“I was wandering around the streets of my new neighborhood and this scene caught my eye from the road. I snuck through the front gate like a ninja and got as close as I could, behind him. I was in and out in seconds before he was alerted to my presence. This is a simple capture of a moment when he was engrossed in his daily ritual of cooking food.” ~Contributed by @beatthegrind
Fast fashion fatigue is the new buzzword; and so is global warming as the apparel industry has an alarmingly high carbon footprint. And that’s why, more people are getting into responsible and sustainable practices of manufacturing textiles. Today we have one such company called ‘Indigenous Industries’, co-founded by an Indo-French duo. Here is an excerpt from a brief chat with co-founder Vincent Decléty. Vincent Decléty, a French expat joined hands with Aadil Ansari from Ahmedabad to start ‘Indigenous Industries’ with the aim to promote natural dyers and textile craftsmen – and in the process make sustainable garment manufacturing a reality. Vincent inspecting the freshly dyed Khadi fabrics | Indigenous Industries Vincent, tell us what Indigenous Industries is all about? My business partner Aadil, from Ahmedabad and I (from France) have been designing textile, manufacturing it, dyeing it, and either selling the end fabrics, or manufacturing garments for other brands or our own Indigenous Industries. We pride ourselves on the quality of our dyes and the originality of our fabrics. Today, we manufacture for brands from India as well as from …
“I was invited by a high school student to click photots on her last day of school (Yupparaj Wittayalai School in Chiang Mai, Thailand). The students exchange gifts, flowers and photo collages, and take lots of pictures! It was a noisy day with excitement and nostalgia in the air. Overall a beautiful day. Happy to have helped capture those precious moments with their school friends” ~ Photographer Madan FiveMonkey “We are really excited to be graduating but also sad that we will no longer see each other everyday. Maybe this is our last photo together! :'( “ “Take a picture of the two of us – me holding this big teddy!” “Hey I need one photo with the guys too!” “I think my friend needs some help here – too many gifts!”
Weekends are always about the sudden urge to travel to some place new and getting away from the hustle of the city life. But then we always stop short of actually getting out to turn those travel plans into reality. Not all of us. Meet Anangsha Alomyan, a 23-year-old student from Assam, a national level lawn tennis player, who’s an avid traveler and a big lover of the Himalayas. So Anangsha, tell us a bit about yourself. I am originally from Assam and am currently pursuing a masters degree in sociology from Delhi School of Economics. I have been interested in extracurricular activities since childhood. Most of the time, I devote myself to tennis and fitness, meeting friends and listening to music. And when I’m not playing doing any of that, I’m usually into photography or drawing. How did you develop a passion for travelling? Tell us about the places you’ve been to. I only started travelling exclusively since last year (in May 2016). I embark on trips depending upon my schedule. Sometimes I take …
“The first thing our little Aben does after waking up is go straight to her grandmother’s garden and water the flowers. The excitement level is the same everyday. If left alone, she spends the whole day with her grandma – watering the flowers, and moving the pots around.” So folks – when was the last time you jumped out from your bed (early morning) excited about something? Aben seems to have found her passion. Have you found yours? Happy Weekend!
Have you ever felt envious of individuals who can capture stunning moments and sights in a tangible way, allowing them to preserve and share them with others? We certainly have. That’s why we love to showcase the work of talented artists like Dina Hazarika Chowdhury, a fine artist from Assam who creates beautiful paintings on canvas and ceramic plates. Dina hails from the cultural hub of Assam, Tezpur. She grew up in a small family but was deeply influenced by the traditions of a large, extended family. Dina fondly recalls attending family gatherings at her father’s ancestral home in Sibsagar. Currently, she resides in Gurgaon after marrying two years ago. Dina Hazarika Chowdhury specializes in taking nostalgic memory snapshots of cities and rural landscapes and transforming them into beautiful artwork. Tell us how you arrived at this point – as an artist who is happily running her own venture from home. Well, I explored many (career) paths before settling on this one – into the world of fine art. At one point, I wanted to …
“Spotted this man at the local ‘Night Market’ or ‘Pasar Malam’ in the streets of Greenway market at Hat Yai city, in southern Thailand. At first glance, he came across as a homeless man with ragged clothes; but when I went closer to take this photo, he actually turned out to be pretty cool, and spoke really well. I think he looks like Sinbad (the sailor) with his head scarf. More interestingly, he was selling some cool handmade stuffs – clothes, bags and accessories made from organic materials. Me and my friends really loved his unique items. Sadly, we forgot to ask his name – so we went back to the market the next day but we couldn’t find him anywhere. Hopefully we get to see him again at the night market.” ~narrated by contributing photographer @lensakhaza_bwn
Remember those days in school when we used to exchange handmade cards? What an accomplishment it used to be – to be able to share a piece of our creativity with our best of friends! Sadly, we have outgrown that habit; not because we don’t care enough, but somehow we seemed to have gotten a little too busy for own good. But thanks to enterprising and creative people like Asano Peseyie, who with her cute little venture – Quirky Qrafts, is still serving organic love in various forms and shapes – as envelopes, pretty boxes and packages, cards, book marks and the list goes on . . . Meet Asano Peseyie, founder and creative head of Quirky Qrafts – a design and craft venture from Nagaland. A lot of artistry, designing and hard work goes into the process of making one-of-a-kind items that adds on to the essence of the token sent – and that’s exactly what Asano Peseyie strives to achieve through her venture. May this tribe of people grow in abundance and hope that through …
“There, let me take care of this. I know how to make it better. By tomorrow morning, you’ll be better and back to normal.” “Haha, my husband is an expert in everything. He is suddenly an expert in healing sprained ankles :D”
Dear readers, are you ready to discover your next favorite hangout spot in Shillong? Well, we just discovered this cafe called ‘ML 05’ on 5th Mile, Upper Shillong. With its custom-themed decor and ambiance reflecting the owner’s love of sports, bikes, and travel, it is indeed the perfect retreat/haven for bikers and travelers alike. We spent a cozy evening at ML 05 Cafe on an evening stroll around Upper Shillong, and had some yummy comfort food like wai wai thukpa, onion bhajia – with our favorite cup of hot chai. Located right beside a pine forest, the outdoor view was just as pleasant as the ambiance inside. This new cafe has only begun operations in May last year (2016), but it comes as no surprise that it is already one of the favorite spots for locals and tourists around the region. We had a tete-a-tete with Vatsala Tibrewalla, who manages the cafe along with her brother Deval Tibrewalla, who also co-owns the Dylan’s Cafe with her. How did you come up with the idea for ML 05 …
