Ritz may issue 2016

SOUTH INDIA’S PREMIER UBER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

MAY 2016 VOL 12 | ISSUE 10

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FASHION’S

NEW FUNDAMENTALISTS

RITZ

We put some of South India’s most popular bloggers on the hot seat

wins Best Fashion Magazine of the Year (South)!

MUM’S THE WORLD

THE POWER OF CHARACTER A CAPSULE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AWE-INSPIRING PHENOMENON THAT IS MOHANLAL

+ FASHION UPDATES, FEATURES AND LOTS MORE

Tamilnadu’s beautiful young mothers on a day out with their adorable kids

MY VIEW

I gather I have presented Awards to about 150 of the finest people of our generation in South India in the last several years through our Award initiatives at RITZ. So when it was my turn to be on the receiving end, I was indeed super thrilled. I love that we are once again declared as the best South Indian lifestyle magazine there is, especially in a straight contest which included both national and local publications, in a market that RITZ entered just a couple of months ago. What a huge testimony to our position of market leadership indeed! I would like to thank the management and staff of Lulu Group for this honour. I am ever thankful to all those people who rooted and voted for us helping us win by a huge margin.

Until next time, cheers and have a happy summer!

ARUNA R KRISHNAN

FOLLOW US

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60 Look Book

Kanak Hirani Nautiyal and Sindhu Holla are taking the Make in India initiative to the fashion sector

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Deepa Chikarmane aims to revolutionise Indian women’s wardrobe by adding a little desi tadka to her western outfits

Buzzin'

Somethings always happening around you and we know the best of it

24 RSVP

With the crown on her head, Ankita Kharat from Mumbai stood before the audience as Manappuram Miss Queen of India, 2016, powered by Unique Times an event conducted

by Pegasus in Gokulam Convention Centre, Kaloor, Kochi.

RITZ is certainly pushing boundaries as South India’s largest lifestyle magazine. The magazine, which went head-to-head with other magazines, romped home in style with the Award for the Best Fashion Magazine (South) by the Lulu group

28 Cover Story

Mohan Lal is more than just an actor, he is a living legend who embodies the power of character. We present a capsule perspective

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34 Spotlight

The man who who designed that famous blue floral dress for Michelle Obama, Bibhu Mohapatra opens up on his first ever foray into jewellery design Anjum Khan opens up on life beyond the family business as an educationalist and philanthropist

Delve into the world of sustainable fashion with Bina Rao who is championing the cause of ecofriendly fashion Fashion for two - Chennai mothers spend a day out with their kids Swathy Jagannathan, founder and designer of Bhang is on a happy high after finding her calling in designing ethnic clothing

Irshad Mecca sure knows to pick his business ventures and his interest in sports. He gets candid on his love

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for polo

Over a Cuppa

40 Spotlight

Fashion enthusiasts-turned bloggers are now among the biggest influencers in the fashion market today. We get up close and personal with a few of South India's top fashion bloggers

Divya Nichani, a Raw Vegan and yoga enthusiast is slowly but surely propagating the essence of yoga with vegan food They don’t believe in predictable gym routines. The Unit and The Quad from Chennai aim at making workouts fun and an integral part of everyday life

Ashwin Jain and Karrar Taher are striking it big by setting up the first integrated self-mobility service that provides luxury cars for rentals

90 Corridors of Power

Sanjay Pinto writes about Tamil Nadu’s Poll Star , Rajesh Lakhoni

92 Point Blank

How would you rate 'presenters' who think they know it all but don't?

Sanjay Pinto questions the essence of panel discussions

93 Wanderlust

Nilesh Iyer embarks on a journey across South Africa living the memories from Nat Geo’s documentaries

96 Foodies Inc

Bangalore’s Smoke House Deli's new healthy menu is just pure perfection for city vegan and diet specific diners

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ARUNA R KRISHNAN EDITOR’S SECRETARY & COORDINATOR JAFFAR ABDUL HAMEED REGIONAL EDITOR - KARNATAKA ARCHANA SHENOY REGIONAL EDITOR - TELANGANA & ANDHRA PRADESH VANAJA BANAGIRI VICEPRESIDENT - MARKETING PRAVEEN KUMAR M FEATURES EDITOR - CHENNAI REBECCA VARGESE FEATURES EDITOR - HYDERABAD AJULI TULSYAN LEGAL COUNSEL SANJAY PINTO CHENNAI CORRESPONDENT DIYA SUBRAMANIAN DESIGNER NARAYANAN SATHISH MARKETING CONSULTANT - BENGALURU SANJAY JARIWAL EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - CHENNAI M.GURUNATH PRABHU EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - BENGALURU FAHEEM HUSSAIN EVENTS AND FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHER - HYDERABAD SANTOSH KUMAR Edited and Published by Aruna R Krishnan from 7th Floor, Sigma Wing, Raheja Towers, 177 Anna Salai, Chennai 600002. Printed by B Ashok Kumar of Rathna Offset Printers at 40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai - 600 014 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. RITZ is not responsible for unsolicited material. RITZ assumes no responsibility for the veracity and authenticity of the advertisements published herein. Readers are requested to make appropriate enquiries before incurring any expenses or acting on medical recommendations or otherwise in relation to any advertisement or article published herein. Also views in articles published herein are those of the respective authors only. RITZ does not necessarily subscribe to these views.

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

BUZZ IN’

CHENNAI

Prabhu Dheva unveils MJ statue Prabhu Dheva was present at a university in Chennai to unveil the granite statue of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Who better to reveal the statue than South India’s very own superstar of dance? The actor-director-producer posed for pictures rocking some of MJ's fammous moves!

Real men wear pink The unapologetically handsome Milind Soman, the brand ambassador for Pinkathon, was in Chennai promoting what is touted as India’s Biggest Women’s Run. Oozing charm and charisma, Milind certainly had a way with the ladies, inspiring them to take part in the upcoming Chennai run in June.

Way to go Milind!

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SOPHISTIC

SILK ATION IN

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

BUZZ IN’

CHENNAI

Champion comes a’ calling West Indies cricketer and the man behind the ‘champion’ song, Dwayne Johnson Bravo, better known as DJ Bravo was back in the city. The cricketer, who was a former member of the CSK team, has been vocal about his love for Namma Chennai. Bravo was spotted partying at M’Bessy with the who’s who of Chennai along with Portuguese footballer Luis Figo.

It’s Mango season!

Nothing could dampen the spirits of designer Sanjay Garg, founder of Raw Mango, neither the sweat nor the sweltering heat of Chennai. The designer, who was in the city showcasing his Signature Line in Chennai with the famed and iconic Amethyst, plans on making another trip to the city sometime later in the year. Though slightly critical about the lack of experimental fashion of its denizens, Sanjay loves the Kancheerpuram sarees and grandeur. A little birdie tells us his next theme is botanical inspired printed sarees.

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BUZZ IN’

CHENNAI

Live a little lavishly A young bunch of entrepreneurs launched their first wellness and retail store in the city. The store aims at providing a unique experience to their shoppers.

The launch was well attended by city bigwigs who shopped, socialised and enjoyed their high-tea. Nina Reddy, Sathish Jupiter, Actor Narayan, Sunil Menon and Manjo Beno were a few among the socialites who attended the launch.

The F16s Are On A Break The F16s played their last gig ahead of an undefined hiatus at Moon and Six Pence. The announcement of their break drew a throng of city fans and fellow musicians who came out to support the band. The band will be back after the launch of their debut album ‘Triggerpunkte’ and we cannot wait!

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BUZZ IN’

BENGALURU

Someone stole the show

Well, the invitees went to the show with the intention of getting a glimpse of celebrated designer Bibhu Mohapatra and actress Shriya Saran.

And they did see the duo…. but what grabbed their attention and had them oohing and aahing was not the actress’ beauty or Bibhu’s stunning pieces of jewellery. Instead the two beautiful Saint Bernards, presumably pets of the owners of C Krishniah Chetty & Sons, where the show was held, proved to be the showstoppers of the day. Even pretty Shriya couldn't resist kicking off her shoes and squatting down to play with them.

Beautiful inside, and out Look who made it to this year’s Style List. Bengaluru’s glam girl and RITZ’s most recent cover girl Kulsum Shadab Wahab was judged best for Power Dressing by a popular publication. And why not! The lady most definitely has a unique sense of style and coupled with her noble philanthropic endeavours, she is certainly one of the most fashionable and beautiful people from the city.

Way to go lady… keep up the good work!

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RITZ MAY 2016

BUZZ IN’

BENGALURU

Almost all of us have possessed a Channapatna toy as kids. Even Vineet Verma did, when he was a young boy in Kolkata. (He had a Channapatna rocking horse).

So now when he wanted to give a personalised touch to the newly launched Grand Mercure hotel in Mysuru, Vineet, who is Executive Director, Brigade Hospitality, and a prominent face on the Bengaluru hospitality circuit, personally went shopping for toys, dolls and artefacts in Channapatna.

He visited a craftsman’s house in Channapatna, saw how the artefacts were crafted, interacted with the people there and personally picked pieces he felt would make a perfect fit in the hotel, while reflecting the rich heritage of Karnataka.

Shopping for artefacts in Channapatna

The backpacking CEO His schedule is always packed with meetings and deadlines. He has a challenging task of opening more outlets of his classic American casual wear brand in India. But he still manages to take time out “every 3 months” to backpack and explore new destinations and cultures. He has backpacked across the world, including places such as Syria. When RITZ met him one Wednesday afternoon, he had just returned from a 2-week Japanese holiday where he witnessed the country being blanketed with cherry blossoms.

Oliver Kaye, CEO – GAP Business, who now lives near the Ulsoor Lake in Bengaluru, loves to explore new cultures and destinations by traveling on a shoe-string budget and taking trams, buses and trains wherever possible. “Next on my list are Africa, Tibet, Bhutan, and in India it is Ladakh and Darjeeling,” says the debonair CEO who “works to live, and does not live to work.”

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BUZZ IN’

HYDERABAD

In the news again And Anushree Reddy has been in the news again, this time because Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu chose to wear one of her creations to her pre-wedding do. In pretty pink with light floral motifs, the look was perfect for India’s sweltering heat and complemented Bipasha’s personality just right.

Another winner for this desi designer!

The perfect hit!

He’s a rockstar no doubt… and judging by the crowds that came out to catch a glimpse of Virat Kohli, we know that he’s the biggest star of them all in India right now. Wrogn, Kohli’s own brand of merchandise launched its first store in Hyderabad recently and his fans came out by the hundreds to catch a glimpse of their cricketing hero. And in true hero style, Kohli took to his social media platforms for thank all of them for coming out to support him.

An absolutely perfect hit, we say!

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RITZ MAY 2016

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Apart from the bundle offer, templeofsilks.com has saree collections priced from Rs.750. www.templeofsilks.com is the online portal of Beena Kannan’s “The House of Seematti”

BUZZ IN’

HYDERABAD

Asmita Marwa globetrotting The city-based international designer, Asmita Marwa had a great time at the Global Sustainable Fashion Week.

She has been regularly updating her newsfeed and expressing her excitement on social media platforms.

She seems to have had an amazing time at the Global Sustainable Fashion Week.

Women in leadership Margaret Keane, President and CEO of Synchrony Financial, interacted with key members of FICCI and other industry bodies while speaking on the subject of Women in Leadership Opportunities and Challenges.

The programme emphasised the need for empowerment of women in their respective areas to enable them to be better leaders.

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RSVP

KOCHI With the crown on her head, Ankita Kharat from Mumbai stood before the audience as Manappuram Miss Queen of India, 2016, powered by Unique Times an event conducted by Pegasus in Gokulam Convention Centre, Kaloor, Kochi. 18 beauties from different Indian states participated in this event. Rashmita Gowda from Chikmagalur and Aishwarya Dinesh from Bengaluru emerged first and second runner up respectively.

Previous year winner Kanika Kapur crowned the overwhelmed Miss Queen of India 2016 winner. MD & CEO of Manappuram Finance Ltd Mr. V P Nandakumar crowned the first and second runners up.

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RSVP 26

RITZ MAY 2016

KOCHI Setting the tone of things to come in Kerala, South India‘s largest lifestyle magazine RITZ romped home in style with the Award for Best Fashion Magazine (South) organised through massive public voting by the widely renowned Lulu group which is part of the multi-billion dollar worldwide Lulu chain. This is the first such Award ceremony of its kind in Kerala. Leading by a huge margin, Ritz won the Award trumping both national and regional publications, in a mere two months of the magazine’s glittering Kerala entry.

At Team Ritz, we consider this victory special and auspicious and thank voters, our readers, advertisers and well wishers in Kerala and across South India for all the love, support and trust.

MAY 2016 RITZ

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COVER STORY

KERALA

The

power of character He has had a tempestuous relationship with time. Right from his early days in showbiz to the heights of stardom to catastrophic troughs to attaining legendary iconic status, Mohanlal has seen it all. His audacious roles seem to have provoked him to rise above all constraints to emerge as the consummate, complete actor. Adversities, setbacks and life’s lessons - the superstar has been through trials and triumphs with equanimity. Ritz doffs its hat to the marathon man. In this capsule perspective of his career, RITZ showcases the awe-inspiring Mohanlal through exclusive pictures shot with him for our sister publication, Southscope.

Text: Sashidhar Adivi

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COVER STORY 30

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Mohanlal's oeuvre proves that he was born to be a Malayali actor. His perfectionist streak, not to forget sublime acting prowess, might probably never have come into their own in T-Town or Bollywood. That's what you call destiny! Perhaps, an avowedly spiritual person like Mohanlal would know it more than any.

Call it mere co-incidence; Mohanlal Viswanathan Nair came to do roles with grey shades at the outset like two of the superstars of his times - Rajinikanth, and Chiranjeevi. In fact, Mohanlal was adjudged as a poor actor when he first auditioned for a role in late 1970s. As the audience's luck would have it, Fazil and Jijo Appachan saw the spark in him. He never looked back.

Only that he had to bide his time by playing negative roles for years on end. By 1983, he had played a negative role in most of the twenty-five films in which he acted. It continued until he struck superstardom

Mohanlal fearlessly blogs his opinions and has a say on issues that prick his conscience - be it moral policing, political murders et al

after the run-away success of Rajavinte Makan. And just as K Balachander continued his association with Kamal for decades on end, Lal collaborated with Priyadarshan for about 29 films over the years.

Gifted is the word. The range of genres he has dabbled in gives you an idea of how versatile the actor is. In 'God's own country', Mohanlal is the people's own actor for a reason. The author-backed roles he essayed reflected the psyche of the society during the socialist era.

If anything else was needed to say that he is insuperable, consider this: he is known for his intellectual honesty. In a State where writers/thinkers are notorious for keeping alive a culture of conspiracy of silence, Mohanlal fearlessly blogs his opinions and has a say on issues that prick his conscience - be it moral policing, political murders et al. He didn't shy away from saying that he

was "disgusted and scared to live in Kerala, land of killers", when a political dissident was hacked to death. And if leading by example maketh a hero, here is the man who was willing to be an escape artist, offering himself to do the 'Burning Illusion' act in 2008, just to inspire the youth to resolutely face the challenges in life. (He gave up the idea in the wake of a debate over the "dangerous" stunt).

Only Kerala, a state with a rich tradition of writing and intellectual heft in movies, could have offered a subtle actor like Mohanlal a MAY 2016 RITZ

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COVER STORY platform to explore himself. It's also the only place where he could have become a cultural icon in his own right.

Never the one after glitz and money, the actor took decades to debut in Bollywood (no prizes for guessing that it's the memorable role in RGV's Company in 2002). When it comes being "contented and happy with my own language", Mohanlal is non-pareil among all the superstars of his generation. And a master who had been "made by great masters" like G Aravindan, Hariharan, MT Vasudevan Nair, Padmarajan, Bharathan and Lohithadas could have been tempted to act in a non-Malayalam film only by another great showman like Mani Ratnam - yes, it was the 1997 Tamil political drama Iruvar.

Even at this age, Mohanlal can have even a Kamal Haasan feel challenged. "My

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“My greatest challenge is that an actor like Mohanlal did the original,� Kamal reportedly told his director while reprising his role in the Tamil remake of Drishyam

greatest challenge is that a terrific actor like Mohanlal did the original," Kamal reportedly told his director while reprising his role in the Tamil remake of Drishyam. Well, such is the delicacy of Lal’s acting prowess!

The non-Malayali audience have this one role in Iruvar, a role allegedly fashioned after the legendary MGR, in mind. Still fresh in their memory. One wonders whether he is spontaneous or otherwise. For Mohanlal, it's a matter of passion, transforming oneself from real to reel in a matter of seconds. After all, here is a man with a stage performing background.

To many it may seem a bit inconceivable that Mohanlal is showing interest in mainstream Tollywood and Kollywood movies, at least now and then, in this age. While in Tamil he has shared screen space with Vijay, in Telugu, the film with Jr. NTR (legendary NTR's grandson) is slated for an August release.

In a State hardly known for cult worship (compare this to the situation in neighboring Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnakata), Mohanlal has legions of committed fans.

The four-time National Award winner (Kireedom, Bharatham, Vaanaprastham, for which he also won the Best Film award), is a Padma Shri, besides being a proud actor (a first for an actor in India) to hold the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel.

Like all greats, Mohanlal is down-to-earth.

Like only a few greats, he loves to wear his heart on his sleeve. Recently, on his 28th wedding anniversary, he posted a special video where he is seen singing for his wife Suchitra.

With the times changing, has Mohanlal allowed himself to fall in an image trap? Are the critics correct in slamming him for going after "formulaic content and larger-thanlife male-oriented roles"? That could only be a half-truth. For, Mohanlal may have done commercial roles, but has maintained his class and always believed that form is temporary and class is permanent.

He values relationships, a trait persons of character value. He continues to share his moments with the same friends who were with him since his first film. Perhaps, it's the purity in his subconscious that had his friends apply on his behalf for an audition way back in 1978; something which triggered his awesome tryst with the world of cinema.

Take a bow, Lal!

MAY 2016 RITZ

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SPOTLIGHT

BENGALURU

Bejewelled pathway to success Say ‘Bibhu Mohapatra’ and more often than not you might end up recalling the man who designed a blue floral dress worn by Michelle Obama during her India visit last year. But Bibhu Mohapatra the designer has a lot more to his credit. The US First Lady is just one amongst that long list of global personalities who have donned Bibhu’s creations. On his first visit to Bengaluru, the New York based designer talks to RITZ about his first ever foray into jewellery designing and how he has come a long way, but has a longer way to go.

Text: Priyanka Golikeri 34

RITZ MAY 2016 2016

It all started decades ago in Rourkela, a small town in Odisha famous for its steel plants.

A young boy of 12 was utterly fascinated when one day his mother opened a red potli that contained exquisite pieces of jewellery passed down through generations in the family. The boy watched starry eyed as one after another, pieces of antique jewels poured out from the potli, each belonging to someone in the family, each having a story to tell. When he touched the jewels, he felt an immense connect with the people who would have adorned them once upon a time.

This first encounter with jewellery ignited in his mind a small thought which he cherished and nurtured over the years until one day… the Forevermark Artemis collection was born.

“One dream I always had was to come up with a fine jewellery collection someday. I would fantasize about designing a particular piece, or taking a diamond and doing something with it,” says Bibhu Mohapatra, the man who has dressed celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Lopez, Elisabeth Moss, Priyanka Chopra, and more.

Reflecting the luminescence, radiance and brilliance of the constellation comprising the sun, moon and the stars, and the balance that it creates in our lives, Forevermark Artemis is a collection of sensual and romantic jewellery for the contemporary woman “who travels, has a social life, who could be affluent, upper-middle class or middle class,” says Bibhu.

With a handpicked diamond from Forevermark at the heart of every piece of jewel in Bibhu’s collection; Artemis, set in different shades of gold, presents a fine balance between tradition and modernity.

Four key motifs have been interpreted and richly blended into unique jewels comprising bracelets, pendants, rings, earrings and

was interested in doing something that has longevity, which can be grown and scaled.

Create a line of fine jewellery which is luxury by inclusion, not exclusion. The whole idea that luxury has to be exclusive for a few is something I wanted to go against. Artemis comprises a wide range, each at different price points, having a unique design interspersed with the finest diamonds in the world.” Being transitional, some pieces in the collection like the rings and earrings can be paired with different types of wear, and can accentuate day wear, evening wear, or even casual wear.

Bibhu’s journey into jewellery started two years ago when he met Sachin Jain, “I grew up seeing all President, Forevermark India. “Forevermark as a brand stands for a certain core value those marvellous crafts system. The diamonds are the best and the that my state is known process of diamond selection is incredible. for such as silver filigree Each diamond is responsibly sourced and is known for its quality and integrity. All these factors allowed me to get excited about a and Ikkat” possible association.”

A prominent name at the New York Fashion Week, no matter what heights his work has taken him to, the suave designer is immensely humble about his origins. “It all started in Odisha. I grew up seeing all those marvellous crafts that my state is known for such as silver filigree and Ikkat. I grew up in an environment that was beautiful, brooches. colourful and inspirational. Odisha and India “I look for a focal point while starting represent my heritage and will always be off something. I wanted the core of the present in my design DNA. I’m building a inspiration to be Indian. I looked into our global brand and my heritage gives me an Vedic rituals, the constellation of the universe and how people can be compatible edge,” proclaims the man who went to the Utah State University to study economics with each other. The central thought and then eventually moved to NYC to enrol behind Artemis was inner balance and in the Fashion Institute of Technology. outer strength, making it a very special For Bibhu, Artemis is just the beginning. collaboration for me.”

Artemis revolves around the inclusion factor, “The first step. As I learn, I want to take it to newer levels and build a really huge universe appealing to the larger audience, rather of beautiful jewels.” than limiting itself to a niche clientele. “I MAY 2016 RITZ

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SPOTLIGHT

HYDERABAD

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The Khan Factor

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it,” says Maya Angelou, the American poet and memoirist. Here’s one Hyderabadi woman achiever who believes in living by that Mantra. Not content with being just the daughter in law of Hyderabad’s First Family of Real Estate and Infrastructure - the Babukhans – Anjum has emerged as one the city’s most respected educationists and philanthropists. In an exclusive one-on-one with RITZ, the graceful Anjum speaks on her family and endeavours.

RITZ MAY 2016 2016

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan To be born into an illustrious family and build on its strengths is one thing, while to be married into one and create one’s own identity is another. While Salman Babu Khan, a Management Graduate from Chicago belongs to the former category, his wife Anjum belongs to the latter. Salman’s grandfather, Khan Bahadur Abdul Karim Babukhan, the doyen of the clan, established a highly successful business empire in the 1930s which was expanded further by Salman’s father, Basheeruddin Babukhan.

The Arts College of the Osmania University, Hyderabad House, the Delhi Palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Deccan towers, the Mogul court, the Babukhan estate, the Asaf Jahi Towers and the Babukhan Millennium Centre along with over 20 major projects that dot the city today are a few of the monumental marvels the family has created. His father also forayed into politics and had held important portfolios as a Cabinet Minister in the 90s. Salman, on his part, has successfully led the Babukhan enterprises into the next millennium besides making his presence felt at the Round Table, YI and CII. Anjum was a Psychology Major from the Loyola University in Chicago when she got engaged to Salman. She was always keen on being associated with the education sector.

So she pursued her Masters in Educational Administration and Instructional Leadership, soon after their engagement and started working in Springfields School after marriage, which was established by her father-in-law. After 7 years, she started Glendale Academy, her own institution in 2003.

“My father-in-law, late Bashiruddin Babukhan, always wanted to create a state-of-the- art institution and leave that

Countless personalities have inspired Anjum Babukhan. “I love to learn from everyone and synthesise those experiences into my life,” she says. Her passions include anything nurturing, rejuvenating, spiritual and enriching. She loves spas and travelling. “I feel so nurtured and restored when I go to a spa! I love learning new things to enrich myself. Of course travelling is wonderful!

My husband and I love to take a restorative break as well as visit new lands not explored before. My spiritual book club is very special too and I have learnt and grown so much as a person - whether it is from the Power of Now by Eckart Tolle or Soul to Soul by Gary Zukav. I would much rather enjoy an intimate lunch with a friend and have a satiating conversation instead of attending

Photographs: Santosh Kumar

as his legacy. Even though the family had a name in real estate, he always thought of empowering others and giving back to the society. He was into philanthropy and charity until his last breath. The last place he visited before passing away was Glendale.

He was really proud of me for making his dream come true. Having been a successful businessman, politician and philanthropist, he always attributed his success to his alma mater. He wanted to do the same thing and create leaders who would make the world a better place like he did,” shares Anjum.

“My in-laws and husband have been ever supportive, encouraging and proud of everything pursue, by God’s grace. They helped me settle in wonderfully. There is a beautiful synergy in our family that supports one another and what we contribute to the society. Glendale Academy is the biggest example. It was my father-in-law’s vision and dream and my mother in law’s dua (prayers) and blessings, which helped us build Glendale. My husband carried out the entire physical project from building to landscape architecture to handling the logistics and government permissions; and then I did everything else from helping design the concept, logo, stationary, curriculum methods, pedagogy, training of teachers, procuring the best international resources, inputs on the interiors, to our entire school programs… Glendale represents us in more ways than one. We wanted to create proactive, productive and value-enriched peaceful global citizens,” adds the poised lady. The school attracts the future heirs of several high profile families even though it’s not intentional.

“I would much rather enjoy an intimate lunch with a friend and have a satiating conversation instead of attending a social do with small talk”

a social do with small talk. I love nature and all natural things from aromatherapy to zinc,” reveals the educationist.

Anjum strongly believes that she has a lot to offer teachers and education leaders. She wishes to publish her book and video that is a neuroscience based guide for educators.

She wrote it several years ago but didn’t have time to launch it yet. “I would love to take my Edvantage Teacher Leadership Institute to the next level in the future.

There is definitely a need for this,” she says as she signs off.

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SPOTLIGHT 38

CHENNAI

Polo’s Kingmaker Even as tales and whispers of the bygone era of Polo’s heyday in Madras in the 1960s and 70s begin to fade away, a group of equestrian enthusiasts have taken it upon themselves to revive this pride of the city. RITZ catches up with Irshad Mecca about his newest venture in the field of sports on the sidelines of a Polo training match.

RITZ MAY 2016 2016

Text: Rebecca Vargese

Photographs: Gurunath Prabhu

While Irshad Mecca may be known for many things, like his flourishing business under the Farida Group, his enterprise and his impeccable gentlemanly demeanour, Irshad also has quite the exquisite taste in sports.

Though, a late entrant into the sport, the man thrums with all the excitement of a Polo aficionado. “I used to watch the kids take part in Dressage and Show Jumping; horse riding looked enjoyable and so I decided to give it a try,” he says.

In a bid to bring this sport back into vogue in the city, Irshad along with sporting veterans like AC Muthiah and Kishore Futnani were part of Polo 2.0 Chennai. Polo 2.0 marked the return of the sport after a hiatus of about 30 years. “The tournament which created a remarkable buzz was the result of a Friday evening discussion. The following Sunday we had the match,” Irshad reveals.

Describing the game as tactical as playing chess while galloping on horseback, the gleam in Irshad’s eyes as he talks about Polo is unmistakably one of love for the sport and the adrenaline rush that it offers.

“The dynamics of the game are completely different from all other equestrian sports.

Polo is an intellectually stimulating game and game strategies change with every passing second.”

Even as most sporting formats have evolved over the years, Polo is today a T20 version of the game. “Polo has become more of a spectator sport. Unlike the earlier version of the game which was played on a 10-acre field, arena polo is much more engaging.”

Talking about his game plan to revive the sport, Irshad admits that fresh blood is the only way to popularise the sport. “In order to sustain the sport we need more young people to participate. We are trying to expand into colleges. We have managed a tie up with Hindustan University.”

But doesn’t such accessibility mean polo loses its ‘niche’ tag which adds to the sheen and glamour of the sport? “I personally think that it doesn’t have to be such an elitist sport,” Irshad says. We are joined

by Irshad’s fellow polo enthusiasts who back his personal take. “Horses are the most beautiful animals in all Creation.

Just watching a herd of horses running is probably the most exotic sight that there is.

You don’t need to add any more sheen, they offer you the ‘glamour’ of the sport,” they laugh. We are in agreement.

Irshad who was part of the polo team that

“This game is not just about strategy, it also allows you this bonding between horse and rider.

Your horse literally gives you its all till its last breath”

won a tournament in Hyderabad, plays at least 4 days a week. “I’d play through the week if I could,” he smiles, while hinting at a large scale event in the city sometime soon.

N.V. Ravi, President of the Madras Riding School reveals that a tournament is on the calendar, most likely, during the first week of June.

As we end our little chinwag to divert our attention to the practice session, Irshad says, “This game is not just about strategy, it also allows you this bonding between horse and rider. Your horse literally gives you its all till its last breath. That’s what makes it, the Sport of Kings.”

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SPOTLIGHT 40

INDIA’S BEST BOUTIQUES

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DESTINATION

Presents

Fashion’s new

fundamentalists

They found their calling blogging about their sense of fashion and lifestyle - and they’ve gone on to become some of the biggest influencers in the fashion market in South India today. RITZ features some of South India’s most popular fashion and lifestyle bloggers and finds out what exactly makes each one of them tick.

Compiled by: Rebecca Vargese, Diya Subramanian, Ajuli Tulsyan & Priyanka Golikeri

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SPOTLIGHT

Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels?

I don't think so. If you are a blogger par excellence people will find you, even if you are living under a rock.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularise What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai their products/lines? Tell us about it.

Yes, I have participated in a lot of these or Delhi possess as advantages over campaigns and I must say, I enjoyed being their South Indian counterparts? a part of them. I experienced new things Mumbai and Delhi are mature markets and adventures that I never thought I for fashion brands. Hence, most of the would try otherwise. brands prefer to capture these cities as potential marketplaces.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the There is criticism that fashion and fashion blogger par excellence. Do you beauty bloggers are far more exposed see some such figure emerging from and knowledgeable in the north than India? here. Comment.

Nothing that I have come across.

BENGALURU However, that may be my personal experience.

In terms of knowledge, it is your skills and experience that matter the most, irrespective of your working zones.

How lucrative is blogging?

Most of the brands today are aware

42

and sorted about Digital Media, which was not the scenario a few years back.

Hence, blogging helps fetch you bread and butter.

RITZ MAY 2016

Of course, India is emerging as the new Digital sensation.

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

Bollywood is a major trendsetter in India.

Since, I love following fashion trends, I try to adopt them in my day to day life.

However, I do not follow trends blindly. I take into consideration my body type and comfort before adopting a trend.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

I draw inspiration from anything and everything around me. It could be movies, fashion magazines, nature or Bollywood.

In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emerging as a viable career option?

Tough to claim that. One must be competitive and adaptable to the market scenario nowadays.

There are many bubbles bursting, you see!

What are your favourite brands?

ZARA, Mango, Forever New, Vero Moda What names are you most often seen wearing?

Same as above since they are my favourites!

Shalini Chopra Blog: www.stylishbynature.com Following: More than 2,00,000 readers per month Facebook - 2,00,000 Instagram - ~ 30,000 Twitter - 6,000

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SPOTLIGHT

INDIA’S BEST BOUTIQUES

Nilu Yuleena Thapa Blog: www.bighairloudmouth.com/ Views: 1,20,000 Unique viewers per month: 10,000 Instagram: 26,600 followers Facebook: 27,588 followers

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DESTINATION

Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and bigticket international labels? And why is that?

I don’t exactly feel that. While I know other cities have far more brands and events than we do, I still feel that bloggers in South India do get coverage and an opportunity to collaborate with national brands.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

Sometimes yes, since there are more brands and events in Mumbai and Delhi as I mentioned earlier, but that doesn’t stop us from working on the same collaborations they are a part of.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the fashion blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

Not internationally but I’m hopeful we’ll see someone soon!

BENGALURU

In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emerging as a viable career option?

Yes. When I quit my full time job in Yahoo to pursue my dream of becoming a blogger, I was skeptical but I see myself much happier and self-satisfied following my passion and working for myself.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

I cannot specify on the part time as I’ve been a full time blogger for 2 years.

What are your future plans?

I want to continue delivering quality and meaningful work to my readers and clients.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion and beauty trends?

I shop online a lot, especially from the new arrivals and that helps me.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for ontrend info?

I have many favourite bloggers. As I said earlier, everyone has their unique style and I love seeing that in their blogs as it is different.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here. Comment.

I don’t believe in that. Everyone has their own perspective and while North has many full time bloggers who dedicate their entire working hours to working on the blog, here in South I see a lot of people doing it as a part time hobby.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularise their products/lines?

Yes, I have. The experience has been amazing and meeting bloggers from different cities is always fun. We all have our individuality on which we are building our respective blogs and we understand and respect that.

what they want to see and I work on their requests too. Besides that I blog about anything interesting I find as my blog is not a fashion blog where I predict trends and tell people that certain things are in trend but instead I just write about my personal style which categorises BIG hair LOUD mouth into the Personal Style Blog Genre.

What are your favourite brands?

Numerous! I wear a mix of both high fashion, luxury and street style clothing to create something different. I don’t run after labels so to me fashion isn't about wearing the expensive brands but is about making yourself look good.

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

I’m not influenced by Bollywood trends.

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

I’m very active on social media and I interact a lot with my blog readers. After years of interaction, we have formed a relationship where they don’t hesitate to let me know

What names are you most often seen wearing?

I wear Chicwish dresses and skirts a lot, Zara shoes, I always carry my MK Selma not because of the label but because it can house so many things and still maintain its shape well. I often add Max Fashions, Zara, Mango, ONLY and Lifestyle to my looks.

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SPOTLIGHT

Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels?

No, I wasn't even aware that was a thing.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

Probably just their geographical location.

Most of the business and money goes into these two cities.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here. Comment.

That really cannot be possible anymore because you can find literally anything on the internet now and you still have books. If anybody is not exposed or knowledgeable is probably because they're lazy and or disinterested.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

I've been a full time blogger for quite some time now so I can't really comment on part time blogging.

But full time blogging is very lucrative.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularise their products/lines?

Tell us about the experience.

Yes of course, I've worked with a lot of brands like Wills Lifestyle,

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RITZ MAY 2016

Caratlane, Burberry, Gucci, Cal-vin Klein, Swarovski and many many more.

It's always exciting to be a part of a new campaign and experience a new product and get to share your opinion on it. I love the entire process.

stature came as a by product of the digital magazine on fashion and lifestyle that she co-founded. She is a lot of things but she is not really a blogger.

Like her, currently or in the near future I do not see such a figure emerging from India.

What are your future plans?

How strongly are you influenced by Currently it is to build my blog and readership further and reach further out. Bollywood trends?

Work with more brands and include a lot Not at all! more travel on the blog.

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

Miroslava Duma has made a career From their comments and engagement out of her social media presence as the levels, the popularity of certain blog fashion blogger par excellence. Do you posts over the others. see some such figure emerging from India?

How do you keep yourself abreast of Miroslava is actually a Russian writer and entrepreneur first. Her social media fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

It's difficult not to because everything today is literally served on a platter on the BENGALURU internet. It's very difficult to miss even the smallest trend or detail. I can't remember the last time I bought an actual physical magazine. Now I only buy a magazine if I've been featured in it! To show my parents.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for on-trend info?

I like Fuss.co.in by Rhea, Styldrv

by Aayushi, Naina.co, BHLM by Nilu in India and outside India I love Tuulavintage.com, Kenza, The Glamourai, Song of Style, Sincerely Jules and The Blonde Salad.

What are your favourite brands?

Too many to name.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

I wear a lot of Forever 21 and Mango.

Akanksha Redhu Blog: www.akanksharedhu.com Monthly page views on the blog: 100,542 page views Facebook page: 39,833 likes Instagram: 39,400 followers Twitter: 10,955 followers Snapchat: 745 views per story

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SPOTLIGHT PALLAVI RUHAIL Blogger, Hyderabad

Blog: http://www.thatdelhigirl.com/ Facebook followers: 27, 106 Instagram followers: 48.9k

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Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels? And why is that?

Honestly I don't think anyone takes me for a North or a South Indian blogger. People back in Delhi think I am currently based in Hyderabad so I am not a Delhi blogger while people in Hyderabad know that I am from Delhi and the blog’s name is Delhi centric so I have to be a Delhi blogger. I would rather call myself an Indian blogger because eventually my followers are Pan-India.

Now as far as the South Indian bloggers being sidelined by big brands are designers is concerned, I don't think if a South Indian blogger has a good traffic and good social media reach that's a problem. Unless maybe yes if there are logistic issues. I mean for example you can't expect brand like Aeropostale & H&M to really associate with south bloggers (except Bangalore maybe) because they don't have their stores here so sourcing and returning things post shoot is quite a problem.

No doubt that the target population for western wear, beauty and makeup products and lifestyle brands in general in the south is on the lesser side than north & hence brands do tend to focus on north but it's pure business.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

Availability of all brands and presence of all major magazines/publications, city based fashion weeks, and of course the concept of blogging is more popular and well taken.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here.

Comment.

I don’t think so. Everything is online where you go read, learn and develop the needed skills. If you take blogging as a serious job for yourself you have to stay exposed and knowledgeable and updated. No excuses there.

HYDERABAD

I don't think she made it out of her social media. I mean she worked for several magazines as writer/ contributor for a while before she launched her website Buro 24/7 in 2011 when social media was still not that big. Yes of course she is often captured by top street style publications and social media accounts for her personal style and is quite popular for that, but I am not sure if it'll be right to say that she made her career out of social media.

I don't think anyone can make a career just out of social media.

It's too dynamic. Few years back people with great Twitter following were stars, now it’s Instagram and tomorrow there will be something else. As a blogger you shouldn't lose focus on your blog, that's what makes or breaks your career eventually as a blogger.

How strongly are you influenced

by Bollywood trends?

Not at all. You can't really call Bollywood as a source of fashion influence, I think.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

Lucrative enough for me to quit my job last year and take it up full time!

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

I keep a track to what posts are getting better engagement and reactions.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularise their products/lines? Tell us about the experience.

I have been associated with brands/labels like BMW, Benetton, World Gold Council, Luxottica, Ritu Kumar, Adidas, Swarovski, Pepe, Hyatt, and others. The experience has been great and I have learnt so much more with each campaign that I did.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

I read lot of stuff online, mostly American and British publications and then follow the right accounts on social media matters too.

Plus Pinterest!

Who are your favourite bloggers?

Chiara Ferragni, Leandra Medine, Nicole Warne, Bryan Boy and others.

What are your future plans?

I don't know, I am not sure, I really don't make plans and I live for the moment. Things just fall in place.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the fashion blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

What are your favourite brands?

I am not too sure as I like a lot of brands.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

I am guilty of mostly wearing Zara, not just because I like their stuff but also because in Hyderabad there aren’t really many brands available.

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SPOTLIGHT

Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels? And why is that?

First of all, every city has a few wellestablished bloggers. But if you look at cities like Mumbai and Delhi, the sheer number of quality bloggers is way higher than in South Indian cities. Any brand/ designer would first look to collaborate with a blogger who has great content, significant influence (whether through the blog or social media), and is in sync with the brand’s vision and ideology, irrespective of which city the blogger is based out of.

In Hyderabad particularly, I feel it is more of a vicious cycle. You need more quality bloggers for national/international designers to take notice. And you need brands and designers to start engaging bloggers through events and campaigns, to make the audience more aware of the concept, and encourage brandblogger interactions. There needs to be a significant push and growth from both sides.

The other side of it is that, I have had experiences where brands have sometimes simply refused to collaborate simply because I was based in Hyderabad.

Even some of the top designers who are from Hyderabad are keener on collaborating with bloggers from Mumbai as they find better scope there!

are based out of, conveniently forgetting that a fashion blog can have a reader base pan India! But between the bloggers themselves there is great camaraderie.

I have blogger friends from all over India. Everyone is in it because they are passionate about it, and everyone is always very supportive and encouraging.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here. Comment.

Really? This is the first time I am hearing of this! I feel city or location has absolutely nothing to do with how much knowledge you have. I know some stellar bloggers from South who are very well knowledgeable in their respective fields.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

Blogging is hard work and requires a lot of time and dedication. It really depends on the direction that you want to take it.

You can have a full-time job and dedicate some time to blog on the side. Or you could become a full time blogger and build your personal brand. Either way it takes time, sometimes years. There are very few cases where bloggers have tasted overnight success.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularize their products/lines? Tell us about the experience.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai All the campaigns I’ve been part of are up on my blog. So it’s an open book! Some or Delhi possess as advantages over that I’ve really enjoyed working with are their South Indian counterparts?

Label Ritu Kumar, INCOCU, Limeroad, A blog is an online platform that is Max Fashions and ASUS. It’s more about accessible to everyone from any part of the world. Your audience is not restricted the kind of campaign they have in mind, and whether they are giving you the to a particular city. So it depends on you creative freedom to execute it, rather than how you manage to engage people on about big brand names. your blog. Having said that, as a city both Mumbai and Delhi are much more fashion forward, both in terms of having a fashion What are your future plans?

Right now it is to continue working on my conscious consumer base and in terms blog and various other projects. Since I am of having a thriving fashion industry. also an artist and I paint, I have started a There is no denying that. Certain brands new venture where I am trying to promote and multi-chain retail stores aren’t even my work and various other artists as well. present in Hyderabad. So in terms of I am also working on a web magazine the industry and the blogger events that brands keep conducting – there could be a + creative lab venture along with my partner. disadvantage there.

There are also instances when brands/ Miroslava Duma has made a career designers blindly go by which “city” you

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out of her social media presence as the fashion blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

Yes, definitely! Social media influencers are increasing in number day by day, and it is very lucrative as well.

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

It’s part of my job description to be upto-date on trends of all sorts. But I don’t really follow trends blindly; my personal style is more casual and laid back.

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

After a while you get to know based on their reactions and feedback to various posts. Sometimes you just ask them what they would like to read/see.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

A lot of browsing and reading of various fashion portals!

Who are your favorite bloggers and what sites do you visit for on-trend info?

Nicole Warne, Chiara Ferragni, Emily Schuman, Leandra Medine and Aimee Song to name a few.

In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices; do you see blogging emerging as a viable career option?

Definitely! But you need to consider a lot of factors before deciding to take this as a full time career. Just like any other business it has its share of risks and rewards; and requires a whole lot of time and dedication.

Who are your favourite brands?

The list keeps changing quite frequently.

Currently I love Kanika Goyal, Anita Dongre, Quirk Box and Doodlage. And some high-street brands like Topshop, River Island.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

Hard to say! I keep mixing it up in almost every outfit. I could be wearing a Ritu Kumar dress with a bag that I purchased while street shopping. I like to mix and match and not stick to any one brand.

HYDERABAD

CHANDANA MUNIPALLE Blogger, Hyderabad

Blog : www.thegirlatfirstavenue.com Monthly unique blog views: 60,000 +

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SPOTLIGHT

INDIA’S BEST BOUTIQUES DESTINATION

ARIA KRISHNAMURTI Blogger, Hyderabad

Blog: http://stylemearia.com/ Social media followers: 4000+

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Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and bigticket international labels? And why is that?

I feel South Indian designers are only now making a mark for themselves on the national front. So it’s a matter of time before bloggers follow suit. And personally I want to see myself as a global citizen/ professional/blogger.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

Since there are more designers, events and hence media coverage in Mumbai and Delhi, bloggers in these cities have more work and hence more visibility. I am confident that the playing field will get more even over the next few years.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

Let me be very honest. It is not very easy to make blogging a lucrative business. Probably it is only the top 2 % of bloggers who can make a living out of it.

What are your future plans?

I want to grow from strength to strength in my blogging endeavours. I have just set up my studio from where I will run my fashion consultancy, styling and grooming business. I would like to be able to reach out to all classes of people, be it for dayto-day styling or fashion shoots and wedding styling.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the fashion

blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

Indians are smart and have made a mark in every conceivable field, be it art, or science, business or politics. Fashion cannot be far behind! India will definitely have many Miroslava Dumas.

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

Even though Bollywood is very much a part and parcel of most Indians' lives, I am not one who follows Bollywood trends. Who knows maybe one day Bollywood will follow my trends!

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

I very seriously analyse the feedback that I get from my readers and this helps me execute my ideas better.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

Thanks to the internet and social media, it

HYDERABAD

has become easier to get varied inputs. I am an avid traveler and a keen and astute observer; I find that this has also helped me in the work I do.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for on-trend info?

To name a few - Thegirlfromfuss, Bombaybubble, StyleScrapbook, Theblondesalad, Fashion&I by Aien Jamir; and for on trends information I follow a lot of magazines, online as well as print. I make sure I stay up to date with international fashion weeks.

In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emerging as a viable career option?

Yes I certainly see it as a viable option. It is a great advertising tool especially in today's digital age!

Who are your favourite brands?

My style is very eclectic and my choices range from high street to high end. I have always been inspired by Alexander Mcqueen and Elie Saab, on the international front.

Among Indian designers, I love Anamika Khanna, Dhruv Kapoor, Gaurav Gupta, and Manish Arora to name a few.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

Plantation House, I love my pair of Forever21 ripped denims, TopShop, Zara, Global Desi, Ritu Kumar and Archana Rao to name a few.

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SPOTLIGHT

CHENNAI Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels? And why is that?

It is true that we bloggers from the south don’t get the same exposure as other bloggers from cities in the north or west. This maybe because when it comes to fashion, Chennai or any other southern city is still growing and learning about the field. However, bloggers from cities in the north have established themselves well in this fashion industry.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

They have better exposure when it comes to fashion. Not only do they have bigger and better brands than we do but, they also have the market and demand for them. I think people here in Chennai like to keep it simple, but that is changing now.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here. Comment.

I got my degree in fashion communication and styling from Pune and I followed through only because I was passionate about it. If you are truly interested in something, nothing can stop you from educating yourself about it. It is an advantage to be open to new ideas and travelling to learn. Luckily, I get the chance to do that.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

It can get hard. But for me it has become more than a hobby, I make sure I take time out from my other job and give my blog the time it deserves. My blog is what has shaped me as a person, so it doesn’t seem like a task. It is a dream job of sorts. I make money dressing up, what could be better?

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularise their products/lines? Tell us about the experience.

Yes, I have been a part of quite a

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RITZ MAY 2016

by international bloggers and big designers.

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

With around 20,000 followers, I have made a small Simply Moda family for myself. My readers directly tell me what they are looking for or if they like or dislike something I have posted. I take their comments seriously and work accordingly to give them something new every time.

few brand campaigns. However, responsibilities are different when it comes to campaigning for big brands.

Everything is set up ahead of time for photo shoots, the planning is almost flawless. But even then, there may have to be a couple of changes during the shoot sometimes. Then again, I love what I do so it is more like a fun day rather than a job.

What are your future plans?

As of now I am looking to diversify my line from just t-shirts and introduce a line of bags. When it comes to the blog, I will keep doing what I do and try to become better at it.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the fashion blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

Definitely. A lot of bloggers from Mumbai and Delhi are already pretty big in India and are being recognised extensively.

India is next in line and is sure to strike it big in fashion.

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

Not too much, honestly. I follow the trends I like and am mainly influenced

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

Like I said it is all about how passionate you are about your work. I love following fashion bloggers and designers to get an idea of the various fashion trends that are in vogue. I read a lot about new trends online and fashion magazines are my bible.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for on-trend info?

My favourite bloggers are Negin Mirsalehi, Luana and others; I also visit Pantone for colour trends and follow fashion magazines for fashion trends.

In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emerging as a viable career option?

I think so. Blogging has already created a buzz in India. And I am glad that people are choosing this path and trying their hand at something different. It makes me happy when girls ask me I started my blog and then help them create something of their own too.

What are your favourite brands?

I have a lot of favourites. When it comes to high end brands they are Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Tory Burch. And the rest like H&M, Zara and Nishka Lulla.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

H&M, Zara, Koovs, Forever 21

Noopur Kalra Instagram followers: 17.5k Facebook followers: 2,537

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SPOTLIGHT Priyadarshini Vijay Blog traffic per week: 20k instagram followers: 6,692

INDIA’S BEST BOUTIQUES DESTINATION

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Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and bigticket international labels? And why is that?

Yes, I have always felt that there is a slight bias but, this is probably because most South Indian bloggers are not well initiated into the world of fashion. Some are still unaware of many brands that the market has to offer.

Truth be told, we are behind our northern counterparts, but we are getting there.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

The market in the North is much more vibrant than down South. And so labels, both national and international, are more open to setting up stores in either Delhi or Mumbai. They have the labels and thereby the opportunity.

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here.

Comment.

They are far more exposed, yes, but, knowledgeable, I wouldn’t say so. This could probably be because the idea of blogging caught on faster there. And of course, like I said the opportunities that they have, give them the edge How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

You could probably hit the jackpot or not make it anywhere; we bloggers live in a world of extremes.

I started of blogging as a part time hobby but, then it worked really well for me - It was viable financially and I loved what I was doing.

Have you been part of mainstream campaigns by big brands to popularize their products/lines? Tell us about the experience I worked with Phoenix

Marketcity for their denim festival. It feels good to work with such a large conglomerate rather than with individual brands because they allow you to work with multiple labels at the same time.

What are your future plans?

I am looking to take my blog to the next level, but you’ll have to wait to see what the next level is. I also plan on launching my own fashion line within the month. My primary goal is to give Chennai accessibility to high street fashion.

Miroslava Duma has made a career out of her social media presence as the fashion blogger par excellence. Do you see some such figure emerging from India?

Why not? Of late, quite a few international brands have been working with Indian bloggers. I think the Indian fashion blogger community is focused on what has to be achieved. You never know, we may soon have a Miroslava Duma of our own.

CHENNAI

How strongly are you influenced by Bollywood trends?

Bollywood starlets have set fashion goals for the fashion bloggers like me. Their sense of style is almost impeccable. I think it is fair to say, I admire their sense of style.

How do you understand what your readers/followers prefer or want?

I interact with my followers through social media to gauge reactions and expectations.

Some of my readers even send me mails on what they would like to read in a subsequent post.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

I love to read! I read a lot of fashion and beauty magazines and other blogs to keep track of the trends.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for on-trend info?

I religiously follow a few bloggers like Shea Marie of Peace Love Shea and Wendy’s look book In an age that encourages the most unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emergrting as a viable career option?

I certainly do! Blogging may have become this ‘mainstream hobby’ but only the truly passionate can succeed, as it takes a lot of time and effort. I would suggest that you consider blogging as a career only if you are really passionate about fashion and writing.

What names are you most often seen wearing?

Zara (I was estatic when one opened in Chennai a few years ago), Veromoda and Intish by Chintya which is my favorite when it comes to Indo-western

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SPOTLIGHT

Do you feel South Indian bloggers are sidelined by top national designers and big-ticket international labels? And why is that?

No, I don’t think so. The concept of fashion and style blogging is still only gathering steam down south. With crosspromotions becoming one of the newest trends, I believe we need each other to have a greater reach pan-India. What really matters is the quality of your work done.

What do you feel bloggers from Mumbai or Delhi possess as advantages over their South Indian counterparts?

Firstly, South India is a bit more traditional in its approach. We still love our silks no matter the weather.

The style that trends here is unique in comparison to the North. While the North follows a more casual approach, we look at using the traditional pieces to make our designs more Indo-western.

Secondly, with a large mix of upcoming and established designers in Mumbai and Delhi, youngsters look up to bloggers for styling tips and tricks. They are more open to experimenting too!

There is criticism that fashion and beauty bloggers are far more exposed and knowledgeable in the north than here. Comment.

Well, that depends on the kind of person you are. Knowledge is something you can gather. It doesn’t really matter which part of the country you come from. If a topic interests you, you will gain more information about it. On the topic of exposure, that will increase gradually when brands are willing to experiment with bloggers in the South.

How lucrative is blogging even as a part time hobby?

It’s addictive because it taps into your creativity every moment and keeps you

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With a large base following you, it is practically not possible to understand everything. I sketch out a look; I create it and experiment at times. A look that is not so disturbing to the eye but catchy too is what I usually aim for. Of course, I have my staples that I know will never fail. A lot depends on the photography too!

CHENNAI experimenting with your sense of style.

And once you have figured out how it works, it can make money for you.

How do you keep yourself abreast of fashion trends, beauty trends etc.?

Apart from following a lot of fashion, beauty & lifestyle blogs & vlogs, I also keep track of trends carried on by the celebrities through celebrity blogs like HHC, Miss Malini, etc. Popxo shares a bunch of creative ideas suited for the younger generation.

It’s not about replicating a look but about deriving ideas and maintaining your originality and comfort.

Who are your favourite bloggers and what sites do you visit for ontrend info?

Wendy Nguyen, BryanBoy, Jessica Stein, MISU, LAOB, Rati Tehri Singh, Sherry Shroff, Nilu Thapa, Santushi Shetty – Just to name a few. Apart from these, I check out Style Bubble and High Heel Confidential quite often.

What are your future plans?

To be honest, the work that I currently am part of - fashion consulting, styling and blogging - was never really part of a plan. I don’t think too much about the In an age that encourages the most future. I would, however, love to bring in new brands to untapped markets through unconventional career choices, do you see blogging emerging as a viable career pop-up shops or exclusive collections. option?

Absolutely! In fact, it already has. Since Miroslava Duma has made a career blogging connects with viewers/readers out of her social media presence as the on more personal level, they come back fashion blogger par excellence. Do you to it for their needs and requests. A see some such figure emerging from personal touch goes a very long way.

India?

Quite a few, actually. I love MISU & Love Who are your favourite brands? and Other bugs. Nilu Thapa has a very My all-time favorites are Chanel, edgy style as well!

Valentino, Chloe, Dior and YSL. I’m a huge fan of Manish Malhotra for his color How strongly are you influenced by palette, Payal Singhal & Anamika Khanna Bollywood trends? in apparels; Outhouse and Farah Khan The trends in Bollywood are definitely Ali for creative jewellery. Right now I love inspirational, right from their elegance Pero, The meraki project and Huemn. to the funk quotient. I never miss out on their airport looks simply because they What names are you most often seen influence my daily routine styles. wearing?

I swear by ZARA, Forever21 sometimes, How do you understand what your Diesel and Michael Kors. readers/followers prefer or want?

RUTIKA SARAF blog www.myfashionconfession.com 5,000 readers a month minimum Instagram 3,400 followers Facebook 950.

INDIA’S BEST BOUTIQUES DESTINATION

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LOOKBOOK

BENGALURU

A Global Platform For Indian Weaves

The connection to their homeland runs deep and while the rest of the country is now chanting the ‘Make In India’ slogan, for Kanak Hirani Nautiyal and Sindhu Holla, the need to stay connected to their roots was a calling they answered more than three years ago. RITZ meets the entrepreneurs from The Netherlands who work with more than 1,000 craftspeople from Northern India creating home and fashion collections for the European market, thereby providing them with steady work and income making a difference to their lives and showcasing their intricate skills to a global audience.

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During a trip to India from Amsterdam where Kanak and Sindhu both live now, they met a family who shared with them their unusual photos of Himalayan birds. At the same time, the duo, who had been touring the northern parts of the sub-continent were riveted by the intrinsic skills of weavers hailing form that region. Impressed with the craftsmen’s skills, but disturbed looking at the poor conditions in which they lived and worked, they decided to offer them an opportunity to showcase their creativity and earn a fair wage. What began as a small project, conceptualised by two far-thinking ladies, has today become a massive business model that the duo are promoting across Europe and soon North America as well.

Their two businesses - Pashm and Karigar - strive to connect the Indian artist with conscious global consumers in a meaningful way. We speak to Kanak Hirani Nautiyal, partner in both Pashm and Karigar.

What exactly is it that you do? Explain a bit about both Pashm and Karigar.

We use design to connect rural Indian artisans to global conscious consumers in a meaningful way.

Pashm was founded in 2013 by myself and my partner Sindhu Holla. We both come from India and wanted a way to remain connected to our roots, while living in the Netherlands. We were impressed by the skills of craftspeople in India and wanted a way to give them more opportunities and a chance to earn a fair wage. We work with a network of skilled artisans from India (which we continue to build) and connect them to international brands/designers - basically anyone who wishes to work with the handmade sector in India.

In 2014 we met a Dutch textile designer Jolijn Fiddelaers and decided to launch our own brand of Home and Fashion textile products. We called our label Karigar, because it was our tribute to all the skilled hands that create. The Karigar products are designed in Amsterdam and fairly handcrafted in India using natural materials.

We translate the traditional skills (handicraft and handloom) of skilled artisans to create modern, fairly handmade home and fashion products, and by doing so not only do we preserve their craft but we also give these talented artisans a wider reach, access to an international platform, train them on new designs, empower them economically and tell their story through each product.

How did you venture into entrepreneurship?

I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My grandfather ran a cinema hall and later went on to start a plastics manufacturing factory.

My mother ran a successful beauty salon for almost 40 years. With them I saw how demanding, yet rewarding running your own business could be. I decided that I must have it in my blood and this was my opportunity to follow their path.

How has the progress of your entrepreneurial venture been this far?

A few details on the struggles and joys.

Karigar is close to two-years-old and already retailing across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and UK at 22 sales points. In October 2015, we launched our Crowdfunding Campaign to reach out to

“Every Karigar product comes with a Talking Tag (a hangtag with a QR code), which when scanned, tells you who made the product, how it was made and where.

This is done through videos and photographs, some of them taken by the artisans themselves”

global consumers and we raised €31,368 entirely through pre-orders (223 backers) from around the world (Hong Kong, USA, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, UK, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, India and Australia).

In 2015 we attended the Maison et Objet trade show in Paris and before that, we got our first big German retail client. Karigar will showcase its products in Milan at the Palazzo Francesco Turati as part of a design event, and in May we will be at Pulse in London. For 2017, we wish to be at NYNow, a popular trade show in New York for handmade products.

But to be honest, those are pure numbers and figures. The real joy is in seeing the difference or impact our works has on the artisans that we work with.

Take the example of Parwa Devi, who has been weaving for two years. Before that she was a farmer and relied on her land to support the family. Now that she has a steady source of income, Parwa is able to send her son to school. She’s hard working, highly skilled and the bread winner in her family. She’s also our best weaver and loves what she does!

We want to grow our platform of artisans to include skilled, rural talent from across the world, and connect these unsung heroes to the rest of the fashion and design industry.

Across the globe, we want to see Karigar become the preferred choice for those who believe in high quality, handmade fashion and home accessories.

How have you popularised your ventures?

What has been the market response thus far?

People love how we use design to translate traditional Indian handcraft techniques into modern textile products. For an international audience, the materials are new and exciting because they are natural and raw, and the colours appeal to their sensibility. What completes it is our story about the artisans behind Karigar. In the past we’ve been asked, ‘do you use child labour?’, or ‘do your people work in fair conditions?’. We thought, let’s tell them how we really do it. So every Karigar product comes with a Talking Tag (a hangtag with a QR code), which when scanned, tells you who made the product, how it was made and where. This is done through videos and photographs, some of them taken by the artisans themselves.

We’ve used technology to reach out to the market and tell them how their Karigar product came alive.

Anything new you are currently working on?

We’ve just launched our new collection of home and fashion products, with lovely natural materials and happy summer colours.

Jolijn and I returned from India recently, where we travelled across the country and met new craftspeople to co-create our collection, which includes plaids, cushion covers, scarves, shawls, stoles and capes.

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LOOKBOOK BENGALURU

Gearing up for a slice of sunshine 'Sophisticated, passionate and confident is the woman who wears her labels. A gogetter of some kind, the woman wearing my label could be living in a remote town in Rajasthan, or in NYC or Milan', says Deepa Chikarmane. As she readies herself for her next collection which is centred on summers and the holiday season, RITZ interacts with the Bengaluru designer who creates Western outfits embellished with a desi touch.

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em Hussain Photography: Fahe

“Indian women’s wardrobes have undergone a radical change in the recent past. Having travelled the world and having experienced newer cultures, women are today more confident of wearing Western outfits. Now give those outfits a slight Indian touchup with a dash of zardosi or sequins or ethnic embroidery. And voila! You get to sport a complete new look and style,” says Deepa, who started the luxury online brand Encrustd last August along with her husband Vineet.

Women here have a tradition of displaying embellishments, but it’s mostly around ethnic garments. “A Western outfit sprinkled with ikkat patterns, or chikankari, or badla, or gara embroidery could possibly leave a woman wondering whether it would look classy. That’s where my passion lies in providing the right styling to give that right look to make a lady look elegant,” says Deepa. She’s now unravelling her third collection, “which is a holiday range, inspired by women shopping for a holiday wardrobe.”

Her first collection, Revolution, offered fresh perspectives on dressing and style, while the second, Diamonds and Rust, recalled a woman’s reflections and rode on a wave of crystals and sparkle.

Walking on Sunshine, Deepa’s next collection is brimming with summery shades such as ivory, custard, glacier, classic, merlot and so on. It’s aptly designed keeping in mind the woman who is looking for a break and wants to be relaxed, she says, adding that Walking on Sunshine would make a woman feel comfortable, “whether she’s holidaying in a sunny place in India, or in cooler climes in Europe.”

Deepa is well-known for her easy styles, flattering cuts, lovely stretches, fine slits and aesthetic appeal. And for her gara embroidery meets silk trench dresses and her bouquets of chikankari gracing laced up necklines. Could she now provide a glimpse into Walking on Sunshine? “Oh my God! I should not be revealing too much,” laughs Deepa, while adding that this collection is inspired by handloom and would have lots of crystallised badla designs and floral motifs.

Having started off by designing and embroidering swatches and giving them an international twist, Deepa has come a long way. She has worked with brands such as Anna Sui and Tory Burch, amongst others. Her work is considered very high on quality, with the fabric being of the best

“This was a white suit with a lovely cut and had zardozi embroidery on the flaps of the jacket. At Milan, this woman received ample complements on her outfit and her look, and proudly said the brand was an Indian one!” variety. She’s known to source her lace from Italy, silk from India and China, crepe from Korea and handloom cotton from India. And her clientele consists of women who are “sophisticated, passionate and confident and could be living anywhere.” She has dealt with clients from across India and from

destinations such as New York City, Milan, London, Singapore, Italy, Sri Lanka, etc.

She tells an interesting anecdote about a customer from Coimbatore who picked up one of her business suits for a fashion industry conference in Milan. “This was a white suit with a lovely cut and had zardozi embroidery on the flaps of the jacket.

At Milan, this woman received ample complements on her outfit and her look, and proudly said the brand was an Indian one,” says an ebullient Deepa.

As she goes about expanding her creations and her base, her mantra seems to be: weartry-see-experience.

“There’s this psyche that ‘Oh God. If I don’t wear such and such brand, then what will my friends say’. People are very conscious of labels. Once they wear-try-see-experience another brand, and get complimented for their look, that’s when they become more open towards trying out newer labels. This is happening and I’m optimistic about more people embracing new brands.”

Bravo Deepa.

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LOOKBOOK

HYDERABAD

The

Warp and the Weft One of Hyderabad’s ace designers, Bina Rao, mesmerized audiences with her Sustainable Fashion collection at the Lakme Fashion Week this year. She also presented a special session on Sustainability, Fashion and Textiles at LFW. Models sashayed down the runway presenting six different looks, representing her special textile technique in modern silhouettes for summer.

RITZ caught up with the Creative Bee who adeptly weaves contemporary style with traditional handlooms in an endeavour to create eco-friendly fashion.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan

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LOOKBOOK Armed with a Masters in Fine Arts from MSU, Vadodara and a Textile Design course from NID, Bina Rao stormed into the world of couture with her distinctly unique style.“Soon after my marriage with Kesav Rao, we settled down in Hyderabad.

The artist turned designer in me found Andhra Pradesh a very exciting place. I have specialised in Handloom and weaving became my passion,” says Bina adding, “Hyderabad as a city wasn’t conducive for a professional designer and artist, so we had to create our own platform as a base,

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to start the work. That is when Creative Bee Design Studio was born.”

Under the umbrella of Creative Bee, Beena and Kesav provided consultancy to export houses, showrooms and government projects. “This gave me an opportunity to travel across the country and explore the entire Indian Handloom spectrum and after almost half a decade we decided to plunge into R&D production at Creative Bee. My husband, who had established himself as an artist by

then, helped me create the necessary infrastructure. It took almost a decade for us to surface as a Design & Production company and start marketing on all the three fronts - bulk sale of customised designs to big business houses, export and retail,’ shares the designer.

In the early 2000s, when handmade and natural dyes were not popular, Creative Bee pioneered eco-friendly and sustainable fashion. Bina and Keshav formulated a well-researched

methodology of imparting training to weavers, dyers and printers to upgrade their skills in techniques such as Ikat, Hand painted Kalamkari, Block prints, Uppada in order to produce high quality, contemporary, 100% handmade and sustainable textiles.

Bina reveals that her USP is her texture in weaves which are produced from traditional techniques and combined with original print designs in high quality natural dye to arrive at an Indo-western

look. She has spun umpteen creations and all are dear to her heart but the ‘Jalebi design’ is her all-time favourite, which was created by her two decades ago!

Today, Bina’s Creative Bee has large exports to Japan, USA and countries in Europe while some stores in the US also sell their products. Creative Bee has a foundation for helping artisans develop quality craft products from wood, metal and fibre for various lifestyle stores. “I get my inspiration from nature mostly,

as designers we have to train our eyes and mind to transform any unique form, texture, impression into an original design concept. For example, two of my recent designs which became very successful and were well appreciated at the LFW were inspired from ‘Buttons’ and ‘Barbed wire fence’,” reveals the designer proudly.

According to Bina Rao, the most eyecatching trends today are big flowers and soft textures in simple, elegant silhouettes. Way to go, Bina!

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LOOKBOOK Photographs: Gurunath Prabhu

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CHENNAI

Mum’s the

World

A Mother is selfless. Beautiful. Special. Incomparable. Irreplaceable. RITZ catches up with some of Tamilnadu’s beautiful young mothers who are aspirational, inspirational and exceptional in their own right.

The Rad Surfer Duo

Mrinal Vasu and Zyra Vasu Props: Surf School Mrinal Vasu’s little ball of happiness, Zyra, is gaga about her scoop of Amadora ice cream. The surfer pair love their time in the sun and the sand, building sand castles with a side of fish fingers! Mrinal tells us the one thing that is unique to this cutie pie is her laughter during turbulence on their long holiday flights.

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LOOKBOOK

A Boy's Best Friend

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Bindya Devi Talluri and Atharv Ashwin Location courtersy: Brew Room, ECR Atharv’s love for animals has always been the focus of the trips that Bindya plans for this ray of sunshine. Be it the zoo in Singapore or the beach at Maldives, it’s always an adventure for the two. Bindya also tells us that Atharv is a total ‘beach baby’.

Too Cool For School Archana Kalpathy and Aditya Srinivasan Wardrobe: Tommy Hilfiger Shoes: Aldo Bow-tie: Maalgaadi

Archana Kalpathi is someone who is gutsy, someone who takes on challenges with flair, with panache.

The CEO of AGS Cinema and a power mother, Archana says that Aditya couldn’t be more proud of what she does. This duo also carve out time to bake together; a yearly ritual, we are told.

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LOOKBOOK

Glamorous in Gold

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Shubdha Dadha and Rania Dadha Wardrobe courtesy: Anamika Khanna Shoes: Miu Miu Watch: Brigade Hair and makeup: Page 3 Luxury Salon, Khader Nawaz Khan Road The gorgeous Shubdha Dadha and her adorable daughter Rania love to vacay! London, Dubai and Singapore are staples on the map for this globetrotting pair. The two get to spend quality mother-daughter time during these little getaways. Shopping for accessories is also another pastime that they enjoy.

An LBD is all you need Shubdha Dadha and Rania Dadha On Shubdha: Dress: Gucci Shoes: Sophia Webster Watch: Bvlgari Location: Shubdha's home Hair and makeup: Page 3 Luxury Salon, KnK

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LOOKBOOK COIMBATORE

Phenomenal Women Shrivyshnavi Annush, Shambavi and Ananya Saree: Indira Agarwal Jhumkas: Vibha for Pookari Three’s company, and Shrivyshnavi Annush, CEO/ Founder of Pookari and her dynamic duo are sure to agree.

The fashion entrepreneur and her daughters, Shambavi and Ananya, bond over food, travel, yoga and love to play dress up. The three also love The Big Apple and enjoy their cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery.

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Photographs: Gurunath Prabhu

LOOKBOOK

CHENNAI

Bring out the Bohemian What would you expect from the lady draped in six yards of elegance? Feminine daintiness or a woman suited up, ready to take on the world? As the Founder and Designer at Bhang, Swathy Jagannathan’s soft spot for ethnicity and culture have found full expression in her work, with an unapologetic use of Banarasi prints, Ajarak work, block prints and Kutch embroidery.

Text: Rebecca Vargese “I source my clothes from all over the country; Kancheepuram, Banaras, Ranchi, Kolkata,” Swathy says. Oozing with quirk, the collection at Bhang is to a large extent inspired by gypsies and Swathy’s love for the bohemian.

The 28-year-old designer and entrepreneur is anything but shy and loves to experiment with her clothing line. “One time I even used a cotton bed sheet as patch work for one of my lines. I also love pairing up my sarees with a basic black tee, short kurtas, crop tops and sometimes my husband’s shirts,” says the lady behind the brand. As unusual as the combinations sound, Swathy pulls it off with ease and inspires her clientele to step out of their comfort zone.

Swathy allows us a sneak peek into her upcoming project in which she says, “Khadi, block prints and Kalamkaris will take centre stage.”

These unique bespoke sarees from Bhang are priced between Rs 5,000 for cottons to 23,000 for silks. Swathy also custom makes lehengas and anarkalis because after all, “You are everything that these threads have been dreaming of,” she says signing off.

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BENGALURU

Ultimate Celebration of Life She started practising yoga at the young age of 9. Turned vegetarian at 14.

Transformed into a vegan at 26, and more specifically into a raw vegan at 32. And today helps scores of Bengalureans realise the power of yoga, while simultaneously coaxing them to work out an appetite for cashew & almond butter, almond cheese, homemade granola bars and other raw vegan foods. RITZ caught up with Divya Nichani, the vivacious lady behind Puraw Vida, which beautifully blends the essence of yoga with vegan food to provide a purer way of living.

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lip-smacking delicacies such as raw vegan pastas, pizzas, enchiladas, juices, smoothies, soups; and mouthwatering desserts like marble cakes, apple cinnamon tortes, walnut brownies, and many more. She says her expertise is all thanks to the course that she went through at the Living Light Culinary Institute in California to become a trained Raw Vegan Associate Chef. She has now mastered the technique of using equipments like spiralizers, dehydrators, blenders to concoct exotic foods like zucchini pasta, flaxseed crackers, dehydrated pineapple chips, granola bars, raw vegan cheeses such as cashew and almond

“While being vegan, I got introduced to the niche concept of ‘raw veganism’, which limits the use of gadgets, and avoids the usage of a gas and a microwave in order to preserve the nutrients in the food”

cheese, raw vegan butters including those of pecan nut, almond, cashew and Brazil nuts.

With her venture Puraw Vida (meaning pure life in Spanish), which started 6 years ago, Divya is helping people realise the twin benefits of yoga and vegan food.

Photography: Faheem Hussain

Life is to be enjoyed. Life is to be cherished.

Enjoyed and cherished in a bountiful manner by keeping stress at bay, the mind calm, and by biting into some of the freshest and choicest foods that nature has to offer.

“Then we can realise and experience the true meaning and value of life. When our body, mind and soul are calm and the food that we consume superbly complements our spirit is when we live life to the fullest, in all its openness, freshness and positivity,” says Divya, whose profile reads as ‘mother, entrepreneur, yoga teacher, raw vegan chef, pastry chef, and a soon-to-be author’.

Though she started learning and practicing yoga as a young girl, thanks to her mother (who is also a yoga teacher), it was only post marriage that Divya decided to turn her passion into a profession.

“As I grew up I developed an intense connect with yoga. I thoroughly enjoyed the discovery that I was having with every breath, and with each asana. I was realising the immense benefits it was having on me and this somewhere triggered the thought of helping others recognise the power of yoga. That’s when I went in for a formal certification from the Ramamani Iyengar Yoga Institute in Pune to start teaching.”

Countless individuals, both the very young and the very old have been trained by her, “with my youngest student being around two and half, and the senior-most being 78 years old.”

So if it was her mother who instilled in her the love for yoga, what exactly went about turning this meat-loving Sindhi into a vegetarian, and more so into a vegan (and now a raw vegan)? It was a visit to the butcher’s shop and the fear that I saw in the eyes of the animals caged there, says this mother of a 9-year old boy. “And I turned vegan as I felt that my body was gradually rejecting milk and milk based products. I also happened to watch a few PETA videos that ignited in my mind the idea of learning to cook without any milk products. But since restaurants have limited vegan choices, and I couldn’t eat daal-chawal every day, I had to get hands-on into learning to cook the food that I wanted in a vegan manner.

As often one thing leads to another, while being vegan, I got introduced to the niche concept of ‘raw veganism’, which limits the use of gadgets, and avoids the usage of a gas and a microwave in order to preserve the nutrients in the food.” Today, she cooks

“Since I enjoy cooking, I myself make the cheeses, desserts, crackers and butters and encourage my yoga students to try them out. Vegan food is still at a nascent stage in India, while raw vegan food is even more niche. Beyond health benefits, the recipes should appeal to the taste buds as well. I am trying to Indianise flavours and get creative with my recipes to try and entice people from different age groups and backgrounds.”

As she gets innovative with her culinary prowess, she also provides a few glimpses into her future plans. These include authoring a book about her journey that will be replete with recipes, conducting workshops on raw veganism, approaching schools for sessions on yoga and vegetarianism, going commercial by opening up a kitchen or a café for her vegan foods, and probably opening her own culinary school in future. Wow! Now that’s a lot on anyone’s plate. Good going Divya!

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Photographs: Gurunath Prabhu

OVER A CUPPA

CHENNAI

Work it harder, make it better

Sure we’ve all heard our gym trainers say those four magical words “You can do it!” but, all bodies are not equally equipped with muscle strength and stamina. Boot camps and high intensity interval workouts which have been the rage in Chennai for a while now, however, offer their clients just what they need; a little bit of tough love (or maybe a tad more) and personalised training that everyone cannot do.

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Hold Your Sway The Unit Way THE UNIT Trying to motivate yourself to get out of bed each morning is a hard task, let alone trying to find your mojo when it comes to your perfect fitness routine. While gyms are considered the best place to get back in shape, the idea of ‘machine rentals’ can be a major turn off, only providing the illusion of exercise to the uninspired.

This was impetus enough for Jyotsna John, Founder of The Unit. A basketball player and a fitness enthusiast, Jo turned her passion for fitness into a career.

“I love what I do, and my goal is to get people to fall in love with their strength,” she says.

The Unit, now 3 years old, holds their outdoor boot camp sessions every day at 5 am, 6 am and 7 am, while their indoor classes are scheduled at 8.30 am, 9.30 am and 10.30 am. For those who cannot make the morning sessions, The Unit has an evening session at 7.30 pm. Training sessions at The Unit will set you back ` 10,000 plus taxes for outdoor sessions, while personal training is a tad more expensive.

Jyotsna says she met her 5 instructors

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“Women think they will turn muscular if they strength train. I personally love power lifting. Lifting weights makes for great cardio”

because of her love for Ultimate Frisbee.

“All of us have common fitness goals and we share a passion for Ultimate Frisbee.

Zahra Kheraluwala, one of our coaches,

is on the first ever Indian Women’s team to play at the WUGC 2016,” Jyotsna says with a hint of pride.

Today, The Unit is running at full capacity with 120 people signed up for the Boot camp. Each class is divided into groups of about 15 people, with one coach per 5. “We try and keep things as personal as we can. In the end it is quality that matters and we are here to help get what you need,” the head coach tells us.

With this fast paced life that we all lead as professionals, carving out time for fitness is never thought of as a necessity. “You should fight for your body at all times. It is never too late to get fit” Jo reminds us.

Uday Dhanda, who has been a regular at The Unit for a year and half now says what makes The Unit different is that the workouts are never the same boring routines. “We are put through a different regime each day. Thaqt is not to say that we don’t have a workout plan, but The Unit mixes it up giving you a wholesome workout. Your entire body works as a ‘Unit,’” he expplains, amd we smile at his wordplay.

Everyone at The Unit believes in the

ideology that a workout should not be for workout's sake. “One size does not fit all.

But we stick to the base movements which are – push, pull, squat and hinge. However, we don’t push people beyond their capacity,” Jo says. However, we wonder if this “go at your own pace” affects goals, to which Udya answers. “I have seen myself transform. I have achieved in a year at The Unit what would have taken me a couple of years at the gym.”

With fitness trends changing The Unit has about 45% women. “Women think they will turn muscular if they strength train. I personally love power lifting. Lifting weights makes for great cardio, in fact,” she laughs.

Sharing her two cents on crash diets and other diet fads, this head coach is brutally candid, “You cannot go the rest of your life without a cupcake. I suggest you eat the cupcake but continue with your workout regime. Consistency is key.”

Those who gather for the boot camp at The Unit are generally in their 30s we are told. Clients are put through different training regimes depending on their end goal. The Unit provides training plans for general fitness, power lifting, body building, athletics and rehab. While the powerlifting

plan includes lower reps of more weights, the general fitness is strength training and conditioning at its best.

With very many options for the outdoor workout like battle ropes, kettle bell swings, boxes and tyre flips, most clients prefer this kind of training. The Unit also receives rave reviews about their rehab therapy, which is indoors.

Lavanya Krishnakumar, who is in rehab with back trouble says, “This fitness regime works for me. It helps me manage my pain.

Jyotsna makes your body work its best for you. Here it is not just about the inches.

Jo deciphers fitness and makes it work for every individual. We all love her as a trainer,” she gushes. Probably the reason that The Unit has its fair share of celebs likes Trisha, Suchitra Karthik Kumar and Ramya Subramanian, to name a few.

Jo gives us a run-through of the entire team which includes Zhara, Vishnu Das, Karthik Chidambaram and Prassanna – all Ultimate Frisbee enthusiasts.

Motivated by the trainers who also share a laugh with them, clients turn up week after week… and the results are showing. “We have all come a long way,” Jo grins.

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OVER A CUPPA

Fitness with The Quad Squad Strength, speed, endurance and mobility are the four physical abilities that determine the movement quality of every individual. The Quad believes in redefining the very definition of fitness as “the ability to meet the demands of one’s environment as efficiently as possible.”

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THE QUAD Early on a Friday morning, coach AP leads a group of 10 men and women through a 60-minute session of stretches, strength training and a series of other exercises.

Despite the soaring mercury and sweaty brows the group power through the session with the occasional smile and a whole lot of determination on their faces.

Sudeesh M, the head coach at the OMR

centre tells us that the class is intended to provide not just a rigorous workout but also help the clientele improve the quality of their day-to-day movement, which in turn would help them lead a smoother, pain-free life. “Movement is as much a fundamental aspect of life as breathing. At The Quad we believe that fitness is about knowing your body and working with it in the most efficient way,” Sudeesh says.

Though clients often enrol with The Quad to get rid of those not so flattering love handles, Sudeesh tells us that this boot camp does not focus on just weight loss.

“Movement and strength are the key pillars of Quad,” he says. “The key to a better life is better movement,” Sudeesh explains, “To this movement, you add strength and then you add speed. This makes for the perfect training plan and in the end you not only

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OVER A CUPPA achieve your end goal of weight loss, but also manage to incorporate strength training into your whole regime.”

While The Quad boot camp may just be another opportunity at getting some quality exercise, another member of The Quad squad, Arun Pandiyan tells us that being a trainer with the group has been life changing. “I initially began training to be a better athlete and soon this became something that was more than just a hobby.

Once I received my degree in Sports and Exercise Science, becoming a trainer was just a natural thing to do,” he says. AP, as he is better known, has been playing Ultimate Frisbee for the last 6 years and is all set to represent the country in London at the World Ultimate and Guts Championship.

The class which is open to all from the age of 15 to 60 includes exercises like the battle ropes, kettle bell swings, slam balls and the crawl. “These exercises help you add strength to your movements,” Sudeesh says.

The OMR branch of The Quad which is located in the IT hub of the city is predominantly frequented by these professionals. Sudeesh says that though The Quad does not have celebrity clientele, businessmen and professionals atop the corporate ladder are regular patrons. “We have a retention rate of about 80-90%. We

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only lose our clients when they move cities,” he smiles.

Debunking a couple of fitness myths, coach Sudeesh says that a healthy lifestyle cannot be achieved through exercise alone, “Sleep is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Most of the time people gain weight because they stress-eat. Stress can alter the way your

body functions; you tend to lose sleep, which makes you tired, which in turn causes you to binge-eat,” he explains.

Towards the end of the Friday morning session, coach AP tells the class that their scores are tied. Judging the puzzled look on our faces, Sudeesh tells us that Fridays and Saturdays are ‘fun’ workout days. These fun

“Movement and strength are the key pillars of Quad. The key to a better life is better movement,” Sudeesh explains. “To this movement, you add strength and then you add speed.”

sessions entail the class being divided into two and a showdown between the groups to see who can push the hardest. However, this Friday looks like no one is willing to back down and the scores remain tied.

While others in the class cool off after their 60 minute workout session, coaches Sudeesh, AP and Mathiyalagan demonstrate ‘the crawl’ and believe us, it is certainly not child’s play. “This helps strengthen your shoulder muscles and activates your core,” Mathiyalagan tells us.

Kettle bell swings are also crazy cardio exercises, we are told. A little research into this exercise shows that kettle bell movements burn about 20 calories per minute. A great way to burn that fat, not to mention build a great bod!

Currently The Quad runs out of three locations: OMR, RA Puram and TTK Road.

The membership fee for every quarter is ` 15,000 plus taxes and has three sessions in the morning, beginning from 5 am till 8 am.

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OVER A CUPPA

HYDERABAD

Race Against Time It all began with a question in the minds of Ashwin Jain and his young friend Karrar Taher, “Where can we get a good self-drive experience to our liking at an irresistible price point, absolutely hassle-free from a single service provider with a choice that we are hunting for?” There was no answer to this and thus was sown the seed to come up with Driven, India’s first integrated self-mobility service provider that caters to self-drive and ride rentals providing premium beauties like the Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Audi RS 5, Jaguar XJL, BMW 7 Series to bicycles like the Cannondale and more. Ashwin and Karrar get candid with RITZ as they excitedly talk about Driven and how it has made a mark in the city of Nawabs.

Text: Ajuli Tulsyan

“Anushka Manchanda was super elated as she rode the Indian Scout, while Vir Das zoomed around on Driven’s Triumph Bonneville”

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Located in Hyderabad, Driven stemmed from this very thought, the fundamental lack of luxury rentals in the city. The two buddies embarked on the journey with an idea to offer self-drive, self-ride experience ranging from a Nano to some of the fanciest cars found in the country, from street bikes to super-fast bikes and bicycles like the premium Cannondale to the unique Surly, that you always wanted to own, drive or ride.

It is the answer to the prayers of every car, bike or bicycle seeker who wants to rent these beauties.

“It took us less than a year to formulate the idea and get to the pilot mode. We launched our services formally on April 20, 2016.

Initially, we have rolled out our services with a fleet of 150 cars, 50 bikes and 7 bicycles,” explains founder and partner Ashwin Jain.

“We strongly believe self-mobility will eventually become the preferred mode of mobility and that is how Driven was born.

Currently, we are witnessing a 30% month on month growth in our operations. The demand is in the upward trajectory for our exotic cars, bikes and bicycles, beside the regular model range that we offer from different brands,” adds Karrar Taher.

The Driven core team is a perfect unison of youth and experience, comprising Karrar

Ahmed Taher, Ashwin Jain and their families.

While 27-year old Karrar is a management graduate and is passionate about riding, playing football and billiards besides his dream project, 41-year old Ashwin Jain is an engineer who is extremely passionate about cars and bikes. He has been in the car rental business for over 19 years.

Driven has a fleet of luxury cars such as Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, Audi RS 5, Volvo S60 T6 Polestar, Mini Convertible, Mercedes Benz E 350 Cabriolet, Jaguar XJ, BMW 7 Series and Mercedez Benz S Class. Luxury motorbikes that are stealing the show are Ducati Monster 821, Triumph

Photographs: Santosh Kumar Rocket 3, Tiger Explorer and Thunderbird Storm, Harley Davidson Fat Boy and Forty Eight, Indian Scout, Benelli 600 i and 600 GTS, Kawasaki ZX 14R and Z1000, etc., in the premium range. The Cannonade Trail 6 and Quick 5 bicycles too are high on demand.

Even celebrities are going gaga with this new experience in town and recently Anushka Manchanda was super elated as she rode the Indian Scout, while Vir Das zoomed around on Driven’s Triumph Bonneville.

Driven will expand its fleet to 3000 cars and 1500 bikes over the next three years

in two phases. These expansion plans will be funded through internal accruals and strategic partnerships. It has also initiated dialogue with potential investors to raise funds.

In the first phase, Driven will launch in Chennai, Bengaluru, Goa, New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Udaipur. Phase two will see operations in Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Nagpur, Lucknow and Shimla. These expansions are in addition to adding locations and neighbourhoods in the cities where Driven is currently operational - Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Vizag and Vijayawada.

Driven has simultaneously come up with a café which is by auto enthusiasts. The café offers exotic coffee with a combination of snacks that will rev up your mind and soul before you pick your favourite car, bike or bicycles. The garage-themed ambience is quite cool too.

“The café idea is to offer a great ambience and connect point for the client to transact.

‘Driven café’, is a biker brotherhood offering a selection of gourmet coffees, teas and vegetarian food at affordable prices. And the philosophy is ‘Why rent from a lot when you can rent from a coffee shop”, state Karrar and Ashwin together.

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CORRIDORS OF POWER

TAMIL NADU'S Pic: Rajesh Lakhoni, IAS, Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu

POLL - STAR

Photographs: Gurunath Prabhu

BY SANJAY PINTO

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If there is a vote for the most down to earth and self effacing, soft spoken but tough bureaucrat in Tamil Nadu, Rajesh Lakhoni would be a front runner. The 1992 batch IAS officer is in the hot seat, overseeing arguably the most politically volatile electoral battle in the State. Camera shy and someone who prefers to keep a low profile, this 46 year old Chief Electoral Officer cannot help being in the news everyday, as he is, after all, the eyes, ears and mouth of the Election Commission of India. Like a Virat Kohli takes to a crunch situation in a T 20 match, Lakhoni got off the mark in his new innings with a boundary. With more than a crore new voters in this election, he roped in celebrities from Chennai like international

squash champion Dipika Pallikal and her cricketer husband Dinesh Karthik, along with ace Indian spinner R.Ashwin and the actor siblings Surya and Karthi to star in videos in a bid to achieve its goal of 100% voter turnout. Wheel chairs and ramps are being organised and efforts are on to even get about thirteen thousand prisoners under preventive detention and who have voting rights to exercise their franchise.

Out of the 5.8 crore registered voters in Tamil Nadu, almost a third are in the 18 to 29 age group. “For the first time we have used the social media for not just propagation of messages but also for registering complaints and grievance

redressal”, Lakhoni notes with pride. Insiders reveal that with the complaint mechanism automated, messages are sent to flying squads which in turn activate the Income Tax officials. The system, they claim, is independent of officers, obviating room for bias. The seizure of cash in this election has been unprecedented. “We have seized 65 crore across Tamil Nadu. And there is more than a fortnight to go for the polling day.

In the last assembly election, the seizure was about 35 crore.” By the looks of it, this election may see more than twice the seizure compared to 2011.

Ask any citizen who has interacted with the bureaucracy in Tamil Nadu and all of them will vouch for one quality that Lakhoni is known for. Accessibility. This was the hallmark of his postings as Collector in Theni, Kanyakumari & Peraambalur\Ariyalur and particularly his stint as the Corporation Commissioner of Chennai. That was when the plan to expand the jurisdiction of the civic body to 426 sq km from the earlier 174 sq km was concieved, not to speak of the Marina Beach Beautification Drive and the construction of nine flyovers in the city. Wherever he is posted, Lakhoni draws from his Information Technology and Communications background to introduce IT tools. If it was the launch of the 1913 helpline and SMS monitoring of grievances in the Corporation or 45674567 in Metro Water, it was an app for Audio Guides during his short tenure as Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation. A simple low cost screening centre under the aegis of the Chennai Corporation won Lakhoni the Prime Minister's Award. As the Managing Director of Metro Water, Lakhoni ensured that there was some sequence and method in the digging madness as well as an online linkage between the Corporation and Metro Water to boost tax collection. Streamlining systems with Old Age Pension disbursement as the Joint Commissioner of Revenue Administration, automating distribution benefits as Secretary, Agriculture, overhauling Lift Licensing as well as collating data to sniff out electricity theft as the Secretary, Energy are just some of his achievements.

Lakhoni's ambition to join the Civil Services was kindled by the sight of Collectors during his college years. “I used to be in awe of not their power but the fact that they were instruments of government action. I too wanted to become a Change Agent.” After his graduation in Electronics Engineering (GATE) from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur, he got a top rank in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering and effortlessly landed in IIT Delhi where he completed M Tech in Radar Engineering.

The top rank in GATE coupled with peer pressure made him write the Civil Services Examination. And it was bull's eye in the very first attempt.

Married to a pediatrician Dr.Dolly, the Lakhonis have two school going children Suyash and Vaishnavi. For a workaholic, an old craze for movies and astronomy have largely remained memories. The latest flicks may just be sneaked in on his forty seventh birthday, which falls exactly a week after the big counting day in Tamil Nadu. And the completion of his maiden innings at the Election Commission crease. Only the stars may be different.

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

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POINT BLANK

THE STAGE IS SET. OR IS IT?

How would you rate 'presenters' who put on the most expensive branded suits, slip into the latest shoes, spray the costliest perfume and strut around a hip and happening event but don't have the faintest clue about the topic that is up for discussion in an intellectual event? My heart bleeds when I come across organisations paying through their nose to set up a glitzy backdrop and stage and on the presenter's wardrobe except hiring a reasonably cerebral professional to lend credibility to the programme.

What's more important – heavily decked up hosts sporting products of the sponsors or articulate anchors who know their onions, do their homework, are not in awe of their guests and who don't arrive fashionably late?

If you think that's a no-brainer, just drop in to one of these sponsored discussions or debates in your city.

The choice of the anchor sets the tone for the rest of the event. A Panel Discussion is a Panel Discussion. And a Seminar is a Seminar.

And the twain can never meet. Because the nomenclature is very different. I've seen 'Panel Discussions' conducted in such a monotonous fashion – the poor 'Moderator' is reduced to the level of a Master of Ceremonies. The brief, it appears, is to pander to the big fat egos of speakers by reading out their long profiles and doing the honours of inviting them to the podium. Those who are happy doing that are either ignorant of their purpose on stage or plain incompetent. Once in the saddle, as it were, each speaker spews gems of wisdom, often exceeding their time by ten to fifteen minutes or in some cases, by even an hour, only to conclude with a template “with these few words I end my speech.” That is if the moderator doesn't get sardonic stares from the organisers, (especially if there is that flight to catch) and musters the courage to hand over a slip to the speaker with a request to “Please Wind Up.”

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participate, beyond clapping hands. A cliche is “we just have time for two questions”. I'm sorry, that is just tokenism.

And poor time management.

If the moderator functions like a moderator and cuts short panelists who probably love the sound of their voices and go on and on like broken records, the audience will have a greater say in the discussion.

BY SANJAY PINTO

How does monologue even remotely qualify as a 'discussion'? To play the part, the Moderator must be a sheet anchor – asking pertinent questions, not generic stuff, steering the discussion, interjecting at the right places and lacing the event with humour and wit. On TV shows and 'On Ground' events, I've had panelists – Head Honchos with a string of management degrees from the IIMs or premier institutes abroad, insisting on being given the questions in advance. My response usually ranges from 'it's not an examination for the paper to be leaked' to 'let's just go with the flow'. It jolly well is the case. Haven't they heard of spontaneity? All that a moderator is required to divulge is the broad area of discussion. And must ferret out any special expertise the panelists may have, if that hasn't been covered at the time of inviting them.

In the events I moderate, I always make it a point to treat the audience, not as gravy by the side, not as props, not as fillers but as panelists themselves, just seated in a different spot. They are like the Op-Ed page in a newspaper. These articles may sometimes be more incisive than the main Editorials! If people have taken the trouble to attend a discussion, especially if it is a ticketed programme, they do deserve to

Nothing gets my goat more at such events than the sight of a speaker sifting through reams of paper on the podium. I have always held that a paper is a speaker's worst enemy.

It shows a lack of preparation, conviction, confidence and blocks out a critical element of public speaking – eye contact. What's worse, it's a teaser for boredom that will inevitably be in store.

I am tempted but won't delve into academic paper presentations. The quality of research in this cut-copy-paste system, where plagiarism is rampant, is another story altogether. How can I omit those Corporate 'Power Point Presentations'. They are invariably a misnomer as there is neither 'power' nor 'points' that are original but a mere information overload slotted under multiple heads, in an array of colours, replete with pie charts, diagrams, lines and arrows.

The presenters are not even spin doctors but they are more than capable of curing insomnia, way better than any Monday morning.

What is most ironic in all this is that when there are good moderators, the compere may goof up their introduction or the organisers may wreak havoc with their designation. On the invitation card, a Wellness and Age Management Expert metamorphosed into an 'aging expert' and another professional was designated as 'randiest' which means a “lecherous playboy”! Good heavens.

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

WANDERLUST

A journey through Kruger National Park If you remember your lessons in geography, you’ll remember that the word veldt means field or bush in Dutch or Afrikaans and is used to describe the grasslands which are found predominantly in subEquatorial Africa. Africa evokes so many memories and images, the writings of Gerald Durrell, Phantom comics, The Gods Must Be Crazy movies, National Geographic’s many documentaries on the region’s wildlife and tribal population, Born Free and the tale of Elsa the lioness... well, the list goes on. It was with all of these images in mind, that we embarked upon our 2-week journey across South Africa.

Text:Nilesh Iyer

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WANDERLUST 94

We flew into Johannesburg from Bengaluru via Mumbai and Nairobi, on what was a long but uneventful flight (the return journey was to be otherwise, but we were none the wiser at that point.)

After a reunion which was 15 years in the making, with friends (more like family) who we were staying with, we embarked on the day after our arrival upon our journey to the proverbial Mecca for the wildlife enthusiast in South Africa – Kruger National Park.

We had engaged Baz Bus, a budget bus service which caters mainly to backpackers, to take us on a 3-day safari trip to Kruger, which would include stay and the to and fro journey from Johannesburg. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 square kilometres (7,523 sq mi) in northeastern South Africa and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west.

Kruger became South Africa's first national park in 1926 and today, is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique. The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, which is designated by UNESCO as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve. Kruger is famous for many different forms of flora and fauna, but chief among these are the Big Five of the animal kingdom, named thus not because of size, but due to the danger involved in hunting them- the African lion, the African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the

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African leopard, and the White/Black rhinoceros.

Kruger is an 8-hour journey (with stops and pickups) from Johannesburg, which our driver Moses covered in record time.

It was quite a while before the folks on the bus could forget that drive. There were eight of us on the journey and over the next 3 days, we were to get to know each other really well. Our stay was at the Klasserie River Camp, which has tents as well as bedded accommodation.

Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre After unloading our luggage, we set off to visit the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at Hoedspruit, not far from the boundaries of Kruger National Park.

Moholoholo is dedicated to rescuing injured and poisoned animals and ultimately rehabilitating them into the wild. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, as the guide explained to us.

As a consequence, the Rehab Centre has quite a few animals and birds who are referred to as their ‘permanent residents’. These animals and birds act as ambassadors for Moholoholo’s cause and

for their species.

At Moholoholo, we were able to pet cheetahs, feed vultures and see lions, leopards and other animals up close.

All these animals and birds were in a near-natural environment, so that the visitor walked away with an authentic understanding of what the animals’ existence must be like, in the wild.

The Rehab Centre also does a lot of work to monitor animal movement and protect animals from the onward march of humanity, which often results in endangered species getting hurt or poisoned because they encroached upon human settlements. The Rehab Centre has been featured in many documentaries and features, the most famous being ‘Wild Orphans’, which has even featured on the National Geographic Channel.

We returned from Moholoholo with our first impressions of wild Africa.

Around a bonfire, after dinner, we met Goodman Ubisi, who was to be our guide for the next couple of days, as we finally ventured into Kruger National Park. As Goodman explained the rules of engagement and do’s and don’ts while on safari, we began to get excited, looking

With his knowledge, came an almost bionic vision, which meant that he was often able to spot heavily camouflaged animals and high-flying birds, before any of us (all the Kruger National Park while moving at 60kmph!) Even so, we were We set off just before dawn, in a canvasall startled out of our post-lunch reveries topped safari van, at a steady speed of

by Goodman’s sudden victory-cry of ‘Lions!’

60kmph. Entering Kruger National Park There were 2 of them, males, about 500m through the Orpen Gate, we were greeted away from us, in dense grass and shade, with a sighting of a pack of African Wild which acted as the perfect camouflage.

Dogs (also known as the African Hunting Goodman had spotted them, while driving, Dog or African Painted Dog), sitting on the with his naked eyes. road, for no apparent reason. As we learnt After enthusiastic photography of the lions, from a very excited Goodman, these dogs followed by more giraffe, elephants and are extremely endangered and a rare find zebra, we returned to camp. A short break indeed. Considering this a good omen, and we were again off, this time to a private we set off further into Kruger. Over the game reserve, which was adjacent to our next few hours we saw vultures, giraffe, elephants, zebra, impala, nyala and kudu. The camp grounds. Here we saw the white rhino, the cape buffalo and the ostrich. We kudu has been adopted as the emblem and mascot of the South African National Parks. stopped in the middle of the reserve to enjoy the sunset, with wine and crackers.

We then stopped for lunch in the midst of Kruger’s immense natural beauty, at a clearing meant for picnics. The planning and foresight of the National Park administration forward to an early rise and our first African safari.

“As we learnt from a very excited Goodman, these dogs are extremely endangered and a rare find indeed. Considering this a good omen, we set off further into Kruger”

was with us everywhere, as there was clear signage for tourists as well as facilities for supplies, and for picnics. All of these were set up through the contributions of wild life enthusiast, and it was not uncommon to see a commemorative plaque here and there, signifying the love for a dear one or a wellregarded public figure.

After lunch, we resumed our safari.

Goodman had already impressed us with his prolific knowledge of the flora and fauna of Kruger. We learnt that he was a native of the region and was raised not far from Kruger.

the Buffalo weaver, the Leopard tortoise, the Ant lion and the Rhino beetle. Of these we saw the Leopard tortoise twice, ambling along the road at its own leisurely pace.

On the way back to camp, in the afterdusk darkness, Goodman gave us a final exhibition of his night-vision by sighting a highly poisonous tree snake, called the boomslang, nestled in one of the bushes near the campsite entrance. Suffice to say that we were steering clear of the trees and over-using our torches after that!

Back to Jo’burg The next morning, we left early for our journey back to Johannesburg. Along the way, Moses, now driving at a more sedate pace after our multiple reminders, took us through a picturesque route via the famous Blyde River Canyon, which is one of the largest canyons on Earth, and arguably the largest 'green canyon' due to its lush foliage.

It is the second largest canyon in Africa, after the Fish River Canyon, and is known as one of the great wonders of nature on the continent. By this time, our group had started calling ourselves Goodman’s Eight and had even exchanged numbers. A Whatsapp group was a mere formality after that. Lots of selfies were clicked as we made our way back to Johannesburg, reminiscing on our very first African safari. As my wife and I got back into Johannesburg’s traffic snarls, we felt invigorated by our trip to Kruger and the veldt and were very much looking forward to the next leg of our journey, the Garden Route.

On the way back, Goodman once more impressed us with his sight, by picking out a 4-inch chameleon on a green shrub (yes, the chameleon was green too), while driving in the darkness. Needless to say, by this time, all of us were absolute fans of this smiling African bushman.

Our second day into Kruger was longer but equally filled with excitement. It began with us sighting a leopard with its kill (a young zebra, which it had killed and hauled up into a short tree, just by the road), followed by hyena, more zebra, elephants, giraffe, quite a few rare birds and finally, two lions and a lioness shortly before lunch. By this time, we had covered the Big Five well. In fact, we had even seen one of the small five, named after the big five, but smaller in stature. The small five consists of the Elephant Shrew, MAY 2016 RITZ

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FOODIES INC.

BENGALURU

Breaking Healthy Bread Foodies have flocked to Smoke House Deli from the day it opened its doors in Bengaluru city. From its elegant white interiors telling a city-based story to its elaborate, yet nonfussy menu boasting of massive portions, this deli has become a go-to place for food lovers. And now with the launch of their new health menu, Riyas Amlani has taken things one step further by including not only the health conscious eating bunch into his fold, but also expanding his menu offering a wide array of choices to vegans and those with gluten and carbohydrate allergies.

RITZ invited young entrepreneur Mayura Kadur and Subodh Sankar, owner of Atta Galatta, the city’s favourite desi bookstore and now popularly its favourite bakery as well, to sample this new healthy menu.

Text: Archana Shenoy

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The bread basket that made its way to our table was the first difference that caught our eye. So used to seeing bread sticks, soft slices and crunchy multi-grain bread nestled in its signature sack, the platter that was brought to our table as we commenced our sampling experience of Smoke House Deli’s new health menu, was the first change we noticed. Instead of the sweet, warm breads in a sack we were served hefty slices of quinoa and ragi bread with olive oil and pesto - the healthy alternatives to white flour and butter respectively.

Our dining companions couldn’t have been more poles apart in their palate preferences. Young entrepreneur Mayura Kadur, founder of Do Bandar, a brand of handmade soaps and skincare products, was keen to sample the quinoa bread. Subodh Sankar, our second guest, owns Atta Galatta a brand that manufactures bread and confectioneries, alongside it also being one of the city’s most kitschy bookstores. Now it is morally wrong to ask someone who makes bread for a living to judge the standards of someone else’s baked products.

But that’s what we did and here’s what Subodh had to say, “It definitely looks healthy, but I don't think of it as bread!” Yes, we agree that quinoa and ragi may not be the best at rising, but for one who suffers from gluten intolerance or carbohydrate allergies, this bread platter would feel like manna. And so we move on from breads to salads, a part of the meal that the chef has hit the perfect chord with.

We sampled the Kafir Soaked Chicken Salad With Organic Red And Brown Rice Flakes, Grape Asparagus With Fig And Balsamic Dressing and Bean Sprouts And Crispy Quinoa With Brown Rice Flakes. Each of the salads was spectacular and you could tell, for there wasn’t a shred of lettuce left in any of the plates.

Moving on to the main course, Mayura who claimed she was stuffed already (and we believe her, for she’s really small made)

decided to sample the Paleo Seafood And Coconut Broth.

Now Paleo is also known as the original or caveman diet and contains meat, seafood, plants and no processed foods.

Hence she found the broth a bit watered down for her palate, but was able to finish the bowl and assured us that it was perfect for anyone who wanted a light, non-

We sampled the Kafir Soaked Chicken Salad With Organic Red And Brown Rice Flakes, Grape Asparagus With Fig And Balsamic Dressing and Bean Sprouts And Crispy Quinoa With Brown Rice Flakes

greasy meal.

Subodh, who by now was craving his tried and tested favourites, decided against being adventurous and ordered himself a portion of Pan Roasted Jerk Chicken With Grilled Vegetables, Red Rice And Millets. His verdict was superlative, considering he isn’t a huge millet fan. We also sampled the White Mushroom, Arugula Risotto made with millets instead of risotto rice. A substitution that nearly came on par with the original on the tasting scale.

Knowing SMD’s standard sizes we were full post the main course, but our enthusiastic server would not allow us to complete the meal without sampling dessert. And so a portion of Cacao Nib And Soya Milk Cheesecake With A Nachini Crust (also known as ragi and finger millet) and a massive chunk of Banana Flour Cake With Carrot Pate (banana flour is flour milled from dried unripe Bananas. It is a good substitute for regular flour and is 100% gluten free) found their way to our table.

While we might have had a few taste adjustments to make while sampling the breads and the main course, we definitely had no qualms about gobbling up dessert and then looking expectantly at each other, wanting to check if anyone was game for seconds.

The menu is definitely one that must be tried out and popularised so that more vegan and diet specific diners can know that they too have options to eat out now!

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