Pensha

I met Madhavi Chandan who runs a plant boutique from her Koregaon Park residence. Her potted plants can be good gifts. Following is the interview, which I did for a daily. ---- From outside the walls, the garden looks ordinary — a swing, a few potted plants and a patch of grass. It’s only when you step into Madhavi Chandan’s tiny green space, you’ll wonder how she’s accommodated a whole lot of things — a bird house, a bird feeder, an artificial waterfall, ceramic swans, frog pavers and a cast iron stand full of plants, containers, ceramic and fabricated planters and fibre barks! The answer’s simple: Space is never a constraint for her. Madhavi can work on the tiniest space and transform it into a beautiful garden. “ That’s the whole idea — to make use of the smallest space! Not many people today can afford a big home, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have a green corner! Which is why I have come up with bottle and vertical gardens and so on,” says the owner of Naturecr...

Ratna Khurana makes candles alongwith her sister. I met Ratna at her house, where she was busy sorting out candles and packing them in gift boxes. Following is the article I wrote on her. --- Immersed in work, Ratna Khurana busily gift-wraps the handcrafted assorted candles so that they reach her clients just in time for Diwali. Adept at candle making, Ratna has been exploring this art for more than a decade now, but it’s been just a year that she’s set up shop. Talking about her enterprise Candle N Beyond, which she started along with her sister Yogita Lal, Ratna says, “It’s just been one year since we got into the business. But, we have been making candles for 12 years now. I did a basic candle-making course, in which I learnt how to heat and colour the wax.” But what kept the duo going was their energy to explore and their passion to create exotic candles. Quips Ratna, “I was always inclined towards the art of candle making because candles are universally as...

I interviewed Neetu Bhatia, co-founder and Chairman of Kyazoonga.com  Excerpts from the interview. It was carried in a daily which has special pages dedicated to female readers   a) What does Kyazoonga stand for? Kyazoonga — Jump the Q, stands for seamless experience for the end customers when it comes to buying tickets for an entertainment or sporting event in the country. It’s a name, which would initially stand out as a recall factor, but once an association has been established, Kyazoonga would guarantee a hassle-free experience. b) Why an online ticketing store? And, why cater to only entertainment and sporting events? My brother Akash, who is also the co-founder of Kyazoonga came up with this idea when he was on a holiday here. He was taken aback to find that bookings for a movie/ play could be done only in person or on telephone. He called me up and asked if I was game for setting up an online ticketing store in India. I agreed and in April...

I wrote this under the "wellness" section for the Sunday supplement. An event notification on Vkontakte, a Russian social networking site, intrigued Julia Kazarina. The event invited everyone to attend a workshop on weaving mandalas or Ojos de Dios (Eyes of God) and therapy. “ I was surprised to know that one can weave a mandala. I knew that we could draw them, or create them from coloured sand, stones and shells. I found weaving a mandala intriguing and new, so I decided to attend it. Three days after the workshop I started to weave them non-stop. Thenceforth it became my life,” says Julia. Julia, who recently held a workshop on mandala weaving in Pune, explains the art of Ojo (pronounced as Oho). Ancient roots Weaving Ojos de Dios is an ancient art practised by native Indian tribe called Huichol, in Mexico. However, similar art forms are practised in other parts of the world like Namka in Tibet and God’s Eye in ancient Russia. “According to the Huichol In...

I met Meghna Pant last month when she had come to Pune to promote her debut novel, "One & A Half Wife". This interview was filed for a women's supplement. She juggles numbers and words with equal ease. Her day begins as the deputy editor of a business magazine in Dubai, and at night she escapes into the world of literature. Meghna Pant, first-time novelist, admits that it’s crazy working from day into the night, but wouldn’t like to change her schedule one bit. “My day job and the stories that I write, when I get back home, are both very dear to me. I can’t choose between them,” Meghna, who was in the city to promote her book One & A Half Wife, said. Talking about her “baby,” the 31-year-old business journalist said, “The idea for the novel germinated when I returned to India from the US where I was working with the Bloomberg. India had changed in the two years that I was away — right from the expensive onions to the mushrooming malls on every street. It ...

This is the unedited piece I wrote for a women's supplement. I’m sorry, I have to take Mr G’s call. I’ll talk to you later,” P cut short our chat. One Sunday, P splashed some water on his face to wash away the signs of the afternoon siesta and took to the wheels. He was to drive Mr and Mrs G to Mumbai. A few months later, he went to pick up Mr and Mrs G’s daughter from the airport. The Gs were always a priority with my husband. And, when I met them a few months later, I realised why. A weary-looking Mr G opened the door and on seeing us, his eyes sparkled behind his lenses and he burst into a wide smile. His thin, bony hands pulled us into the living room where a disheveled Mrs G was sitting. “ Arrre tu...” (Oh! It’s you!) she smiled at my husband. Mr G exhaled a sigh of relief and nodding in P’s direction, said, “It’s a good sign that she recognises you.” “ Aani..hi kon ? (Who’s this?)”, she asked looking at me. “ She’s my wife,” P answered. “ Chhan (N...

A man who wears many hats – engineer, poet, writer, actor, model, photographer, and documentary-maker – Milind Gunaji's down-to-earth charm and candid confessions at a recent event succeeded in adding to his admirers. Milind, who was in the city on Friday at the book reading session of Meghna Pant's debut novel, “One & A Half Wife”, frankly admitted to the audience that he hadn't had time to read the book beforehand. To correct the folly, Milind settled down for an informal chat with Meghna to understand the story before reading out from the novel. While discussing the various themes of the book – fortune-tellers, recession, East vs West – Milind revealed that he could read and prepare horoscopes very well, but didn't believe in road-side fortune tellers. “ I was told by one such fortune-teller that I would make a good politician. I don't want to test the accuracy of his statement by plunging into politics. I am drawn to mysticism and spirituality than ...

Exquisite Pattachitra art. Pic courtesy: Tilak Shetty, Graphiti All of us have, sometime or the other, seen wall paintings in Madhubani art, with their rich and eye-catching geometric designs. Now visualise this traditional folk art form in an animated film for children. Mind-boggling isn’t it? The man behind this imagery, Tilak Shetty, director of Krish,Trish and Batliboy II, has picked popular folk-tales and brought them alive on the big screen using this medium of art. Tilak, who was at the inauguration of the two-day Children’s Film Fest held in the city recently, confesses that he cannot draw or paint “to save his life” and hence, chose this medium because “someone has to archive and document our folk history for posterity. And, films assure you of that,” he says. A Commerce graduate, Tilak also dabbled in computer programming before setting up his animation company, Graphiti. He reveals that it is the art that decides the stories. “We first decide on the folk art and...

A night stroll on the almost deserted 18 th June Road was quite a revelation. What we had missed out during the hustle-bustle filled mornings, popped up in our consciousness, beckoning a closer inspection on the dimly-lit road. No, it wasn't an apparition, nor was it a road block, but a house. A typical Goan house with red roofs, large windows and since the curtains were parted, we could also spot the altar. It quite fitted the description of what we had seen earlier in the day – a museum dedicated to houses of Goa. House Watch Having decided to skip beaches, temples and other touristy sights of Goa on this trip, we headed to Tordo, Salvador -do- Mundo in Bardez taluka. A red structure shaped like a ship was our destination. The Houses of Goa Museum isn't your typical museum; in fact it's warm, welcoming and cozy like your own home. The polite and warm receptionist, on learning that we were not architects, offered us discounts on the entry tickets (Rs 50 for o...

What life doesn’t offer you or takes away from you, novels give it in abundance. A chance to juggle multiple answers for a question troubling you, a chance to peek into someone’s thoughts, a chance to bridge the perception of imagination and reality, is given or sought in the fictional world. “ These and other factors like awakening to the sensory experiences, the feeling of being sucked in by time, giving us motives, and the ability to break the boundaries of time and space are the ‘10 ways in which novels can change your life’,” says author Chandrahas Choudhury, who was in Pune recently at the invitation of Open Space, taking time off from his busy life in Delhi and Mumbai. To elaborate on the topic, Choudhury chose 10 passages from the works of the past and present writers, which were not necessarily the central plot or even focussed on the protagonists, but nevertheless struck a chord. He first read out the passage from Irene Nemirovsky’s Suite Francaise which depicts the se...

You are still living in the dinosaur age!” My friend exclaimed when I expressed curiosity at his buying books from Flipkart. Oops! I should have said ordered books from Flipkart because isn’t “buying” a physical act? Well, that’s so “romanticising” the past, I was told. Has the act of buying books from the bookstores — sniffing in the “bookish” air, sometimes standing on the toes and sometimes bending at the knees to hunt for books and finally grinning when you get the copy you were looking for — become so passe? Are the technology-driven businesses and corporate-owned bookstores appealing more to the sensibilities of generation now than those cosy book nooks around the corner? We spoke to readers and bookstore owners to find out... Leafing through change Says Sunil Gadgil, owner of Popular Bookstores, Deccan Gymkhana, “We are disadvantaged by the current competitive scenario. We can’t afford to sell the books at significant discounts like the online bookstores. Of course,...

Touted as “one of the 100 most influential people in the world” by TIME magazine, writer, speaker, Chetan Bhagat certainly doesn't mince his words when he says, “Youth who are not politically conscious, do not know the importance of voting, are not interested in the decision-making process, are as good as a bunch of illiterates.” Bhagat, who was in the city at the launch of Canada-based Mad Science, a science enrichment provider for kids, in India and Sri Lanka, said, “Both rural and urban youth are aspirational. They want to change their circumstances, which is good. But, they are not very politically conscious. I would say, kids from rural areas are more politically aware as compared to their urban compatriots. But, on the whole, youth today are not interested in decision-making process, they are disenchanted by democracy, which isn't a good sign. All of them can't become activists. They have to be a part of the socio-political fabric of the country.” Bhagat, who's ...

  A lot of people seem to think of “Panchkarma” as one of those body massages that help you rejuvenate after gruelling hours at work. They couldn't be more wrong. Panchakarma is not what you get after checking into a spa or a parlour. Massages may be a part of it, but Panchakarma is certainly a lot more than that. First things first Panchkarma is an Ayurvedic medical procedure that is to be administered only by trained Ayurvedic doctors or by those who hold a Diploma in Panchkarma. “ If the nameplate of the doctor reads “Panchkarma Chikitsa” then you are at the right place. Please learn to differentiate between relaxation therapies at spas and Panchakarma treatment,” says Vaidya Leena Jagdale. Panchkarma means... ...Cleansing your body. The five basic Panchkarma procedures are: vaman, virechan, basti, rakta mokshan and nasya. Vaman cures the disease though puking or vomiting, virechan through purgation (done with the help of laxatives), basti means enema (which is done by relea...

With Bare Hands The True Story of a Real Life Spiderman By: Alain Robert Published by: Jaico Pages: 306 Price: Rs 350 With limited mobility of his hands, smashed bones, and close brush with death (twice), one can describe Alain Robert's escalation of Petronas Towers, Taipei101, Sears Towers, Shinjuku Center Building, Golden Gate Bridge and several other urban landmarks across the world as, “incredible.” Or perhaps not as Robert thinks that his urban escalations provide him with a different but respectable source of livelihood. And, since he is passionate about scaling cliffs and skyscrapers, a broken bone or two do scare him, but not enough to tie him down to a sedentary lifestyle or job. For those who do not follow adventure sports, or are not acquainted with the rush of adrenaline, the first few chapters of autobiography, which describe the Robert's transition from a rock climber to an urban climber and difficulty ranges of cliffs, might be a little confusing. One also can...

Reportage of Diplomat Pavan Varma's foray into fiction. -- Death. Much as we know that we are born to die one day, we hope that the “one day” is in someone else’s fate and not ours... and, when we realise that we are living on borrowed time, we lose all our bearings. Death or rather how to deal with death is the premise of Indian diplomat and writer, Pavan Varma’s first fiction, When Loss is Gain which is published by Rain Tree, an imprint of the Rupa Publications. The book was launched in Pune recently. Referring to the theme, Varma says, “It’s when the finality knocks at your door that you suddenly realise that all these years, months and days, you have been engulfed by the minutiae of life, tyranny of the trivia and fail to see the benediction of the feeling of just being alive. In other words, the book asks us how we treat our life.” The fiction is set in Delhi and Bhutan, where the capital and the nation state are the metaphors for Hinduism and Buddhism. Having lived in Delh...