Designer cocoon

Zaarga uses the Internet to weave a unique success tale. Payal Chhabria has the details...

In the past decade, the Internet has grown a tad older. From serving as an instrument to overcoming distances, it has certainly expanded its horizons. Zaarga, the latest online retail destination, has given the internet a new avatar; that of fabricating careers. Zaarga is that platform that weaves within its spaces young talent who have an eye for aesthetics and design.

Screen shot of the website, Zaarga.com

e-commerce

Anuja Mukim, 24, a Mumbai-based designer (label: Tuesday Afternoon), shares: “My journey with Zaarga began six months ago; also, it is my first venture in design. In the recent past, there has been a huge boom in e-commerce, arena. I was flooded with offers from various establishments, but I somehow couldn't associate with them. Then Zaarga came my way and I couldn't refuse. Sometimes, it's the connections you develop with certain things that work for you.”

Anuja Mukim

Anuja Mukim's design

Zaarga, stems from the intense passion of the duo Ashni Lukose and Indu Ananth, who have had a long, enriching background in the IT sector. However, they found absolute contentment solely in their love for design. Indu, says, “Our collection is quirky in perspective; so, we have a lot in store for the youth. We offer a wide ranging in our prices that begin at Rs. 133 and goes up to Rs. 80,000.”

The founders of Zaarga - Ashni Lukose and Indu Ananth

Zaarga is, of course, still carving its trajectory to keep pace with the extensive competition in the online world. Ashni insists, “Zaarga is a community for people who display a keen interest in art.”

However, there stems a distinctly tempting aroma from this freshly brewed curry, owing to its flavoursome website that almost lures you into sliding your debit card for one of the striking photographs that unfold within a background of an earthy, mahogany pan and some enticing spices that glide through in the form of an interesting blog and Facebook and Twitter venues. Of course, their ingredients comprise a mish-mash of lifestyle and home products (stolls, shawls, jewellery, furniture, stationery, accessories, bags) blend as appealing seasoning.

Diverse audience

Ritu Agarwal, a Mumbai-based designer whose year-old label Barohk is available on Zaarga, says, “My designs are very contemporary; they are a blend of western and traditional. My target audience is certainly the youth who can carry off this mix well.”

Ritu Agarwal

Ritu Agarwal creation

The novelty of this platform also stems from their willingness to submit it for disposal of contemporary designers. Indu, says, “We are not concerned if the designer is established; the designs should be appealing. Zaarga is open to even students straight out of college because that's where immense creativity lies. In fact, we have even spoken to the NIFT authorities to absorb part-timers from their bunch.”

Girinath Gopinath, a young Bengaluru-based designer (label: Ingots) and an alumnus of NIFT Delhi, says, “It's exciting to know from where your customers come from. The key advantage is that platforms like this have a wider reach. They reach even the smaller towns and cities, not just the metros.”

Well, all of those designers who are determined on marking the world around them with their designs can now confine themselves into the cocoon of Zaarga.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article3303347.ece

Fancifully footloose!

Youngsters Divya Raheja and Harsha Chordia translated friendship into a designer passion. Payal Chhabria narrates their tale...

Divya Raheja and Harsha Chordia have a story to tell; a story of friendship. And it is appropriate because they are best friends. However, they don't narrate the tale. They live it time and again, through their deepest passion — footwear designing. MINK — Footwear And Accessories, stems from their peculiar fascination for footwear, their intense zeal to carve a niche for themselves and simply from the bond they share.

Dream realised

“Well, it all began in MOP (MOP Vaishnav College For Women), when we had the opportunity to participate in the MOP Bazaar — an exhibition that encourages student entrepreneurship. We were keen on settling on something that was out of the ordinary and we loved footwear. So we set up a very distinct stall, where we designed footwear on the spot with the help of a cobbler, to the specifications and taste of the clients. It became a craze with the women and that marked the beginning of MINK,” narrates Divya, with a wave of nostalgia.

Fresh out of college, where everyone else celebrated freedom, these women decided to indulge in the art of design. It was the summer of 2011. Accompanying the Pina Coladas and Bloody Marys were beads, bows, colours, checks and flip flops. “It was a time when we were just experimenting. We wanted our clients to tell us what they wanted. So we set up a small workshop at home and began our own design house,” says Divya.

Since then, MINK has grown into a beautiful mansion. Their products, priced affordably between Rs.300 and Rs.500, is now available at boutiques across the country — Yellow Button in Bengaluru, India Kitsch in Kolkata, The Wardrobe in Hyderabad, apart from catering to their regular clientele comprising mostly youth. Divya says, “We do have older people coming to us. However, they mostly turn to us when they want to spice up their boring, single coloured, health-friendly footwear.”

Creative touch

In spite of expanding their horizons, the duo still believes in crafting everything themselves for footwear that they usually handpick from the retail market. They are also involved in hand-painted t-shirts and jerseys. In the accessories stream, they deal with neckpieces and hair bands. However, they will not refuse crafting anything else that you may be looking for. Their products can be ordered via their Facebook page or over the phone.

Their design sense is almost impulsive and perhaps that's what makes the MINK brand so distinctly fresh. “In the recent past, kohlapuris have gained popularity. Just about everyone is a fan. A client was looking for something unique in the variety. So we looked around the office and saw a bunch of checks stacked up. We knew what we had to do. It was spontaneous,” shares Divya.

They work with kolhapuris, crocs and flip flops. Yes, they are available at every nook and corner. But, have you come across flip flops with gathers of balloons'? Or crocs decorated with bows? Or checked kolhapuris? Well, if you haven't, you need to find your way to MINK because here is where they sway their wand and turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

For more details and orders, log on to: www.facebook.com/minkfootwear or call: 9884754859

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/fashion/article3280167.ece?viewImage=3

Campus adda

For the following story that I wrote, I got the opportunity to work with my best friend and an avid photographer, Aarthi Mohan for the first time ever and the experience was absolutely overwhelming. Thank you Aarthi, I hope we have many many more...

Payal Chhabria

The Maggi Station: The college canteen that was once popular for the hustle and bustle of students rustling through its spaces, has witnessed a drastic transformation over the last couple of years. The dynamic activity that was synonymous with college canteen is now overcome by semi-empty spaces and silent whispers. The students have found another place to unwind — the Maggi Station. Says Shruti M., “Sometimes the ice tea from the Maggi Station is what persuades me to come to college.” What brings life to this place is not the bright yellow board that screams out its name or its fascinating cottage like architecture but the constant chattering of scattered bunches of young women over a bowl of hot Maggi and chilled ice tea.

Chatty chaat: And those who do not find enough space at the station, step out to indulge in a combination of sweet-sour pani puri and a platter of fiery chaats at the chaat stall that has set up shop outside the boutique (Rangoli), diagonally opposite the college. Divya S., a student, says, “It's so refreshing to indulge in a plate of pani puri after a tiresome day at college; the kulfi serves as great dessert too.” Between 1pm – 2 pm and 6pm - 7pm (the closing period of both the morning and evening batches), if you happen to pass by and notice groups of young women huddled around the space outside the boutique and wonder what's being offered, it is simply a platter of scrumptious Kolkata chaat.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article3280196.ece

Starting a virtual wildfire

Payal Chhabria views the journey of Laughing Games/Jackbliss, the latest blockbuster on Youtube, along with its makers — Santhosh Chris, Bharadwaj Sundar, Anand Kumar and Sathish Kumar Gunasekaran.

Whenever he had an encounter with the computer, he was enveloped by a dash of magical power; whenever he faced an interesting situation, his mind could envisage, simultaneously, an animated version of the same; whenever he looked at his over-enthusiastic cat, he could see his new hero; whenever the world was lost in the enigma of a new craze, he had discovered a new idea.

Animated start

Video making and animation began to define Santhosh Chris. And what followed was Laughing Games/Jackbliss — the title of their video series — that has acquired over two million views on the most popular videos' channel, Youtube, that stemmed from his zeal and the intense passion of his young, dynamic team comprising Bharadwaj Sundar, Anand Kumar and Sathish Kumar Gunasekaran.

How does it feel to be proposed by Youtube for a partnership? One must ask the foursome, who has made it there in their early twenties and are yet dissatisfied. “We have miles to go,” claims Chris. Sometimes, passion serves as the strongest drive. It was this drive that led them to uploading videos on Youtube since 2007, while they were still feeling their way through video making and animations. “The videos acquired over 55,000 views on Youtube and the rest as they say is history,” says Bharadwaj, with humility. Before their association with Youtube, the group was associated with various other video sites like Dailymotion, Newgrounds and Albinoblacksheep. Their collaboration with these sites became the means through which they gained the exposure they needed to take Laughing Games/Jackbliss to the next level.

Their videos promise to satisfy not only your humour quotients but also to alter your ethical brain. “Making sense out of nonsense is the central idea for all our videos,” says Anand. They underline issues such as racism, mentally retarded children, environmental facets and other issues that reflect present day society. Their video against racism, “Mario back to the start”, gained much popularity and won them many accolades.

Issue-based

“We make videos on current issues, so that they get more exposure. When the World Cup was round-the-corner, we created a video that predicted our win with the same last ball that added six runs to our score and led to our victory. The response was overwhelming,” says Sathish.

Their series, “Cat versus Mankey”, that portrays a tiff between a puppet, who is very egoistic and a cat, who is humble, is sprawling on the internet like wild fire. “Mankey is the new internet celebrity,” proclaims Bharadwaj. They have made their presence felt at several film festivals across the country, some of which include Film Booth, an international film festival conducted at Delhi, festivals at Spaces and British Council, Chennai.

Apart from working on Laughing Games/Jackbliss, all four are involved in different jobs in varied arenas of the media industry. They work this out over weekends, into the nights, with computers at their disposal, commitment and passion as their paraphernalia, each other as inspiration and steaming cups of hot coffee to rejuvenate their senses; with every night carving the trajectory to reach yet another milestone...

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2850409.ece?viewImage=2

 

It's different!

The city's first youth theatre carnival paves the way for bigger and better fare.
Payal Chhabria

The theatre scene in Chennai is like old wine. It has taken its time to taste better. However, of late, it seems to be extending its horizons. The recent three-day theatre fest, “MY Theatre Festival”, curated by Prodigy Next in association with Masquerade Youth Theatre, served as a catalyst.

Youthful

Conceived by Mohamad Faizan, Dushyanth Gunashekar, the festival strung together a handpicked assembly of youngsters under 25. “It is an attempt to craft a youth theatre carnival similar to Thespo festival in Mumbai. We intend to make this an annual affair,” says Mohamad Faizan, Managing Director of Prodigy Next. “Also, it's a mix of fun and social responsibility as the proceeds go to Rotaract Club Of Madras, Reclaim Our Beaches and Barbara Kelly Home.”

The festival, held from February 2-4, satisfied theatre fans with an assortment of plays. Day one had four plays: “Love Follows After”, “Did you see PS 43”, “Deep Freeze” and “Pub Crawl”.

Amitash Pradhan, director of “Love Follows After”, said, “Youngsters are not given full-fledged productions. Drama is considered for older people. We've tried to bridge that gap so that youngsters get the exposure they need.” Seven people were trapped by an unusual tale within the closed premises of a room. And so was the audience on the second evening. “Jerome Bixby's Man from Earth” saw the concepts of cave men, reincarnation, origins and historical times woven with an extraordinary performance by the protagonist (Nakul Jayadevan) and deep music.

Day three offered a mish-mash of mime, dance and theatre highlighting “Vidhuran”, a little known character from the Mahabharata. The performers carried the show on their shoulders. The dance and a monologue by a significant joker were perfect additions. Sravanth Ramani, who performed the monologue, says, “Everyone is always curious about what's different. We intend to tell them that this is different.” Well, it indeed was.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2871800.ece

Pongal, with a twist

La Pongal crafts an unusual combination — the modern percussion and ancient folk lyrics — through its various performances and its first ever album. Payal Chhabria tunes in...

There is a striking contrast between the Pongal that was and the Pongal that is for “Darbuka” Siva, who is at the helm of La Pongal — a platform that aims at creating contemporary-electro-Tamil-folk music.

A decade ago, the aroma of steaming Pongal from the earthen pots swathed by the air carrying the beats of the thapaatam and nayyaandi melam exactly woven with the traditional folk lyrics scripted by maestros from the suburbs, welcomed Siva.

Folk to the city

Inspired by his childhood associations with the festival, he conceived La Pongal in 2007 “to bring folk music to the limelight”. This year, Siva introduced the city to a four day festival, Pongal Sandhai, in January that crafted the atmosphere of a village Pongal experience with ancient folk lyrics blended with a mishmash of the beats from the platter of folk as well as western instruments at Madras-I-Azam Higher Secondary School, Anna Salai.

“It's not a band; it's a platform,” insists Siva. “We want to make folk music accessible to people in the city. La Pongal is striving to throw light on talent from the suburbs, where they have no access to technology.

These performers are a package of dance, music, acting, acrobatics and entertainment. They are so spontaneous that it seldom seems like they are performing.”

In a span of four years, La Pongal has made its presence felt in several film festivals across the globe; some of which include Kala Utsavam in Singapore, a Himalayan village music festival at Sonapani, and The Storm, a two day-long music camp at Coorg. “We want youngsters to feel cool about folk music. We intend to make them head-bang to our beats,” says Siva.

This year also saw the launch of their first ever album — La Pongal, Project 1, Contemporary South Indian Folk Music – on January 16, at Pongal Sandhai.

Pradeep, a singer for the album, says, “The album has changed my perspective of music. Folk music has no boundaries. Besides, the energies of folk performers are inimitable. One needs to double one's energy levels to keep pace with them. So it's a very challenging experience for me.”

Team work

The album has been fabricated by the collaboration of 70 – 80 folk musicians from myriad cultures. Some of the prominent artists include Antony Daasan, Pradeep, Karthik Das Baul, Bonnie Chakraborty and Neil Mukherjee.

Siva says, “We have tried to bridge the gap between the styles of different singers. Antony Daasan is a typical folk singer from Thanjavur. On the other hand, Pradeep is a trained classical singer, who hasn't explored folk music previously. So we've tried to create an interesting balance. Also, I feel an intimate connection with Bengali folk music. So we've explored counter Bengali folk melodies interspersed with Tamil lyrics.”

The album will be sold at their concerts and can be ordered at their website (http://lapongal.com/). Antony Daasan, says, “It's a great platform for artists like me who are ignorant about modern technology and western trends. It's also a great opportunity to explore various genres of folk music through one medium.”

With a platter so full, La Pongal's currents are reaching across the city. However, its current doesn't shock; it satiates.

http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article2969796.ece

What's brewing?

To indulge, to splurge, to live a life of exuberance, collegians are turning into part-timers...

Payal Chhabria

In the current era of Blackberry and Burberry, pizzas and pastas, i phones and i pads, stilettos and skimpy dresses, Pulsars and Porsches, whisky and wine, the youth of the city are lost in an exuberant ocean of materialistic temptations. Similar to the way a snake charmer charms his snake into dancing to his tune, these objects are charming today's youngsters merely by their appearance and name into going that extra mile to add them to their platter of possessions. 

On a platter

Speaking a thousand words from the racks and menu cards of renowned boutiques, stores, restaurants, hookah parlours and discotheques, they are filling up the youth of the city with a zillion desires. And what are these young adults doing towards fulfilling them? Part time jobs and small scale businesses seem to be the answer. The present day youngster wishes to demonstrate independence through the life he lives and among the various facets involved, finance tops the list.

We've come a long way since the days when college-goers would stretch out their hands before their parents for a few pennies to splurge in a new dress or indulge in a cup of coffee. In contrast to the previous scene, Nandhini G, a 20-year-old, pursuing M A Communication at MOP Vaishnav College For Women says, “I'm working part-time at a PR company called Path Finder Communication in the client servicing and new business development departments. I'm working to support my mother financially; I give her half my salary every month. I feel at this level, you should support your parents and not expect them to support you.”

Siddhart Arora, a student of Loyola College, says, “I spend the money that I earn on coffees and lunch with friends, buying gifts for birthdays and other occasions and recharging my phone. I don't like the idea of asking my parents for money. They keep asking me questions. This way, I earn, I spend.”

Now just a couple of hours at work can fill your pockets with a few grand; spending one of your precious evenings welcoming guests, anchoring the show, demonstrating gadgets or just entertaining customers at promotion events and launches of various products, services and organizations can make you capable of affording a wholesome meal at a pizza joint or even a pair of sports shoes. Collegians seem to be fascinated by this easy path to cash; whether they enjoy doing it or push themselves for the sake of fulfilling some deep desire of theirs is a different issue altogether.

Gayathri Rajendran, a student of Stella Maris College says, “I do promotion jobs but I find it very odd sometimes. People keep staring at you; it gives me negative vibes.” However, these jobs even provide you with other facilities like a pick up and drop if it's too late, pay your petrol bills or auto fares for the day and dinner, at times.

Various options

Teaching, from aerobics to art and craft and even at play schools is seen to be another area of work-interest. Small scale event management that provide for birthday parties and corporate lunches, home-made chocolates and cakes and re-charging of mobile phones are a set of businesses that students are involved in. Freelance writing is another way of minting money.

However, some work for a reason beyond money, simply for passion. Aishwarya G, a content writer for fulloncinemas.com says, “The more experience you get, the better you do. It is a practical experience of what I'm learning in college.” Inclined towards pleasure seeking and luxurious lifestyles, the number of part-timers is rising by the hour.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2674431.ece

Mark of tradition

Payal Chhabria visits the hardworking mehandi artists from up North who have now made Chennai their home.

Panagal Park in T.Nagar, the shopping hub of Chennai, is known for being packed with hundreds of shopaholics, round-the-clock. The festival and wedding season is when the hustle and bustle is at its peak in this area. And so is the business, not just for the shops, but also for the skilledmehandiartists, who set up shop on the pavements.

B.S. Shivam, owner of Delhi Mehandi Designers, claims that, “a minimum of 10 women visit us daily”. Shivam, who was previously working in Delhi Mehandi Designers in Delhi, moved to Chennai four years ago to set up a business here when he realised the dearth of artists here. It was also the time, when he felt the need “to do more with his life”.

Viable option

Ganesh Chauhan, from Ganesh Mehandi Arts, also from Delhi, however, has a different tale to narrate. “When we were on a vacation to Chennai, we realised that the city had potential for a successful business in mehandi designing. Without a second thought, we packed our bags and here we are today.”

Naresh and Pramod, from Naresh & Pramod Mehandi Arts, also followed with the hope of establishing a business here. They look forward to the festival season, especially Deepavali, when they accomplish their highest targets; the plus here is that this season also gives them the best opportunities to experiment with their creativity.

Hailing from various parts of North India, this group offers an assortment of styles to pick from — Rajasthani, Bombay cut, Gold Silver Rajasthani, Jaipuri, Black Mehandi and Arabian designs, at fairly reasonable prices.

They charge about Rs. 50 for the palms, Rs. 100 for half a hand and Rs. 200 for full hands. Their bridal mehandi services range from Rs. 1500 onwards.

Delhi Mehandi Designers also have an option of booking them online.

“If you are looking for the best designs at reasonable prices, you must come to Delhi Mehandi Designers,” says Shivam with exuberant confidence. Giving him difficult competition is Ganesh, who says, “We do gold and silver mehandi that is only done in Delhi. We first paint the hands with mehandi and then colour it.”

Although their regular clientele includes North Indians, especially Marwadis, they claim that “the mehandi trend is setting into the South Indian culture as well”. South Indians are also becoming fond of painting their hands withmehandi; they visit the mehandi-wallas most during Navarathri. Sheela Mary, a resident of T.Nagar, who got her hands designed for a function, says, “They design very beautifully. Also, it is much more economical than any other place.”

Pramod Kumar, a mehandi designer, says, “Nowadays, the mehandi ceremony has become an exclusive function during weddings in the south as well. So, the wedding season is usually the best season for us.” Bimalesh Kumar, a designer from Ganesh Mehandi Arts claims to have handled the mehandi ceremony at 100 weddings in the last four years. “We were the mehandi designers at actor Rambha's engagement as well,” he says beaming with pride. Sachini and Shalini, eighteen-year-olds from Sri Lanka, say, “The designs are gorgeous and pricing is reasonable. We don't get to decorate our palms back home. So we really like it.” The mehandi fever has caught on to almost all age groups, ranging from eight to eighty.

Any occasion, function, festival or wedding, women are heading to these artists, to enhance the event by marking their hands with this symbol of tradition.

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/nxg/article2652704.ece