JUL 2016
think.Create. Live.
LIFESTYLE
VOL-1 ISSUE-1
Ek MULAQAT IN CONVERSATION WITH DEEPTI NAVAL AND SHEKHAR SUMAN
GAME OF THRONES THE EPISODE WHERE EVERYONE WORE BLACK
THE CKR LEGACY
BUILDING AN EMPIRE
The Brew magazine is based on the Entertainment genre has seen stupendous growth in the past five years of its existence. Based on its tagline ‘Think. Create. Live’, the Brew magazine urges readers to contemplate, create and live- in that order. Featuring human interest stories, articles about the most famed artists and elite lifestyle stories, we are immaculately selective about our content. With the support of the advisory and contributory board comprising of a team of great individuals, we host a minimum of eight events a year as well.
Sameer Bharat Ram Publisher & CEO
Leaders are often more than just individuals who swerve and guide you in the right direction. They are people who leave a mark, they change things, they innovate and they will choose to be crazy enough to believe in an idea that is a possible failure. The likes of entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jack Welch are bound to leave us looking up and believing in our hearts that the sky is the limit. The Brew team thrives today with those very vibes of inspiration, thanks to an incredible conversation with person on cover, Mr. CK Ranganathan, the Founder Chairman of CavinKare. When you are up close with men of power and success, it sends across a strong impulse to share their story in a compelling manner, with only one end in mind – to inspire. As you flip these pages further, each section lets you sink in the world of art, cinema, theatre, travel, sports and lots more. The Think section opens with a much-needed fact file on the Rio 2016 Olympics followed by an interview with Kirthi Jayakumar, a woman of great determination who got invited to be a part of Michelle Obama’s United State of Women. The Create section unfolds stories of Guinness record certified, photographer Jeswin Rebello, artist TV Santhosh and a rendezvous with actors Deepti Naval and Shekhar Suman on their theatre play Eq Mulaqat. A write up of famed TV series Game of Thrones: The Winds of Winter is a must read (Go Daenerys!). On a lighter note, the Live section closes with intriguing interviews of fashion designer Mrinalini Gupta and industrial designer Ayaz Basrai, accompanied by a travelogue on Brazil and a few exciting summer getaways. Packed with a mélange of lifestyle articles at their best, this issue offers a lot to read. Enjoy.
VIDHYA ANAND EDITOR
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“Based on its tagline ‘Think. Create. Live’, the Brew magazine urges readers to contemplate, create and live- in that order. Featuring human interest stories, articles about the most famed artists and elite lifestyle stories, we are immaculately selective about our content. ”
CONTRIBUTORS & ADVISORY BOARD Thota Tharrani A senior Indian film art director and production designer who has worked in Tamil cinema, Telugu cinema, Malayalam cinema and Bollywood. He has won two National Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South and four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. His work consists of paintings, murals, paper collages, wooden montages, installations and so on
G Venket Ram A leading Indian fashion photographer, who has shot principal photography stills for several notable films as well as portfolios. He quit his engineering studies to work with cinematographers for a while, after which he joined a course in Visual Communication at Loyola College. He then worked with photographer Sharad Haksar and in 1993, he started his own studio
Mallika Sarabhai Educated as an economist and business manager, she is one of India’s best-known classical dancers. She has taken her work and her company ‘Darpana’ to not only over 90 countries around the world, but also to the most remote parts of India
Neeru Nanda A graduate from Delhi University, she’s passionate about writing. She freelanced as a feature writer for ten years before switching to publishing. Author of a collection of short stories titled ‘IF’, she has also worked on novels and short stories for children
Ashok Verghese One of the youngest education entrepreneurs who is making a great difference in this field in the country. He is the Director of the Hindustan group of Institutions, one of the pioneering educational groups in the country. He supports the cause of promoting young talent in art and music
Veejay Sai An award-winning writer, editor and a culture critic. He has written and published extensively on Indian classical music, fashion, theatre, food and art, and loves traveling, researching literary and cultural history. He is an editorial consultant with over 40 brands and designers in and outside India and is on the jury for several prestigious awards in the arts sector across the country
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INTERNAL TEAM EDITOR Vidhya Anand FEATURES WRITERS Ajay Srikanth P Preethi Padma Murughappun MARKETING MANAGER Reesha N DESIGN Sriram B Sripriya G.S COVER CREDITS
CIRCULATION K.Sathish kumar
PHOTO COURTESY Shiva Balaswaminathan
S T R A T E G Y
&
D E S I G N
Published by Sameer Bharat Ram, and owned by SM BrandMuni Consulting Pvt. Ltd, Published from New No. 68 / Old No. 63, Cathedral Road, Chennai - 600 086. Tel.: +91 44 4208 9392.
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Published from New No. 68 / Old No. 63, Cathedral Road, Chennai - 600 086. Tel.: +91 44 4208 9392.
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CONTENTS THINK
10
GAME OF THRONES
FROM CHENNAI TO WHITE HOUSE INTERVIEW WITH KIRTHI JAYAKUMAR
12
EPIC RERUNS
24
THE PROS AND CONS OF RIO 2016
CREATE
14
SURFACE PRO LIGHT PAINTER JESWIN REBELLO’S CREATIVE EXPRESSION
16
PRESENTING A UNIQUE POINT OF VIEW T V SANTOSH ON WHAT INSPIRES HIM
34
22
19
Doodle Monk’s illustration of MS DHONI
AYAZ BASRAI
THE EPISODE WHERE ONE HALF OF THE EVERYONE WORE BUSRIDE STUDIO BLACK
24
40
Ek MULAQAT
PLAN YOUR SUMMER
IN CONVERSATION WITH DEEPTI NAVAL AND SHEKHAR SUMAN
WEEKEND SUMMER GETAWAYS
26
COVER STORY EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ACE ENTREPRENEUR CK RANGANATHAN
LIVE
34
MRINALINI GUPTA
A CARICATURE
36
CONVERGING MINIMALISM AND FLAMBOYANCE
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43 BRAZIL
AZURE WATERS AND PERFECT SUNSETS
53
BREW’S PICK OF THE MONTH Kalyan jewellers uncut diamond and wrogn’s new launch
THINK|Lone Crusaders
“WE ARE CAPABLE OF A BETTER WORLD…” A lawyer and writer, Kirthi Jayakumar is an innate urge to make a difference in the world, a world filled with hate, injustice and exploitation. Her interest in Peace and Conflict, Public International Law and Gender issues, her work experience as a volunteer with the UN, and as an advocate and activist with several grass root organisations and academic foundations has led her to where she stands today. Read on as she talks about everything that is wrong with the world and everything that can be right. BY VIDHYA ANAND & PADMA MURUGHAPPUN
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K
irthi Jayakumar’s interest and experience over all lie in Afghanistan, the Middle East, DR Congo and South-Asia. She was among those who got invited to take part in Michelle Obama’s United State of Woman. Thriving to bring in change, a change that will ripple from Chennai to the rest of the globe, she is truly a woman of substance. The greater good,’ we believe is what drives you in working towards a better world - not competition, but coming together to achieve the end in mind. Can you elaborate on this? Why is it so important for every NGO and humanitarian to work with the same mind set?
We are inherently pivoted towards competition, and our upbringing tends to augment that. We are taught to grow up to always stand out and be the best. In the process, we create a culture of jealousy, of guilt for failure, of frustration at the lack of success, and that creates a greater social climate of conflict. Instead, if we are taught to see each other as people who have the same needs at the end of the day – food, shelter, clothing, safety, education and happiness for ourselves and our loved ones, we will learn to empathise. If we learn to empathise, we will be better disposed towards cooperating with each other. When we cooperate, we make the best use of our skills, and fill the gaps in others’ skills with our own. In an NGO setting or a humanitarian setting, this is as important as it is in every setting. Take for example, a not for profit company that makes medicines that can cure cancer, and a not for profit hospital that works with cancer patients to offer them medical care. Let’s say they are both competing for funds. If they compete, one wins and the other loses. So in this case, it is either that the drug manufacture wins without a means to provide it to the patients because the hospital has no staff, or the hospital wins but there is no drug to administer. Now imagine if they joined hands and built a proposal and asked for the funds for the manufacture and administration of the drugs. At least some patients can benefit, right? Both the projects would be successful. Seeing that, more donors will be willing to offer their support, because it will be capable of scaling up. Whether it is in the humanitarian sector or otherwise, we should be cooperative rather than competitive. The world has conflict not because of a fight for limited resources, but the man-made limitation of plenty of resources through planted competition. What is the United State of Women? How do they help in reaching out to help women across the globe? There’s a lot that’s been done by and for women and girls, but there’s still plenty to do. Convened by the White House, this Summit aimed to rally women activists together to celebrate what we’ve achieved, and how we’re going to take action moving forward.Covering key gender equality issues, we’ll make a powerful difference in our collective future. The summit focuses on Economic Empowerment, Health and Wellness, Educational Opportunities, Violence against Women, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Leadership and Civic Engagement. The summit has the likes of Meryl Streep, Tina Fey and Oprah Winfrey as its key participants.
What does Red Elephant work for? What is its core purpose of existence? We are a youth-led initiative that works for the goal of civilian peace building through gender equality, using the tools of storytelling, dialogue and hands on engagement. Our key focus is on the larger ethos of peace - through gender equality. I am a firm believer in the notion that unless all genders are equal, we cannot achieve peace. It is when gender equality is firmly in place that all other things can follow - if women are the ones to decide on their own sexual health and reproductive rights, such things as “religious purity” or “caste purity” or “ethnic purity” wouldn’t exist. When and where did the journey you are pursuing today begin? Who or what inspired you? It began in the Sishya School Library, when I finished reading Anne Frank’s Diary. The first thing I thought was, “How could the whole world let this happen?” More reading, and many years of research showed me that it was way more than the oversimplified version that a twelve year old can comprehend. It made me see sense in the nuanced dimensions of international politics, international relations, human rights and humanitarian work. Since then, I was hooked. In college, I wrote papers about different issues centered on humanitarian law and human rights law, but I realised that the grass root was where the key impact of any legislation, policy and its violations are felt. That took me closer to peace and conflict studies. With my work, internships and volunteering assignments, I came to understand that gender and its myriad intersectional ties throws up quite a few challenges in the humanitarian domain, so that intrigued me. Can you quote a few important moments in history that people of the present need to look up at and remember? A reminder of a better world - a world with sustained peace. I am a believer in a simple truth: that every name has a face, and every face has a story. No story is less important, and no story is more important than the other. I believe it is important that we remember every atrocity that has ever happened. Remember the Six Million Jews and Roma in the Holocaust, and at the same time, don’t forget the people of Palestine. Remember Aruna Shanbaug, remember Rachel Corrie. Remember the girl who was brutally gang raped in Delhi, remember Swathi from last fortnight. Remember the children of Peshawar. Remember the people of Syria. Remember the stories that were silenced in the genocide in Rwanda, and remember, with as much value and importance, the stories that came out of Kashmir. In remembering these, don’t just say “Oh, what a nasty world!” and move on, but remember and choose that it will never happen again, and act towards it. And then, remember every moment of hope in your life, and peace, in your life. Remember, that the sun also rises. That alone is enough to remember that we are capable of a better world, a world with sustained peace.
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THINK|Opinion
Since the first edition that began in 1896, the Olympics have been a symbol of the unifying power of sport. The competition stands as a testament to human will and spirit, and has given the world some unforgettable moments. Nadia Comaneci’s perfect 10, the Black Power Salute and the American Miracle on Ice are just a few. With the 2016 Olympics scheduled to start on 5 th August at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, we can be assured of a few more of these moments. However, the picture is not entirely rosy. The games are no strangers to controversy, and a long list of scandals has followed almost every edition of the Summer Olympics. Opinion as to whether Rio should host the games has divided its citizens, with some saying that sinking so much money into a venture when a lot of citizens live substandard lives is not a smart thing to do. Further, Rio is also reeling from the strain of the 2014 Fifa World Cup. Culturally, Brazil is a wonderful place to hold the games. The country, and Rio in particular, is known for its carnaval way of living, and this will translate to an amazing experience for any visitor to the games. The constant stream of music, dance and parade is a great addition to the sporting event itself.
Brazil as of the time of writing. It is also severely contagious. A lot of medical experts have spoken out about the issue and have asked for the games to be postponed or called off, however that does not seem to be happening. This certainly is troubling. There is going to be a large population explosion during the games, with people coming in from all over the world. If affected, these people will take the virus to their countries and further spread it. This paints a frightening picture. However, the belief is that the zika, like other mosquito borne viruses, will decline in Rio’s winter, which happens between July and September. Only time will tell what will happen. Rio’s residents have also raised infrastructure issues. The Games village that is to be constructed is supposed to be one of the largest ever. These buildings typically lie dormant after the games, and only cost more money for their upkeep and maintenance. It must be said that these issues are nothing new for the Games. Every host has some problems associated with the city, but they always manage to pull off a great edition. Rio will mostly likely do the same.
What are the downsides? The city has a serious crime problem, and this comes up time and again when Rio is discussed. However, it is likely that this will not be a major hurdle, as Rio held the Fifa World Cup two years ago without any major mishaps. The Zika virus is more troubling issue. Rio has been a hotspot for the virus, and is the most affected region in
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CREATE | Arts Galore
THE LIGHT PAINTER A part of any art form is trying to answer the question ‘What is art?’ and thereby pushing the boundaries of the definition of art. Jeswin Rebello, a photographer from Coimbatore, aspires to do that by using a medium that is essential to painting, but has barely been made use of. Jeswin talks about photography,art and the life of an artist in india. By Ajay Srikanth
H
e says “I was always into drawing and painting as a child. But light painting is something that happened entirely by accident. I had gone to a bike race with my friend, and I had a point and shoot type camera. I took a panning shot without knowin what it was.” However, on looking at the photo,he was hooked. He decided to get a DSLR to experiment further. “I saved up my pocket money for almost a year before I could afford one,” he adds. He initially bought it only for light painting, but has since branched into mainstream photography. Jeswin is entirely self-taught. His main source of images was Flickr. “Back then, there were no other sources. There are a lot more tutorials and tools nowadays,” he says recounting how he broke a clock and used the LED in it for his first light painting.
He didn’t attend workshops when he was learning, but now he conducts a lot of them to increase the popularity of light painting. Delving into the details of his workshops, he says, “I start with the history of the art. I move on to the basic camera settings that people need. Do’s and don’ts follow. I usually end with a demonstration. I ask the audience to come up and do it themselves. I think that’s the best way to learn. By doing.” He goes on to say that light painting is a difficult art because you don’t get to see what you’re making, “You use your imagination and hope it turns out the way you want it. I try for up to ten to fifteen times before giving up. It’s entirely guesswork. It helps if you’re good at drawing. Your hands automatically trace the patterns even though your eyes cannot see them.”
Opening up about the intricacies of the art form, he says that light paintings involving human subjects are very difficult, “They don’t stay still. So I make sure all my light paintings involving human beings are only ten to fifteen seconds long.” Eric Pare and Fran Cisco are two painters that he draws inspiration from. He says music also gives him a lot of ideas. He draws from nature and geometric shapes and patterns for his paintings. Ask him about the artist scene and he says “Light painting is something that’s very new. So in India, there’s not a lot of people who even know about it. It’s slightly well-known abroad, but even then, there are only about 200 people who are able to do this for a living.” For his part, he constantly conducts workshops, and usually does not even charge for it. He says the entire experience has taught him a lot. “I’ve learnt to be patient. I’ve learnt not to give up after two attempts. This is also a very exciting experience. It never gets boring, even if you’re drawing a simple circle.”
“I was always into drawing and painting as a child. But light painting is something that happened entirely by accident”
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CREATE | Arts Galore
SUBJECTIVE ENQUIRY INTO SOCIAL REALITY Artist, painter and sculptor TV Santosh is an emerging artist who has represented India in many significant art exhibits across the world. Inspired by history and spurred on by the unfortunate events that throw people’s life’s overboard, Santhosh’s work presents a unique point of view. Having studied at Kala Bhavana, one of the country’s premiere art institutions, TV Santosh stands tall today as the man behind the masterpiece. BY P. PREETHI
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What was your experience at Shantiniketan like? I had done painting in Kerala before I went to Shantiniketan. Instead of continuing with a post-graduation diploma, I did a BFA. There wasn’t enough information about the contemporary art scene back then. I hadn’t studied Art History in Tirchoor either. Going to Shantiniketan was a whole different experience. The schooling is very different from what I had experienced in Kerala. The teaching was based on ideals of tradition and to take inspiration from that and convert it to modernism. That was an eye opener to my understanding of art. At that time Contextual Modernism was being developed there. I got a deep understanding of what is tradition and what is modernity. I got a foundation in my art education from Shantiniketan. This helped shape my style to a great extent. You’ve had a lot of exhibits all over the world. Which one is your favourite and why?
cent human beings undergoing some unfortunate incident or the other. This makes you think, ‘why is this happening?’ It becomes a One of my favourite works is a sculpture. I called it Houndingdown, I part of your day whether it directly affects you or not. You become exhibited this in 2006 – 2007. This piece was inspired by history, war a part of it. You identify with those issues. This raises a lot of quesand the strategies used in war. Most of my works take inspiration tions for me. My work is a continuous dialogue, so naturally I feel from history. During the Second World War one of the warring coundrawn to this topic in my line of work. My way of looking at these tries used dogs as a medium of warfare. This was the first time that happenings are from the victim’s point of view. I feel this presents a dogs were used as suicide bombers. This was unusual and I found unique and humanistic approach to the subject. it difficult to digest. These dogs were trained to find food packets under enemy tanks and once these dogs got under the tanks, the Do you prefer painting over sculpting as a medium of storytelling? bomb would be detonated. This would cause a huge explosion killing a lot of people. I found this was very cruel and I felt it was a turning I do both sculpture and painting. It really depends on the story that point in warfare history. In the same show I had used scrolls and I’ve got to tell. Sometimes a sculpture is a better medium to showother pieces on nuclear bombings. This work can be interpreted in case the subject, other times it can be better depicted through a many ways. painting. I give equal importance to both and enjoy both personally. What do you count as your biggest achievement in your career?
Do you rely on other artistic mediums to act as a base, upon which you create your painting or sculpture?
I personally feel that there is still a lot to be achieved. It’s an on-going process. There are many ideas that I have. Most of the time I find Most of the times, when you are thinking of sculpting for a project flaws in my work, things that could have been dealt with better. This you are thinking in relation to that medium. All thought process is something that is common with a lot of artists. However, there are focuses on how to represent it best in that medium. That being the some works of which I feel extremely proud. case, I sometimes do write or create basic sketches to get my focus right. However, mostly I write after my project is complete. It is a Having travelled a lot for work, there should be a city in which you verbal expression of the particular project. feel most artistic. Which country or city would that be? Artistic inspiration can come from everywhere. It can be a small village or a metropolitan city. One such city that really inspired me was Mexico. I had gone there for a workshop. It was a wonderful experience. The pyramids and the images of their Gods were really inspiring. In a museum I came across a fierce image of a fertility God who reminded me of our Goddess Kali. Back when the French first came to Mexico, they were doing a lot of renovations in the city. When they saw this idol they were horrified by it and they reburied it in the earth. I found this story very interesting. The way in which Europeans, Latin Americans and the way Indians respond to mythological characters are radically different. Your art represents terror, violence and war. Why are you so interested in this theme? When you get up every day and you read the paper, you see inno-
What does an average day in your life look like? My day starts and ends late. I make it a point to go to the studio every day. I read sometimes. Whether or not I’m actively working on a project, you will find me in the studio between eleven in the morning to eleven at night. What is your artistic process like? As far as painting is concerned I prefer canvas painting and water colours. As to my work timings I generally start work by the afternoon and through the evening I get totally absorbed. I am more of a night person than a day person. Describe your work in a few words Subjective enquiry into social reality
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CREATE | Artscape
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Create | Cinema and theatre
Game of Thrones Season 6 (2016) The Winds of Winter Are A-Blowin’ Game of Thrones represents perhaps the best example of the synthesis of these two competing philosophies, populism and high art wrapped up in a cocktail of swords, sandals and genitalia. And yet that moniker is a reductive description of the show, because even though it may have started off as a more standard (if better-staged) version of shows like Rome, The Borgias and Vikings, in the last couple of seasons, Game of Thrones, having finally put in enough time behind its characters to make us genuinely root for, or hate, most of them, can finally use those characters to explore complex themes and conflicts – honour and family, destiny and morality, faith and violence. The questions that GoT now deals with are not just related to imperial intrigue, but pertain to more relatable philosophical queries. Like the haunting scene last season where Stannis Baratheon burned his beloved daughter Shireen at the stake in the service of blood magic – there would be no redemption for this kingly pretender, but his actions were emblematic of his unshakeable belief that he was the one rightful ruler of Westeros, and what’s one girl’s life compared to the entire continent? Or one of the most memorable scenes this season – Hold The Door – where Hodor sacrifices his life for Bran and Meera. The idea that not only could someone just chop your head off because they fancied it, but by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time, your whole life and personality, from your very childhood, are irrevocably changed and destroyed by forces you cannot even begin to understand, and that fate and causality are tied into such an impenetrable Moebius strip of magic, that there is no escape – that is an idea that strikes at the very heart of free will, and without free will, it is difficult to argue that life has objective meaning. These are complicated questions for a mainstream, wildly popular show to be dealing with – questions that
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it has dealt with admirably, making brave narrative decisions, interpreting Westeros through a dark, often cynical worldview, best articulated through Tyrion Lannister, who is the closest thing we have to a voice for the show. Of course, by killing off Ned Stark in Season 1, and Robb and Catelyn in Season 3, the show has always shown that it can take the tough decisions, when necessary, but its consistent characterisation and thematic honesty have been noteworthy. Also, to counter the rampant accusations of misogyny towards the show early on, has anyone noticed that every single prominent side in this conflict now has a female leader or co-leader? Ellaria Sand rules Dorne, Olenna Tyrell rules Highgarden, Cersei Lannister sits on the Iron Throne, Yara Greyjoy and Daenerys Targaryen are sailing towards Westeros, and even in the North, Sansa Stark holds considerable power beside Jon Snow – a strong feminist statement from one of the most popular TV shows in the world. Also it is unique among adaptations in the fact that most cinematic interpreta-
tions start shooting only after the books themselves are published (even the Harry Potter cinematic franchise never ran a risk of outrunning JK Rowling’s pace) – in this case, the sixth season of Game of Thrones finally outstripped GRR Martin’s written word in terms of the progress of the story for a vast majority of the characters. This has led to the interesting phenomenon where even avid fans of the books are now in a position to be genuinely surprised by a plot development, something which has happened a number of times this season – in the revelation of the meaning of Hodor’s name, the return of Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, the epic Battle of Slaver’s Bay, the even more epic Battle for Winterfell, and the wildfire-spurred destruction of the Sept of Baelor. Earlier, this was possible only for non-book-readers, who were left devastated by iconic moments such as the Red Wedding. A corollary to this has been that DB Weiss and David Benioff have had to shoulder a lot of the writing for this season completely on their own, with only basic pointers from GRR Martin on the direction of the narrative – this has not always yield-
ed good results. Tyrion’s bantering with Missandei and Grey Worm, and Arya’s thoroughly anticlimactic Braavos arc are glaring examples that the showrunners work best when working off Martin’s prose rather than on their own – nevertheless, the last two episodes, serving up spectacles and secrets that viewers have been awaiting for a long time, served to counter some of that disappointment. And now, all eyes turn toward the coming of Winter. Finally, all our characters, once geographically isolated, are starting to come together – the next season or two promises epic battles, on a scale perhaps even Game of Thrones has not matched (although the entire season has been opulent throughout). The spectre of the White Walkers looms ever closer, as does the battle of ice and fire that is the ultimate denouement of the narrative. In the meantime, we wait, impatiently, for a show that has captured the public consciousness like few have in recent years, a show we both need and deserve right now. Valar Morghulis. Valar Dohaeris.
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Create | Cinema and theatre
Ek Mulaqat with Deepti Naval and Shekhar Suman
In Chennai to perform Ek Mulaqat (A Meeting), a play where Deepti and Shekar portray poets Amritha Pritam and Sahir Ludhianvi. Ajay Srikanth talks to them about art, inspiration and what it means to be an actor.
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D
eepti Naval needs to Introduction. An actor who consciously sought out off beat roles, she rose to prominence in the Parallel Cinema movement, playing strong, female real life characters. Ask her about her decision to star in this form of cinema and she says “Yes, it was a conscious decision. I admired people like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Bhattacharya and Basu Chatterjee and I wanted to belong to that cinema, which was mid path. It was not hardcore art cinema, which didn’t work with the audience at the time and it wasn’t mindless commercial stuff either. They were movies that people could relate to.” She says watching a lot of cinema from this genre is what lead her down that middle path. Abhimaan and Guddi by Hrishikesh Mukherjee are two films which she says were rather influential. She goes on to speak about some of her memorable roles. “Panchvati, Ankahee, Mirch Masala and Main Zinda Hoon are some of my favourites.” In the play Ek Mulakat, Deepti plays Punjabi poet Amritha Pritam. “I knew her and I was a huge admirer of Amrithaji. Every time I went to Delhi I’d make some time to go meet her. She’s a major figure of Punjabi literature. Her language is very pure, and sometimes it’s difficult for even a Punjabi to understand. But she made the language very lyrical.” Interestingly, Deepti has avoided theatre until this role. Ask her about that and she says “Since I’m a huge fan of her, when I got the opportunity to play this role I decided that this was my calling. I have to do theatre now. If it had come to me from cinema, I’d have grabbed it with both hands. But it came to me from theatre. So I decided I needed to do theatre now.” “This role came with a lot of responsibility for me, since I knew her personally. I was a little scared of misrepresenting her, but since it’s such a well written play, it wasn’t a problem.” Ask her about the difference between theatre and cinema and she says “For me, there’s no majordifference except the presence of the audience. Sometimes it helps you. The reaction of the audience. It helps you stay in characters. Cinema is more challenging in the sense is that the shooting is spread over many days, and you need to retain the essence of the characters throughout that time. Theatre helps in that you start the character and you end it at one stretch. But theatre is not without its challenges.” About working with her co star, Shekhar Suman, she says “I’ve known Shekhar for a long time, and he’s very easy to work with. So I have a huge comfort level with him. And we both love old Hindi songs, so we both love humming tunes and talking about them. So it helps!”
S
hekhar Suman is a man who’s donned almost every hat an actor can. He’s played the classic hero, characters with shades of grey, the anti hero, an outright villain and has also shown us that he has a terrific sense of humour. He’s currently playing the role of Sahir Ludhianvi in Ek Mulaqat along with Deepti Naval. He opens up by saying “I’ve done a whole lot of serious work, movies, theatre and soaps. I’ve experimented with the art of comedy. I think any actor has to explore all possible genres.
For instance, Akshay Kumar does a lot of action films, but he also does comedy films. That doesn’t mean he’s a comedian. He’s just exploring that side. As an actor, we’re meant to play different characters. Playing just one genre is the greatest tragedy an actor could face.” Ask him about his role in Ek Mulakat and he says “The role is nothing but an extension of my own personality. I like Sahir a lot. He was an erudite, well read, well meaning person; a prolific writer. But he was also a man of contradictions. He was known for his words, but he was also known for reticence. He fought against crony capitalism; he fought for the masses and the proletariat.” “He was a non-conformist, an antiestablishmentaran. He spoke his mind. That’s something I can relate to, I too am capable of speaking my mind. That’s almost a malady, but that’s how it is. “Sahir had many layers to his personality, and that’s what excites me as an actor. I’m much like him, and I like that unpredictability about him. The entire play is about the unfettered, but unrequited love story he shared with Amritha Pritham. “In the denouement, you find something very exciting and certain unanswered questions are answered. The play basically explores the relationship between the two writers.” He goes on to quote a few lines of Sahir, which offers a glimpse as to who the writer really was. “He says, ‘beloved,come, let’s be strangers again.’” Talking about wit, he says “Wit is a weapon. It can be used to bring attention to social issues. What cannot be explained easily, something harsh, can be explained by using wit. That’s how I use wit. But I also think comedy is important. Life cannot be harsh, cannot be full of tragedies or full of catastrophes. So comedy is important because it puts a smile on people’s faces. And I think that matters a lot.” Ask him about the difference between theatre and cinema, he says “There is no scope for error. You’re right there, in front of the audience. It’s almost like you’re on the battle field. Theatre, that way, is the most challenging art. “Theatre is the only art form where there’s four way communication. Between the actors, from actor to audience, from audience to the actor and between the audience. A great performer can tap into this.
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create| Zeroed In
BUILDING AN EMPIRE: THE CKR LEGACY CK Ranganathan, the Founder Chairman of CavinKare set up Chik India in 1983 with an investment of 15,000 rupees. Renamed as Beauty Cosmetics Pvt. Ltd. in 1990, it was later rechristened as CavinKare Pvt. Ltd. in 1998, a massive, triumphant empire that now stands tall as a multi-million dollar FMCG conglomerate. Read on as CK Rangananthan opens up about his life, work ethics and all that drives him in a conversation with Brew magazine.
BY VIDHYA ANAND PHOTO COURTESY SHIVA BALASWAMINATHAN
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create| Zeroed In How has your role changed in business over the years? My role has changed dramatically over the years. I used to do everything on my own. I was the person who sat on the machine to produce sachets, the despatch boy, salesman, everything. I did all of it myself. That actually helped me a lot in understanding every single aspect. I was able to get a sound understanding of each function. Initially, the vendors and distributors wanted to talk to me only me, since I was the only person around then. But that has changed. From talking to the owner of the business to a professional, not a lot of people are happy about that. They prefer to have a personal relationship with the owner. That transition had to be taken care of well! My role has also changed. I had to fit into whatever was needed at that time. Be it HR, or sales. However, over the years, it has become more of a leadership role. Motivating people is an important part of that role. I began changing my job every two years. I’d pass on my responsibilities to someone else. With the setting up of new divisions, I’d put my effort there. And again, after a period of time, I’d move on. I’d always come back for monthly reviews and see where I could add my inputs. I also constantly come out with new ideas. Having risen from the bottom up, I can easily relate to many things. I think that’s a good advantage. I think that’s true of anyone who’s been in my position. CavinKare’s R&D division situated in Ekkaduthangal is massive. It’s a rarity for a brand to invest that much in R&D, tell us a little about this. That’s our powerhouse; that’s the secret behind CavinKare. It’s the key for success, our spirit of innovation. It is the hub of innovation. They produce the products, then it is a question of marketing and all that. We have 60 scientists working for us, split up in a 40,000 sq ft space. It is purely a research oriented space; nothing else happens there. I’m quite happy with the way it’s turned out. When we set it up, in 2004, a lot of people thought it was crazy to set up such an extensive research company. But it’s worked out well for us. R&D is significant. Without that, CavinKare wouldn’t be able to sustain and grow in this sort of a market, where there are global giants. We constantly update ourselves, and something that I’m happy about is that we constantly file patents. R&D gives us the power to take on the Goliaths of the world. A chance you’ve regretted and one you’re happy about. Moving out of the family business was a decision I’m happy about. It wasn’t easy. We were in a car, and I got out of it and went back to a bicycle. But it’s worked out and I’m happy about it. That decision changed my life once and for all. With regard to something I regret - In 2008, 2009 and 2010, we went on to acquire in three fields: dairy, fruit drinks and snacks. We acquired a lot very quickly. The divisions did well, but it had a drag effect over the next few years. We had to rework and correct many issues, and this took away our attention from other fields. If I could go back, I wouldn’t do it again. Have you always wanted to become an entrepreneur? My parents used to tell me that I need to become a leader. All my siblings have been brought up that way too. We never could work for others, we were job givers. My father was a teacher, but went on to start his own small scale business. My father initially thought I would be suitable for agriculture. But once I got out of school, he started a pharm company, and he needed chemists. So I went into that field so that I could help my father out with his business. I never really prepared myself for working for anyone else.
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create| Zeroed In Tell us about the Innovation Awards you host every year, the purpose behind it. My father invented the sachet. He’s fondly called the Father of the Sachet Revolution. He started small, and unfortunately didn’t succeed until a few years before his death. We watched him struggle, and I grew up with his struggle. I realised that people of this sort, need to be recognised. We decided to award these people, people with innovative ideas. But we wanted to go beyond just awarding. We wanted to be with them throughout the process; from mentoring, to helping them scale up, marketing aid and so on. However, we made sure we didn’t invest. We didn’t want to take a stake in their company. This develops trust. This sort of hand holding gives us a lot of satisfaction, especially when they succeed. How significant has moral support from your people been to you? I definitely get a lot of support. In the initial days, I took on my family. I broke away from my brothers and put up a competitive product. It was a bitter memory in those days, and we didn’t see eye to eye for almost 15 years. Those days are behind us though, and now we’re in very good terms. I’ve always gotten great support from my friends and especially my wife. That’s a big plus point. When pressure pushes you down all the time, someone has to be there to pull you up. That makes a big difference. Having a nice home to get back to after a difficult day is always great. Who or what are your inspirations? I derive a lot of my inspiration from quotes and books. That way, there’s no single person. Amongst business people, it’s Jack Welch and what he did with GE. People from different walks inspire me. People who’ve done phenomenal things with limitations inspire me. I get to see quite a lot of people that way. Even our PM Modi’s story is very inspiring. You can’t simplify it and blame it all on luck. I don’t know if he dreamt of becoming this, but he’s become someone the entire world looks up to. He’s just one example, but there are a lot of others as well. What do you love doing outside of your busy work life? Some hobby that truly draws you in. Growing up, I loved pets. All sorts of animals. I had pigeons, a few chickens, and some fish. I used to dream of different coloured birds in class. It got so bad, that my mother decided I wasn’t doing well in school because of my pets. Now I have almost 1000 birds. I collect them at a separate location in Cuddalore. A large agricultural space has been made use of for this. I also have a cow farm with around 70 cows. It’s personal passion, but it’s professionally done. It’s not commercial, but since I’ve done it with passion, it’s become sustainable. It has started paying back for itself. I’m also glad that via this, I’ve also been able to provide employment; around 40 people must be employed between my birds, cow farms and agricultural work. I don’t take money from this for myself. Any revenue generated goes back in. Can you talk about the CK School of Practical Knowledge? My mother started the school in Cuddalore. I took over it about 7-8 years ago. We rechristened it as the CK School of Practical Knowledge. Before going ahead with the plan, we took a survey of parents to find out what they wanted. We realised that they wanted their children to be able to get admission in good colleges with as little capitation fee as possible. Second was communication skill, especially in English. Third was all round development. We implemented all this in the school. The school has around 3000 students. They go through about 44 periods a week, and in a week, 12 periods are full of practical education. It includes culinary skills, basic banking, insurance, what a stock market is and even how to file an FIR. This helps later in life, a lot. You ask a child what they want to become, they’ll tell you they want to become a lawyer or a doctor. No one says they want to become a businessman. I want to inculcate that. If out of 100 kids, at least two people want to be job givers, I’ll feel happy. It’s my small way of contributing to the future of the country.
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LIVE | Anyone can cook
RECIPE FOR THE MONTH july FROM GRT HOTELS & RESORTS
CHOORAN KI BHINDI
INGREDIENTS
Stuffing: 400 gms okra ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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100 gms peanuts crushed ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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50 gms jaggery ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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20 gms chopped coriander leaves ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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5 gms chopped green chilli ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1 gm red chilli powder ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1 gm chat masala ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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50 ml ghee ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Masala: 30 ml ghee, 50 gms onion, 5 gms chopped ginger, 5 gms chopped garlic, 5 gms chopped green chilli, 50 gms chopped tomato, 2 gms turmeric powder. 3 gms chilli powder ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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METHOD n
Cut the tip of okra on both sides
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Make a slit on the okra and remove all the seeds.
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Mix all the ingredients listed under stuffing and fill each okra with stuffing.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------n On a hot tawa, apply little ghee and slowly broil the okra, turning it constantly.
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Cook until the okra is cooked evenly.
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On a separate kadai, heat ghee, add chopped ginger, garlic and onion; sautĂŠ till onions are golden brown.
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Add tomato, turmeric powder and chilli powder, sautĂŠ until the tomatoes and onions blend well. Check the seasoning, add the prepared okra and carefully toss in the masala Serve hot with garnish of coriander leaves.
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LIVE|Fashion
Ă€ LA MODE
Amongst the new brigade of fashion designers, Mrinalini Gupta is all set with her artistic instincts. She always seeks to infuse her love for designing with a single binding philosophy and an amicable tolerance for minimalism and maximalism. Read on as she opens up about her life and her love for fashion that drives her. BY RIDHI SURI
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What according to you fashion is? Honestly, fashion is an outside reflection of who you are. The clothes are merely a reflection of what you think, how you feel and what you like. Every time you change, your sense of fashion changes with it. What skills are necessary for a successful fashion designer? Intrinsically a powerful aesthetic, abstract vision, some control over creativity mixed with a lot of grit and hot summer afternoons. What do you think about work ethics, and what ethics do you adhere to as a fashion designer? Originality is the only ethic. Where do you see yourself in the next ten years? Diversifying in design. I want to work towards spaces and interiors. That is the direction that we would want to grow and thrive upon. How comfortable are you working with models and other designers? Very! Models are the most fun people in the industry. I don’t know about other designers. But it’s a small crazy planet of its own. What do you think are the current and future trends in fashion? I believe it comes down to a more responsible trend. A responsible trend is fashion over self-indulgence. An effort in the right direction is what matters. Which is, towards ecological and environmental concerns, you can call it ethical fashion. What hobbies do you have that relate to the fashion industry? Everything relates to the fashion industry from travelling to a creatively dressed construction worker. Can you tell us about the fashion industry? How is it working here? Right now I work in a rapidly growing dynamic industry which fortunately has been very accepting. All my energy is focused on that
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LIVE|Architechture
ALTERING LANDSCAPES The co- founder of The Busride studios is a man of eclectic tastes and influences. His design sensibility though defined by a level of eccentricity can be best described as minimal trippy. The studio has been widely known for their work in designing hospitality spaces. They are however currently in transition and looking for newer avenues to explore. Speaking to Brew magazine on the amazing experience of working with his brother, his most difficult project, his inspiration and aspirations and his love for Bandra, get to the spatial designer Ayaz Basrai.
BY P PREETHI
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1. Describe yourself in three words.
end result profoundly, and this varies diversely with every project. In a sense the studio’s work is defined by diversity. Although as a side project I am articulating a design language, under the banner of ‘Minimal Trippy.’
Dirty Old Man 2. What did you study in NID?
6. Tell us a little about what inspires you as a designer. I studied Industrial design, specializing in Product Design. 3. Busride studio is a quirky name. How did you come up with it? Well it comes from multiple things, we’ve always wanted this no madic travelling studio at the back of a bus that could travel on projects. There’s no reason we can’t be in Morjim one day and Manali on another. My brother and I share the studio, and our surname, so there’s that. It’s been my email ID for the longest time, so when the time came to choose a name, it just seemed to flow easily. 4. What is it like working with your brother? It’s truly fantastic. There are a million things that can go wrong working so closely, especially in creative environments, but it’s amazing how inspiring and intellectually stimulating it’s been. He is the most driven, most focused and most clear-headed person I know, and every conversation with him is potentially life changing. So yeah, it’s been great! 5. What is your design sensibility?
Lots of different things inspire me, but I’d say Graphic novels top the list. The amazing twisted world they create is a rich idea bed, and the conceptual richness is truly superb. The world of Sandman and Lucifer, the amazing canvases they paint, their simple inversion of stereotypes, the depth of research and the cross referencing of fact and fiction is truly inspiring, and we strive to create that eccentricity and layered experience through spaces we design too. 7. What has been your most challenging project by far? The most challenging personally was the Smokehouse Room/ SHROOM in Delhi. We set really high benchmarks for ourselves on that one, it was a large property, and because of the design language we wanted to achieve, it turned out becoming almost 16,000 sq.ft of sculpture. Apart from the complex build, the main challenge by far was a conceptual one, to get into the mind of Chef Gresham Fernandes and create a setting fit for the mad experiments he was working up in the Kitchen. We took our inspirations from much of same thought processes that he was working with, and just non-linearly translating the grammar of the food preparation processes into a built design form was super interesting.
Our sensibility as a studio oscillates widely, in that we don’t define our output by a style or material or singular approach. I’d like to believe that selecting a relevant approach for a project affects the
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8. Tell us a little about your design process or methodology. The process varies diversely from project to project, and we try to have a lot of fun with that. Some projects, like the Smokehouse Delis begin with parody, others like the Bombay Canteen began with Nostalgia. We’ve experimented with management graphs, stoner humour, acid jazz, psychedelia and even progressive trance as starting points for projects. I can say with some certainty that selecting the right process is probably the most meaningful inquiry. 9. You are into heritage conservation as well. Why is conserving the old so important to you? I think it’s not so much just being preservationists, we do understand that there are natural processes that require the new to replace the old. What I do feel strongly is we aren’t doing a good enough job with maintaining continuity. In the myopic rush to adhere to five year visions of the city, we end up creating ugly junk that are really ruins in waiting. I do think when we replace beautiful old bungalows in suburbs like Bandra with large scale ugliness something is terribly wrong. Hopefully we can inject new life and relevance into these beautiful structures and help occupants to meet current lifestyle requirements without razing them to the ground, to gracefully ease them into the next phase of their lives. 10. What is the best thing about your job? I can wear sneakers every day. 11. You seem to have worked a lot with restaurants and clubs. Is this a conscious decision? Do you like designing these spaces more than others? Well it is a space I personally really enjoy, and it forms the most visible part of our portfolio. Strangely enough, we’re in a bit of a transition. We’re trying to apply some of the learning from our work in hospitality to more architecture and theory, as well as some more public projects. In fact we’re looking to cut back heavily on our hospitality projects, so we can explore other avenues for work!
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12. You seem really into restoring Bandra. Is this just the beginning? Are you planning more restorative projects in the future? Bandra is home. We’re sort of viscerally connected to it. And part of starting up ‘The Bandra Project’ was a long term commitment to a multi-headed inquiry into its various constituent agencies. We’re definitely working on as many touch-points as possible, the latest and most exciting being the formation of Bandra Collective, a common inquiry into various issues the suburb faces working collaboratively with five prominent Architecture studios in Bandra, an initiative that brings in multiple stakeholders into the future of the suburb. 13. What do you think about India’s current urban planning? Well like most things there’s a large variation in efforts. From the most progressive forward looking ones to the extremely regressive, and everything in between. I do feel however that we lack a far reaching futurist perspective, we don’t tend to make fifty year plans. Hopefully that’s an area we’d like to actively contribute to. More often than not, urban planning feels like its problem solving, or fire-fighting most of the time. There’s a place for that too, but it breeds a culture of reactionary myopic ideas. We fail to articulate the grand scheme, and it’s sad to repeat the mistakes of the ghost towns of the west and China. Our visions of our cities come from photo shopped catalogue images created by architectural spin-doctors, and this is the bane of planning. 14. Sustainability in design has been given more importance recently. How does this feature in your designs? The mind space that comes with sustainability is amazing. It forces us to look for the interconnectivity in things, and it’s a life pursuit more than installing a few solar panels. We’d like to actively engage with this exciting domain a lot more intimately, creating sustainable communities, sustainable lifestyles and sustainable environments for the beautiful suburb we live in.
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LIVE|Glimpses Within
URBAN ESCAPE Cities have a lot to offer. We love it here. However, what happens when it gets a little too much?We sit like drones behind our workstations and follow the crazed crowds back home. This summer take a break from the clutter of city life by making an impromptu summer weekend getaway. Summers are for vacations, this much is tradition. Yet the rest, where you vacay and how you do it, that is completely up to you. These alternate summer destinations will definitely make you want to take a break from the usual, pack your bags and take the next flight out. BY P PREETHI JUl 2016 | Brew lifestyle| 40
FOREST OF THE FOREHEAD Matheran is a quaint little hill station in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. It is the only hill station in Asia that is completely automobile free. To reach Matheran you will have to take a train to the neighboring town of Neral, from which you will have to take the toy train into the city. The city is famous for its numerous monkeys and its panoramic viewpoints. There are thirty six viewpoints in total and two lakes. This is the perfect, idyllic vacation for nature lovers.The view from the top is breathtaking and the transit around the town takes you back to another time. There are also a lot of trekking opportunities here. The city is also famous for its exquisite leather craftsmanship and its very sweet chikki.
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
SURF’S UP
Yarada beach in Vishakappatnam is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. It is however pretty secluded and that makes it a serene and breezy getaway. The beach is at a distance of 15 kilometers from the main city and is surrounded by hills on three sides. It is famous for its sunrises and sunsets. With a restaurant near the beach that offers good food, one can ideally spend the entire day at the beach. Although, there isn’t much to do here, the beauty of the place, long walks by the water and sunbathing on the sand keeps one occupied for a long time.
Udupi has long been known for its temples and food. But little has been spoken about itsvibrant surfing culture. Kodi bengre, a small village in Udupi has, over the past few years, gained a reputation for itself as a surfers’ paradise. Tourists both local and international visit this little town to chase the waves. The Shaka surf club is the most prominent and preferred agency to indulge in a little surfing here at Udupi. The most popular beach in this locality is Malpe beach. The waves are pretty rough at this natural port making it an experienced surfer’s delight.
PIRATE’S BAY IN THE REALM OF HADES Belum caves are set deep underground in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. The entrance to the caves are like the steps leading to a fiery underworld. These caves have passages that sometimes narrow down and sometimes open up to a small stream. Bridges have been built across gaps and the caves are lit by soft lighting. Exploring these caves gives a thrill similar to that of playing a Tomb raider game. Belum the name is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Bilum’ which means cave. These caves were used by Buddhist and Jain monks as a place of religious worship. It has however been neglected and then refurbished since then. For everyone who has that explorative streak in them, unleash your inner Indiana Jones here at Belum.
The largest island of east Andaman, Havelock island has to be mentioned on this list of summer getaways. Visiting this island in June, during the monsoon, is a real treat. Once the usual tourist traffic dissipates, you see the real Andaman. This island can be reached by a ferry or cruise from the main capital island of Port Blair or through Neil Island. There are a multitude of things to interest a tourist here at Havelock such as snorkeling, underwater sea walks, elephant rides,scuba diving, kayaking and exploring uninhabited islands. This truly is a beach lover’s paradise.It is home to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Radhanagar beach. The snowy white sands and sapphire waters will make one want to stay, even when it’s time to leave.
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LIVE | Glimpses Beyond
SOJOURN TO THE LAND OF SAMBA Boundless beaches with sunsets of alluring beauty, diverse in both a scenic and cultural manner, Brazil is one of the most captivating places on the face of the earth. The wilderness, the nightlife, the unconventional expression of culture and the vibrancy of its cities are some of the many reasons to visit this melting pot of colour, flavours and creed. Padma Murughappun shows you the Joie De Vivre while in this fascinating nation.
BY PADMA MURUGHAPPUN
F
ifth largest country in the world with a population as diverse as its wildlife, Brazil is a continent disguised as a nation. Adventure, cultural activities, relaxation, rejuvenation, nightlife and wildlife a visit to Brazil is a total package. Despite its noisy exteriors and the vibrancy of the metropolises, the lush green rainforests and the powdery white-sand beaches are the spots to be to rejuvenate oneself. The eccentric traveller is also not left out given the amount of otherworldly landscapes this marvellous country houses. With its coral-filled islands, thundering waterfalls and red-rock canyons, there is not one dull moment while in this exuberant country.
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RIO DE JANEIRO – CIDADE MARAVILHOSA A twenty minute rocky ride on the cable car early in the morning watching the sun rise up and hover over Christ the Redeemer on the Corcovado Mountain with the Copacabana beach to the south lapping on its shores, the way the city unfolds beneath you as you take the ride of your life, is a feeling that is immeasurable by words. Rio de Janeiro is one of South America’s hubs of energy and excitement. The soft glow of dawn reveals the shores mapping the urban jungle dotted with mountain peaks. WHY RIO DE JANEIRO? Famed as the rejuvenating vacation spot with its seductive seas, Rio has uncharacteristically energetic locals who start their day very early. Filled with people who seem to have an obsession with football, Rio’s stadiums can be visited even when there’s no game on just to get the feel of it. This unusual nature of theirs is seen through their unconventional ways of expressing their culture and themselves. Street art, residents putting up a brand new show every single day and the friendly atmosphere helps keep the dial up in Rio all day. From nightlife in Lampa district and the Santa Teresa region acting as Rio’s Central Park, the city is full of life 24X7. Even the city’s main place of worship is unorthodox - The Metropolitan Church of Rio De Janeiro has been designed in the Mayan Architectural style of pyramids. Music and passion are always in fashion at the hottest spot north of the Havana at the Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches with surfing kids, strutting models and many tourists. Join the locals during the Carnaval time for a Sunday party of dancing and shopping at the Ipanema. With the city gearing up for the 2016 Olympics, there can’t be a better time to visit Rio de Janeiro. Complete the entire retreat with the climb up the Sugar Loaf Mountains and savour in the scenic beauty of the bays and beaches of Rio.
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SAO PAULO – THE ALPHA GLOBAL CITY Situated in the south eastern part of Brazil, Sao Paulo is one of the biggest cities in the world and the economic and cultural powerhouse of the country. At first sight, its enormous and intimidating and a labyrinth of buildings all around. Even a Paulistano – a resident of the city - would get lost in the maze that this city is. Though it lacks in the beaches that Rio offers, Sao Paulo, also nicknamed Sampa, is the nightlife hub with around 15,000 pubs to entice you on your pub crawl. Despite being with filled with art-museums and places of historical importance, the city is also home to gourmands and scenesters who might introduce you to the best bistros and restaurants to taste the food from all over the world. Sao Paulo definitely has much more to it at heart than the concrete jungle that it portrays itself to be.
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WHY SAU PAULO? The incomprehensible size of the city might be tiring but everything will go well with a good plan in hand. Start at the very beginning to get to know the history in the botanical garden of the city to explore all of its flora in one place. Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral which was built in line with the Florence churches in Italy. Take a ride to visit the inland places where agricultural activities thrive and cattle and pasture can be seen in anonymous villages en route. Sao Paulo invests in its cultural economy just as much as it invests in its production economy. Masp is home to the country’s finest collection of western art in all of Latin America. Don’t forget the Bohemian district of Vila Madelena for a shopping spree from quirky stores and funky cafes. The developmental and business-like outlook of the city doesn’t stop its inhabitants from being their crazy selves. Many streets across the city are painted with street art and showcase the national obsession of football, espresso and other types of coffee, with the production of which the city was able to build most of its official buildings. In this bustling city where millions of people travel everyday through the highly interconnected highways, the Viaduto Santa Ifigenia is an art nouveau bridge that is a breath of fresh air. While in Sao Paulo, tour the iconic Municipal theatre with its impressive concert halls and ornate architecture hosting ballet and other cultural performances all year round.
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Opened at Mahindra World City, Chennai For memberships please call, 044-
4749 2200
Maximise your Life
Life, dotted together with moments of joy, is what we live for. At MWC Club you find these moments come alive. Located within the Mahindra World City, Chennai on the GST corridor, MWC club is designed thoughtfully with luxurious amenities. Here every member of your family can choose from a host of exciting recreational, social & fitness facilities. At MWC Club discover moments that truly Maximize Life.
Swimming pool I Squash Courts I Indoor Gym I Tennis Courts I Spa and Salon I Sports Bar I Multi-specialty Restaurant I Open air Party Lawns I Spacious Guestrooms For Membership: Call 044 4749 2200 | Email: mwcclub@mahindra.com | mwcclub.mahindraworldcity.com
(ACADEMIC YEAR 2016 - 17)
LIVE | What’s New?
KALYAN JEWELLERS LAUNCHES A ‘NEW SERIES IN ANOKHI’ – THE UNCUT DIAMOND JEWELLERY COLLECTION BOLD STATEMENT PIECES THAT COME WITH A FREE GIFT IN GOLD Kalyan Jewellers, India’s most trusted and leading jewellery brand has announced the launch of the new series in Anokhi, the uncut diamond jewellery collection. This new ‘Anokhi’ collection showcases the elegance of raw, uncut diamonds in finely crafted pieces of magnificent jewellery. This line is targeted at the new age bride, who chooses her jewellery as an expression of her sense of inner style. Uncut diamonds, set entirely in gold, Anokhi expresses the Indian woman’s effortless balancing of the best of modernity and tradition
Like the name suggests, this uncut diamond collection is made incomparably unique by the use of contrasting shades like the damask of rubies with the royal blue of sapphires, or the deep green of emeralds. This fashionable line is made to match the wide spectrum of every Indian woman’s wardrobe. The royalty inspired Jodha-Akbar necklace and Jhumka range is made for the bride who wants to shine in ivory. The Chand Balis and Chakri Kangans are perfect to adorn the bride who fancies the chic look. Anokhi also has statement pieces to match the vivacious, contemporary pop-colour inspired bride.
Virat Kohli’s menswear brand Wrogn has launched an exclusive range of trendy footwear that includes sneakers, flipflops, skateboards, drivers and more with 50 product options! Available for various occasions from bohemian quirky to sharp semi-formal to casual wear, this collection resonates and brings out Virat’s unconventional personality. The products are available at Shopper’s Stop, Myntra and standalone stores
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