All posts filed under: GUJARAT

Explore the cultures and the people of Gujarat

Rootsandleisure_Terra food cafe Ahmedabad

“While Studying in France, I Discovered Farm to Table Concept, and That Inspired My Fresh Food Venture” – Chat With Sriram Nair, Owner of Terra Cafe, Ahmedabad

Sriram Nair from Ahmedabad has always had a soft spot in his heart for food. He grew up with a family that bonded over food which helped him pick up his spatula when he was only 6-years-old. When he headed off to Europe to get his Masters in International Business, and later for work, he started to explore a whole new world of food whilst trying to learn new cultures.  What he was most inspired by was their concept of fresh farm to table meals. Sriram was overjoyed by how much the freshness added to the flavor of the dishes and how it also affected his health positively.  When he came back home to Ahmedabad, he decided to share his joy for these newly discovered ways of life. He wanted to create awareness and educate people about the harm processed food can do for you and how making things from scratch will usher a healthier lifestyle. With this goal in mind, he began Terra cafe, which is known today for its dishes from diverse cultures …

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Showcasing Unique Food Cultures of all Eight States of North East India and Beyond

What’s on your plate? Or What is India eating today? No celebration is complete without food, and most of the time food itself becomes a celebration. Before you sit and ponder on what to have for dinner/lunch this weekend, here is an eclectic collection of meals from all over India celebrating the very fact that food does, in fact, bring all of us together – and at the same time, highlights the uniqueness of each culture.  Let us start with the 8 states of North East India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura – and then continue exploring some handpicked states from all 4 corners of India. Let us start! TRIPURA: Rice meal with pigeon pea salad mixed with roasted green chili and fermented fish, boiled mustard leaves, chicken with pumpkin curry, boiled eggs, and papad. [Contributed by Hrishikesh Tripura, 22, Agartala Tripura, Student of Human Physiology] NAGALAND: Rice meal with Pork and bamboo shoot, mixed boiled vegetables, mashed potato & dried fish curry/stew and fresh leafy & [Contributed by Kristi Kikon, Homemaker and …

R&L Folks From Across The Country Share Top 5 Travel Locations in India

First of all, a very happy Independence Day! To celebrate this day, Roots & Leisure has curated a very special list of places that you must visit in India. Not just that – this list has been curated by the R&L community. We got responses from Kochi to Spiti and were amazed to learn about the places from locals.  Scroll down to find out what our friends have to say about their hometowns, and why you should plan your next holiday to these places! (Stand a chance to be featured by submitting your own Top 5 on any subject that you love and are passionate about. Heading over to this link; Fill it out and hit submit!) Fort Kochi, Kerala Hello, my name is Nijil and I’m from Kannur, Kerala. Although I’m not from Kochi, I’ve visited it more times than I can count. It is a place that has my heart and is a must travel spot for anyone visiting Kerala! Fort Kochi is a beautiful island a few kilometers away from Ernakulam. It is …

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An Interaction with Basuri Choksi, the Interior Designer-turned-Artist from Ahmedabad

Today, we have Basuri Choksi – an Interior Designer-turned-Artist who shares her journey with the Roots and Leisure from Ahmedabad on how she breathes life on any canvas that is given to her. Here’s a quick conversation with the lady behind the artworks who is not afraid to play with different types of shades delivering notable effects. Hello, Basuri! Would you like to tell a bit about yourself, where you’re from and what you’ve been up to? I’m an Interior Designer-turned-Artist. Since childhood, I have always been inclined towards art but only figured my true calling for it in 2012 while I was practicing interiors. Within a year, I was sure I don’t want to do anything but paint! Since then, I have been painting and learning new techniques on my own. Introduce us to your work. What got you started? I work with acrylics on canvas, wood and other surfaces. I also do murals. The freedom of expression that a blank canvas gives to an artist, got me started. It also has been a …

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“My Art Helps Me Explore the Unventured Territories” Meet the Miniaturist Shirali Patel from Ahmedabad

Miniature is a thing that is much smaller than normal, especially a small replica of a particular thing. Introducing the Miniature Artist Shirali Patel from Ahmedabad, who is amazingly fascinated and bitten by the miniature art bug, since she was a child. A self-taught and a self-mastered artist, Shirali shares her story with Roots and Leisure on how the culture of India has become her inspiration towards the creation of her artwork Small Idea.   Share a little details about yourself and what you have been up to? Hi I’m Shirali, a Bio-Chemist turned Fashion Designer turned Miniaturist. After working for over a decade in Retail Industry, I left my corporate job and pursued my passion for creating miniature. I am a self-taught and I have mastered this art after many years of mistakes and experimentation. “It’s been 8 years now that I’m sculpting miniatures and my quirky little utility and collectable products bring smile on many faces.” What initially sparked your interest in this field? I just love miniatures. Miniatures fascinated me as a child …

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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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Architecture Student and Full Time Traveller | Callan Green from Australia, Shares His Travel Story.

  “Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller” – Ibn Battuta. And a story teller we find in this young Australian traveler who embodies every millennial’s dream to travel the world.  Meet Callan Green from Melbourne –  studying at Deakin University and currently living in Ahmedabad, and travelling across India. Callan is an architecture student at Deakin University and a full-time traveler. Years of traveling have also nurtured in him a passion for photography. Interacting with communities as a volunteer across the world has taught him various facets of global education. He attributes his deeper understanding of architecture and sustainable living also to his extensive travels.We spoke with Green to understand what drives travelers like him to keep the travel bug alive. “I am a student at Deakin University. I work as a barista at a small café in Melbourne, Australia. Slowly, my studies and travel became so intertwined with each other that over the past four years, I’ve spent nearly three of them overseas. I started this chapter of my life by …

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Sustainable Fashion is the New Cool | Meet the Indo-French Duo Behind ‘Indigenous Industries’

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 …

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Ishani Kanani of Lukka Chhupi talks about her Creative Journey

Lukka Chhupi is to Ishani Kanani what The Chocolate Factory is to Willy Wonka. It’s an expression of urges. Kanani has created an infused mix of bright, quirky and spunky products that can liven up even the dead. Brimming with hand-crafted products using traditional textiles with block prints and tempestuous floral and unwavering geometric patterns, the venture is a box of sweet goodies that makes the heart sing for more. We sat down with the founder of Lukka Chhupi for a talk to learn more about her creative journey.  Lukka Chhupi is an interesting name for a brand. What’s the story behind the decision? Lukka Chhuppi germinated as an idea and a desire to create a scrapbook of sorts; a collection of memories in the form of fabrics accumulated from various places of visit. It is a collection of memories. It is a journey as well as a destination. The story behind the name, on the other hand, begs little to no attention, as it is one of spontaneity and the spur of the moment. ‘Lukka …

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Meet the Creators of Gentlewasher – Manual Washer for Delicate Clothes

Today on Roots and Leisure, we have two really talented entrepreneurs  – based out of Gujarat. Meet Coen and Kathak – the creators of gentlewasher – a beautifully crafted, manual washer for delicate clothes. About the Founders : Kathak and Coen Coen Vermeer has a post-graduation from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Kathak Mehta has a masters in Technology and Innovations Management  from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad. She is also pursuing PhD in Management from Institute of Management, Nirma University. Both Coen and Kathak are currently based in Ahmedabad. Tell us a little bit more about yourselves. Coen : Both Kathak and I love to create things – especially physical products that actually solve a problem. As a kid, I would spend hours playing with Lego. From building underwater palaces to castles in the sky; building things was my passion. During my studies, this untamed optimism grew stronger. After watching a documentary on India, I had made up my mind. So after graduating, I came all the way from Amsterdam to Ahmedabad. Once here, I …