Nalagarh

On route Delhi- Dharamshala, we decided to stop at Nalagarh for a day. A short detour from the main town square to the top of a hillock, and maneuvering through some rather narrow winding roads, we got to the Nalagarh Fort.

At first glance, Nalagarh looks like any other dilapidated large fortress, but we walked in only to be charmed by it's beautiful expansive rooms, furniture and paintings from another era, and a massive terrace verandah offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city to the Shivalik hills.

The fort at a glance

Our room the inviting poolI loved the combination of blues and whites, reminds me a lot of the houses in Greece. In some parts it really did look like blue icing on a white meringue cake.

The perfect evening- Chai and chat on the verandah

Nalagarh is the perfect weekend getaway from Delhi or Chandigarh. (It's just about 60 kms from Chandigarh). If you are in a mood to do something more than just laze around, they organize nature treks, boating at the Bhakra dam reservoir, visit to the Mughal gardens in Pinjore, and guided tours to the local handicraft institutes, village industries and local havelis. As for me, I would rather indulge myself in a 'kerala style' massage at the spa.

For bookings and tariffs you can check out the website http://nalagarh.in/index.html

Windows

Windows in Mumbai are unique. Unlike any other city, windows here tell us a story. A story of survival, a story of decay, and inbetween all the chaos, stories of hope and eternal optimism. If you want to know Mumbai, study the windows. Cos its not 'just another window' in the city, but the city itself in these windows.

Window Farms

One thing I really miss in my home in Bombay, is a balcony. I had two balconies in my home in Bangalore, and although I don't consider myself as much of a 'balcony person'- the types to spend hours sitting out there with a cup of tea and a book, it's just nice to have an opening, some golden sunlight, space for a few pots, pretty flowers and spots of green, maybe herbs.

For those who don't have a huge house or a backyard 'Jamie-at-home' style, I came across this interesting site the other day. Ge this- you can grow up to 25 fresh live vegetable plants—lettuce, herbs, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, peppers, kale, small squash, edible flowers, and many mor in a normal 4'x 6' window in your home.

http://www.windowfarms.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykeE1Kk95Bw&feature=player_embedded#at=50





Seems like a simple DIY project, where you share your space year-round with a vitamin rich living harvest and a lush trickling fountain-like curtain. And the best part- it looks beautiful! Homes, classrooms, restaurant, I can see it going very well with any kind of design aesthetic.

Fluke by chance

Art Prints
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Being new to Bombay, we had a tough time looking for unique pieces of furniture and accessories while doing up our place, the same lampshades, the same cushion covers scrounging through racks and racks at the various Homestops, and Fabindias, and so I am delighted to stumble upon www.flukedesigncompany.com

cushion covers and bags

furniture- center and side tables

For long I have loved the Indian pop art, artists like Krsna Mehta, Manish Arora, Loose Ends and festivals like Kala Ghoda trying to revive familiar urban motifs to create a style that is colorful, contemporary, modern yet Indian. If you too are a fan of Indian kitsch, this is yet another place where you can shop for itsy bitsy curiosities, from t shirts and bags to art prints and furniture.

Makes for excellent gifts although it's a tad bit on the expensive side! But considering every piece is individually crafted and painted by hand, you can't really put a price to it. If you are in a mood to splurge, add this to your weekend shop stops.

To India With Love

I chanced upon this book on Amazon a couple of days back. A year after 26/11, 'To India with love.. From New York to Mumbai' is an attempt to pay tribute, raise awareness and funds for the victims of the attacks on November 2008. With a cover so captivating, I love the way the pages have been put together almost like a scrapbook- photos and snippets, stories and experiences.
What's more interesting are the contributors - famous personalities from all over the world, from all walks of life. Some of them being Wes Anderson, Adrien Brody, Francesco Clemente, Anthony Edwards, Jeanine Lobell, Natalie Portman, Yves Carcelle, Jean Touitou, Owen Wilson, Laura Wilson, Cynthia Rowley, James Ivory, Matthew Williamson, Rachel Roy, Tory Burch, Padma Lakshmi, Shobhaa De, Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani.

It's kitsch, it's colorful, vibrant and light hearted, yet making a difference in it's own little way. Profit from the sales of the book will go to support families affected by the attacks.

Quoting one of the co- authors of the book, Mortimer Singer- "I feel that there is a certain organized chaos to the book. It is a scrap book which it full of energy and surprises, not unlike Mumbai. I think that was the idea, for it to be transportational"

'Combat terror through art', has become the public's new found weapon in the city as well. The ongoing and hugely successful 'Mumbai Wall Project' saw Mumbaikars express themselves in color to paint the one-km wall in Chandanwadi in Marine Lines, on the 26th, spreading the message of anti terror, and paying tribute to the city's heroes.

Kala Ghoda

Last weekend, we made a trip down to South Bombay to the much- hyped Kala Ghoda festival. It's a street festival where you bump into some of the most vibrant and colorful people in the city. To rich Colaba aunties, to the long haired arty- fatry types, to the young hippies and college crowd, it's that part of the old city which oozes charm and character, with an interesting mix of buildings, some art- deco, and others old British style stone and brick. A leisurely stroll down the area is a perfect way to spend a pleasant Sunday evening.

vintage bombay

First started in 1999, the Kala Ghoda street festival has risen in popularity over the years, and attracts a good crowd from all over the city. Apart from the regular stalls selling knick knacks, there are various sub-festivals that feature the visual arts, dance, music, street plays, cinema, lectures, giant installations, workshops and special events for children.


It's a fun evening with plenty to drink, plenty to eat... if you fancy hot samosas and chai at the roadside cafes eateries or colorful ice golas in a cup. Soak in the humid air, the festive spirit and sweet melodies a flute, but don't forget to carry your pocket camera, cos this event lends itself to a lot of interesting 'photo-ops'...
...and if you want to end your evening at even higher spirits... hop across to good old Mondys for some Belgian beer and light happy music. Cheers!

Cafe Mondegar

Junk to Thunk!

I read about these guys the other day, and the work they are doing seemed super interesting, so wanted to share it. Who would have thought that all the empty Lays bags, milk tetrapaks and all the plastic junk that overflows from my bin everyday can be put of such good creative use.

A pet project started by Suren Vikash has now grown to become Thunk In India, a company that converts waste to utility items and has designed the products which have lasting value and life in spite of being produced from waste. The young entrepreneur has also helped generate employment for many.. Suren has made biodegradable bags, mobile pouches, laptop and CD covers, pens from waste and these products have caught the imagination of environment conscious.

cd cases

blinds

hand bags

Rag-pickers form part of his team collecting waste from different places, including Bengaluru and Tirupur and pass it on to Suren’s company which then works on creating the products. The rag-pickers are taught to segregate and create the products which are competitively priced and some companies, including IT, have found them very useful. The company has a weaving centre in Pollachi where plastic wastes are woven with cotton yarn for products.


To know more about this company, to collaborate and contribute or transform your organization to 'zero-waste', do check out their website- http://www.thunkinindia.com/

Go quirky online

Over the last couple of years, a lot of 'online shops' have sprung up selling quirky creative yet reasonably priced knick knacks for your home. This particular one caught my attention while surfing. Fun stuff out here- toys to cheer up your desk at work, or wacky pop art cushions for home, or cool birthday gifts!

It's called Quirko, and you can order these online. So convenient :-)


Ultra mini table fan


Wijo- Red


Marlyn coasters


Jackpot!

More cool stuff at http://www.quirkoshop.com/ Check it out!

Dove's evolution of beauty?

I'm going to write about advertising this time, and my two paisa views on a current campaign. In case you haven't seen it yet, this is a Dove commercial from 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhCn0jf46U (here's the link if you don't see it playing below)


Dove for a while has been talking about real women and real beauty. In most of their advertisements globally, be it either print or television, they have successfully represented the majority of women ie, the non model ordinary looking, overweight, freckled, dark, black, anorexic.They have remained true to their idea of 'real inner beauty'.

But- why not in India? Out here Dove ads display beautiful milky white clear skinned models with flawlessly airbrushed faces. Take the current Dove Shampoo tv commercial for example, or the current print ads that contain testimonials of 'real' women in India who just ALL happen to be 'fair and lovely' as well? The farthermost they have gone is putting a pair of spectacles on one of their models, and that's as close to 'real' as they seem to get. These pale photo- shopped faces do not represent even a fraction of women in India. Not even close. Just the cream of the crop. Dusky can still be beautiful.Will they ever have the guts to show a fat and dark south Indian woman? Ever? Let's see for ourselves:

Dove's international 'Real beauty' campaign:

Dove India's 'Real beauty' campaign: See the difference? So why the double standards? Is it because India is still obsessed with the notion of fair= beautiful? I don't think so. I think the Indian audience is slowly evolving. And so should Dove in their advertising. Honestly right now Dove's perception of beauty in India is quite distorted.

My sunny balcony

Amidst this noisy polluted concrete- jungle city, four friends came together and decided to bring in a little sunshine into our lives. Thus was born - Mysunnybalcony.com, a project that brings us our own little garden right outside our window.

'Doing up' a balcony is a concept still alien to us urban professionals, we have just about gotten into the aesthetics of interior designing tiny apartments. Gone are the days of sprawling lawns, gardens maintained by 'maalis' with their watering cans, or plucking fresh ladyfingers and tomatoes from our backyard! Heck.. it's hard enough to maintain a potted orchid, a money plant is the only way to get a spot of green home for some of us.

Now you have a number you can call and watch your bare grilled waste of space transform to a sweet sunny balcony. So snuggle up in that cane chair with a book in your own private garden, a fountain gurgling away in the background. Sundays..lazy sundays...


Quoting from their website..."Any space that receives even a little bit of sunlight is a potential MySunnyBalcony space: A tiny unusable patch outside your front door, an ugly terrace on your roof, or even a back balcony in your your high rise apartment. It doesn’t matter how high up or small your space is, we’ll work with it. We’ll also tell you what you can do and what you can’t. You’ll be surprised at the immense number of green possibilities that even a tiny amount of space can hold!"

Take your pick...designer, zen, colorful or just a green veggie patch, or an idea of a cute terrace garden you've always had, but didn't know how or never had the time to go about executing it, mysunnybalcony is your one stop shop for custom made balconies home delivered! Kudos to Reena and her pals, and here's wishing them all the best on their new venture.


Make sure you check out their website for more pictures and ideas for your space. http://www.mysunnybalcony.com/