Author: Shiori Chan

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A Chat with the Founders of “Project Otenga” – A Café in Ahmedabad that Brings Together Slow Design and NorthEastern Roots

Having a professional degree in designing may be one of the keys to conceptualize and define a structure but to be able to metamorphose it into a café of abstract comfort takes a little more than that. It takes persistence, determination and unsparing creativity to fill every corner with ingenious passion. For Kabyashree and Dayananda these elements came in together at the right time and with the right push to help them blossom their entrepreneurial journey that beautifully combines their passion, their design background and their roots Here’s a chat with the founders of Project Otenga, Ahmedabad  – Kabyashree Borgohain from Assam (extreme left) and Dayananda from Manipur (extreme right) . They talk about how the project evolved from a house café in Gandhinagar to a full-fledged space in the University campus in Ahmedabad. Here’s a little background on the founders A native of Assam, Kabyashree Borgohain is a design strategist, a gastronomical food researcher and chef, and an alumnus of the prestigious National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar . She also has a degree in Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories from and the …

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Sewing Art onto Fabric | Meet Shivani from Darjeeling

Shivani Rai from Darjeeling, West Bengal is a fabric artist who sews, swoons, and sells personalised artwork online, making sure that she weaves quality into her products, giving her customers the satisfaction of creating exclusive and unique gifts. Are you one of those people who find it hard to buy the perfect gift for someone else? Or, are you looking for quirky, customised artefacts to personalise your office bay or that lonely corner in your home? Well, we have a solution for your problems – the adorable Shivani Rai, who weaves charm, insight, and love into all her creations. At Roots and Leisure, we are forever on the lookout for ‘unique’. So, when we had the chance to talk to this amazingly talented artist, we definitely weren’t going to pass it up! Read on for the interview below… Photo | Shivani Tell us a little bit about yourself. My name is Shivani Rai. I’m from Darjeeling, India and am currently based in Delhi. I make fabric art and sell it via my Instagram page – …

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Drawing the Lines: Debia Sarojini | Arunachal Pradesh

  An engineering student who believes that lines and structures can be drawn both in the technical and as well as the artistic world and who adds a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘Drawing the line.’– Meet the artist from Arunachal Pradesh, Debia Sarojini. Could you give a brief introduction about yourself? My name is Debia Sarojini and I am twenty-one years old. I am pursuing my Bachelor degree in Engineering in Bangalore, Karnataka.  21, living in Bangalore. I’m from Arunachal Pradesh.  What got you started? From the time that I was a child, I sketched and painted all the time. I probably started it as a hobby and as the years went by, I continued doing it not realising that my hobby had transformed into this passion. “It’s important to be passionate about what you do. It keeps you going..” What initially sparked your interest in this field? My mother has been my pillar of support and strength. Like I mentioned earlier, I started sketching at an early age and my mother encouraged …

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Nourhevilie Khate | 25 Year Old Violist and Guitarist from Nagaland

25 year old Nourhevilie Khate from Nagaland plays the violin and guitar with equal skill and passion that it has not only won him several competitions but the young multi-talented musician is now doing his Master’s in Violin performance from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London. Nourhevillie was a winner of the David Menezes National violin competition in 2014 and judged as the best guitarist in the Rockville: battle of the bands at NIT-Nagaland’s annual cultural fest Ekarikthin 2015. He has also been a part of the India National Youth Orchestra, Canada-India Youth Orchestra, Indo-German Youth Orchestra, BSM Chamber Orchestra and Purple Fusion (A folk fusion band from Nagaland) He has helped others like him follow their passion in music and taught music  at Symphony School of Music Kohima, Music Academy Kohima, Hope Centre for Excellence, Dimapur and Bangalore School of Music. Hi Nourhe, can you brief us a bit about your journey so far? I am from Nagaland, India. I graduated with a bachelors degree in theology from SABC, Bangalore.  I …

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Capturing The Unique Story of Two Souls | Photographer Manoj Sagolsem

Returning with the follow-up series of wedding photographers, today we feature another passionate photographer from Manipur who took years to pursue his passion, constantly on the path of learning, now stands as an inspiration. Wedding photography being one among his photo genres, he believes wedding is an unique story of two people and is delighted to have the opportunity to capture it. Born in Wangoi, Imphal and educated at St. Anthony’s School Shillong, Manoj Sagolsem graduated from Delhi University and went on to work in a corporate company for eight years in the capital until one day he decided to drop everything for the passion of photography and move to Dimapur. Abstract expressions on faces and abstract emotions in the soul attract and inspire this photographer to document and compile his images. When did you start taking pictures?  One fine day I decided quit my job all for the sake of my passion for photography. It wasn’t an easy thing to do.  My family and friends thought I was insane. At one point, I had …

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Sisterhood of Soles | Chondamma Cariappa of ‘The Sole Sisters’

Footwear designer, Chondamma Cariappa’s creativity and ambition came together to take her on a journey from one city to another; one continent to another and in the middle of all the wanderings, she realised that soul/sole searching never really ends – it is life’s continuous journey.  Her army background allowed her to explore places and people from a very young age.  When and how did you realise that the sole was going to be your abyss of comfort? I was born in Coorg, Karnataka and the army background gave me the advantage of travelling and exploring places from a very young age. What I realised later was that the different places and the faces inspired me to turn my passion into an enterprise that was rewarding. I worked in the creative department of an advertising firm for eleven years, only and only for the love of shoes! Define ‘The Sole Sisters’ for us.  We were born with an innate love of soles. We started out in 2011 as an e-community of stylish women around the …

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I Saved Up To Buy My First Camera | Wedding Photographer – Thangminlun Tonsing

Thangminlun Tonsing is a self trained wedding photographer from Lamka, Churachandpur, Manipur. When he realized that he was stuck in a boring job where he saw no future, he saved up and bought a camera and thus began his journey. He has made endless pursuance of techniques and education in the field to perfect his art – and continues to do so passionately. Hi Thangminlun! Tell us something about your interest for photography. How did it all start? I vividly recall the time when I was working at a call centre and couldn’t afford a DSLR. So I decided on starting to save a little and meanwhile played around with a Sony cybershot camera and experimenting. Later, when the interest in grew,  I decided to take it to a little serious level, and purchased a bridge camera with my savings. It was a Fuji film S2950. That was the day, I started capturing almost everything around me. The excitement of being able to frame moments and expressions into something that was real but created by …

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Praveen Khwairakpam | 23 Year Old Medical Student and Paper Craft Artist

Praveen Khwairakpam from Manipur is a 23 year old medical student at Sikkim Manipal University. About a year ago, this student-doctor discovered his talent and passion for paper art. He says, “Paper is a beautiful medium to work with. It is delicate and comes in various distinct shades. The most interesting thing about working with it is how versatile it can be – you can fold it, roll it, layer it and let it flow to suit your design!”  A doctor in the making or an artist? How do you identify yourself? Tell us something about this dual personality you balance.  It’s a bit of both. I grew up in Imphal, Manipur and attended a boarding school in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh. That is where I figured my passion for art. It started with painting. Then, I moved to Delhi for my higher secondary education and my passion for painting and art continued there. Then I enrolled at the Sikkim Manipal Student, Gangtok and that is when my curiosity and creativity for paper art started. So …

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An Artist and a Mom-In-Motion from Bangalore | Praaggya Sharma

Artist Praaggya Sharma had been moving from one city to another from the time she was born at her uncle’s house in Bareilly, U.P until in 2010, she settled down in Bangalore. While her literal transition had come to a halt with her husband and a family of her own, she found a medium of metaphormosis- colours on a canvas! Painting, she realized was something that would keep her evolving constantly. Before you got into the world of painting and art, what did you do? I have lived over many states, cities and small towns as my family kept moving. I was born in Uttar Pradesh and we moved to Rajasthan because of my father’s work. However we made another move to Delhi  where I did my schooling and my two siblings were born. After I was done with school, we moved to Ahmedabad for a year.  In 2004, my family moved again to Chandigarh where I finished my college. Then, I went to IMT Nagpur for my MBA. After that, for a year, I …

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Where the Love for Food and Books Meet | Bibliothequé Cafe, Sikkim

The food culture in Sikkim, particularly in Gangtok is moving at an accelerating pace. New food joints have sprung up not only at the main market, M.G Marg but all around the capital town. Gone are the days when Sikkimese people stuck to momo, chow mein and chopsuey for their food outings. The palate has evolved for the food enthusiasts and today, the new restaurants offer a wide range of cuisine from Italian to Korean. Even the Chinese restaurants have broken away from the usual Chilli Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup to Lo Mein, Moo Shu and Mein Fun. One food joint/cafe that stands out for many reasons is the Bibliothèque Cafe at Tharo Line. Kunzang Chuki Denzongpa, fondly called ‘Pamu’ by her friends and family is an English Honors Graduate from Delhi University. She hopped from law school into the world of Beckett and Chaucer because her love for literature overpowered her comprehension of the judiciary. After returning from Delhi in 2015,  she worked as a content editor in a corporate house, thinking that …