artnlight

Happening Shopo.in

2012-01-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

I'm sure all of us who are active members of the online Indian design community already know of Shopo.in. The dynamic ever expanding online shopping place for all things Indian-handmade-designer. I am really resisting calling it the Indian Etsy, because shopo does have its very own spicy full-colour flavour and identity. And what a pleasure it has been to retail with them. The entire team is as co-operative and prompt and polite as the person at the helm, Krithika Nelson. I have been retailing with Shopo ever since their inception & its been a brilliant experience. And to top that there are 2 new and cool announcements I have to make about them.
One is that they are offering shipping free on all their products!! Like how super cool is that. And the 2nd is that they kick start their Season of Love run up to Valentines day. So don't wait and head straight here to choose and buy something for your Valentine. And here's a look at some of my favourite shops on Shopo.

Saloni Gadgill's She Sells

Kanika Behl's Anek

Parul & Uzma's Kya Cheez Hai

Anisha Singh's Letternote

Carmina Fernandes' Artesania

Abhilasha Jain's Mish Mash design

Karthik and Mahesh's Varnam

And my artnlight :)
I am very inspired by how far Shopo has come in a year & how their team and tribe has been growing. More power to them in 2012!

SOPA, Creativity, You and I

2012-01-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

With the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and the protests that followed it, I think our collective minds are thinking of issues around piracy and and just plain copying. And how much to protect the artists who create it and then the companies involved in turning it into a 'property' and thereby trying to strong arm governments to pass bills that could give power to indiscriminately and without process or trial shut down entire websites without as much as a 'by your leave'. I was discussing this with friends and the biggest and most assuring fact that is staring at me straight in the face is that the internet unifies the world and brings a transparency and accountability to government and larger administrative bodies like never before. And this is because of the power and prerogative that the internet bestows on the individual of this generation. Whether it is the Anna Hazare movement in India or the sizable withrawal of support for SOPA in the U.S. It happens when you and I choose to speak for and stand up for what we believe in. It happens when we care enough to do that. The heartening fact is more and more of us are choosing to.

Links for the curious: Why SOPA is dangerous by Chris Heald at Mashable. What is SOPA and how does it work? by Nilay Patel at The Verge. SOPA page at Wikipedia which is available through the blackout period

And click here to read the powerfully worded article which prompted me to write this post.

A few months back we saw another side of the coin with the a lot of us bloggers coming together for the 1st time and discussing blatant piracy and copying in our midst. Copying is sad and it is ugly and the creator certainly feels a pinch when someone takes what you thought of and worse takes it further, reaches more people, either with marketing or affordability. Creativity and ambition don't always go hand in hand and there are many dynamics to this game. At a very superficial level there will always be people who are better at creating and and another lot of people who once they see a possibility are better at taking it further, making it bigger and even better. And there is a place for all of this. And each must and will eventually do what they can. Perhaps the thing to remember here is what you can do is stretchable and elastic and flexible and can grow and expand, evolve and change as you will. Which means a creator can create and market to a whole new level if they wished so, and a vise versa. This I say for myself as much as much as for for anyone reading this. And what I have been clumsily trying to say is put so beautifully here.

"Its not where you take things from - its where you take them to" Jean Luc Godard

Louis Vuitton and India.

2012-01-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

When I made the previous post I happened to savour a few treasures from the Louis Vuitton website. Had to share the India chapter from their pages. And I was just plain missing India on my blog. This 1st image is just so enchanting. The pink evening light with the palace shimmering in the backdrop is stuff of every Indophile's dreams. Voyage En Inde:

I am so tempted to go back to my Rajasthan archives. It is next best thing to going to the place.

Window display fun.

2012-01-16T09:34:00.000-08:00

Paper art, embroidery, space age, christmas, and no wait - a bloody stuffed elephant, and then the menagerie! Where does all this come together you are wondering. We are talking window displays. If you think this is an extension of harmless window shopping -think again. This is clearly where advertising's cutting edge is at. Yes. The window. And there's some serious art and some even more serious fun happening here.

Beginning with the sane ones

Till here we saw pretty, now begins the fun.
.Macy's Christmas window display @ Union Square was all sci-fci

Giant white and gold paper flowers floating up & PAPER TYPOGRAPHY!! How exciting is this!

Its amazing to see crafty techniques scaled up so effectively.

Below is whatever picture I could take without a million people walking across it. Its was bang at Union Square where we waited for the cable car. JOY IT UP is what the complete window reads like. Take a closer look!

Now for the most dramatic window display of the lot! I was walking past this at the Korean Incheon Airport and stopped dead in my tracks. What was this???!!!

You can read about the 1st ever Louis Vuitton Airport store and the complete dope on why Incheon was chosen.

This led me to the Louis Vuitton website. Click here to experience some sheer cinematic Indian poetry on their website. Completely worth the loading time :)

Chandan Dubey's Photography

2012-01-09T21:30:00.000-08:00

I went to the Sublime Chaos of Cities - a photographic exhibition, by Smita Barooah Sanyal, Mala Mukerjee & Chandan Dubey. I went primarily to see Chandan's work and what well invested time it proved to be. I am no critic, but it is not often that you go to an exhibition where the work truly excites you because you have seen something you cant quite figure out, and yet it bewitches and intrigues you. Each frame engaged you, either with form and colour & more often than not with its story. To see Chandan's photographic body of work is to be met with an artist of formidable calibre. It is education and it is inspiration. The photographs of her work in this post are not a patch on the real thing. To stand in front of each frame is to have it speak to you & draw you into the world it comes from.

Clicked by my friend Deeptha Umapathy whose photography I really love.

The series below (of 5 pictures)- which my photo has quite ruined, has to be seen to be believed. We spent the maximum time in front of this, captivated by the story and intrigued by the way it had been captured. This for me had so much power. Chandan Dubey, respect.

Below is a group of some more of my favourites from her work.

Artists whose work you will see at the Sublime Chaos of Cities Exhibition:
"Mala Mukerjee’s works have appeared in many publications in India, UK, Australia and Germany, and on the cover pages of several books published in India and abroad.

Smita Barooah Sanyal is a fine arts photographer and writer. Her works have been exhibited at some of Asia’s most prestigious galleries including Sunjin Galleries (Singapore), Art Mosaic at the Ministry of Culture (MICA, Singapore), The Fringe Club Fotogallerie (Hongkong), Tullika Arts (Mumbai), the Birla Academy (Kolkata), and The Experimental Arts Gallery (IHC, Delhi).

Chandan Dubey is an art curator, writer, and self–taught photographer who has been clicking people, places, and objects for over 15 years. Dubey’s works have been exhibited in galleries in Hong Kong and India, and also appeared in India Today, The Economic Times and Mid–Day, Art Asia Pacific, The South China Morning Post and Time Out Hong Kong." Quoted from here.

All photography and art aficionados, do head to NCPA to catch Chandan's work at the Sublime Chaos of Cities exhibition. Its on till 15th January 2011.

Meeting Megha Punater of Arth and Nitya.

2012-01-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Today I met the super talented Megha Punater of Arth and Nitya. It is always such a treat to meet fellow blogger's whose work you have been following for years, you know each other through your work & yet meeting in reality is so different. And adds so much, of depth and real connection. We met at the atmospheric Pali Hill Cafe and became friends from fellow bloggers. Exchanged little notebooks, discovered we used the same camera & started clicking pictures of the table the way only design bloggers do :)

SanFrancisco by Night

2012-01-05T13:53:00.000-08:00

It seems oddly appropriate that as I sit wired and sleepless, I must post pictures of SanFrancisco by night. The mood was festive, it was Christmas time and all the lights were ON. People were buzzing around with their last minute Christmas shopping. Macy's was open till late and decked out in red grandeur. What more could a girl in this city want? For the beautiful night not to end.

Picture credits: Vineeta Nair :)

Heetal Dattani's Beetle and Bottle.

2012-01-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

Children live in their imaginations, in their own world, which is full of the most engaging stories and imagery. Now if an adult could go in, take pictures and come back to show it to them, how brilliant would that be. When I see Heetal Dattani's work, I often feel this is exactly what she does. You need to read her stories to know that and see her frames laced with the happiest colours that tell your baby's story to see that.
Heetal's Beetle and Bottle is a treasure trove of many such happy tales and i have watched with wonder how each story and each picture is as unique as the child it is made for.

To see more of Heetal's amazing range of work, do click here. And to commission her work, you can write to her at heetal@beetleandbottle.com.

Union Square, San Francisco.

2012-01-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

Union Square in San Francisco instantly reminded me of the Fort Area & south Bombay with its Art Deco and Beaux-Arts styled buildings, but only so much bigger, brighter and happening with broader roads and spiffy people of all races walking up its streets. I went during Christmas time and things were that much more sparkly. This city which was the iconic home to the 60's flower power movement, still carries on the spirit in its radically dressed free spirited people. You can literally smell it when you walk the streets. Streets which are lined with the prettiest homes. But that's another post.

"The area got its name because it was once used for rallies and support for the Union Army Civil War.^[1] Today, this one-block plaza and nearby area is one of the largest collections of department stores, upscale boutiques, tourist trinket shops, art galleries, and salons in the United States, which continue to make Union Square a major tourist draw, a vital, cosmopolitan place in downtown San Francisco, and one of the world's premier shopping districts." Wiki

"Over the years, Union Square became a popular shopping destination. It boasts six major department stores: Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Barneys New York, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus. Union Square is also home to several famous upscale boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Stuart Weitzman, Burberry, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Boucheron, Hugo Boss, Tiffany & Co., Piaget, De Beers, Bulgari, Polo Ralph Lauren, Lacoste, Salvatore Ferragamo, Cartier, Bijan, Marc Jacobs, and Hermès." Wiki

And since this post was almost entirely upward looking, the next post will be about the streets of SanFrancisco.

All pictures are taken by Vineeta Nair, not to be used/reproduced without express written permission.

Skylines of San Francisco

2012-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

I am not doing this in any order, I have jumped straight to San Francisco when I still have a lot of things to share from L.A. But as always, I just do what I am most excited to do. It is a bright new year and what better way to kickstart 2012 than to share with you my favouritest part of my U.S. trip. That each day was a gift when I was in the U.S. is something I must acknowledge, as I must acknowledge the people- new, family & long loved friends who really spent the most expensive thing in the world with me & for me, their time and their precious self. They saw and shared the childlike wonder I felt & suffered the incessant clicking in the face of each amazing new sight that they made possible for me. It is so impossible to capture and grab all that you feel in a rectangular frame, in a single visual. And yet that is what I try. To bring back the moment, the crazy light, the beautiful strong shadows, which support and show up the sparkling bits that squint at the sun.

I saw San Francisco with my very close school friend Anu and we caught up on each others lives, loves and families as we drove into SanFrancisco.

As the sun was settling only the taller buildings managed to grab the light, as the streets were cast in cool shadow.

We stayed at the strategically placed Park 55 Wyndham, bang in the middle of Union Square which is at the heart of SanFrancisco, a great choice if you want to walk around and feel the pulse of this exciting city.

We had a room with magnificient views of the Sanfrancisco skyline.

All ready to step out & into Union Square in SanFrancisco :) Coming up next.

Featured in Ideal Home and Gardens & Kyoorius Design Magazine

2011-12-30T02:38:00.000-08:00

With so much happening recently, I'm afraid I have let some really important acknowledgments and Thank you's go by. One is to Neehar Mishra and the Ideal Home and Garden Magazine for such an in-depth coverage of my work, be it my decor assignments or my products. I was amazed to see page after page of my work beautifully laid out.

And the 2nd and very important Thank you goes to the prestigious KYOORIUS Design Magazine. They invited me to write a column on my creative process & for this I am especially grateful to Bindu Nair of the Kyoorius team who told me to just say it like it is (I had my reservations of giving a serious design magazine, where serious people write serious things about design, a 650-1000 word piece on what comes instinctively to me) But I wrote it & Kyoorius was kind enough to send me a personalised copy of the magazine, apart from putting me on their cover. Like, wow!

A quick peek at my plate.

2011-12-28T05:58:00.000-08:00

Will it be considered abnormal if I make 15 San Francisco posts? Ok, so I have clicked many many many pictures and I'm having a horrible time shortlisting good pics for posts. So I'm chickening out for now & making a quick post on food. Did i say food? on artnlight? Anyone who has read this blog even for a few months knows I never post on food. But I have exactly 5 food pics & its easy to put it up. Not much of a choice there. That said, on a serious note, as a vegetarian, I was pleasantly surprised that I always got veggie food & it was always yummy, even in Texas, the land of steak. Here goes :)

From the pastry at the Korean Incheon Airport to the many pastas & Margarita pizza's to sandwiches to burghers to quesedillas to Ethiopian food, there are many options for veggies. No stress on that one for sure.

Dallas in December.

2011-12-26T22:59:00.000-08:00

Jetlagged and aching all over. Not exactly my idea of a perfect vacation. But that's exactly how I reached Dallas from L.A. and just got worse. One such evening after deciding 'we won't do anything' my sister-in-law suggested a family walk, everyone including the 2 dogs. So out we went. And what a pretty sight met my eyes. I still can't quite get over how everything looked picture perfect. It seemed like suburban Dallas had held onto its Autumn so I could take a few frames back home to Bombay.

Lots more coming up. San Fransisco blew my mind, so definitely expect many posts on that one city. Also some amazing stores which I had just heard of & never seen like Anthropologie (yes!) and UrbanOutfitters. And some which I had never heard of and liked equally. Its gonna be the US of A on artnlight for a while now :) :) Just kidding. Will post as usual on all things that come up for me. Point is, stay tuned! :)

'The Desire to Inspire' book launch evening in LA, Santa Monica

2011-12-19T23:45:00.000-08:00

What an experience this past week has been. I'm posting from Dallas (my brother's home) and letting the enormity and simplicity of last week sink in. I have just come back from the most unbelievable evening of my life and I am jet lagged. But I have to make this quick post. There will be many others, because guess who has taken 3 million photographs. This is my 1st time in the U.S. of A and I must warn you, I'm not going to be cool & understated about this. I am just stunned by the cleanliness and orderliness and complete prettiness of all that I have seen of this country so far. And seeing this place maybe begins to help me decode the unbelievable way that Christine Mason Miller functions. She came to pick me up at the airport and took me to her home which was hosting 4 more people who flew in from different places for the book launch. For the next 3 days that I spent with Christine I had the privilege of seeing how everything has a place in her gorgeous home which was an extension of all that I had known of her and her work online. All the groundwork and planning was in place by the time we arrived and I remember what a happy time we had putting the goody bags together. Preplanned, prepared and yet completely ready for all that shows up. It was her vision, clarity and intention that made the Desire to Inspire launch evening the magic that it was.

Because Christine had told so many people that "Vineeta is coming all the way from INDIA" I got an especially warm welcome and was made to feel like the celebrity from India. It was beautiful speaking to the many many people who came for the launch and it felt even more unreal to sign copies for the book owners.

The venue: Ambrose Hotel, Santa Monica, Los Angeles

Christine Mason Miller with Jennifer Lee.

I wish I got some more time with the inspiring Pixie Campbell.

This one is not sharp, but it is the only picture I have with Christen Olivarez & i think both of us look happy here :)

Grace Moore

I don't know what is dearer to me from my LA memories, the dinner and discussion I had with Christine & her husband on the night I arrived, or the many conversations I had with Christine at her dining table, meeting and hanging out with Mindy Tsonas and Liz Kalloch (contributors) at Christine's, or meeting the quiet and amazing Maya Stein and Mellissa Piccola. Or laughing non-stop because of the irrepressible Grace Moore and Lisa Occhipinti (do click on the links, because they are each formidable women of substance)
But the one thing I will really take back from my time spent watching Christine is how she makes the improbable possible. And how gracefully and easily she does it. Only she really knows what goes being making the ease possible. But when I see her I know that some day, one day, it will be possible for me & for each one of us; if we have an honest willing heart. And the courage to do its bidding. And that is what the book Desire to Inspire is really about. It has got me to this amazingly beautiful and inspiring country, had me meet and be a guest to someone whom I admired from afar. It has given me the gift of possibility.
All photographs clicked by Justin Davanzo & me.

Going to L.A. for the Desire to Inspire book launch!

2011-12-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

It is with a full heart that I write this post today. I wanted to tell all of you that I am leaving for Los Angeles on the 13th to go to the "Desire to Inspire" book launch that will happen on 15th December 2011 in Santa Monica. For those of you reading news about this the 1st time on this blog, Desire to Inspire is Christine Mason Miller's book that I am part of/contributor to. You can read more about it here. After a month of 1st wondering whether I should go, to thinking yes I will, to many emails to Christine Mason Miller the brilliant generous author of the book, to applying for my U.S.Visa, to it coming through, and then packing and tying loose ends, I'm now close to DDay and so excited that I am FINALLY sharing this news with all of you. You without whom this journey would not be possible. And even if it were possible, would not be as meaningful. I know that so many of you have been reading this blog since its 1st post 4 years ago and you've seen me go through various phases including when I took the plunge to quit my advertising career to blog and design and mainly follow my heart. The last is the reason I am part of this amazing book called Desire to Inspire - Using Creative Passion to Transform the World. The same reason I respected and hero worshipped Christine Mason Miller from afar, because in her I found a woman who lived courageously, artfully and shared her inspired journey unstintingly and honestly through her books, Plant your dreams and Miracles will Grow and Ordinary Sparkling Moments.

Going to Los Angeles for the book launch means many things for me, mainly it means standing up and showing up for something that I believe in. It means meeting the many luminous women this book speaks of. Getting a chance to see up close and 1st hand women the world holds up as inspiration, and possibly a chance to hear and get to know some of them better. A chance to spend time with the one and only Christine Mason Miller who has made such a coming together of authors, life coaches, designers, Yoga teachers and business leaders possible.
I will definitely be bringing back a stack of books from the U.S. And will blog about the Desire to Inspire book and the launch event once I'm back on the 27th of December. From not believing all this is happening to me to going for the book launch, its been an incredibly exciting time for me. Will come back with many photographs and stories of my time in LA, Dallas and San Fransisco. And if any of you reading this post is these parts of the U.S., lets try and connect. You can write to me on vineetanair2222(at)gmail(dot)com. Definitely do come for the book launch which will be on 15th of December, 6.00 pm, Hotel Ambrose, Santa Monica, Los Angeles.

All images are from gettyimages.com

The Novotel Spa design

2011-12-07T01:08:00.000-08:00

When B. Shweta of Vistaar Associates sent me these pictures, I knew this was something I had to share with you. What took my breath away was the cut bamboos suspended from the ceiling as a lighting feature that runs across the ceiling. Stunning. Shweta told me it was particularly satisfying to create a dynamic space from a plain rectangular area. What is remarkable is that even with the live green wall -which is a very interesting feature and the bamboo ceiling, the space maintains a zen-like quietness without being cold. I am told there is the sound of water which lends the atmosphere with a pureness that has to be experienced. I'm dying to go see it for myself, but for the lucky souls who are already in Hyderabad, do check out the Novotel Spa.

If you want more information about the design of this space you can contact Shweta at this email id: shwetamoni(at)yahoo(dot)com

An Angel in Mumbai

2011-12-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

I must be mad. There are twenty thousand more important things to do. Even if I wanted to blog, there are other things that I aught to blog about, this interesting decor project someone sent me, my new artnlight products, other important news that I aught to share with you, but no. The only thing that makes it here is this completely beautiful angel that came home on my birthday. I am besotted. So pardon the many many pictures I will inflict upon you.

I apologise for this illogical repetitive shots of this kind of irresponsible stuff - and promise it won't happen regularly. Another reason is the new Canon 50mm lens that I got myself. Damn. Everything looks SO good through it.

Chandan Dubey's Gorgeous Home - Part2

2011-11-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Chandan Dubey's home, a symphony of colours woven skillfully through years of love, patience and across 2 countries. Each piece lovingly cared for and displayed. This is without doubt one of the most gorgeous homes I've had the privilege of seeing. And in this post you will see the photographs that were the result of abandoning my sentences midway to click. You will also get glimpses of what a fantastic hostess Chandan is. The snack were artistically served and beautifully laid. Everything came together gracefully and this was clearly not an effort for Chandan because there are only beautiful things in this home. Bought with reason and love, or inherited and holding memories of loved ones long gone and times that will never come again.

Chandan's gorgeous Chinese red laquered table

Chandan is a collector and I love how she groups and places her loved accessories in little groups around her home. She told me there are no 2 things which 'match' in the house & yet they come together so harmoniously, bright bold colours and muted neutrals, the Indian and the oriental aesthetic, serious art and local handicraft, each with its breathing space and voice intact.

And yes, I do know how lucky I am that I happen to live in Mumbai & was able to meet Chandan in her home & have the privilege to shoot it. I do count my blessings :)

Chandan Dubey's Beautiful Home - Part 1

2011-11-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

There are people for whom beauty is a value and even a muse. Such is their commitment to her that in every choice that they make she is apparent. And that is when something magical happens, Beauty decided to grace these spaces and is present as an almost tanglible presence. This can have some strange effects. This is the 1st time that I was meeting Chandan Dubey and many a time when I was having a conversation with her, I would get distracted by the sunlight catching the dull sheen of an antique tray, or see something equally charming, forcing me to pick up my camera mid-sentence. Which without doubt made me a very ill mannered guest. But such is the power of a space lovingly put together, where no corner is ignored and possessions are lovingly collected till they have a voice all of their own. Chandan Dubey is no stranger to all of us, I met her many years ago 1st on flickr and then read her blog, Girl About Home, and once she shifted to Bombay, she came for my exhibition. I have long been a fan of her table scapes and how she puts them together. So we planned and plotted and finally met this month at her place and what a beautiful time we had, speaking of blogging and our lives and circuitous career paths.

Speaking of Chandan's home, it was amazing to see so much colour used so intelligently and in balance. Another delight was seeing how seamlessly Chandan's framed photography, her art and furniture from Hongkong and India came together.

There was no way I could have fitted all of Chandan's stunning home into one post, so stay tuned for the gorgeous part 2.

Thank you & a winner :)

2011-11-24T22:46:00.000-08:00

A huge thank you to all of you who responded so wholeheartedly to the 1st ever giveaway contest on this blog. I wanted to document it & also for the winner to be a complete surprise for me as well. So I did it the old fashioned way: cut up 40 chits, hand-wrote each of your names on it, folded them, jumbled it, shut my eyes & picked up one chit.

The Print Lover, do mail your address to me on vineetanair2222(at)gmail(dot)com. And Christine will mail you your gift. And don't forget to mail me which wall art piece you prefer :)

The book Desire to Inspire and a free giveaway!

2011-11-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to be part of Desire to Inspire ~ Using Creative Passion to Transform the World, Christine Mason Miller's book, and it is getting launched on December 15th, in Los Angeles! In Desire to Inspire, readers will be introduced to twenty extraordinary women - writers, artists and entrepreneurs - all of whom share a unique example of how they create a meaningful life and, in turn, make a positive impact on the world. The stories and examples explore the roots of their desire to inspire and how they manage to pursue their passions in the midst of all the twists and turns life has given them. In addition to a beautiful collection of quotes, stories, and anecdotes, readers are given substantive, encouraging exercises aimed at supporting their own journey towards a meaningful, mindful life.
You can read my previous post about it here. As the days pass and I get myself acquainted with my amazing fellow contributor's to the book, I can help but feel awed to be in such inspiring company. Do pop in to Christine's blog to read the 60 second interviews of all the contributors to the book her e including mine :)

This post is to announce the 1st give-away on this blog & all you need to do is put in a comment here. Look further down the images to see what you will win! :) :)

The Cover is here!! You can pre-order your copy from Amazon right here.

This is what you win!! A beautiful inspiring piece of wall art by the phenomenal Christine Mason Miller. I received one such and you can see a closer image of it here.

The last date for leaving your comment is 20th November - sunday night India time. So hurry people & claim your inspirational piece today!! :) :)
Also wanted to tell you that this will be shipped to you directly by none other than Christine Mason Miller & the winner will get to choose which wall art he/she wants :) :)

No Nasties

2011-11-03T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is a story I have been wanting to say for the longest time. What happens when idealism meets practicality, substance meets smartness, when purpose meets action, a problem meets a solution, when suicide finally meets hope, and when Apu meets Diti? You get No Nasties. I don't mean to sound smart and spin some words together. What I wrote is exactly what I feel about what Diti and Apurva are doing with No Nasties. I wish more causes had drivers like these two people, they are heart and brains in the right place. They are taking one thoughtful smart step at a time & they are moving fast. They have a job to do and all their time, their energy, and being is dedicated to that. No distractions, no wasted time. Seeing Diti and Apurva restores my faith in my generation and in the world. Apurva left a job and a life in the U.S to come back to his country when he knew he had to do something about the farmer suicides. (Yes, outside of a movie script, and in real life) And Diti a graphic designer and photographer, had volunteered in farms in Pondicherry and was teaching workshops on organic farming. The 2 met and from their dreams and determination was born No Nasties.

No Nasties makes tshirts. All you need to do is buy them.

I like the No-Nasties funda because they know what will work. They know that fashion works, people want to look cool & not like some boring gyaan toter. So they are speaking your language and they are making it damn simple by expecting you to do only what you can do easily. Which is to buy. One tshirt at a time.

If this piques your curiosity, read the entire story here. And this is their happening Facebook page which u can 'like' :) if u so wish :)

And they don't work in glorious isolation. Its interesting to see the people they choose to work with. Makes for an interesting read. And gives you more reason to see how solidly this works.

And finally I want to leave you with this message from their website. "Don’t just see what is, but also what will be. Let's say you buy a t-shirt made from organic cotton. That creates more money for organic farmers than usual, which makes more farmers want to convert to organic farming. And more designers to use organic material. And more stores to carry organic clothes. And more people to buy organic, so they can be as organic as you. All because you made a choice to be organic. You can bring about this change. You can start the movement."

This is where you click to start it.

Zaheer's & Indira's colourful, idea filled home

2011-11-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is a home I go to often. To celebrate happy times or just to spend some time when things are not great. Home to 2 people whom I really admire & love, Zaheer Mirza and Indira Rangarajan. Zaheer is an old friend, my ex-boss and one of the most talented and creative people I have had the privilege to know. If I have seen anyone who lives every moment of his life, whose head is full of ideas at any given point in time, who has the craziest sense of humour and is one of the wisest and most inspirational men I've met, it has to be Zaheer. His & Indu's is a home full of bright colours, brighter ideas and a lot of love. I'm excited because you will get to see some really cool conversions, as erstwhile stoves and kite spools shine in their new avatars - without saying much more - lets just see the happy place.

I love the solid colour palette.

Zaheer and Indu are both voracious readers and this book filled home is testimony to that.

Please look into the mirror & see Happily Unmarried's clothes peg & further, you will see milk measure spoons as candle holders
Zaheer 's endless fascination for the cabs in this city finds it way into the various aspects of decor in his home.

Isn't this trunk converted into a seat neat? I love the colours, the cushion, the taxi graphics & the Bollywood Rajesh Khanna cover, which came from Indu's home.

I love the sofa with its digitally printed upholstery - printed with Zaheer's taxi illustrations

The washroom's cool quotient just shot up with these interesting lampshades - who'd look at a kite spool & think of turning it into a lamp??!!

Saving the best for the last - The stove just got a new lease of life as a funky lamp shade!
Those interested can see more pics of this home here.

Diwali Lights

2011-10-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

I have been away for long and in a strange way resisted writing here. You know how it is when you haven't done something you love for long, you hesitate before you start again because it just means so much to you. But here I am and its been Diwali and like the rest of the world, we lit lamps, bought some new ones - which excited me :) How much joy a simple beautiful thing can bring. So the lamps are still sitting in front of me & I have not had the mind to pack it in. Sharing a few Diwali moments across the past days.

A simple string of lights thrown across my side table adds so much drama

All kinds of lamps come together, t lights, traditional Kerala oil lamps, candles and my new Moroccan lamp

I had fun pushing my lights around and shooting it in different angles :)

A pooja that's normally performed at home annually this time coincided with Diwali

Have finally shot some of my new range of Diwali products (the ones I still have a few pieces of) some I have sold out completely & have to make a fresh batch of. Will share my experiences and pics of both the exhibitions I took part in. Plus some home tours and some even more interesting people and their stories. Lots coming up on this blog, so stay tuned. God I've missed you guys and this space :) Welcome back :)

Interviewed by Christine Mason Miller in the Somerset Studio

2011-10-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Its amazing to see how eye for detail, generosity and your artistic approach can grace everything you do. For me there is no bigger example of this than Christine Mason Miller.

I want to thank Christine for doing an interview of me called Rajasthan Dreams" in - hold your breath- Somerset Studio, an art & mix-media magazine in the USA I have the deepest respect for. I got to know in the thick of my work a month back that the interview was published when my reader Charmi Shah wrote to me about it and I wondered how I will get a copy. Charmi also sent me pics of the magazine sweetly. So imagine my happy surprise when I get a parcel & I open to see the magazine & the goodies which Christine 'just' graciously sent along.

Love the scripty wrapping paper

I am very inspired by how Christine makes sending a parcel a labour of love. She needn't have added the wall art or the bookmark or the handwritten card & yet she did it.

To hold my own copy in my hands & see myself featured alongside artists like Connie Freedman was an inimitable feeling. The magazine is packed with inspiration which I'd love to share with you in the days to come. More soon!