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The Nilgiris story: A showcase of curated line of shawls,ย scarves, home textiles, and linen saris, handcrafted by Toda artisans

The Nilgiris story: A showcase of curated line of shawls,ย scarves, home textiles, and linen saris, handcrafted by Toda artisans

Seated on the grasslands in remote hamlets, usually under the shade of a large tree, the Toda women of the Nilgiris engage in their art โ€” a distinctive, Geotagged black and red embroidery โ€” singing full-throated songs that talk of damp grass, warm sunlight, and mountain air. Deeply inspired by Nature, this intricate pukhoor (motif) embroidery meticulously follows the warp and weft of the base cloth, creating a stunning visual effect. Artisans count threads purely by touch, gently stretching the fabric as they stitch โ€” a testament to their extraordinary skill and intuition. Ramya Reddy, author of the book Soul…
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Tree-free stationery brands convert agri waste to paper

Tree-free stationery brands convert agri waste to paper

Bluecat Paper @ BengaluruGrowing up amidst Coorgโ€™s natural beauty, Kavya Madappaโ€™s professional life has been rooted in sustainability. After launching the eco-friendly Amanvana Spa Resort in Coorg in 2009, Kavya moved onto the sustainable manufacturing of tree-free paper with Bluecat Paper in 2018. โ€œI launched the label with the belief that alternate solutions of paper have to be explored in order to reduce the burden on trees,โ€ says the 47-year-old.ย  Wine holders at Bluecat Paper | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement During her research, Kavya discovered that India cuts down โ€œmillions of trees annually for paper production despite abundant agricultural and…
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Why Ganesh Chaturthi is more than modak: Exploring Maharashtraโ€™s culinary traditions, rituals and recipes

Why Ganesh Chaturthi is more than modak: Exploring Maharashtraโ€™s culinary traditions, rituals and recipes

On the first morning of Ganesh Chaturthi, the 10-day festival that marks the arrival of Lord Ganesha into peopleโ€™s homes and community mandals, kitchens come alive before the crack of dawn. Steam curls up from freshly ground rice flour, jaggery bubbles into a sticky syrup, and women gather around to coax delicate pleats into the steamed version of the modak or ukadiche modak. In most homes in Maharashtra, and Goa, the scent of sandalwood incense and marigolds hangs in the air, while children run in and out, waiting to pounce on the sweet dumplings once the aarti ends. The thali…
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The Manganiyars all set to seduce Bengaluru

The Manganiyars all set to seduce Bengaluru

Roysten Abelโ€™s The Manganiyar Seduction | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement It has been nearly two decades since Roysten Abelโ€™s iconic musical production, The Manganiyar Seduction, premiered. But the noted playwright and theatre director, known for a range of critically and commercially acclaimed works, such as Flowers, Othello in Black and White, A Hundred Charmers, and The Kitchen, still is not tired of the music. โ€œI should have had enough of it, but I just donโ€™t. There is something very special about it. It still manages to mesmerise me,โ€ insists Roysten, who is all set to bring The Manganiyar Seduction to…
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In the quiet idyll of Saligao in North Goa, Lento, is redefining the soul and texture of slow living

In the quiet idyll of Saligao in North Goa, Lento, is redefining the soul and texture of slow living

In a fast-paced world, Lento, which means slow in Portuguese, allows you to pause and bask in the glory of all things natural, detailed and made from scratch An age-old banyan tree taking root through the concrete of a house. Dense, mauve hazes of wisteria blooms spilling out of the crevices of an old stone castle. And, the sightings of wild animals on city roads during the lockdown. Nature takes over in quiet rebellion, when human intervention decreases. And, in that rewilding, there is a strange kind of beauty. This was pretty much the story of how Lento โ€” a…
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Punit Balanaโ€™s designer label turns 10

Punit Balanaโ€™s designer label turns 10

Every stitch in Punit Balanaโ€™s creations is a proud paean to Rajasthan. The garments are shaped by memories, art, colours, music, culture and localities from the State that he calls home. Be it Bagru, Sanganer, or the buzzing chowks of Jaipur, all of them find representation in Punitโ€™s collections.โ€œJaipur is where everything began. I grew up surrounded by block prints, crafts, embroidery, textile... Craft was a part of my everyday life. The city is layered: one day you are looking at the geometry of Amer Fort, the next day, the colours of Johri Bazar. I donโ€™t think I looked for…
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Inside Rahul Mishraโ€™s new flagship store at Kala Ghoda

Inside Rahul Mishraโ€™s new flagship store at Kala Ghoda

In Mumbaiโ€™s historic Kala Ghoda precinct, the ground floor of the City Ice Building has been transformed into Rahul Mishraโ€™s sprawling flagship atelier. It is the fashion designerโ€™s largest retail endeavor in India, conceived as a museum-like maison by architect and designer Rooshad Shroff, whose work is synonymous with exquisite Indian craftsmanship for the modern aesthete.Behind the luxury Mumbai outposts of Louis Vuitton, Kunal Rawal, and the design Mecca Nilaya Anthology, Shroff also collaborated with artist and designer Patrick Kinmonth to envision and execute the 2023ย India in Fashionย exhibition at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. It had featured Mishraโ€™s couture.…
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Hereโ€™s how Rooshad Shroff transformed an 80-year-old ice-storage facility in Mumbai into Rahul Mishraโ€™s largest maison in India

Hereโ€™s how Rooshad Shroff transformed an 80-year-old ice-storage facility in Mumbai into Rahul Mishraโ€™s largest maison in India

Rain has been cascading in plumes, only to pause just before the launch of designer Rahul Mishraโ€™s largest maison in the country, in Mumbai, at Kala Ghoda district. On his way from Mumbai Airport to the new atelier, Rahul says that he had been looking for the perfect space for his flagship outlet before he chanced upon the City Ice, a nearly-80-year-old building, in Kala Ghoda. The sprawling 7,500 square-foot property, which served as an ice-storage facility in the 70s, will now house some of the most exquisite collections by Rahul who became the first Indian designer to be invited…
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Meet N Harikesan Nair from Thiruvananthapuram, recipient of the Kerala State Farm Awards for the best nutrition garden

Meet N Harikesan Nair from Thiruvananthapuram, recipient of the Kerala State Farm Awards for the best nutrition garden

โ€œIt is all about becoming self-sufficient.โ€ That is N Harikesan Nairโ€™s principle behind his love for farming. The retired bank employee from Thiruvananthapuram is currently basking in the glory of winning the award for the best organic nutrition garden at the State Farm Awards 2024. One cannot help but listen in awe as he lists the variety of crops and plants he cultivates at his home at Sree Nagar, Kalippankulam, near Manacaud. Besides the area around his home on the 10-cent plot, farming is being done extensively on two terraces, covering an area of 2,500 sq ft.โ€œI have been doing…
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Thiruvananthapuram-based couple launches Badi Rasam, a ready-to-eat meal pack for โ‚น49

Thiruvananthapuram-based couple launches Badi Rasam, a ready-to-eat meal pack for โ‚น49

Ashifa Firdous and Faizal Subair, who launched Badi Rasam | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT A ready-to-eat meal pack for โ‚น49. That is Badi Rasam for you. The branded product comes from Thiruvananthapuram-based couple, Faizal Subair and Ashifa Firdous.Currently available within the city limits, the pack has Kerala matta rice, sauteed green gram, a pickle, tomato rasam and badi. โ€œBadi is a sun-dried dumpling made of lentils. The badi we use has black gram (uzhunnu). The dumplings are dry roasted and powdered. It is mixed with sautรฉed shallots, green chilli and garlic. This is a traditional dish prepared in many North…
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