, Minister for IT and Panchayat Raj, is probably the only minister in the State to be armed with impeccable educational qualifications - two post graduate degrees, one an M.Sc in Biotechnology from Pune University and an MBA in Marketing and e-commerce from the University of New York. His work record is no less impressive – Regional Sales Director, INTRA, before he decided to plunge into politics full time. In between countless phone calls and an army of people waiting to see him in the buzzing corridors of the Secreteriat, KTR accords RITZ the privilege of chatting with him in the inner chambers of his spartan office. Text: Vanaja Banagiri
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What makes him every journalist’s dream is his candour, his immaculate speech that is devoid of any artifice, any pretence. Probably, a lot has to do with the values instilled by his mother, childhood that wasn’t exactly idyllic and an early responsibility in public life. As a young legislator at the age of 27 and a cabinet minister at 35, he has displayed an amazing maturity, much to the chagrin of his detractors. A will to serve combined with a sense of social equality seems to be his guiding principle. While his effortless articulation about his plans for Telangana impresses you, his earnest confessions about his personal life tugs at your heart. Presenting KTR, the son, the brother, the husband, the father and the politician, in his own words... The Child “I was born in Karimnagar and came
Photo credits: Sucharita Rao
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‘When I was in the boarding school in Hyderabad, my parents had missed the deadline of paying the fee due to an oversight. I had to stay back in the hostel for a couple of days after everybody had left’
to Hyderabad when I was in the 3rd grade. I shifted from school to school. In 10 years, I had changed 7 different schools! The problem was change of place every so often. I was in a boarding school from 3rd to 7th grade. I had some health issue there. So I had to come back home. I moved to a day school in the 8th grade and continued till 10th grade. I was happy to be back home. Nevertheless, boarding school did influence me a great deal in terms of early exposure to the realities of life. My dad was very busy even then. He was a newly elected legislator in 1985. He was already active in politics much before I was born. My mother was extremely busy, too, with family responsibilities. My father had nine sisters and one brother. His parents used to live in the village. She had to take care of everything singlehandedly. While I do understand now
that I had to be put in the boarding school given my parents’ hectic schedules, it was very confusing for me back then. I missed home terribly. I wanted to be with my parents, my mom more so. It used to trouble me a lot. But now it makes a lot of sense when I think back. My parents wanted their child to get the best education. So they put me there. At one point of time I remember, it was an oversight more than anything else, when I was in the boarding school in Hyderabad, they had missed the deadline of paying the fee. I had to stay back in the hostel for a couple of days after everybody had left. Now I find it funny though it didn’t amuse me as a 10-year old. Luckily, my grandfather came to fetch me. It’s one of those memories that stands out. Life teaches you that you don’t get everything you want. And that’s not a bad thing. Your parents want to be with you, you want to be with them, but priorities determine circumstances. At that time their priority was to ensure that I get
good education. You can call it existential realities of life. Having said that, it does teach you decisiveness, independence, discipline, the ability to face challenges and a sense of individuality. You won’t end up being petty; you learn to look at the larger picture; you also understand that life is full of complexities. So it’s good. It keeps you grounded.” The Son “I was closer to my mom. Dad was away for a long time. I never used to understand it back then but now that I’m a dad, I understand how fathers think, what fathers want for their children. He wanted a good life for us. He wanted us to get good education. He wanted us to get the best of everything. Therefore, he was working hard for us. So irrespective of where he was I’m sure he was thinking about us, looking out for us. Mom being mom had to take care of the family. My mom is a phenomenal woman. She is very grounded and extremely simple. You’ll still see her in the kitchen, cooking, doing simple chores, which is not expected from a Chief Minister’s wife. She is untouched and unfazed by our political life. She has always told us that “Power is transient; it might disappear tomorrow, so you better be who you are; don’t get carried away by it.” That’s the most valuable lesson, I keep revisiting every now and then. In terms of politics, my father has influenced me significantly. But I have my own set of opinions and priorities. His tenacity inspires me a lot. That will, that courage in the line of fire, that conviction, that resoluteness are what I admire tremendously. It’s amazing how he has managed to accomplish what was considered as Mission Impossible by many, with his sheer grit. It was a fight against all odds.” The Brother “My sister is 3 years younger. She has always been strong and far more aggressive and far more dynamic. She’s definitely been more adventurous and risk taking than I am. While I keep saying `You need to sober down,’ she’s definitely
somebody I keep learning from. I am a very protective brother. I don’t want her to take to take undue risks; I don’t want her to hurt herself. But she’s her own person; while she respects my opinion, she does her own thing.” The Friend “When I was in high school, I made some really good friends. They are still my friends and I try to meet them as often as I can. They are all non politicians. So that takes my mind away from the routine and pressures of my job. So it’s great to have friends who keep you grounded and tell you what you are doing right and what you’re not. They don’t mince words. Friendship is precious. We need to give enough time and space to our friends. I believe in a balanced life. I don’t believe that life is just work, work, work... I do get complaints that it’s not enough.” The Family Man “Ours was an arranged marriage. Not a very exciting story there. My wife Shailima is somebody I respect tremendously because she comes from a non-political family. Her father was a bureaucrat and she comes from a different world altogether. I grew up in a political family so I knew what I had to put up with but she had no idea. It was quite tough for her to RITZ july 2015
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adjust with the atmosphere. That in itself is a huge accomplishment. That’s why my respect for her goes up every day. I have two young demanding children - a son Himanshu and a daughter Alekhya. To bring them up and maintain that family balance is a challenge my wife handles so competently. I don’t think I am a hands-on father. Not
vacations but not as much as I would want to. My recent holiday was in the US where I had gone for work. Three weeks I was working and the last five days I took off from work. I went back after 10 years so I think I was entitled to it. I keep telling my wife that compared to other politicians, I am doing alright. But she says compared to her friends and brothers, I’m not doing enough. It’s one of those ongoing arguments but I think ultimately one has to strike their own balance. My favourite destination is Goa. It’s easily accessible, you can get away quickly, has
In India, being somebody’s son or daughter helps you get an easy entry but people in democracy will be quite critical if you don’t deliver
as much as I wish to be. I try to attend the parent-teacher meetings. I try to go to their school functions. I do my bit but not as much I should, probably. I think I should do more. But I try, I try my best. I wish to give them a lot of lessons but they are they have distinct personalities already. In fact, I believe we’re a sandwich generation. We’ve to respect our elders and at the same time respect our children too. Children these days are very demanding. It’s an interesting time we live in now. So all I can advise my children would be to get good education and be better human beings than my wife and me. As parents, that’s the best we can do. “I do miss the days before I got into politics. Recently, when I went to the US, I didn’t feel like coming back. I try to take
some nice resorts and hotels and you don’t have to travel 16–17 hours to get there. My wife and children love it as well. Outside India, it’s Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong because they are closer. Don’t laugh at me.” We weren’t; please note it was only a fond smile on our face noting his predicament! The Routine “A politician’s job is a thankless one. I think people in our country have a very strong opinion about politics and politicians. And it’s not very good actually. As in, the perception among people about politics and politicians is not so great and I don’t blame them for it. But nevertheless, I think it’s a challenge. So, being a thankless job, it tends to sap you out. My day starts quite early and ends very late. I wake up at 5 am and try to get a bit of exercise. I exercise five times a week on weekdays. I start meeting people by 7.30 – 8.00 am
and go on till late into the night especially when I’m touring the districts. For the last few months, I’ve been watching what I eat. High protein, lots of fibre, low carbs etc. Ever since I started working out, my trainer is trying to keep me in check. I wasn’t so conscious earlier. My favourite food is Chinese. In Telangana cuisine, I like the nibbles, the deep fried kinda stuff they make at home. I know it’s not healthy, so I try to limit it. I’m not very fussy about food. I eat all kinds of food.” The Politician “In 2004 September, I came back to India to head the South Asia division of the company INTRA I was working for in the US as the Regional Director. In 2006, there was a by election because of my dad’s resignation. At that point of time, it was a make or break for my father and the party. I kept telling my wife that I wanted to get into politics. Without even telling my dad, I quit my job and started working for the party. Without his knowledge I took the decision. I told him after we won. He was not very happy but once he realised I was very serious, he was supportive. I wouldn’t probably have been in politics if I were not KCR’s son. I wouldn’t have been a minister. I am very realistic about these things. In India, being somebody’s son or daughter helps you get an easy entry but people in democracy will be quite critical if you don’t deliver. They won’t vote for you the second time. The first time they may look at you as somebody’s son and vote based on their opinion of your father or your mother. But I’ve won thrice now. So the fact that they have elected me two more times goes to show that I’ve delivered, that I have worked. Being somebody’s son does give you easy access but at the same time, there is a burden of expectations to deal with.” The Mission “I can say that I have represented my party and our issues at various national fora. over the last six years, I have done my bit of serving my constituency. More than anything, I have played my own little role in the agitation for a separate RITZ july 2015
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Cover Story Telangana. Looking back at the last 9 years, I feel happy that I was a part of the objective my father and several other leaders set out to achieve. Now our tasks are set out and I hope to play a significant role. In the last one year, the biggest challenge was to revive the confidence in people. Lot of people thought that after the formation of Telangana, the IT industry would move away from Hyderabad, that new developments may not happen etc etc. Lot of apprehensions, lot of prejudices... We overcame all that in the last one year. Hyderabad remains one of the most attractive destinations, we have positioned it well. We have been able to attract majors like Google and Amazon to open their largest campuses outside of US. We have grown at a very healthy rate. While the country’s IT exports grew at 13%, ours grew at 16 %, 3% more than the national average. We were able to create more than 50,000 new jobs and 2, 50,000 direct jobs. We have attracted a lot of IT hardware manufacturers to Telangana. We have made our presence felt in the US, Hong Kong and Dubai. We have positioned the brand image of Telangana and Hyderabad very well overseas. We have been able to retain the existing investors in Hyderabad and also attract new ones.”
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‘There is no better country to be in than India for young people today. There is no better place to explore one’s future, one’s career. Politics decides your future, so you decide what your future politics is’ IT and Panchayat Raj are two ends of the spectrum. The convergence we’re trying to bring about is very unique and challenging. We’re trying to leverage IT and communications to bring about a social change because technology that does not bring about social change is useless. So we’re trying to incorporate IT into the rural sector also. We’re coming up with a concept called e -Panchayat through which services will be offered right at the doorsteps of the villagers. It will be launched soon. We are also
trying to lay the last mile connectivity to each and every household in Telangana. If you talk about e-health, e-education, e-commerce, the potential is huge. So there are several things we’re working on right now and you’ll see a lot of things falling into place in the next couple of years.” “There is no better country to be in than India for young people today. There is no better place to explore one’s future, one’s career. At the same time they can help our country grow. In a country like India, there is a huge scope to make a difference not only in terms of social infrastructure but otherwise as well. Our country is full of challenges and needs solutions to them. Today’s youth have so many opportunities and so much information at their disposal. I think they should make use of it. One thing I strongly believe in is ‘Politics decides your future, so you decide what your future politics is’. Because in a democracy, everything you do in your daily life is determined by politics. So you better start taking a stand. I’m not saying everybody should get into active politics but you should be aware of what’s going on because the kind of leaders you want, you should definitely have an opinion on. If you don’t like the kind of leadership you have, you should take it up on yourself to change it.”
The Dad Bod Hifzur Rahman
It all began as a pretty harmless post by a 19-year-old on a website most of the world hadn’t even heard of. She went on to write about ‘Why girls love the dad bod’. And no it wasn’t a spelling error, it was just an American kid coining a new term in Gen Y lingo for daddy’s body. Harmless enough we think, but we do wish people would just use the Internet for what it actually is, a tool to aid our daily life, and not turn it into the Gospel and then some. As fitness enthusiasts freaked their brains out and beer-bellied men flaunted their bulging paunches, muscular men began to doubt their masculinity and women shrieked from the rooftops that they hated men with a gut and jowls. We decided to play peacemaker and find out what the hullabaloo was all about. How? By speaking to those who sport a dad bad and those who don’t. By asking women what they want and what they don’t. Simple, easy…. Didn’t we tell you we were sensible too? Never though much of believing the Net for everything it vomits out. It’s always better to talk to people and decide by common consensus, don’t you think?
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Discovering
Text: In first person by the Man on our team RITZ july 2015
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Shaun D’Sa
I can’t say I ever sported a physique that manifested from hours spent in the weight room. Rippling biceps, washboard abs and a tight tush were what I always wanted… but like we all know one can’t always have what they want. And so I tried to make do with my slightly nonmuscular arms, reasonably slim waist, decent legs and butt and compensated for the lack of it all with oodles of panache and swag. A little over two months ago, a 19-year-old slip of a girl (and I call her girl ‘coz that’s what I think she is) from Clemson University penned an innocuous story in the Clemson Odyssey titled ‘Why girls love the dad bod’. Now till such time, I urge you to note, the word dad bod was literally absent from English conversation and suddenly the Internet was freaking out, belching up frenzied deconstructions of the phenomenon that all seemed to arrive at the same angst-filled question: “Do women really like the dad bod?” I am north of 40, a tad soft-bellied, though I do put in my hours in the weight room religiously, and am here to do a bit of mansplaining on this particular term that’s sent all self-respecting men into a tizzy. Pop a chill pill mates, for women, really and truly do love the dad bod. Take this from someone who’s never been a bunch of rippling muscle, but never lacked in female attention either. Now, I don’t mean to gloat or laugh at all those hunks who spend hours chiseling their bods in the gym, but the average male, above the age of 25 whose testosterone levels no longer burn with the irrational desire to make
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‘My woman likes a non-chiselled body anyway, therefore loves me as I am. Chiselled bodies are for youngsters on the ramp’
a conquest each night, has long known women like dad bods. The poor Internet is the only one who just figured this out! Now, most men when asked about the dad bod and what they thought of it, first jumped on the defensive. Take for example our conversation with Hifzur Rahman, the marketing head of a popular event management company from Bengaluru, who’s a few years over 30 and in the prime of his life. He’s physically fit and doesn’t hesitate to show it. In fact he prides himself for his trim physique and gives a predictable response when the D word is popped. “Every man wants a toned body,” he says. “It’s laziness that makes them accept their body as it is and be cool about it.” However, ask him what his woman wants and he’s quick to respond: “I don’t know about the dad bod (for I don’t think I have one) but my woman likes a non-chiselled body anyway, therefore loves me as I am. Chiselled bodies are for youngsters on the ramp. A toned body is more for the masses.” Strike 1 for the dad bod. And do note that I personally think Rahman is supremely fit considering his hectic lifestyle and looks pretty slick in the picture where he’s posing with his tot. Since the term was coined by a young lady I decided to delve into the mind of another female in the similar age bracket. Supriya Lahoti is 21 and an entrepreneur from Hyderabad. It’s obvious the girl is clever and sensible for she’s opened a successful art cafe in the city at such a tender age. “I think it is cool when men pay attention to their physique, but not to the extent where they are vain. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet is essential; not paying attention to that is not attractive. However, overly built and sculpted bodies do not look natural.” So can we safely conclude that young women definitely see sense and stability in men with a dad bod?
Strike 2 for it, I say. Every man in Bengaluru presently wants a physique like former tennis player, model and entrepreneur Karan Medappa. The man is sculpted, cut and carved in all the right places. And that shock of curly hair just adds to his glam quotient. It’s no secret that many women lust after his hot body. In fact he probably needs to employ someone to shut those gaping jaws as he walks past, especially if he’s shirtless, considering that’s how he’s spotted on the ramp most times. He opines: “Though the term dad bod has been coined recently and trending all over, in the present sense it is nothing but the body of an ex-enthusiastic, short-term fitness inclined person, who was once motivated to have a body like Brad Pitt or Ryan Reynolds or even our very own Hrithik Roshan. But my reference to a dad bod would be all the James Bonds from Sean Connery to Pierce Brosnan, who were not so muscular but had a good framework and a slight paunch! I do think women feel that men with the dad bod are realistic, but I also feel that the men with the dad bod do take it too easy sometimes, maybe because they are blessed with high metabolic rates or simply because they are lazy! It does not take much time for the dad bod to turn heavier.” Yes Karan, we’ve noted that. But we aren’t trying to put you down here. Your body rocks the ramp… that we know. What we’re trying to find out is how hot women find bodies such as yours, and for how long? Another who echoes his thoughts is actor Harshvardhan Rane. His answer is quite amusing actually. He says: “I believe men were built to hunt and gather, so anyone who is still hunting in life - not literally for here it could be finding his answers, making a career, finding a partner - would end up looking like a hunter. And anyone who has found what he was looking for in life would have what we call now a dad bod. So both are justified, one is still looking and the other is settled. It’s just a phase where we are noticing men who are famous and have a dad bod.” And what is it about women and a man’s perfect body that scares them off, we ask. To which pat comes the reply from Harsh. RITZ july 2015
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Ila Naidu
“I don’t think it scares them off, I think any woman who believes in her own fitness will always appreciate good genes in the opposite sex. Everyone has a personal taste, just like how some men like Vidya Balan and some like Kareena. There are some women who like a ripped body and some prefer the dad bod.” A diplomatic answer, we think… but sometimes it good to be cautious. Now Bengaluru’s Ila Naidu has no qualms about speaking her mind. She’s married to a good-looking, loving man, who is well over 6 feet 2. And our Ila is no slacker in the looks department. Here’s what she has to say about the dad bod. “I’m most appreciative of the perfect body, I always appreciate the way a wellbuilt man fills out his clothes. Especially European men who are built so differently from their Indian counterparts. The way their muscular legs fill out their trousers, their strong shoulders, wide chest and tight butt… they’re so easy on the eye. But I wouldn’t want my partner or husband to be built like that. If I can find those attributes attractive, then I’m sure other women will too. And today, many women throw themselves at men (single or not) blatantly. I wouldn’t want my partner to be ogled at and targeted by them. Secondly, though I’m hugely into fitness and maintain myself to the best of my ability, I know my body is not perfect. So I do not want to demand the same of my partner. I’m happy with him the way he is and love him like crazy, imperfections included!” She’s no hypocrite, that’s all I have to say. Dad bod… Strike 3. Don’t pull out pictures of a paunchy Leonardo DiCaprio or Vince Vaughn or Adam Sandler and say they’re attractive. No, they’re not! And you know that just as well as I do! And then again let’s not look at Hrithik or Will Smith or Ryan Reynolds and think they’re the epitome of what a women wants. Most of these men, for all their muscles and rippling abs, have not been able to hold on to their women! Shaun D’sa from Chennai is 31. He’s vociferous in his opinion: “This dad bod post - is the chubby look in - I think it’s an
Harshvardhan Rane
easy way out for the larger majority of men, including myself who have barely enough time to pursue an exercise routine. Let’s all stop joking about the chubby guy for a change and throw him in the spotlight. Let’s fashion those curves in and forget about the ideal body. Some part of me loves this, (that’s the run-withthe-Internet part) mostly because my day is turbulent and I just about make it home in time to read my little girl a few bedtime stories. I have been trying to work out for the last three years and have kind of lost touch with any sort of exercise routine. The other part of me (the logical side) says that Leonardo DiCaprio was probably working on getting chubby for the next new film and got caught in a moment that is now described as the ‘dad bod’. My wife bakes like a goddess. It’s easy to develop a dad bod with those kind of calories going around. I push myself not to grab night time dessert. Her perspective is that I need not be built like the hulk or ripped like an athlete, she would have me stay healthy and charged. I think most women are generally happier with a man who is brisk and high on energy from a daily routine of exercise. The 20’s have left me with a series of small health tragedies and called for lifestyle changes. Eating right, lots of colours on my plate and a large disregard for rice keeps my metabolism just about right. So yeah, I don’t work out, but not bad for my dad bod, eh?” We agree Shaun, we agree. That’s why we are showing the world how good you look in the picture with your little girl. Strike 4 for our hot topic of conversation. And finally we head to an expert to wrap up the debate. Vinod Channa is a personality trainer who works with most of Hyderabad’s hot movie stars. He’s surrounded by high levels of testosterone and adrenaline morning, noon and night. He can recite the names of protein shakes and food supplements like a kid recites poetry. Yet he has a different opinion on the D word. He says, “First things first, fitness encompasses various elements and has a different definition. There are some people who are really fit and can do about RITZ july 2015
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Karan Medappa 30 to 40 pull-ups or push-ups even if they don’t have a visibly fit body. There are also some people who have a ripped body but can’t even jog properly for 10 minutes. So you have to judge the person according to his strength, stamina, mobility, agility, speed, flexibility, impact bearing capacity, power, and endurance – all of these, which translate into fitness. If even one of them is missing, you don’t have a fit body. Six pack abs look fabulous – but what is the point if you cannot perform? There are a lot of people who are impressed with guys who are fit. I think ladies get bored with someone who has a chiselled body very soon, as it is a short term thing. But being fit is a long term process! Nowadays, women are more into men who can lift weights, do one hand push-ups or any exercise but may not necessarily have good physique.” So yeah… its Strike 5 for the dad bod! Take it from me mates, for I have a wife of 17 years and a load of lady friends who like me just the way I am, there’s no need to sweat it out and pump yourself up just to get popular with the gals. Use your brains, be compassionate, listen patiently, talk to them, treat them nice and appreciate them for who they are and not only how they look, and they’ll do it right back at you. Compiled by: Team Ritz
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Gleaming lights, booming music, all-pervasive cigarette smoke and alcohol, the morning after headache and hangover, strong smell of smoke on your hair... Sounds familiar! Most of us have been there and done that. When Oliver Cheatham, an American R & B singer crooned years ago, “I like to party, everybody does,” he may not have estimated how many millions of young people identified with it. Or maybe he did when the song continued to rule the club circuit decades after! Who doesn’t like to have fun? With age and means on our side, we feel invincible. As if life is one big party. And why not? Partying is a sensorial experience and heightens all five of them. When you’re in that zone, you forget the things you’re supposed to do, there’s no time but the present and you live it up. Scientists claim to have discovered why some people like to spend their nights at wild parties while others prefer to stay home. The brains of introverts and extroverts differ in the way they respond to experiences, according to a new study conducted by Yu Fu and Richard Depue at Cornell University in New York. Their research says that extroverts like instant gratification while introverts tend to be distressed by excessive stimulation. Extroverts experience rushes of dopamine as a result of their environment while introverts do not. As a result, the researchers concluded that party animals have fundamental differences in the way their brains work. So now we know why some of us are wired differently and why we love to party, whether it’s good, bad or ugly! After every party, there’s always a new story to tell. However, no matter how euphoric a moment can be, you have to acknowledge, at some point in time, that it’s only as good as it lasts. So why do people prepare for hours to go to a place where the unexpected can be expected but the outcome is more or less the same? And what happens when it’s no longer fun and games but turns into a serious addiction, an irresistible dependence? When does that moment of reckoning appear in the lives of party animals when they say `enough is enough, let me get my act together?’ When do they feel they have over stayed their limit in the party zone? When do they realise it’s time to clean up? RITZ seeks answers from well-known South Indians…
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High on life
Text: Vanaja Banagiri
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TRENDING Now There is a thin line between being a party lover waking up with a hangover and a party addict sleeping through a black hole. Many who live in the fast lane start slowing down and get their life back on track. This is the story of party lovers who transformed into achievers with a focus and a balanced way of life. For Danish Sait, actor and anchor from Bengaluru who describes himself as “ambitious, passionate and determined,” the change happened all thanks to his determined mother. “Too much drinking and partying in my late teens had made me quite the waster. I would spend the night drinking with friends, not return home for days, wouldn’t get out of bed when I was home, plough my way through jars of Nutella…. in a word, I was ridiculous.” His wake up call came to him when, “One day, when I was 20, I remember my mom waking me up and she literally threw me out of the house. I had ` 2,000 in my pocket and she told me not to return till I had sorted my life out. It was like a
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Danish Sait
wake -up call for me. I began hunting for a match-box to live in (laughs at himself) and hats off to my mother, she sent me everything that I would need to live there - my Play Station, TV, bed etc. She just didn’t want me back under her roof!” If you thought Danish was a early starter at 17, wait till you hear the super successful and suave Oum Pradutt, Founder & Managing Director Phase 1, the award-winning Entertainment & Events company from Bengaluru, “My stint as a bad boy began early in life - I was in my early teens when I actually began moonlighting on the wild side. All of my friends were older than me and looking back now I am shocked at myself for the things that I did and indulged in.” All party animals have crazy incidents in their lives. “Depends on what you think crazy is. I don’t think you should stop doing crazy, you make sure you have the right gear and are in a space designated to do your kind of crazy. And you start calling it a hobby,” is Hichem Osman’s take on it.
Too many people get hurt when things go out of control. And all of them realise that in retrospect. On a lighter note both Danish and Hichem concur that they “gave parents sleepless nights.” And in Oum’s case, “I was living my life on fun, never caring for the worry and stress I put my folks through. There were no mobile phones or pagers then, just simple land lines. And I think at times my folks were just a step away from heading to the local police station and filing a missing person’s complaint. Whether it was cigarettes, liquor, driving fast, roaming the streets at night with friends and basically bumming around, I think I tried them all.” For Hichem, co-owner of Silkworm Boutique, Studio BAS and Splendid Food Co., which focus on handwoven sarees, bespoke tailoring and catering respectively, the idea of fun changes as one gets ahead in life. “Change didn’t happen overnight. It’s been gradual. Thanks to parents who always kept it very real for my brothers and me. We were constantly reminded that there are no free lunches. Everyone’s got to work! ” So how exactly did they set out to change their lifestyles and habits? Says
Hichem Osman
Danish, “So I got myself a job with an event management company and started earning `13,500 a month. After paying my rent with my first month’s salary, paying for utilities and groceries I hosted a small party for my friends; and that’s when I realised how important it was to balance your life and do both - work and party.” Says Oum, “Finally, when I was 20, I realised that all my peers were making something of themselves, while I chose to sit around and waste my time and my life. It was like a revelation to me. I realised I needed to get a job and get my act back on track. Four years later I opened Phase 1 World and the rest is history. There has been no looking back since and from being an absolute bum I’ve catapulted into a success story.” According to him, the change has to come from within, “I firmly believe that unless one reaches that stage of self-realisation through an incident, a tragedy or life-altering event, it never works to get off the downhill ride and get one’s life back on track.” In Hichem’s experience, ““The transition from college to work and deciding what one wants to do with the rest of their life as a profession or a career is always tough. Looking back, I did give my folks a tough time with that. After giving me all the space and time I needed to try my hand at anything that caught my fancy, I made a choice, to do something positive and constructive, and Silkworm Boutique came about.” Passion for something also plays a role in finding your fun elsewhere he says, “Another big change happened when I started to ride horses again at the Madras Riding School. It’s important to find a hobby or sport that you enjoy the most, it’s important to give it everything you got, it gives you a sense of purpose and fulfilment, and helps you focus and grow.” If you have no regrets, you haven’t lived, goes the Yiddish saying. And if you you don’t change, you don’t evolve, we all know that. Says Danish, “No regrets, only fond memories. You hurt, you get hurt, it’s all a part of growing up and life! Learning to accept your faults and saying sorry eases the lousy feeling of screwing up! You learn from your mistakes. Most important,
‘I was living my life on fun, never caring for the worry and stress I put my folks through. I think at times my folks were just a step away from heading tothe local police station and filing a missing person’s complaint‘
Oum Pradutt
you learn to be humble and gracious. Not that I have given up partying but the realisation that balance and moderation are the keys for a healthy lifestyle has made all the difference. I still do both today, though maybe I work harder and by the time I’m done with work most days I don’t have the energy to party. But yes, life is good now and I am who I am all thanks to my mother Yasmin Sait.” Hichem says, “One has to evolve, your idea of fun changes as you get older, things happen and suddenly you realise that it is not compulsory to party right through the weekend.” So that’s how the story of people who indulged their wild side and went on to err on the side of caution goes. Yes, they gave sleepless nights to their dear ones but they woke up in time to take life and work seriously. For them it’s all been about letting life happen, getting the reins back in their hands and understanding the stages. Like they say, there are no mistakes; everything is an experience. What you do with that is entirely up to you. RITZ july 2015
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TRENDING Now Rahul Luther, Owner of Hope Trust India, Rehab Center, Hyderabad “I’ve had a long history of addiction. The problem progressed through college and employment. Then I got married and like most brides and parents thought (wrongly) that marriage will solve this problem. Of course it didn’t and the problem only got worse. Ultimately, my wife could not take it anymore and left me along with my daughter. This was the one incident that made me realise that I need to do something about my addiction. I had to go and stay in rehab for a long time - nearly 3 years. I had to give up my self-will and follow the directions of my counsellor totally. I had to become humble. I had to be patient. I had to get honest with myself. In short, I had to begin to progress spiritually. With my long history of addiction, there are so many crazy incidents. So many mornings when I would wake up with a black out when I wouldn’t remember what happened the previous night. Then
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Rahul Luther
THE DARK SIDE Laxmi Narayan Pai, Musician/ ex-physics teacher, Hyderabad
I would proceed to find out tactfully what happened. Once I got into an altercation with a cop on the street and was hauled up to the police station. I caused so much embarrassment to myself and my family so many times. I regret starting to use alcohol and drugs; I wasted so many years of my life using substances and then so many years trying to get out of it. However, ultimately, I did leverage this experience in my endeavours to help others with a similar problem. My experience gave me a unique perspective into addiction. So you can say the thing I most regretted is also the thing I am most grateful for! My regret gave me purpose in life. An alcoholic or addict does not merely cause harm to him or herself, but to all those around him or her. Especially, those who are close, like family members. This hurt is emotional, social and spiritual. My family tried over so many years to ‘reform’ me and their hopes were repeatedly shattered. I caused huge hurt to them and it has taken years to heal that.”
“I was an addict for the longest time. I didn’t quit even after marriage and fatherhood. It wasn’t by intent that I cleaned up my act. When my son asked me to quit doing drugs, I quit living with him instead and took to the streets. Only because he decided to give me a chance and intervened by putting me in rehab did I get clean. No alcoholic/addict is in charge of his life while using, he is a slave to the substance of abuse. The authorities at the rehab asked me to stay a year, but after the first year I stayed a further two years to make sure I knew myself and wouldn’t relapse. I still follow the 12-step program which begins with Acceptance, Surrender and living one day at a time. I have done crazy stuff including tripping on acid and sitting with a beer bottle in my hand, which my so called “friends” substituted with a bottle of whiskey which I downed bottoms up on a dare, waking up after a stomach pump in a hospital. My family, friends and I have at some time or the other been hurt directly or indirectly through my using for which the only amends I can make are through staying sober (9 years now), being productive, responsible for myself, and working to being a better human being till the end. But I have no regrets.”
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Fashionably Forward From The South We’re always thinking up new ways to keep you clued in on new fashion trends and styles. This month we’ve got 3 of South India’s top designers to style their perfect muse - Deepika Govind from Bengaluru, Vivek Karunakaran from Chennai and Shilpa Reddy from Hyderabad do an excellent job of dressing up Apoorva Vishwanathan, Farah Danani and Swathi Nimmagadda. And then we delve into the wardrobes of 3 fashionistas and get them to style themselves in 5 statement pieces from their collection. Varuni Mohan, Kavya Bali and Urmilla Agarwal allow us to take a peek into their closets.
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Bengaluru
Deepika Govind & Apoorva Vishwanathan
The fashion designer with a social conscience, the art connoisseur with an appreciation for everything hand wielded and a subtle interior decorator, Deepika Govind is a celebrated name of Indian fashion since its infancy. She launched her label way back in 1995, set up a studio and workshop and finally opened her store in March 2002 in Bengaluru. Her first solo show was in 1995, followed by another in 1996. In 2001 Deepika showcased for the first time at Lakme India Fashion Week as well as Hong Kong Fashion Week under the Asia Pacific Designers’ showcase. She showcases regularly at the Wills India Fashion Week each season and is one of the few consistent and wearable designers from the country. Her muse, Apoorva Vishwanathan, is a hugely popular model from Bengaluru. She’s been walking the ramp regularly for Deepika for the last decade now. “I can’t imagine a time when someone like Apoorva will not be part of my shows. She’s a perfect muse and an inspiration on so many levels - the perfect body to dress up, a classic face and stunning eyes, a woman of so much strength for she’s single-handedly battled several obstacles life has thrown her way. She has a solid career outside of modelling and she’s just one of those people who elevates the look of my designs,” tells the passionate designer.
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1. Dressed in a tangerine coloured one-shoulder silk garment, Apoorva shows off Deepika’s design to its full potential. The drape gives the garment an Indian touch and it’s worn on top of a sharara, but the designer quickly adds that the lower garment could be omitted, making it look like a western gown. Else it could even be worn on cigarette pants or leggings if desired. “The versatility of the garment makes it perfect for a woman like Apoorva,” tells Deepika.
2. Created from Muga silk, this short dress-like garment that has been embellished by a sleeveless cutwork jacket should actually be worn over dhoti pants. But looking at how cute Apoorva looked in this prom-like dress, the designer decided to omit the pants and pose with the dusky model dressed in a part drape garment herself. “I’m in this phase where I’m creating garments with multiple uses, drapey things that can be worn in different manners. I love the way she looks young and flighty in this dress.”
Co-ordination - Archana Shenoy Photographs - Faheem Hussain RITZ july 2015
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lookbook Co-ordination - Archana Shenoy Photographs - Gurunath Prabhu
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Chennai
Vivek Karunakaran and Farah Danani Vivek Karunakaran has been instrumental in putting Chennai on the fashion map with his clean, minimal and structured design aesthetic. Over the last seven years, Vivek has carved a niche for himself in the world of fashion with his impeccable creations featured on the catwalks of Lakme and the Wills India Fashion Week. He is one of the few designers to have been noted for the extensive range offered in both Menswear and Womenswear. The label VK, is gorgeous and edgy with a hint of understated glamour. Today the label retails at the VK Flagship Store situated at Rutland Gate, Chennai along with few of the best high fashion stores across the country. Over the years, the VK label has also found its presence and fan following in select international cities across the world. He has styled eminent personalities including the likes of Christian Louboutin, Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Chetan Bhagat, AR Rahman, Lisa Ray, Amy Jackson, Leander Paes, and many more. Says the designer of his muse Farah Danani: “I am and have always been absolutely in love with Farah’s sense of style. I have always found her to be such a strong personality and one who does not mince her words. Being a dreamer and thrill seeker of sorts she loves to live it up, but in all that she has always focused on putting her family first. Her sense of style is timeless if I may say so, classic and elegant with a modern twist. It truly reflects her individuality and so falls into my design aesthetic of being gorgeous and edgy. I don’t think I could have picked a better muse as Farah truly represents the modern VK Woman – one who dares to dream and has no doubt…love her to bits.” He adds, “I loved the way the dress draped on Farah and do not think anyone else could have really brought out the true character of this ensemble the way she did. She made it look so effortless yet stunning!” Farah wears a red carpet number, created in metres and metres of tulle layered with checkered mercerized giza cotton with applique embroidery in Chanderi. The Ikkat bustier is hand embroidered with tiny handcrafted flowers and a double layer of silk ruffle with a red edging running alongside the metallic zipper out front across her collarbone. RITZ july 2015
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hyderabad
Shilpa Reddy and Swathi Nimmagadda
This mutli-talented designer happens to also be an influential socialite of Hyderabad who is actively associated with charity work. When it comes to her designer side, she’s brought many laurels to make Hyderabad proud. Shilpa is the only Indian designer to showcase her collection at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. “Swathi Nimmagadda has been my true muse. She’s like my baby sister and is the daughter of Nimmagadda Prasad, our dearest family friend. She owns the styles we have designed and carries all the outfits with utmost ease and confidence,” says Shilpa. On a different note, she thinks Neha Dhupia, Sonam Kapoor and Shruthi Hasaan make for interesting muses. Has her look been inspired by something specific? The outfits are from her collections Moonlit Sand from LFW 2015 and Paris show 2014, and were chosen according to Swathi’s personality, height and her beautiful golden wheatish complexion and her big bright smile that inspires Shilpa. The Indo western look is an elegant matkha skirt with an embroidered blouse and a fully embellished jacket. The second look is a majestic floor length black matkha gown with baroque embroidery.
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Co-ordination - Deeksha Marur Photographs - Santosh Kumar RITZ july 2015
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Bengaluru
Varuni Mohan, Luxury Brand Consultant She’s well known for her impeccable dress sense and ability to carry off almost any look gracefully. Being fashionably turned out is part of her job description as a luxury brand consultant, hence her closet is filled with classic treasures. Here’s what Varuni Mohan chose to highlight from her extensive collection of fashion accessories.
Garment A black Zara pantsuit is Varuni’s outfit of choice, since it is classic and her favourite thing to wear. Shoes The much coveted red heel Christian Louboutin pumps in lavender, gold and black in patent leather with a super high heel. She wears them during the day and at night, just to add the feel good factor to her look.
Photographs - Faheem Hussain
Clutch From Etro, it has the classic brand related paisley pattern printed on leather, embellished with a blingy amethyst gem stone detail. And Varuni loves this since it also happens to be her birth stone. Earrings A very special gift from her mother, just because she admired a similar pattern worn by Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge. They’re antique gold chandelier earrings studded with small rubies and emeralds that her mom picked up from Srishti Jewellers in Bengaluru Cuff A Salvatore Ferragamo exclusive, this beautiful piece was a farewell gift by the Brand Head when Varuni bid them adieu after having worked with them for two years.
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hyderabad
There’s more to see than meets the eye with this fashion blogger. If during the day she’s busy with modelling assignments, evenings are usually dedicated to feeding and rescuing dogs and nights are when the diva in her steps out. Around the clock, donning her favourite brands, Kavya Bali gives us a sneak peek of her wardrobe favourites.
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Kavya Bali, Model/Fashion Blogger
Garment A puffy vintage dress that she loves because of its Parthenon design. Everything about Greece inspires her and that’s why this happens to be her favourite. Shoes What better way to channel the summer vibe than with nude Louboutins? No wonder these red heeled babies are Kavya’s go-to heels. Bag She’s absolutely LV’ing the blue colour. It’s a statement piece on its own, she says. Neckalce A statement necklace that not just complements the dress but also adds to the glam quotient! Of course, Kavya’s idea to turn a dress she’s worn in the day into a dressy look for the night, is perfect. The necklace does just that, she says. Ring Swarovski for any occasion! It is a classic… Diamonds and crystals are indeed a girl’s best friend.
Photographs - Santosh Kumar
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Chennai
Urmilla Agarwal, Designer & Stylist The stunning Urmila Agarwal who has been a stylist for close to 6 years, has now started her own design studio called Mint Closet which specialises in made-to-order clothing and apparel for woman and kids. One of the most fashionably dressed ladies on Chennai’s social scene, she’s always impeccably turned out and is often seen wearing some stunning designer pieces. Here’s what she picked from her closet to showcase for us: Garment This short brown tassel dress is from BCBG. It’s a fun dress and perfect for a night out. Bracelet Like all other women, she loves bling and sparkly goodies. Hence this beautiful bracelet from Cartier. It’s something she loves to wear and goes with a lot of different looks.
Photographs - Gurunath Prabhu
Watch Her timekeepers are exclusive, but classic like the sleek Rolex she’s sporting. It’s a brand you can’t go wrong with, she says.
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Shoes High heels are her best friend and she loves the colourful Valentinos that add spunk to a bold tone to her outfit. Necklace and hand harness Two unique pieces from Outhouse. The necklace holds a special significance to her and hence she chooses to wear it, and keeping in mind her slightly funky twist to fashion, the hand harness reiterates her style statement.
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Tying A Thali?
By Sanjay Pinto
rape. And what about that ‘painted and dented’ insensitive remark? Let me lay it out for these blighters. Even being wrapped up like an egyptian mummy is no protection against lecherous eyes. Absence of defence is not consent. Merely because there are no external injuries, it does not weaken a victim’s testimony. Physical wounds may heal. Psychological scars never do.
Wooing a girl by first teasing her is an all too familiar template in Indian Cinema. What if it’s ‘unrequited’ love? The outrageous ‘rape and marry’ happily-ever-after ending in films is watched by audiences with a willing suspension of disbelief and hopefully lambasted by critics. What makes my blood boil is that this new low has been mooted in the real world by quarters that are meant to uphold the Rule of Law. A cursory glance at Sec 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) will reveal that rape is a heinous, cognisable and noncompoundable offence. Shorn of legalese, there can be no negotiation or mediation between the offender and the victim. If the charge is proved, the culprit’s new address will be a state prison. To even suggest some sort of ‘out of court’ settlement is weird and militates against the very basis of criminal jurisprudence. A crime must have deterrence, not an incentive. The criminal deserves punishment, not a bargain. The victim needs justice, not sympathy. Judges and statutory bodies need to convict or acquit or censure, not settle. A property or monetary dispute between parties can be resolved through mediation. There has been unanimity among right thinking sections that a crime against the human body and soul cannot be treated on par with a civil dispute. That’s why we have separate Codes of Criminal Procedure and Civil Procedure. Mediation for a rapist is not just a regressive idea but dangerous as well. It makes the victim a trophy for the perpetrator and takes away the fear of penal consequences. And where is the victim’s nod for mediation? Even in an arbitration proceeding, an arbitration clause needs to exist in the agreement. That said, in the measure of our justifiable abhorrence for crimes, especially against
women and children, we do need to make a distinction between rape using criminal force as in the case of Nirbhaya and statutory rape which is consensual sex with a person below a prescribed age. Under the IPC, it is 16 years. Now this brings me to another related point. The exception to rape under the IPC is in direct conflict with the definition of a ‘child’ under clause d) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO). Under this enactment, a child is defined as a person below 18 years. As far as married couples are concerned, if the wife is not less than 15 years, it is not rape. What about girls forced into early marriage? Where do they stand between 15 and 18 years? There are also false cases filed against men. Laws can be misused. These are areas that cry for solutions. Let our authorities mull over these lacunae instead of filmy compromises. I keep hearing statements at seminars that ‘we have come a long way in dealing with crimes like rape’. Have we? Just last year, a veteran political leader in India’s biggest state shocked us all with his “boys will be boys, they will commit mistakes” gem trivialising rape. Then we hear of the moronic cause and effect equation between the way a woman dresses and
POINT BLANK
Counting Bars Or
Our response to such crimes is also very knee jerk. By all means hold placards at candle light vigils. But a crowd at a landmark will not directly help a victim. It will help TV channels and newspapers get fodder for coverage. Ten volunteers to accompany a victim to court during each of those innumerable hearings will be a more meaningful display of support, especially when the accused will attempt intimidation. The frivolous and utterly reprehensible film storylines can influence the common man. Judges and people in authority must be made of sterner stuff. And why do we selectively get influenced by such stone age film It should be conclusions like a rapist marrying the victim? Why don’t we get influenced by films where women learn martial arts and give their abusive husbands their just desserts? Remember Jennifer Lopez in ‘Enough’? Or the public giving criminals, even drunkards causing a nuisance, a sound thrashing? We ought not to get swayed by vigilante justice because there is the police for enforcement and there are courts to try offences. We can’t take the law into our hands. Neither can a rapist take a thali into his hands and tie it around a hapless victim. Those hands should be counting bars. Period. (Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author & Former Resident Editor – NDTV 24x7) RITZ july 2015
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CORRIDORS OF POWER 60
An Iron Fist In A Velvet Glove who are you to order him to come?” With a smile, he retorted: “Tell him that his Commissioner is here.” The Head Constable took a hard look, jumped out of his seat and saluted his super boss.
BY SANJAY PINTO
In plain clothes, he can easily pass for a Professor or a Corporate Head Honcho. Or even a doctor. J.K.Tripathy does not carry the trappings of the uniform. With no handle bar moustache and no stentorian voice, this 1985 batch IPS officer can easily merge in a crowd. So when he was the Commissioner of Police, Chennai, the very first posting made by the AIADMK regime, minutes after the swearing-in ceremony in 2011, a clean shaven, self effacing gentleman would get off his 3-star-plate car a few hundred metres away from a police station and walk in like a common citizen to see how the staff inside treat petitioners. On one occasion, in North Chennai, he met a complainant who had been kept waiting for 4 hours just to have his petition accepted. Tripathy asked the Head Constable why he was making the public wait so long. Without even looking at him, the policeman casually shot back, “the Inspector is not here.” Tripathy nudged him: “Ask your Inspector to come immediately.” Irked by the bravado or perhaps even the seemingly provocative suggestion, the head constable thundered: “And
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It’s this ‘out of the khakhi’ mindset that has marked the thirty year career of this highly decorated officer who is now vested with the challenging task of overseeing the most dangerous sections of society in Tamil Nadu, who are behind bars. As the Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Tripathy manages about 15,000 prisoners; those convicted, undertrial, remanded and under preventive detention. Did I say he looks like a Professor? That’s what Jalad, as he’s called by his ‘first name’ circle, worked as, after passing out of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). An irrepressible urge to question what he believed was wrong and to ‘change the system’ during his formative student years at JNU – a hotbed of activism, ensured a quick end to his academic career in Political Science and a shot at the Civil Services Examination. In his very first attempt, as he was doing his PhD, the Odisha born professor stormed into the Indian Police Service in 1983 but wasn’t keen on the uniform and preferred the IAS or IFS. So he deferred his selection and wrote the exam again, this time getting into the Indian Information Service. A third crack landed him in the IPS. “That’s when I believed that I was perhaps destined to be a cop!” After getting into the IPS, Tripathy began to love every minute of his job. When he was posted as
the Commissioner of Police in Tiruchirapalli, he earned his spurs in Community Policing with ‘Beat Officers’, ‘Slum Adoption’ and ‘Complaint Boxes’. By befriending the general public and informally involving them in intelligence gathering and crime prevention, Tripathy won not just the hearts of common citizens but even global acclaim, becoming the first Indian Police Officer to collar two international awards. A Gold Medal for ‘Innovation in Governance’ was conferred on him by the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management in Scotland. Then came an ‘International Community Policing Award’ from the Washington headquartered International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Tripathy was also the first police officer to receive the ‘Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration’ from the PM in 2008, not to forget his Police Medals for Meritorious and Distinguished Service and the Dr. Malcolm S. Adiseshiah Special Award.
I remember meeting him for the first time in 2001 when he was posted as the Joint Commissioner of Police – South Chennai, as part of what many insiders still feel was a dream team led by super cop K.Vijaykumar. The grapevine has it that many dreaded criminals either fled the city or surrendered and courted arrest as they probably felt safer inside prisons fearing police encounters. Chennai witnessed a string of encounters in which notorious gangsters fell to police bullets. To his friends and in fact to the average petitioners who approach him for help, Tripathy can be quite the charmer. I can never forget the image of him standing in civvies in the Royapettah General Hospital lending moral and logistical support to a colleague who had lost a child under tragic circumstances. But those who cock a snook at the law and harm innocent folks, know that he is one officer who would not want his officers to treat their weapons as show pieces. Picking milestones from a thirty year old career, which saw him occupy other sensitive posts like Inspector General of Police – South Zone, Crime Branch CID and Economic Offences, can be daunting. Having served as Superintendent of Police in 9 districts in Tamil Nadu, I have always believed that he is best suited for Law & Order. Not wanting to dwell too much on cases he had cracked early on in his innings, Tripathy recalled solving the Chennai Bank Robberies in 2012 involving four armed men from Bihar and one from West Bengal, who, in quick succession, had looted two banks in the city at gun point. Although the two banks in question did not have CCTVs, Tripathy had formed about 30 teams who finally stumbled upon video footage from another bank which showed a suspect doing a sort of recce. The gang was traced to a rented house in Velacherry where a shootout took place in which all the 5 robbers were killed. As the Prison Chief, ‘Reforms’ has been his buzzword, continuing the good work of his predecessors like R.Nataraj and coming up with more innovation. “After being isolated from society, prisoners
( J.K.Tripathy, IPS - Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Tamil Nadu)
need to be able to settle down after their release with some livelihood” to prevent them from taking to crime again. The establishment of the Mahatma Gandhi Community College in all major prisons in the State and a tie-up with community colleges headed by my former Loyola College Principal Fr.Xavier Alphonse has ensured that prisoners get a wide array of educational options to choose from – bridge, vocational, computer courses and even PhDs. Forging a strategic partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) the Prison department has made 100% placement for prisoners post release a reality. The joke doing the rounds is that if you want to be sure of a job, land in prison! The ‘ classrooms in prisons’ concept was built on the premise that “leaders in society can be made stake holders in the reformation process.” The ‘Adopt A Prisoner’ scheme has also gathered momentum. For six thousand rupees per annum, anyone can sponsor an incarcerated person’s education and also get to interact with them to follow their progress. What caught the fancy of even the New York Times was an initiative to rope in released prisoners as private security guards. But how advisable is it to use a thief to catch a thief? Tripathy explains that despite the understandable trust deficit, “we carefully handpick those who did not commit heinous crimes and they are monitored regularly by our officers.” A sizeable chunk of inmates were probably “forced by circumstances to commit crimes”. Only a “small percentage are habitual offenders.”
When I met him at his office for a long pending coffee chat, my little daughter Sanvi who had accompanied me, asked the ADGP a question, coached by my wife Vidya. “Uncle, how did you feel when Thamana kissed you?” Tripathy was initially taken aback and then his eyes lit up as he recalled how a little girl who had been missing from the Marina Beach and had been rescued by the police, had spontaneously planted a kiss on his cheek during a press conference. Known to be a workaholic, Tripathy doesn’t find much time for his hobbies. He is way too busy sowing the seeds of crime prevention to be able to pursue real gardening. “Photography used to be a childhood passion. I have a very good camera but it’s gathering dust somewhere!” Classical and instrumental music helps him put his feet up, which is quite rare. With solid support from his artist and writer wife Anuja, the Tripathys have been able to shape the future of their kids pretty well. Papa’s princess Jigisa is studying medicine. Jeetwan, their brilliant elder son is a Mechanical Engineer from NIT and is now in Delhi, working hard to get the three magic letters after his name. Just like his father. But unlike the dad, the IPS is the young aspirant’s only choice. Having seen his first hero at home taking on the bad guys, how could Jeet not want to don the khahki uniform? (Sanjay Pinto is a Lawyer, Columnist, Author, Public Speaking Mentor & Former Resident Editor – NDTV 24x7) RITZ july 2015
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wanderlust
Discovering
Thailand’s Hidden Gems There’s much more to Thailand than Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. Virgin beaches, unexplored islands and new ventures towards eco-tourism await the enthusiastic traveller down south. Head to Krabi and its surrounding islands that are full of unique treasures and one-of-its-kind experiences for the conventional traveller and for those who like to take walk down the wild side. Archana Shenoy explores some of these hidden treasures.
Though the bright lights of a big city are seductive, its malls alluring and restaurants extremely tempting, it is often the lesser explored and populated areas of a country that offer a taste of authentic lifestyle, cuisine and culture. Heading out of Bangkok and its mad traffic to serene Krabi, is probably the best thing we could have done. A short flight took us to the southern most part of the Thai mainland - Krabi town is set spectacularly amidst strangely shaped limestone karsts that jut out from amidst lush mangrove forests and surround spectacular beaches. After a local, but superbly prepared sea food lunch at a quaint way side restaurant in Ao Leuk, we headed for the Tree Top Adventure Park, Krabi’s newest attraction.
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Almost hidden beneath a dense jungle canopy and enclosed by piercing limestone cliffs, its discreet integration into nature contrasts the exciting and thrilling sensations adventurers experience here. Unleash the Tarzan within you as you zip-line from one platform to another and from tree to tree, balancing yourself through an assortment of obstacles such as rope bridges, swings, flying skateboards and witch’s brooms, a tight rope walk and giant zip lines. This is Tree Top Adventure Park’s third location in Thailand after opening in Koh Chang, Trat and Pattaya, Chonburi.
After five years of expertise in fun and safe tree top climbing, innovations continue to flow with unique games and better ways of protecting trees. The half-day course includes a serving of fruits and refreshments, lunch, brand new challenges such as air biking, and much more! A few gruelling hours later, our tired bodies protesting vociferously, but our mind on a high for more daunting challenges, we get on a local fishing boat from Krabi’s jetty and head to Koh Klang, a tiny fishing village located across the Krabi river. Koh Klang Koh Klang is not a paradise of white sand beaches. Rather, it offers great opportunities to experience a simple life by the sea, get pampered in uninterrupted peace, meet local people and soak in the traditional way of local life. Life on Koh Klang is an intriguing tapestry of ancient
versus modern, interwoven with family, faith and local wisdom passed down through generations. The village is charming and peaceful, located 5 minutes by boat from Krabi town, or about 15 minutes from Krabi International Airport and has been inhabited for over 100 years. At the time of World War II there were only 8 houses on Koh Klang. Families lived inland, well away from the coast. In the past 60 years, the population has increased to over 5,000. Most families are fishermen, some are into rice farming and tending coconut and banana orchards. The island is accessible only by boat. There are no cars allowed here. Local Tuk Tuks, motorbikes and bicycles are the only vehicles allowed to ply on the island’s small, winding cement road. Friendly Muslim families who inhabit the island maintain a simple and modest life, which they are proud to share with visitors searching for an insight into authentic southern Thai culture. It is a traditional fishing community where visitors can see the living relationship between islanders and the sea, observing daily life as the tides rise and fall. Community members use ingenious, local methods to capture fish, crabs and shellfish. Approximately 600 rai (the local meter for measurement as compared to the acre) of land in the interior of the island are dedicated to rice farming. Farmers on Koh Klang produces a variety of brown rice called ‘Khao Sang Yod’, which is considered delicious, due to its unique flavour, created by the region’s mixture of salt and fresh water. The island is surrounded by pristine mangroves with great bird watching opportunities. In addition to experiencing nature and culture, one can also visit several community arts and crafts like batik painting and mini-long tail boat rides. This tiny, peaceful island is surrounded by sea, salt-water canals and large expanses of pristine mangrove forests, which together form an internationally recognised wetland ecosystem which seamlessly links mainland Krabi with the open sea. The mangroves are a nursery for marine life, providing a safe, RITZ july 2015
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combined with traditional Thai living aspects, the resorts boasts of 30 bungalows, a restaurant and bar, an infinity salt water pool and its own lush kitchen garden. Every bungalow is divided into two parts; a spacious air conditioned bedroom and multi purposing room with an open air shower. It is the only resort on Klang island and apart from three home stay-style cottages that are extremely basic and meant for only those who want to experience local living, there is no other form of accommodation available here.
protected environment for young fish to grow, before they head out to deeper waters. Diverse species of birds, marine and amphibious life also inhabit the mangroves. Beaches on Koh Klang are not for swimming, the seawater is clear but the sand is brown and most parts are mudflats. For those who long for different experiences, the healthy mangroves and brown beaches offer a rare opportunity to join the fun of shell fish hunting. There are approximately 35 species of shells underneath the sandy beach. During low tide in the evening, housewives and kids are on a hunting mission.
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Khao Khanap Nam A very popular place to visit in Krabi is Khao Khanap Nam, a couple of ragged hills, the natural gateway to Krabi, stretching 100 metres out of the water. Inside Khao Khanap Nam are several magnificent caves with impressive clusters
Islanda Eco Village Resort The resort was born from a sincere vision to craft a peaceful, comfortable haven, woven seamlessly into the natural and cultural tapestry of Klang island. Built in the style of a southern Thai fishing village, Islanda is infused with easy going, southern culture. The resort’s 30 stylish bungalows are spacious, simple, tastefully decorated and equipped with modern amenities. It’s a tranquil retreat for nature lovers who want to listen to the waves lapping and birds singing, breathe in refreshing sea air, and kayak along nearby mangrove forests with their fantastic flora and fauna. Inspired by fisherman-style housing
of stalactites and stalagmites. The only way to get there is by boat from the Chao Fah Bridge in Krabi. The two hills, roughly 100 meters high, flank the Krabi River running between them to form a distinctive vista and the town’s most prominent landmark. To visit them, you need to take a long-tail boat from the pier; travel time is just 15 minutes. From there a magnificent set of stairs leads up to caves resplendent with stalactites, stalagmites and limestone deposits. Local history states that these caves were a hideout for the Japanese army during World War II and a large number of human skeletons have been found here. It is theorised that they are the remains of people who came and established a home at these caves, but were cut off by an inundation and quickly perished. Khao Nor Juji Khao Nor Juji is supposedly Thailand’s last piece of virgin and fertile forest. A winding wooden path cuts through dense foliage to finally emerge at the Emerald Pool; this fresh water pool is named such because of its crystal clear fresh water that resembles the colour of emeralds due to the type of algae that grows on the pool bed. The pool originates from a RITZ july 2015
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wanderlust warm stream in the middle of Khao Nor Juji forest. The intensity of the pool’s turquoise coloured water varies according to the light and time of day. A few hundred metres higher takes you to the Crystal Pool, another tranquil bit of forest land that surrounds a deep blue pool of still water that bubbles at loud vibrations or clapping sounds. The entire forest is home to some stunning flora and fauna and is being preserved by the local authorities. Wareerak Hot Spring A secluded hot spring retreat located along the bank of Khlong Tom River, just opposite the famous hot waterfall of Krabi province, Wareerak boasts of 14 units of tropical villas and cottages scattered around drinking quality mineral hot spring sources, exotic fruit orchard and tropical forest. They strive to promote better health through water, nature and wellness programs with award-winning hydrotherapy experiences, organic cuisine and truly natural surroundings. The two small sources of 40 - 45 C spring water were discovered by chance in 1989 when digging ponds for a plantation. The water is clear and odourless; the PH value is 6.9 and is extremely rich in beneficial minerals. Also known for their hydrotherapy treatments - first dipping
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in hot water at 38° - 45° C and then cold water at 15° - 20° C activates the body to maintain its temperature. Benefits of hydrotherapy state that the system will be alert all the times, just like while exercising, which also results in a fresh and strong immune system. A relaxed day at this tranquil spa was the perfect way to end our island vacation on a high note, before once again heading back to the bustling Thai capital city of Bangkok.
Who Mean Busi ness
Spotlight
Men
They’re a cut above the rest more driven, more committed, more zealous and hence more successful. While Harish Bijoor is a brand guru who enjoys connecting culture with marketing genius, TT Varadarajan is a man known for his tenacity, business acumen and his passion for bikes. RITZ meets these successful CEOs from the South in an effort to gain a bit more insight their psyche and understand what makes them tick.
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Spotlight
The Brand Man He loves brands and thinks of himself as a brand-father and a branddoctor combined in one. He can help you conceive brands and then help to give birth to and nurture them. A new avatar he’s been donning of late is that of a brand-killer as well. He can help you kill your brand slowly, monetizing its potential to the maximum, only to help you launch a new brand in its place altogether. Meet Harish Bijoor, the CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults and the brand guru who has fashioned himself into a genuine brand and thought leader – one who makes even the biggest names sit up and take notice of his unique strategy. Text: Archana Shenoy 68
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“A career is a career is a career. I started off as a Group Management trainee with Brooke Bond India Limited (now HUL) in 1985. I started in sales and ended up heading brands in the category of tea and coffee and spices. That was my real beginning as a beverages person. I sold tea and coffee and spices and condoms (we sold Nirodh condoms for the Government of India then) into the real gut of India. This took me from the crass unreality of life in the big city to the gut of the country, where bulk still lives - the rural market,” tells Harish Bijoor, the man who is colloquially called the brand ‘guru’ of India. And it was from this point that he developed a passion for brands, beverages and the rural market in this first job of his. Here he picked up the mindset of being very technical in understanding consumers. He picked up the skills required in understanding consumers and markets alike. Market research was a good ally. And he says had great bosses. Bosses who taught him how to work markets, and most importantly how not to work markets as well. The emphasis was on hard work, and he did all of it, spending 12 hours a day doing just that. At that point in Bijoor’s career he tells us that good food was a casualty and good health was a casualty as well. “I actually spent the first twenty years of my career destroying good health and building a good career. A trade-off I now rue, but what the hell! Work-life balance came to life much, much later,” he says, showing absolutely no signs of remorse or regret for all that he had to do to bring his career life to the point at which it is today. The jumps post this were quick and always on the upswing. He left Hindustan Uni Lever as a senior product manager looking after some of the biggest tea brands in the country and moved to Tata Tea Limited as a general manager (marketing operations). Here the mandate was for him to look at Consolidated Coffee Limited (today Tata Coffee Limited) and build a brand avatar for the company and its product offerings. “I travelled far and wide across the world of coffee and eventually ended up serving a three-year term on the Coffee Board of India under the auspices of the Commerce
Ministry. I served on the committees of the Planning Commission as well, which helped me pen some of my very specific thoughts for the industry into the national plan,” he tells proudly. From there it was a jump to Chief Operating Officer of Zip Telecom. “This was really my preparatory step into the world of consulting,” explains Bijoor. Zip Telecom was a start-up with very unique
of our success. We do not participate in RFPs, tenders and pitches. We just do the work. We love doing work. I do not have a single business development manager in my company. And we are thrilled about that fact. Selling our work is not in our DNA. Our work is in our DNA. And our work speaks and keeps our order-books filled,” he says. Today, when people want brand
challenges where he served a very short stint of 18 months and on a flight to New York, finalised a plan to start up in the world of brand and strategy consulting. Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. was born 14 years ago, and started small, with just one partner. Today, he has a team of 91 senior consultants across five geographical locations (London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul and India) who help the company leverage the businesses of 243 clients world-wide. “Luck helped. My first client led to the second. And for four years I just had five clients and two people. And then suddenly, word of mouth cascaded and we were in business. I was forced to expand and recruit to the size we are today. We are a zero-solicit consulting practice. Which means that we do not solicit business or do client lunches and pitches. We do work basis the word of mouth
solutions, they make a beeline for his company. Bijoor insists that they do not spend a single rupee or dollar or yen on advertising and business development. “We are not allowed to bill for client food and wine ever. If any of us takes a client out to lunch, we need to pay from our personal monies, as it is against the ethic of the business we run and participate in as partners,” he tells us. His current avatar is all about heading up a company that does diverse sets of work with diverse businesses, big and small. He works with start-ups with ease, just as he does with the biggest multi-nationals. “An additional facet to my personality is my public speaking avatar. Today, I do a fair bit of public-speaking engagements. To date, I have spoken 12,456 hours to corporate audiences. This takes me to exotic locations as well. And that’s a perquisite to boot.
“I write as well. I have two books in physicality and two more in my mind. I keep saying that I do basic things. I read, I write, I talk, I eat. I love food.” For someone who wanted to be an IAS officer and did not manage to achieve that goal because he couldn’t get a decent rank, he’s come a long way. A sales career that took him places, an entry into brand management, which led him to switch jobs to a company that was looking for a brandcompetent person to start its coffee venture. And then came telecom with his yen to see if he could survive in any other terrain except beverages. And a chance meeting with a VC on a flight made him jumpstart his own firm. “Therefore, we are really an accident. A happy accident. I think people come to us as they see us to be small, nifty, quick and efficient. Yes, we are expensive, but that itself tells the entire story as well.” In his own words as he says on his twitter handle @harishbijoor: “I live in Bengaluru, India. Love the city!” His advice to young entrepreneurs: “Believe in relationships. Invest disproportionate amount of time into relationships as you build them. They are the only things you are left with at the end of the day.”
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Spotlight
The Biking Aficionado T.T Varadarajan’s name is synonymous with two things in India - super bikes and kitchen appliances. The former is his passion, the latter his business. The Maya brand of appliances has played a big part in modernising kitchens across the country. A 30-year-old brand today, the company was founded in 1978 and the first Preethi mixer rolled out in 1980. We catch up with the passionate biker and dynamic businessman.
He’s 60 plus, but so fit, dashing and young at heart that he can rival any young turk today with his high-level business acumen and penchant for adrenaline rushes. The grandson of the legendary TT Krishnamachari, former Finance Minister of India, TT Varadarajan has been a maverick most of his life and he has no qualms in openly admitting that when he started his company Maya Appliances in 1978 he knew next to nothing about mixers and grinders. He says: “I just went through all the mixers and grinders available in the market, understood their best features and packaged them all into one machine.” The rest, as they say, is history. Maya Appliances began its journey out of a 300-sq ft shed in Armenian Street (Chennai’s old economy commercial hub so to say) in 1978, with a 5-member team and a start-up capital raised by the promoter by pledging his and his wife’s insurance policies. For the next five years, the company’s products were marketed by TTK Industries, using the nationallyknown brand ‘Prestige’ for exports and
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Text: Diya Subramanian for the domestic market. Looking back Varadarajan says, “l was keen to continue creating and innovating products and start an industry that offers livelihood and builds careers in the process. Appliances being the area where we had the network strength and experience seemed a logical place to start! In the mid-nineties, when all was seemingly going well, we had a huge set back in our business when our factory burnt down to the ground due to a short circuit in the electrical line. This was in December 1996 – just a week short of the biggest selling season of Christmas and New Year. While we lost almost everything, we did not let that affect our resolve. The business was resurrected with the unstinting effort of our employees, vendors and dealer and distributor partners who pitched in with support, finances and encouragement and got us back on our feet in no time!” After this Varadarajan says he realised that with hard work was the key to his success. One of the most definitive moments for the business was when Varadarajan decided to unlock the value of the business he had built for over three decades in the sale process over 6 months in 2010. Post this was a period of reflection and resolve following which he felt the need to take the plunge again! “The brand Vidiem was born in 2013,
when we were keen to re-enter the appliance business after a two year hiatus, having successfully migrated the earlier business in Kitchen Appliances to Royal Dutch Philips,” he explains. While his business has kept him on his feet he’s still doing a lot in his free time. He says, “I enjoy finding new routes to ride motorcycles across the world, and when in town, take off for track days on Sunday at the MMSC race track.” His company was instrumental in bringing California Superbike School to India in 2010. Founded by world-renowned motorcycle instructor Keith Code, the California-based CSS runs track schools in several countries around the world. Code has trained numerous motorcycle world champions around the globe in racing. India saw its first CSS programme in 2010, with the help of Preethi, the then leading mixer-grinder brand. The school is dedicated to the improvement of riding skills for racing and street riding. “We run a camp every year in India around January / February. The Vidiem California Superbike School (as it is now called) has a larger objective of using revenues earned to support the discovery, mobilisation and training of talented youngsters who cannot otherwise afford to pay for training and track time. We also seek to improve the riding skills of every motorcycle rider to make him/her conscious of safe and skilled riding practices.” He also adds, “I like working on greening and eco-conservation projects and much of it is focused in and around my factory and at my Kodaikanal home.” His advice for young entrepreneurs - ‘If you back what you believe in, with smart work and persistence, rewards will follow.’
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Palace Of Dreams
hyderabad
Every house has a story. However, this particular one has a lesson in history. The home of Paigahs has been around for about 120 years and was built by Sir Vikar ul Umra for his beloved wife Jahadar Uniza Begum. Obaid Ur Rehman, the grandson of the eldest sister of the 6th Nizam, takes us on a walkthrough and lets us in on the tales of the palace. Text: Deeksha Marur 72
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For anyone who loves history and has a good imagination, walking down the halls and through the courtyards of a palace would definitely be full of fascination and delight. This particular house happens to be a palace designed by Sir Vikar Ul Umra, who was also the architect of the spectacular Falaknuma Palace. Apparently, when he built Falaknuma, he had a desire to build one architectural splendour for his wife. That’s how the Paigah Palace, a special gift to his beloved wife, came into being. The interiors of the palace consist of high ceilings, intricate floral designs around the doors and tiled wooden screens that divide rooms. “This palace was built for the ladies of the Paigah family as they followed the zanana-mardana (separate sections for men and women) system during those days,” says Obaid. The Chiran Fort was built for the men of the family. “If you notice, the balconies are all built inside the palace and not outside like how it is in other homes”, he adds.
Photographs - Santosh Kumar
Obaid lives here with his two daughters on the first floor of the palace while the ground floor and the courtyards are given out for functions and weddings. The staircase that lead up to their living space is just as old as the house. Restorations that the palace underwent have left most of the structure intact while some sections are being rebuilt, like the lift tower and a few designs on the barren walls. There are two living rooms, both of which have portraits of the Paigah family and shelves filled with antique artefacts. The private living room has portraits of Obaid and his parents, as well as his siblings, on the wall. Below them lies silverware, neatly stacked on shelves, as well as a huge range of cutlery and glasses. “I was about 22 or 23 when that portrait of mine was made. The one opposite me is my father; he was a doctor. I have two siblings, one sister and one brother,” says Obaid who took over the palace after his mother passed away. The private living room has two doors, one leading to a study and a bedroom, and another to the old stairway that isn’t used RITZ july 2015
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anymore. The study has a huge antique ceramic clock. “The clock is so delicate even though it’s huge. The intricate detailing on it is beautiful. It’s of German make and there’s only one more piece in the world that is similar to this,” shares the proud owner. The other living room is a much larger one and is decorated with a ruby coloured chandelier that hangs from the middle of the room. A matching lamp sits below it on the centre table and surrounding the room are more portraits of the entire Paigah family and the Nizams. There are different shelves that showcase various artefacts. If one shelf has an old collection of dolls, another has stacks of silver cutlery, yet another shelf showcases miniature monuments and one more has toys that Obaid played with while growing up. “There’s a silver rattle, a soap dish, a hand mirror, hair brush with a silver handle, perfume bottles and other things that I used as a kid and I’ve preserved,” he describes.
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The living room leads to a guest dining area which has an emerald chandelier hanging from the ceiling and matching lights around the room. The dining area is filled with cutlery from around the world that his mother had collected and remain intact even today. “We only use these when we have many guests, otherwise some of the things that my mother had are used as show pieces like the tea cup and saucer clock or the tray with pink floral design,” says Obaid. There are about three courtyards in the palace, two which are rented out for functions and one private one which they have created by removing one of the kitchens. “Back in the day we had the
maiz-khana which is the kitchen, it was huge, but recently we developed that into a courtyard for ourselves,” he explains. Most of the furniture and décor items were brought in specially from France or Germany. “The thing is, when Sir Vikar Ul Umra wanted to make this another spectacular palace, there were people against it. They were stopped, and he gifted it to his wife anyway!” Obaid informs. On taking a look around the palace and meeting with his nephew Habib, we get more insights about the Paigahs and their story, but that’s for another time. Until then, this is the Paigah Palace for you. RITZ july 2015
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Bengaluru
The
Antiques Almanac
Venkataram Reddy, who owns Basava Ambara in Bengaluru, has been a keen collector of antiques for more than 20 years. His name is well known among those who deal in antiques and his love for all things old and precious reflects in the astonishing number of treasures that decorate his beautiful apartment located on the outskirts of the city. We delve deeper into this treasure trove of antiques. Text: Archana Shenoy 76
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Beginning at the ornate main door and moving inside, every single wall and surface of Venkataram Reddy’s home is covered in unique and priceless antiques. What catches our attention as we walk through the heavy doors of teak wood are huge wooden statues of Garuda, Hanuman, a tiger and a massive peacock. “They’re vahanas that were used to carry deities in a procession during the olden days,” explains the antique dealer who is like a walking, talking encyclopaedia on all things old and ornate. “They’re from Tamil Nadu, easily at least a hundred years old. The Peacock Vahana would have been used to carry a deity of Lord Murugan, while Hanuman would have serviced the deity of Lord Rama. Today it is a pity that temples have resorted to using tractors to ferry their deities instead of these beauties,” he continues.
The living room could easily pass off as a museum for period pieces. Gauging by the different styles and countries from where Reddy has procured these collector’s items, it is obvious his love is for all things old, and not necessarily Indian or ethnic antiques alone. “Take for example the dining table - it is an old English table, but the chairs are not from the original set. Then there is this entire wall in the dining room dedicated to white and blue Chinese porcelain. And this massive round centre table in the living room that is a legacy of the Portugese and Dutch settlers who inhabited Goa. Every piece that’s seen here is precious to me, irrespective of where it is come from,” he says. A massive Pichwai occupies place of pride on one of the living room walls. The word Pichwai derives from the Sanskrit words ‘pich’ meaning back and ‘wais’ meaning hanging. These are cloth paintings hung behind the image of the Hindu god Shrinathji. Usually Pichwai art depicts RITZ july 2015
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Photographs - Faheem Hussain
images of Lord Krishna alone, though this specific is pretty rare considering it is a painting of Lord Vishnu in his cosmic form. There are also several pillars and arches, all made of teak wood and sourced from Mysore, that Reddy has used to enhance the look of his living room. Resplendent with lamps, Tanjore paintings, masks and brass and copper utensils that have artistically been used as centrepieces and arranged around the furniture, the living room showcases antiques from several different countries. There are two magnificent mirrors in Gothic design that adorn one wall. “These could easily be more than 150 years old…. there’s a stamp saying Made In Germany behind the mirrors so it is obvious they’re from that region,” says Reddy. A collection of lithographs, all of birds, is clustered around these two beautiful mirrors. “They’re from a book dating back to 1836 and are hand coloured with vegetable dyes,” he says. A statue of a standing Buddha from Burma, which Reddy happened in to find in RITZ july 2015
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Los Angeles, is one of the most outstanding pieces in his collection. “Burma, now Myanmar, showcases different postures of Buddha in its pagodas. And he’s usually protected from the sun by an umbrella shading him. Hence I’ve added a very unique umbrella - it is gilded in 24K gold and made from wood and bamboo - and positioned it behind the statue. Around the Buddha’s neck is a silver Hasli from Afghanistan. It’s one of their traditional ornaments,” he explains. From having used the base of palanquins and converting them to tables, to the ancient collection of Ganga Jamuna pots made of brass and copper inlay that were used for ceremonies in the olden days, lotus lamps from Kerala, and probably an early Lazyboy type of chair in Chippendale design, Reddy’s home can be explored for days and still remain a mystery to the untrained eye. His store in Basavanagudi is his haven when he’s not spending time in his home. Considered as one of the best places in the city to buy authentic antique furniture and artefacts, it is always a pleasure to walk in there, even if you’re not in the mood to purchase something, and partake of some priceless information and stories from this antique lover. Basava Ambara 51, K.R. Road, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru Phone: +91 80 26561940
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Advertorial
Happily Ever After Made Easier
It was an event of monumental proportions. From bringing together the right vendors dealing in venues, food, trousseaus, jewellery, footwear, cards, music and photography, the Royal Wedding Expo presented by Marriage Colours was an expo par excellence.
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Well thought out and executed to super proportions, Royal Wedding Expo presented by Marriage Colours was a one-stop destination for all things marriage related. From bringing together the best of the best under one roof, to executing awards for the best in the marriage business, there was something for everyone at this event that rocked Chennai last month. Lively entertainment performances by artists such as Abhijith P S Nair on the violin and Ganesh who enthralled the audience by his daring balancing act, the event was fun to visit, apart from being a treasure trove of valuable information and contacts. It’s not often that someone takes the time and the initiative to put together a directory of all things wedding related so as to ease the huge task ahead for a prospective bride and groom and their families. Similarly it is not often that someone decides to honour the best in the wedding business, for unlike the stars of the event, who are the bride and the groom, the back end staff and services often go unappreciated. With awards for beauty and grooming, candid photography, videography, for the best jeweller, the most idyllic venue, the best invitations, the hottest bridal destination, perfect caterer, venues for best luxury weddings, beach weddings, location weddings etc., there was an award for literally everyone who could
possibly be involved in the planning and execution of a wedding. Top designers from across the country choose to make Chennai their destination of choice to display their bridal and trousseau collections, simply because of the sheer magnitude of the wedding business today. Showcasing the heaviest lehengas to the trendiest gowns and most traditional sarees, there was every kind of fashion pertaining to weddings available to view. Beside the regular pre-requisites for a ceremony, the expo also showcased some unique forms of entertainment, return gifts and ideas for a wedding. There were even special wedding film-makers at the event, marketing the need to have your big day perfectly filmed and edited, in movie style to preserve for posterity. While some enjoyed the fashion shows, others relaxed with the lively entertainment and a few took great pleasure in walking through stalls collecting samples and business cards for future reference. Split into several appropriate venues that hosted specially designed events as part of the Wedding Icons 2015, the entire city of Chennai took on a festive hue during the event and it was heartening to watch the warm response from the city for an exclusive event such as this.
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Over A Cuppa
Wedding Diaries It’s that time of the year when youngsters are trawling stores for jewellery and bridal wear, scouting around for the ideal venue and giving wedding planners sleepless nights. The wedding season closes in on us and we speak to three newly engaged couples about their wedding plans, that special proposal and how they’re planning their big, fat, Indian wedding!
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Over A Cuppa
Bengaluru
You’re my baby love
Theirs is a story of young love that has survived the test of time and matured into a bond so strong that even a decade of togetherness has not tarnished. Meet Nikita Shreedhar and BS Sukesh, a newly engaged couple from Bengaluru, who share their unique and adorable love story with us. Text: Archana Shenoy
We so in love, Yeah, we so in love, And I just can’t get enough of your love Yeah, we so in love, love, and I want you to know You are my baby love, my baby love
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The lyrics of Nicole Scherzinger’s Baby Love ring so true for young Nikita Shreedhar and her fiancé BS Sukesh. Theirs is a match literally made in heaven. The newly engaged couple have known each other since they were ten, been best friends for more than five years and have now been engaged for five months. They will soon tie the knot in November this year and embark into a new phase of their relationship, pledging love and togetherness for the rest of their lives. “It’s funny how we met; we’d moved into a
engaged in January this year and will be married in November. Like their love story, their engagement was a special occasion for the young couple. “We had decided on a traditional wedding, performed as per our culture and caste. Hence we wanted to go all out and have a lavish engagement,” tells Nikita with a dreamy smile as she recalls those magical moments. Hosted at the Taj West End in Bengaluru, the couple opted for a vintage themed engagement party where everything,
Photographs - Lucky Malhotra new house in one of Bengaluru’s suburbs and Sukesh’s family had moved there too. His father and mine are childhood friends. What began as a simple acquaintance, grew into a strong friendship, despite Sukesh being shipped off to boarding school for two years,” explains Nikita. “We got back together when he came back from school and remained friends till five years ago. It was then that we got close and realised our true feelings for each other.” Considering that the duo’s families knew each other, both fathers were childhood friends and both were of the same caste, the parents quickly realised their children’s feelings and opted to make things official. Nikita and Suresh were
including the decor, their outfits and the props were in a white and gold combination. “The groom arrived to the engagement venue in a vintage cycle rickshaw decked in white tulle and gold. I, escorted by my brothers and cousins, made my entry in a vintage chariot,” explains Nikita as she animatedly tries to re-create the dream-like ambiance for us. There was a photo corner, comprising multiple gilded frames, for the bride and groom and their guests to pose for candid pictures. Bengaluru’s celebrity photographer had been hired to chronicle the event pictorially. The guests, many of who had come in specially for the engagement from outside Bengaluru, were stunned by the lavish and well
thought out arrangements. Being a student of fashion design, 23-year-old Nikita and her 24-year-old fiancé planned the entire theme for the engagement themselves. “We hired a wedding planner who executed our ideas and put the logistics intro place. But we visualised the entire concept and were very sure of what we wanted and how our engagement should be,” tells the bride-to-be with much pride. In keeping with tradition she wore a heavy silk saree for the formal ring exchange ceremony and later changed into a gorgeous cream and red Indo-Western outfit for the rest of the evening. The man of her dreams complimented her ethereal looks by appearing in a dashing maroon, white and black velvet tux. As they danced the night away and celebrated the formalisation of their love surrounded by family and friends, they embarked on the next part of their great big bridal journey by beginning the plans for their traditional wedding and forthcoming life together. RITZ july 2015
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Over A Cuppa
Chennai
Two States In Real Life Manoj Mahadevan and Vedika Agarwal are the perfect example of the saying ‘opposites attract’. This couple say that when they first met neither of them saw each other as prospective partners - they were nothing more than faces in the crowd. Yet, love prevailed and they’re now happily married, still enjoying the honeymoon phase of their relationship and discovering all that they can about each other. Vedika Agarwal looks back at her relationship with Manoj Mahadevan and says “We first met on a golf course with some friends, he was just someone in the group. Soon we got talking, but it was just as friends.” She calls their story a remake of two states with Manoj being South Indian and Vedika being Marwadi. A tennis player of high repute Manoj has won the All India Men’s National Grass Court Championship. He represented India at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open and the World Youth Games in the junior category. Having trained in leading tennis academies on scholarship, he has an MBA in finance and works with the capital markets team of an American multinational company. “When we started talking we were setting each other up with other friends, but the idea of us being together hadn’t struck,” tells Vedika. Later while talking one night she hinted at the idea of them being together, but took Manoj completely by surprise. He then said he needed some time to think about it and let the idea slide. But Vedika being the more assertive one in their relationship opened up the idea again, showing Manoj why she thought their relationship would work. It didn’t take much time for Vedika to realise what
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she wanted in life - it was Manoj. She had made up her mind. But Manoj had enjoyed his bachelor days quite a bit and was still thinking things through, at this point they had been dating for about three months and things were moving quite fast for him. But eventually he came around and saw his life with Vedika. Manoj says, “ Without the pressure of marriage to get to know someone is what made us click. We first got to know each other as friends before making it anything more.” Ironically it was the lady who proposed in this relationship. Manoj had planned a romantic beach-side dinner during which Vedika was sure he was going to propose. But Manoj had no intentions of doing that, so the next weekend when Manoj visited Vedika she decided to take matters into her own hands. She popped the question and completely took Manoj by surprise. “Looking back I guess it does seem like everything happened really fast, but when you know I guess you just do” explains the pretty lady. Manoj took some time to think about things, he recalls how it took him a while to even figure out what was happening. He says, “I had gotten used to my bachelor life and suddenly everything changed in the span of a few months. But since knowing her I had some time to think and I realised that she was the one.” After that breaking the news to their parents was barely an issue as they were both certain that if they were to get married it would only be to each other. They decided to embrace the large difference in heritage and plan out weddings in both styles. They planned a proper Tamilian Brahmin wedding, with the swing and the madisaar, in Chennai and had a sangeet and cocktail party in Bengaluru, which is where Vedika was brought up. Being together, they both agree, has been the best for them. The way their personalities are so different, it makes them work harder at their relationship. Since their courtship and marriage were quick, they say that they are still in their honeymoon phase and are constantly learning things about each other, making each day together a constant adventure that they are excited about embarking on together. RITZ july 2015
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Over A Cuppa
hyderabad
A couple of love stories All the world loves a lover, said the Bard. And when you meet the newly engaged couple – Monty Sen and Mehjabeen Raza - you can’t help but want to fall in love. Such is their sizzling chemistry and evident compatibility. Text: Deeksha Marur For Hyderabadi couple Montgomery Sen aka Monty and Mehjabeen Raza, the momentous occasion of sealing their relationship happened after nine long years. Says Monty, “Love makes you do crazy things, which sometimes have no rationale! Yes, it was rather funny as to why I would travel across the world and propose to her after all these years in NYC when I could have done that in not so harsh weather and rather a pleasant February of Hyderabad or in Delhi but I guess that’s what love does. ” While Monty, who was born and raised in Delhi and relocated to Hyderabad in 1991, started his career in capital markets from Hyderabad Stock Exchange and is currently involved with a Sydney based private equity fund focusing on South East Asian markets, Mehjabeen Raza, a true blue Hyderabadi, worked for HSBC, Deloitte, Kingfisher Airlines and Standard Chartered Bank and is currently director in a New York based firm. Together, M&M (as they like to be referred ) have decided to use their cross-cultural experiences and set up a base in NYC in addition to Hyderabad and Delhi - as they see
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themselves spending a lot of time together there. “We first met in November 2005 and have been together since,” says Monty. Even though, he moved to Delhi in 2007, they were still together and after nine years, they decided to make things formal. So was it the clichéd ‘going down on one knee’ kind of proposal? “Yes, but with a little more drama at an international landmark,” reminisces Monty. “Despite the long distance relationship, we both felt we had the bond of a lifetime and this year on 14th February, I decided to get on a plane to propose to her in Times Square,” he tells. A scene right from the movies, did you say? We agree. Explains Monty with a mischievous glint in his eyes, “I didn’t want her to say NO, hence the proposal at -10 degrees centigrade - she quickly said YES and we moved indoors before we froze!” The next logical step was confiding in their families and announcing their official togetherness to the world. On May 23rd, in Hyderabad, they had an intimate engagement ceremony to give their relationship a legal twist. Even as they share
their bliss with us, they are busy making plans for the wedding. “We’re definitely planning a destination wedding and then a reception for friends and family in Hyderabad and Delhi. It’s going to be a really unique, exclusive and memorable one!” says the groom to be.
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foodies inc.
hyderabad
Food For The Soul A lazy Sunday afternoon is the ideal time for a scrumptious meal at Jonathan’s Kitchen. It is a meal that will send you into the arms of slumber once you’re done, as a content soul. Text: Deeksha Marur
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Located in Gachibowli is Holiday Inn Express and Suites that houses Jonathan’s Kitchen, the restaurant owned by Vydika Khosle. With its textured walls and island chandelier lights that hang from the ceiling on one side, the restaurant’s agenda in terms of design is minimalist and elegant. In terms of the food, the agenda is simple. Cook to impress with a vast menu ranging from Indian to continental and a special Japanese menu as well. We give our order according to Chef Rajesh’s recommendations. Up first, two types of Sushi – Volcano and Crispy Shrimp Tempura. The Volcano Sushi, made with crab stick, avocado, lettuce and spicy mayo, was delicious, but the Crispy Shrimp Tempura was our favourite with its mix of crab meat and lettuce. The crunch and lightly fried batter coating made this an interesting starter. As Chef Rajesh guessed it was the first fried sushi we had tasted. Out comes the Chicken Satay accompanied by a unique salad – Green Apple Carpaccio. The chicken satay is served with traditional Thai peanut sauce that is a sudden hit on the palate after the mellow flavours of the sushi – but a welcoming one if you love spice. The Green Apple RITZ july 2015
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Carpaccio – a favourite at the restaurant – is a refreshing salad, both in terms of flavour and in terms of variety. Those who are bored with the salads should give this one a shot. Sliced and diced pieces of green apple, lettuce with feta cheese doused with lemon mustard dressing… it was perfect. On to the main course and we dig into the Quarto Formaggio as we are suckers for four cheese pizzas. One of the best thin crust pizzas we’ve had in the city that despite the mozzarella, gorgonzola, ricotta and parmesan cheese was light on the stomach. The Tomato and Spinach Ravioli was delicious as was the Involitini di pollo, a grilled chicken breast that lay on a bed of caramelized onions, cannellini beans, veggies and jus – the chicken was perfectly cooked and succulent thanks to the caramelized onions and jus. For dessert, we went with the Philadelphia Cheese Cake and the Chocolate Fondant Cake. The cheese cake’s Oreo cookie base with its creamy layer, and the Chocolate Fondant Cake served hot with a dollop of ice cream over it was satiating. Both these desserts were our final step to reaching a food coma and if it is considered a sin to indulge in such a scrumptious meal, we join our hands and say, “Forgive us father for we have sinned.” But we are sure to go back and sin again! IT Park Gachibowli, Hyderabad Phone: +91 40 4541 6699
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Chennai
foodies inc.
The Food Affaire
The restaurant is decorated in chic and contemporary style, paired with earth-toned upholstery and gorgeous flooring. Twilight transforms Prego into an elegant dinner venue with upbeat music and candle light, to make the evening unobtrusive and relaxed. We check out Chennai’s most popular Italian restaurant at Taj Coromandel. RITZ july 2015
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A burst of authentic flavours, the menu at Prego is a fine mix of traditional Italian food and Chef Luca’s innovations. Simple plating is key at the restaurant, where the very best of the Italian culinary mosaic is showcased using the freshest of ingredients, including local fresh catch from the Bay of Bengal. Extending the experience of home-style dining, guests are invited to Casa D’Amora, Chef Luca’s home, where he serves up an off-the-menu Italian family style dining experience. Guests can experience the wine room Enoteca - for an interactive experience of food and wine pairing. Introducing the concept of wines by the ‘half glass’, the menu offers an unmatched selection of Italian favourites, besides heady cocktails, liquors, the popular Spritzers and homemade lemoncellos. Savour appealing appetizers like Parma ham, fresh mozzarella and confit tomato; potato “beignets”, goat cheese cream, tomato coulis and caramelized cherry tomato; or seared scallops, truffle and parmesan cream. Chef Luca stays true to tradition with favourites such as house made pappardelle, lamb ragout and Pecorino sauce, field mushroom and mascarpone risotto and the traditional Margherita; “Ortolana” and feta cheese; and truffle, Rucola and Pecorino cheese. A musthave for all Italian food lovers is the Braised lamb shank. The plates of the deep sea and coastal plains give you a gourmet selection of a seafood appetizer or soup, a pizza, a pasta or risotto with seafood, fresh catch of the day for a grand seafood indulgence followed by the delightful dessert. The plates from farms bring you a bouquet of handpicked items from the farms on to your plate, including an appetizer or soup, a pizza, a pasta or risotto, vegetarian entrée for a grand herbaceous meal followed by dessert. Or guests can opt for Chef Luca’s interpretations, the ultimate gastronomic experience with a myriad selection of seafood, meat and garden fresh vegetables. While the tiramisu and cassata are the most favourite Italian desserts, Chef Luca’s deconstruction of these classics gives them his signature touch. The list of must-haves includes Luca’s tiramisu; dark chocolate fondant with sea salt and caramel gelato and the de-constructed Sicilian cassata. Taj Coromandel, Nungambakkam, Phone: +91 44 30925988 RITZ july 2015
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view point
Naughtiness quotient on the rise It was so much easier back in my day. Sure, I didn’t walk 12 miles barefoot to school after waking up at the crack of dawn to milk the cows. No I didn’t have to feed and muck out stables, nor did I have to amuse myself with one toy which was gifted to me from a distant relative visiting abroad. I was however raised in a strict but nurturing home where I learnt wrong from right. Yes, this did involve smacks, telling offs and a little bit of fear, (ok quite a lot of fear), but I know I am markedly better off for it. I had a wonderful childhood which was filled with a balance of love, discipline and fun. If I was naughty, I would get a smack. If my brother and I were badly behaved, we would both get a smack. On those fun occasions that my brother and I fought, not only would we hit each other, but we would also get an additional smack or two for fighting. The nature of our punishment would be directly proportional to the gravity of the crime. As we grew older, the fear of the punishment stopped us from being the little rowdies we were capable
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of being. This for me was a great way of being raised and being taught right from wrong. Today, there are so many rules about raising your kids being thrown around, but the one that says you can be arrested for spanking them does not sit well with me. No I’m not saying this because I believe all kids need to be hit, but sometimes it does instil a little fear into them. It isn’t the actual act of spanking a child which causes the fear, I think the embarrassment is far more mortifying and would make any child want to behave just to not get hit in front of anyone. I understand that there are exceptions where people take it too far and attack their children for no good reason. There are also situations which are abusive and detrimental to a child. But tarring everyone with the same brush doesn’t seem like the right way to do it. Kids today are a lot smarter, observant, cunning and crafty. They are exposed to a lot more at a young age. How many kids do you see under the age of 5 who effortlessly manoeuvre an iPad or mobile
Sujaya Chandran phone? They are pacified with TV and technology as most parents now both work long, tiring days and don’t have the energy when they get home. Kids grow up surrounded by gadgets and gizmos, which allow them a lot more exposure to the outside world, which parents try to shield them from. This in turn will probably sow a few more ideas into their tiny impressionable minds leading them to be a little naughtier than we would have been. It’s a vicious circle I admit, but one wheel that can be turned slower with the right treatment.
PURE ELEGANCE
10/50, Kasthuri Rangan Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018 | T: 044 4314 4511 / 2499 0240 E: bharathi@studiotara.com | www.studiotara.com
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