Month: July 2019

A Chat With Akho, the Owner of Lerina’s Cafe – An All-New Cafe in Dimapur

Published by Kumti

We, at Roots and Leisure, love finding cozy cafes for our readers. Sometimes it’s the food that catches our attention, sometimes the ambiance. Today, we have a cafe that’s got both – a cosy aesthetic and some amazing food! We headed out to the newly launched cafe and met with its owner, Akho Lerina. The 27-year-old man had always dreamt of starting his own business and a restaurant, which became a reality with Lerina’s cafe. Welcoming everyone with a smile into his cafe, Akho is as charming and humble as his cafe! Head to the link in bio to know what he had to say about his cafe. Lerina’s Cafe was Akho’s lifelong dream! Hello Akho, please introduce yourself to our readers! Hello, thank you so much for having me here. My name is Akho and I’m 27 years old. I belong to the Mao Naga community in Dimapur, Nagaland. I own a cafe called Lerina’s Cafe, which launched recently on the 8th of July, 2019. I had always wanted to be a self-made …

Introducing ‘MY TOP 5’ – An All New Segment Where You Share Your Favorites!

Published by Roots & Leisure

Hello there! The Roots & Leisure community is growing every day, thanks to our amazing readers. We receive a ton of interesting DMs and emails from our followers about stories and people they would like to feature on the platform. So, to further grow our community, connect with more people and share engaging stories, we’re launching all-new segments on R&L. Exciting, right? We think so too! Introducing our first segment MYTOP5, where we share a list of 5 things that our readers are loving. We all have favourites – brands we like, movies we can’t stop watching or even local musicians we are loving. MYTOP5 is where you get to share these top 5 favourites of yours with the world! It could be anything from your top 5 books to your top 5 coffee brands that deliver pan-India. On the 15th of every month, we’ll share our favourite MYTOP5 lists from our contributors – which means more interesting features and topics to explore! To start contributing, visit our My Top 5 submissions page. Let’s …

“Paper Chirrups is An Artistic Pursuit & a Way to Promote Restoration and Conservation of All Endangered Wildlife” – A Chat With Niharika Rajput, Wildlife Artist

Published by Samyama

Niharika Rajput is a wildlife artist and conversationalist based out of Delhi. She specializes in intricate paper and epoxy sculptures of birds and animals. took the form of Paper Chirrups—a project where she explores various birds from all over the world, sculpts them, and also conducts festivals and workshops to spread awareness. Niharika’s focus has always been to create awareness about the depleting numbers of birds and loss of their habitat. Although a unique art form, sculpting birds came naturally to her as she spent most of her time in nature while growing up, observing and watching birds. Being born in Arunachal Pradesh, she has always had a deep rooted connection with nature which can be seen in her work as well.We chatted with this inspiring young woman about her projects and more. Introduce us to Paper Chirrups! I have always been a keen observer and deep admirer of all things wild. It was only fitting that I amalgamated the two – my love for the wild and my love for art. When I started …

rootsandleisure_sukriti_dubey_R&L editor

“Working With Roots & Leisure Has Taught Me About Different Cultures – Especially North Eastern Culture” – Meet Sukriti Dubey, Editor of R&L

Published by Roots & Leisure

One fine evening, we received an email from a stranger saying she came across Roots and Leisure and would like to explore working together. She sent across her resume and profile that had a side note that read, “Not open to working remotely.” Well, next week, she completes her 4th month working with us – working remotely out of Delhi; we have never met in person, but she has been working diligently to ensure our daily stories are ready to go up every single day. Meet 23-year-old Sukriti Dubey – our resident editor based out of Delhi. Born and brought in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh, we know her as this quiet and creative soul, who is also a very talented photographer apart from being the proficient writer/editor she is. Today we chat with her to know more about her personal life, friends and hobbies, professional pursuits, her engagement with the Roots and Leisure and more. 23-year-old Sukriti Dubey – our resident editor based out of Delhi has been a gem contributing to the …

#RECIPE | Spicy Bengali Dish ‘Gondhoraj Mutton’ by Arijit Dey, from Kolkata

Published by Samyama

Today we’re bringing to you a dish all the way from Kolkata called ‘Gondhoraj Mutton’! It’s a perfect dish to enjoy your weekend with! The recipe was shared by Arijit Dey, a Kolkata based fashion designer by profession and a passionate cook. He uses a special ingredient called Gondhoraj to make this dish, which is a native lime of Bengal. Arijit says he has always had a passion for food and his happiest moments have mostly been around food. Whether it was enjoying Gondhoraj Mutton with his family on Sundays or learning about food and culture from locals while traveling. This love is also what inspires him to share stories and recipes from different cultures with people! It’s as delicious as it looks! Gondhoraj lime can be easily found in online shops. The specialty of this lime is its fragrance and mellow flavour. You can also use kaffir lime leaves – but make sure to use it in lesser quantity as it has an overpowering taste compared to Gondhoraj. Ingredients: Mutton (1kg) Yogurt (200 gms) …

Meet Sonam Choki — A Passionate Pilot From Kathmandu, Nepal

Published by Temsulong

Most of us have at least once in our lives dreamed of becoming a pilot, and soaring high up in the sky. Today we have Sonam Choki who made this dream a reality! She currently works as a pilot in Nepal and is also mother to 8 dogs. Sonam is definitely taking her life to new ‘heights’ and can inspire many to do the same. Join us, as Sonam tells us more about her work, some memorable incidents and places she’s been to! Hello Sonam, tell us a little bit about yourself. Hello there! I am Sonam Choki Sherpa, 31-years-old, living in Kathmandu, Nepal. I’m pretty much leading a normal life apart from what I do for a living. In my day to day life, its either work or I’m out with my dogs (8 of them. Yes, you read that right!), indulging in hiking, swimming, wall climbing, yoga and traveling in the rural parts of my beautiful country. That’s quite adventurous. Can you tell us about your work and what inspired you to become …

#FACES | A Young Boy Performs a Backflip Cliff Jump at Wah Rymben Falls, Meghalaya.

Published by Temsulong

On a trip to Wah Rymben Falls in Meghalaya, Monzoi Medhi spotted a young boy doing back flips and diving into the water. It was a moment worth capturing and he certainly couldn’t resist taking out his camera! He says, “I made a request to the boy who had been doing repeated flips down the edge of the fall, diving into the green river below. Consent is very important, especially if one is trying to photograph people. Although my knowledge of the Khasi language is limited, I asked him and he was more than happy to be the subject of these photographs!” Sometimes fighting your fear leads to adventure! “This picture in my perspective, represents the human capability of overcoming fears, and enjoying the thrill and the adrenaline that comes with it. It’s by winning over our fears that we make life adventurous. The boy in orange shorts emerges from the water victorious after his back flip into the pool It is that ‘good kind’ of fear that pushes us to grow and learn. Sure, …

‘I Knew I Wanted to Study Fashion At The Age of 8’ – A Chat With Shivangi Lahoty, Owner of Inaaya and Co.

Published by Samyama

Shivangi Lahoty, from Nazira, Assam knew that fashion was her true calling when she was 8. With support from her family and friends, she pursued it until it became her profession! She went on to study fashion designing, and then launched her own store called Inaaya and Co. Inaaya is a young, fresh take on ethical fashion. It’s an ethical and premium womenswear clothing and accessory brand, with a store in Ahmedabad. We had a chance to have a tête-à-tête with this budding creative entrepreneur, owner of Inaaya and Co., about her online store launch at the beginning of next month. When did your love for designing clothes and fashion begin? I was 8 when I knew I wanted to study fashion. I grew up in a small town called Nazira in Assam. It was heaven on earth, in every sense, including that fact that we had very little connectivity to the internet! Hence, we relied on print media as a source of connection to the outside world. I remember, one day my father came …

A Chat With The Pastry Chef and Owner Behind A Dessert Cafe in Bangalore Called ‘The Humble Pie’

Published by Samyama

Mrudula Putcha, a 32-years-old pastry chef from Hyderabad, found her true calling much later in life. She started off as an electronics engineer and even went to the US for her masters in the field. But after returning to India, fate guided her towards her true passion! Her recently opened second branch of The Humble Pie is a testament of her hard work and immense passion. We had a conversation with her about her journey over a tasty chocolate tart! Share with us, your journey towards becoming a pastry chef. Surprisingly, I always dreamt of being a chef. I remember discussing it openly for the first time when I was 17 but it took me another 10 years to truly materialise this dream. I went in a different direction — decided to pursue engineering and the thought of opening a cafe was buried in the back of mind. After I finished my masters in Network engineering in The US and came back to India, I started my hunt for jobs. I was working for a …

Explore Khaama Kethna – A Holistic Centre Nestled in the South Goan jungle

Published by Samyama

Panta Ferrao is a 61 one-year-old, local Goan entrepreneur, yoga enthusiast and spiritual practitioner from Mapusa, North Goa. He is the founder of Khaama Kethna, a well-being retreat centre in South Goa. He was a successful lawyer but gave it up to pour his passions into something that truly drove him and made him happy. We caught up with this lovely man and heard his story about how he founded Khaama Kethna. The journey so far Panta Ferrao set out to create and demonstrate the possibility of living in harmony with nature and the Earth. This was his endeavor to create a new way to live and earn a living without compromising on his truth. He began by creating an eco-resort, focused on health and nature, in South Goa. This resort, Bhakti Kutir, was built from sustainable materials and incorporated the local flora and fauna. It encourages wellness through yoga and healthy practices, including Ayurveda, in a natural setting to inspire spiritual development. For the last two decades, he has been trying to engage and share his …