M a g a z i n e

The Art & Culture Issue

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 chairman’s message

E very journey is marked with milestones to remind you how far

you’ve reached. Today, as The Leela Group steps into its 25th
year of existence, it marks an important milestone for the Group
and also for me.
When I started the first hotel in Mumbai, I never imagined
it to be an acorn that I was planting, which would grow into an
oak tree one day. I attribute this to my wife Leela, who inspired
me to enter the world of hospitality, along with my two sons Vivek
and Dinesh.
Today, in retrospect, The Leela Group’s journey seems like a
living dream. I had begun this journey with a vision and conviction
to be a host to the world and show one and all how India treats its
guests, and is guided by the ethos — Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is
God). It gives me immense satisfaction to see every member of
The Leela Group going all out to ensure that this belief is part of
their lives.
It’s the year of celebration, introspection and also a time to
envisage a new road ahead to reach the next milestone with as
much success.
The Leela magazine, too, is echoing this celebratory mood
through its special ‘Art and Culture’ Issue.
So, we bring to you Indian art legends like Anish Kapoor and
Subodh Gupta (one of his work adorns our cover), whose art has
received worldwide acclaim. I had begun this journey
with a vision and
While the world takes notice of our rich art, culture and
history, we, at The Leela, are showcasing Indian culture through
our hotels, its traditional décor and its exemplary services, which
are so Indian and yet so world-class.
conviction to be a host
With a prayer on my lips, I wish the silver turns to gold
and brings in many more successes and goodwill during its
to the world and show
journey ahead.
one and all how India
treats its guests, and is
Captain C. P. Krishnan Nair
guided by the ethos
Chairman
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts — Atithi Devo Bhava

The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 1

contents The Leela Magazine
Summer 2012 Travelogue

12
luxE Effect
16
Fashion
26
collector
Say it with silver to celebrate Haute couture steps into Tête-à-tête with entrepreneur
landmark occasions the realm of art and art expert Rajshree Pathy

32
mixed media
42
photography
48
music
3-D installations are a rage Stunning visuals are a work of Musical journey of The
among Indian artists art in today’s age and time Symphony Orchestra of India

52
Literary
Pondicherry captured on
lens, sans its clichés

The Leela Magazine – Monsoon 2010 7

contents The Leela Magazine
Summer 2012

54
Tête-à-tête
59
jet set go
61
accolades
62
Events
71
PErSPECTIVE

The Leela ADVERTISING SALES Singapore (+65 6735 8681) Joui Ong
Mumbai (022-22850188 / 61377200) Dubai (+9714 3913360) Sunil Kanchan
M a g a z i n e

Publisher — Amruda Nair — Lamont Dias, Mallika Jamsandekar,

Editor-in-Chief — Lakshmi Nair Sumit Shetty, Gokul Dharan, Shruti Baghel Marketing

The LeeLa Magazine

production director — Shobha Patel Delhi (011-23730873/74) manager Marketing Services — Salim B.
Content and Distribution — Priyanka Paul Asha Augustine, Nikhil Mehrotra

suMMer 2012
Manager Ritcha Verma
Production — Prakash Bachche Bangalore (080-25592714/82514)
— Yogeesha A ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT
Lucknow (0522-2780560/754) — P P S Marwa Sr. Manager - Accounts & Admin. The Art & Culture Issue

MEDIASCOPE PUBLICITAS pune (09850086865) — Shailesh Amonkar

— Girish Sharma
Kolkata (09831131395) — Subrata Mazumder Cover
EDITORIAL Accounts Executive — Ashwin Makwana Art and Culture Issue:
Chennai (09841091288) — J V Naveen Cheap Rice, an installation
Editor-in-Chief — Deepali Nandwani Credit Controller — Girish Joshi
Kerala (0484-2354867/2381417) by Delhi-based artist Subodh
Editor — Sujata Dugar Gupta, shows a rickshaw
— Hari M Das Delhi Asst. Manager - Accounts & Admin.
Client Service Manager — Reshma Malvankar spilling with shiny brass pots.
Jaipur (09828150706) — Peeush Gupta — Raj Bhushan Singh It highlights the plight of
Ahmedabad (09898002522) — Madan Menon itinerant workers in urban
Art CORPORATE India, who carry the burden
Secunderabad (08978866599)
Creative Director — Faruqui Mohd Jaan of a society loaded with
— Sheetal Petkar CEO & Managing Director — Marzban Patel spirituality (the pots are
Art Director — Sanjay Rane
Executive Director — Anita Patel used in India to hold the holy
Senior Designer — Shamkant More Ad Sales - International water) and all he gets in
Image Editor — Atul Jangam Hong Kong (+852-2516 1003) Winky Wong CFO — Manish Mehta return is a meagre amount.
Production Manager — Elidio Fernandes Malaysia (+60-3-7729 6923) Shallie Cheng COO — Indu Joshi

“This Magazine is published by Hotel Leelaventures Limited (“Leela”) and produced by Mediascope Publicitas (India) Pvt. LTD. (“MSP”) on behalf of and under agreement with Leela. Opinions
expressed herein are of the Authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Leela or of MSP. Editorial, reproduction of articles and advertising enquiries should be addressed to The Leela
Magazine, Mediascope Publicitas (India) Private Ltd, 51 Doli Chamber, Arthur Bunder Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005, India. Email: sujata.dugar@publicitas.com Material in this publication
may not be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the consent of the publisher. Leela or MSP do not assume any responsibility or endorse any claim made by the advertiser herein”
Printed at Parksons Graphics, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400053.

This magazine is printed on environment-friendly, wood-free paper.

 Letters to the Editor Travelogue
In this section, we share feedback and suggestions from
guests, patrons and readers of The Leela magazine

I wish to thank
Honourable Captain
Nair for his kindness
and thoughtfulness
while paying tribute
to Mr. Bijan Pakzad
in the beautiful
The Leela magazine.
Manijeh Messa
General Manager¸
House of Bijan
The team at House of Bijan

Ireceived The Leela magazine and was transfixed with

wonder by the beauty of the cover and every page in this
publication. It is the most beautiful magazine I have ever
had the pleasure of receiving — it is more elegant and
sophisticated than what is distributed by other luxury hotel
companies. The photos are breathtaking.
Congratulations on accomplishing such an amazing
publication.
Bernd K. Wosgien, CHA
President & CEO,
Executive Search International
Orlando, Florida, USA

T he Leela
magazine is
fantastic with a
great new look.
Sabine van Ommen
Sabine van Ommen
Public Relations GmbH,
Berlin

For all correspondence and feedback, e-mail: theleelamagazine@theleela.com

10 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – Monsoon 2011 11
 Luxe Effect Travelogue

Silver
streak Add sparkle to your home
with SWAROVSKI’s crystalline
vase. The crystalline centre

Silver is celebration, silver is sheen, with thousands of glittering

chatons adds sheer brilliance
silver is glitter and also a milestone. to your floral arrangement. It
We celebrate our 25th anniversary with costs `29,800 and is available
at the DLF Promenade mall,
some interesting objets d’art which are New Delhi,
sure to attract the eyeballs and add a Contact: 91 11 4606 0924;
Ambience Mall, Gurgaon,
sparkle each time they are used Contact: 0124 4029104; and
at Palladium Mall High Street
Phoenix, Mumbai,
Contact: 91 22 6610 0140/ 2,
among others.
swarovski.com

Famous for its hand-crafted jewellery, Amrapali’s beautifully

designed tribal cuff, which is plated in both silver and gold,
is sure to turn heads. The smooth silver textured cuff has
tribal motifs in gold. It is just the right bling to pair with any
Western or Indian outfit. Its price is available on request.
To buy, visit Amrapali Jewels, Juhu, Mumbai. Contact: 91 22
2612 5001. Or, visit Santushti Shopping Complex, New Delhi.
Contact: 91 11 2467 2025. amrapalijewels.com

12 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – Monsoon 2011 13
 Luxe Effect

Longines, the Swiss, high range

watchmakers’ Agassi Collection,
boasts of a white gold watch with
diamonds on the bezel. Andre
Agassi, one of the greatest tennis
players, is famous for his precision
and exceptional timing during the
game. He also had a remarkable
endurance and was extremely
combative. Agassi’s unique style,
his kindness and the emotions
he evoked while playing has been
transmitted by Longines into its
sport collection watches, named
after the player. Its price is available
on request. Buy this precision tool
at the Longines Boutique, CRII Mall,
Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Contact: 91 22 6743 9852. Audelade in French means
longines.com beyond, and taking this
cue is the Audelade brand
that has taken luxury and
fashion beyond its standard
confines. This moccasin
(photo above) is hand-
crafted and hand-woven
in a fabric made of silver
and combined with the
finest quality of natural
patent leather. It costs
`63,500. The ladies boots
(left) are similarly made of
hand-crafted silver fabric
and leather. Its mid-level
heels and a zip opening at
the side adds a touch of
style and comfort. It costs
`1,17,300. It is available
at the Atria Mall, Ist Floor,
Worli, Mumbai.
Contact: 91 22 2481 3771.
For exquisite silverware and signature collectibles,
audelade.com
SHAZE, the sterling silver store, is the place to go
to. A Pyramid photoframe in solid silver is available
for `47,700 at Palladium Mall High Street Phoenix,
Mumbai, Contact: 91 22 3222 5557; and at Infnity-2
Mall, Mumbai, Contact: 91 22 3220 8610. shaze.in

14 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012

 Fashion
Andy
Warhol
meets
Alexander
McQueen
Stepping down from its high ground, from
where fashion seemed lowbrow and trivial,
artists and art museums are embracing
haute couture as an exquisite expression of
art and craftsmanship

By Deepali Nandwani

“Why do people think

artists are special? It’s just
another job.” — Andy Warhol

W
Andy Warhol ay back in 2009, it was Warhol who exhibited his
quirky art with the creations of French fashion
legend Yves Saint Laurent at the historic Parisian
museum, Grand Palais. The show, a huge success, blurred the
rigid lines that divide art from fashion. “From being considered
trivial, unworthy and inferior, fashion is now seen as a form of
high art,” says designer Manish Arora, among the few Indian
designers whose beautifully structured and tailored garments are
The Christian Dior Retrospective at
the Pushkin Museum, Moscow considered akin to a piece of installation or art.

16 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 17
 Fashion

Much before accessories designed by the designer in his 19-year-long career,

Warhol broke the barrier, all drawn from the Alexander McQueen Archive in London,
way back in the 18th while some pieces came from the Givenchy Archive in Paris and
century, fashion was private collections. “McQueen’s fashion often referenced the
considered as another exaggerated silhouettes of the 1860s, 1880s, 1890s, and 1950s,
expression of art, even but his technical ingenuity always imbued his designs with an
the defining characteristic innovative sensibility that kept him at the vanguard,” says the
of human civilisation. Met essay on the designer. Each of McQueen’s ensemble and
New York-based fashion accessories were not only exquisitely produced, much like art
historian and writer is, but also broke the mould. Collectors preserve a McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Samuel Phillips says, “In creation as they would preserve a Van Gogh painting.
the mid-18th century, the nobility separated their high fashion This retrospective sort of triggered off an avalanche.
from their everyday dress. An English Duke might have worn In November last year, Dallas Museum of Art hosted The
lace, embroidery and velvet on a formal occasion.” In India, too, Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the
the unstructured garment, the sari, traces its origins back to Catwalk. It ran for three months and showcased several different
the Indus Valley Civilisation. “Sculptures from the Gandharva, aspects of the design philosophy that defined the work of the man
Mathura and Gupta schools of art show goddesses and dancers considered the enfant terrible of the fashion world. It highlighted
wearing exquisite saris,” says art historian and curator, Siddhi Das. the several different influences on the designer and his vibrant
But then, somewhere down history, art took a high sources of inspiration through a carefully curated selection
ground, losing its way into a desert of complex concepts of what of over 140 haute couture dresses and ready-to-wear pieces,
is fine art and what is pedestrian. According to Harvard University crafted between early 1970s and 2011. “By acknowledging the
sociologist Stanley Lieberson, who authored the book, A Matter uncomfortable dressing to a rather simple style that she herself importance of fashion as design through hosting this exhibition,
of Taste: How Names, Fashions and Culture Change, fashion was liked,” says Phillips. the Dallas Museum of Art was simply fulfilling its mission to
considered suspect because of its fickleness. “Fashion simply The first step towards demolishing the outdated notion bring to the public a broad spectrum of art in a variety of media,”
means that something is now more attractive than what was of fashion being trivial was when the art powerhouse, The says Kevin Tucker, coordinating curator for The Fashion World of
previously deemed attractive,” he says. Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), arranged a retrospective Jean Paul Gaultier. The exhibition spawned an entire gamut of
Now, however, as art itself moves away from the traditional of the late Alexander McQueen in May 2011. The exhibition, mediums — from sketches, stage costumes and video clips from
painting and sculpture mediums into several unexplored terrains, organised by The Costume Institute, celebrated McQueen’s fashion films, runway shows, concerts, dance performances and
haute couture is finding its way back into museums and galleries. genius and his contribution to fashion. From his Central Saint television programmes. Among the accessories on show were the
Alice Rawsthorn, director of The Design Museum, London, says, Martins postgraduate collection of 1992 to his final runway corsets worn by Madonna during her 1990 tour, besides artwork
“I would never say that fashion, at its best, is not a suitable subject presentation after his death in February 2010, the designer of legends like Andy Warhol, Mario Testino and Steven Meisel.
for museums or that it cannot share some of the attributes of art. constantly has expanded the understanding of fashion beyond “For me, Gaultier’s work, like that of Vivienne Westwood’s,
On the contrary, an exquisite haute couture dress — like the ones utility, to a conceptual expression of culture. celebrates life through a visceral kind of energy and a sense of
that Cristóbal Balenciaga created in his 1950s heyday — can look The stunningly brilliant ‘The Savage Beauty’ exhibition was spectacle that is full of unexpected sources of influence, thereby
as perfect as a beautiful painting or sculpture.” the most-visited among those curated by the Met’s Costume making it undeniably exciting and ideal for the Dallas Museum of
The trend, reports Wall Street Journal, has been building Institute since its inception in 1946, and drew in 23,000 new Art’s first major foray into the world of contemporary fashion,”
for decades. Several designers, starting from Coco Chanel members to the Met during its three-month run. According to says Tucker.
to Alexander McQueen and our very own Manish Arora are a note written by the Met experts, McQueen’s “iconic designs In November itself, The Design Museum, London,
considered as much artists as couturiers. “Coco Chanel, for constitute the work of an artist whose medium of expression organised a retrospective of the iconic French shoe designer,
instance, changed the language of fashion, from flamboyant, was fashion”. The exhibition featured over 100 ensembles and 70 Christian Louboutin, the man who pushed the boundaries of high

FACING PAGE & Above Alexander McQueen’s iconic designs curated by the
MET, reveal how he drew inspiration from historical references from medieval
20 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 England and the Salem witch trials, of which one of his ancestors was a victim The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 21
 Fashion Travelogue
fashion shoe design. These sculptural shoes, with their unique
red soles, are masterpieces in which fashion, craftsmanship,
engineering and sculpture segue seamlessly. It drew liberally
from Louboutin’s personal archive, referencing the origins of the
iconic red sole, through to the latest collections.
Then, on March 25, 2012, the Denver Art Museum
hosted the Yves Saint Laurent Retrospective. To run till July 8,
the retrospective, organised by the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves
Saint Laurent (run by his partner Pierre Bergé) in collaboration
with the Denver Art Museum, it celebrates the genius of the
designer through 200 haute couture creations. In Beijing,
Louis Vuitton’s exhibition, Voyages, at the National Museum in
Tiananmen Square drew throngs who stood in line for hours to
see iconic pieces from the archives, as well as some of the more
sensationalistic concepts dreamed up for the brand’s nouveau
riche clientele. Quick on their heels are nearly a dozen other
brands who have, or will soon mount major exhibitions, including
Ferragamo, Van Cleef and Arpels, and Prada — all eager to boast
of their heritage of craft and design. Louis Vuitton is also currently
building a massive space designed by architect Frank Gehry in the
Bois de Boulogne and slated to open in 2013.

The India Factor

In India, the only designer whose work has come close to the
eclecticism, structure and sculptural profile is Manish Arora.
On March 4, Arora exhibited 1950s silhouettes in nipped-waist
dresses, lit up by subversive images lifted from Brooklyn street art
to the backdrop of black-hooded graffiti artists. The haute couture
designer’s Autumn/Winter 2012 collection is inspired by street
art. “I’m very attracted
to street art,” says the
designer. “It deserves a
lot more attention than it
gets.” For the collection,
he met several artists,
from the Brooklyn-based
Judith Supine, whose
bright-coloured, surreal
work Arora superimposed
Vivan Sundaram onto his clothes, to

22 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 Left Cleopatra by Vivan Sundaram The Leela Magazine – Monsoon 2011 23
 Fashion Travelogue
installations, which range from a sculptural black gown called
Cleopatra’s Trail to the red Dervish skirt, the architectural Flow
Wrap dress and the men’s wedding suit, a white garment made
from sanitary napkins.
Researching the history of fashion and the close linkages
between fashion and art down centuries, both in India and
Europe, led Sundaram to believe that the two concepts are not
as exclusive as they seem. “In India, there is very little debate
on whether fashion and art overlap. Worldwide, however, there
is a movement to take fashion back into the art museums. There
are designers whose work is more art than fashion. Alexander
McQueen’s work was sculptural and his seashell constructions
remind me of works created during the modern art movement,
Arte Povera’s phase in the 1960s, when works were made from
perishable materials and fabrics. In the West, the relationship
between art and fashion is quite complex and a lot of experiments
have taken place.”

the Paris graffiti art trio Showtime

called Rude, Vision and The four fashion-art shows you
Broke. Motifs ranged must catch up on

from urban landscapes

Exhibition: Christian Louboutin,
to fragmented figures a retrospective
or faces, and bright red At: Design Museum, London
When: Till July 1, 2012
kissing lips dotted all over
a black knee-length dress Exhibition: Ballgowns:
under a little black bolero. British Glamour Since 1950
At: The Victoria and Albert
Manish Arora However, the
Museum, London
avant-garde work in which fashion seamlessly segues into When: May 19, 2012 –
art is not by a designer, but interestingly by an artist, Vivan January 26, 2013
Sundaram, whose art practice includes working with trash and
Exhibition: Louis Vuitton-
found objects, returned recently with a flamboyant exhibition in
Marc Jacobs, a retrospective
which high fashion met cutting edge art. He first showed the of Jacobs’ work at LV
intriguingly titled Gagawaka series, which includes masquerade- At: Les Arts Décoratifs, Paris
When: Till September 16
isque haute couture creations that he calls ‘sheltering sculptures’
or ‘sculptural garments’ in Delhi, and then in Mumbai’s Gallery Exhibition: Fifty Years of James
Chemould Prescott Road. Bond Style with pieces from
Giorgio Armani, Prada, Oscar de
He collaborated with professionals like designer Pratima
la Renta and other designers
Pandey, NIFT graduate Tanmay Gupta, and two tailors for the At: The Barbican, London
collection, who helped translate his sketches into fashion When: April 2012

24 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 ABOVE Manish Arora’s garments blend design, art and fashion The Leela Magazine – Monsoon 2011 25
 collector

Tell us a bit about your collection — who are the artists you buy, what in the development of their thinking about art making, its pedagogy
kind of works do you collect and do you also collect installations, and the social functions of art. These will be learned along with
Entrepreneur, art sculptures and multi-media? other disciplines such as film theory, anthropology, ethnography,
collector, philanthropist The collection mostly comprises of contemporary art. This art history, sociology, media theory, economics, ecology and

and the founder of the includes all genres of art from video installations, site-specific political science, among others. This will help introduce intellectual
works, installations, sculptures, prints and paintings. diversity and rigour to creativity, conceptualisation and practice.
recently held India Design
Forum, Rajshree Pathy, Which are some of your favourite works from your own collection? Do you hold shows regularly at CoCCA? Tell us a bit about some
chairman and managing The Encounter by S.H. Raza, Man by Rameshwar Broota, forthcoming shows?
director of Rajshree Veena Box by Anjolie Ela Menon, Rickshawpolis by Jitish Kallat, So far, CoCCA’s work in Coimbatore has been to lay the

Sugars and Chemicals Glowing Embers by A. Balasubramaniam, Reaching Out by groundwork for the institute and the museum. We are achieving
Vasundara Broota Tiwari, untitled works by Jaishree Chakravarty this through our outreach programs. We have conducted
is a multi-faceted and Rekha Rodwittiya, a sculpture by Anita Dube, Penetration,
woman. Apart from an installation by Mia Westerlund Roosen and The Womb, an
starting Contemplate: installation by Janet Echelman are some of my favourites. My

an arts initiative that collection is eclectic, both in its genre and its language.

supports workshops, Besides collecting individual artists, have you also collected works
she is also building an that belong to a particular school of art, or a particular genre?
art museum and an As most of the collection is contemporary, it is non-linear

institute in Coimbatore in nature. I mostly built the collection by being inclusive of genres

arts
Photo courtesy: rajshree pathy
and disciplines than looking at schools of thought.
to provide a platform for
contemporary art

Queen of
What prompted you to set up Contemplate: an arts initiative? What do
you hope to achieve with the initiative?

By Sujata Dugar Contemplate, as an initiative, was set up to expand art

awareness. We work out of Delhi and Coimbatore. In Coimbatore,
the gallery has a full calendar and we focus our programmes on
What inspired you towards art? Since when did you begin collecting When you grow up surrounded by beauty, somehow providing art education to an interested audience of all age groups.
and do you recall the first painting you bought? the eye gets trained to search for and relate only to a particular
Art was all-pervasive in my parent’s home in Coimbatore sensibility. I felt very responsive to contemporary art at a very Could you share details about the Coimbatore College of Contemporary
during my growing years. My mother had a unique aesthetic early age. Those days, only one gallery existed in Chennai — Arts (CoCCA) and what do you aim to do through this institute?
sensibility and as she, along with my father, travelled around the Sarala’s, that was owned and managed by a lovely lady called Mrs Coimbatore Centre for Contemporary Arts (CoCCA) will
world both on work and pleasure, she brought back antiques and Daruwala who sold mainly M.F. Husain’s works along with some be a centre for continuing fine arts education, both practical and
curios of exquisite beauty that filled our home. other masters. theoretical. The Centre will serve as a space in which students
Frequent visits to Mumbai brought my mother in contact I still remember that day when I managed to buy my first will be given an opportunity to explore, question, experiment
with contemporary art galleries like Chemould and Pundole. As M.F. Husain — a 3 by 3 oil on canvas for just `18,000. I was barely and innovate. It will strive to provide an integrated art education
a child, I vividly remember my mother buying a beautiful Shanti 17-years-old and married, and I could feel my heart pounding with experience that is interdisciplinary in spirit.
Dave orange and green abstract painting, which hung on the wall excitement at having bought a Husain. It still adorns the same wall CoCCA’s major contribution to the contemporary Indian art
of our living room for several years. and I have never been tempted to replace it with another painting. world will be to offer artists an educational experience that assists

26 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 ABOVE Art connoisseur Rajshree Pathy RIGHT A painting by artist Rekha Rodwittiya is part of Pathy’s collection The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 27
 collector Art

workshops in collaboration with artists from across India for in venues across New Delhi, and open to the public, the second
children and adults. We hold lecture sessions conducted by artists was the Design Forum — a private, registration-only programme
at various institutions as a part of our awareness initiatives. featuring two days of talks by highly acclaimed design experts
CoCCA’s past events included a comic illustration for from around India and the rest of the world.
children with comics author Bharath Murthy; a paper making Some of the keynote speakers included Karim Rashid,
project with artist Shanthamani Muddaiah and a paper plane the celebrated industrial designer, Sam Pitroda, entrepreneur,
making workshop with artist Baptist Coelho. Some of the policymaker and advisor to the Prime Minister of India on
forthcoming events are life study / portrait drawing workshop public information infrastructure and innovation, Tim Marshall,
with artist Reema Alva and an image making workshop with chief academic officer, Parsons The New School for Design and
Rakhi Peswani. Justin McGuirk, the award-winning design critic at The Guardian,
publishing director of the Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture
What are the other initiatives undertaken by CoCCA in the recent past? and Design in Moscow, among many others.
On the global level, we recently organised the India Design It brought global design thought leaders together in
Forum (IDF) 2012 in New Delhi (March 2-10). It is a pioneering India to enable strategic alliances, encourage dialogue between
international platform for design disciplines cutting across academia and industry and facilitate cross design cultural thinking
architecture, fashion, interior, product and graphic design. It has and application.
been conceived by me and my daughter Aishwarya as a space for
creative dialogue, to showcase and collaborate around design. It What are your views on the current crop of artists and who among these
highlights the power of design to change our lives and focusses are your favourites?
on sustainable and urban design. There are many young and emerging artists. The
The inaugural edition of IDF, a nine day celebration of India’s commercial success of their peers in the last decade has been
distinctive design aesthetic and the way in which it continues a great motivation for young people to pursue a career in art. It’s
its conversation with the international design world, saw two difficult to name just a few but Aditya Pande, Manil and Rohit
components. The first was the Design Week — a week-long Gupta, Kiran Subbiah, Venkanna, Vibha Galhotra and Princess Pea
schedule of cutting edge design exhibitions and curated events are some talented artistes whose works I admire.

Above Works of artist Anita Dube (left) and Jayashree

28 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 Chakravarty (right) are among Pathy’s favourite artworks The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 29
 collector Art

Indian art is reaching out to a global audience. We have Indian

artists winning prestigious awards such as the Artes Mundi
What do you think of the ‘art as an investment’ concept? Do you think it What do you think India should do to build its infrastructure?
has helped the art scene and artists? Most of India’s renowned museums are private. We need
The concept of art as an investment has proven to be quite a larger, more involved participation from the state. At CoCCA, my
a challenge for the artist. Nowadays, the artist has to keep his attempt is to provide an exposure of global standards. CoCCA will
practice going to produce art that is interesting and challenging. be a one of its kind museum/ art institute in the south of India.
He/ she has to better himself/ herself with every exhibition. It
gives a consumerist nature to the art work. The Indian art scene is in a flux right now and where do you see it going
from here?
What, according to you, is lacking in Indian art and what are the What is happening to the art market today is both good
drawbacks that are curtailing its reach to a global audience? and bad. Good, because never has Indian art become so popular
Indian art is reaching out to a global audience. We have and so global. Thanks to the booming Indian economy, newer
Indian artists winning prestigious awards such as the Artes Mundi. collectors and investors are coming into the market to buy art.
We need a more active state-level/ national-level participation; the Auction houses like Sotheby’s and Christie’s are proving that
government needs to provide an infrastructure for arts. investments in Indian art are extremely profitable. This is all good
India lacks a serious art infrastructure. We have no museums news for our artists and I am excited for them.
of the stature of, say, MOMA or Victoria & Albert Museum. Even The bad side of this madness is that just anything sells. So
art research and education seem to be in shambles. many galleries without any credentials have sprouted in the cities,
selling just anything in the name of contemporary art with the
sole objective of making money and exploiting unaware buyers in
search of quick short term gains. Some upcoming artists, instead
of waiting for recognition, are hiking their prices to abominable
levels and churning out trashy art.
I believe we need to have more discerning galleries,
such as a Leo Castelli in New York, who, in the years 1957-1999,
launched the careers of Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg,
Frank Stella and Jasper Johns and helped to create an awareness
of what is good art.

As a collector, what tips would you offer to people who have just started
collecting?
So many young collectors constantly call me for advice on
what to buy. I have only one piece of advice — follow your heart.
Creativity is something so personal, so emotional and should
remain vibrant within oneself. I believe you are either an investor
or a collector — two very different agendas.

LEFT An installation artwork by artist A Balasubramaniam

30 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 is another of Pathy’s favourite work The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 31
 mixed media

Beyond
frames
Art is coming off the wall and into the public
realm in India with artists displaying an unbridled
From the series Match Fixed by Thukral and Tagra affinity for three-dimensional installations By Maria Louis

32 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 33
 mixed media

A
t the India Art Fair held in the capital this January, visitors
could hardly miss the 38-foot-long concrete wall displaying
pictures and illustrations from around the world. Titled
Discord, it consisted of seven blocks (weighing 250kg) fabricated
BHARANY’S
with images of conflict that reflected artist Samar Jodha’s work
inspired by migrant workers in the Middle East, coal miners in
Burma, Polish and Russian waitresses in London, and workers at
oilrigs in Ghana as well as at the Commonwealth Games 2010 site
in Delhi.
At the Kala Ghoda Art Festival in February, bemused
Mumbaikars found themselves circulating around strange and
sublime works of art, craning their necks to take it all in. The
pièce de résistance was the life-size Volkswagen Beetle created
out of 800 spark plugs, 800 cold drink crowns, 200 bottle caps,
60 mother boards, computer keyboards, hard disks, CDs, audio
cassettes, speakers, barbecue sticks, beer cans, telecom wires, Using materials ranging from
everyday or found objects to
flat screen monitor, pens, typewriters and other scrap by city-
based artist Haribabu Natesan.
A more permanent new installation in Mumbai is Charkha,
the 30-foot-tall steel sculpture designed by architect Nuru Karim.
new media like video, sound,
Strategically located at Cross Maidan, between the Churchgate
railway station and Flora Fountain, it was commissioned by Tata
performance, computers and
Steel in collaboration with the Oval Trust and unveiled on Gandhi
Jayanti. Charkha is an asymmetrical, stylised representation of the
the internet, artists even make
spinning wheel that could be described as a ‘futuristic version’
of Gandhiji’s ‘weapon’ of non-violent protest. Karim didn’t want a
installations that are site-specific
metaphorical interpretation of the spinning wheel. “I didn’t want
to take it literally,” he explains, adding “I wanted to represent the
energy, the motion — the dynamic, abstract quality.”
So, almost a century after Marcel Duchamp provocatively
installed a urinal in a New York art gallery (Fountain, 1917), artistic
outpourings have made the wall space of our galleries woefully
inadequate. Contemporary Indian artists are exploiting a unique
vocabulary to express themselves — but it all began with the
experimentation of the ’80s.
Who could forget the irrepressible but trendsetting M.F.
Husain, who used this art form most dramatically when he booked
EXQUISITE JEWELLERY & FINE JAMAWAR SHAWLS
the Jehangir Art Gallery — only to fill it up with crumpled balls of
Bajirao Pawar

newspapers for a show titled Shwetambari. He was denounced

by purists whose sensibilities were outraged at his impudence.

ABOVE Sheela Gowda’s Collateral 14, Sundar Nagar Market, New Delhi - 110 003. Contact: 4351 8755, 2435 3957
34 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 BELOW A sculptural work at the Uttarayan Art Centre, Vadodara Fax: 2435 3081 E-mail: mail@bharanys.com
 mixed media

The Global Voices

T
wo Indian artists have managed to public installation is Orbit, commissioned by
break out from the traditional sculptural the Greater London Authority from a shortlist
forms to take installation art to a complex of the artist’s proposals for a permanent
conceptual level — Anish Kapoor and Subodh artwork for the Olympic Park. It is due for
Gupta. London-based Kapoor, of Indian- completion anytime soon.
Iraqi Jewish ancestry, is considered among Delhi-located Gupta is often
the most influential sculptors/conceptual compared to the British conceptual artist
artists of his generation. Born in Bombay, Marcel Duchamp, for the kind of raw
the 58-year-old artist has lived and worked materials he uses for his art and installations
in London since the early ’70s and his art is — pots, pans and squat stools from his
in numerous private and public collections, childhood in Bihar, which recall his rustic
Sunil Gawde’s inverted feminine bases masquerading as and things being replaced,” discloses the artist. “The double- including the Tate Gallery, the Museum of roots. A mainstay of big international art fairs,
heart-shaped balloons bobbed up and down within his designated decker bus persists as an icon of Mumbai despite now being Modern Art in New York, the Reina Sofia in Gupta has exhibited at some of the biggest
Frame/Grid/Room/Cell at the group show of seven artists including phased out. The work is about accepting that things do and must Madrid and Stedlijk Museum in Amsterdam. Anish Kapoor art events and galleries across the world
Nalini Malani, Anita Dube, Riyas Komu, Shilpa Gupta and Jagannath change, and is about determining a useful way to handle loss that Winner of the prestigious Turner Art Prize, among Kapoor’s — the Venice Biennale, London's Frieze and shows in Moscow,
Panda, curated by Gayatri Sinha for the now defunct Bodhi Art does not drift toward nostalgia; a re-phrasing of loss as something much-admired works is a 110-ton stainless steel sculpture, Cloud Miami, Lille and Japan.
Gallery, a few years ago. vital. The steel wings with their potential of flight, whilst being Gate, in Chicago’s Millennium Park, an ambitious and controversial Among Gupta’s seminal works is the one owned by collector
Not long before that, the same space hosted a procession burdened by the huge weight of the bus, hint towards this change project by architect Frank Gehry, which opened on July 16, 2005. and French billionaire François Pinault, who bought a one-ton skull
of gleaming high-rise dabbas going round in circles on a sushi and whatever may come in its place,” he states. Standing 33 feet high, with enough space below for people to walk called A Very Hungry God, crafted out of aluminum pots and pans,
conveyor belt at Subodh Gupta’s solo show; and Tushar Joag made Anguish and struggle have long been the preoccupations through, it is said to be one of the largest sculptures in the world. after one of his curators spotted it in a remarkable show at Paris's
a powerful room-size statement with a suspended ‘periscope’ of G.R. Iranna, whose profound paintings and sculptures capture Nicknamed The Bean because of its shape, it has been fabricated Eglise Saint-Bernard church. It now occupies the premium space
at Galerie Mirchandani+Steinruecke’s group show, Pink. Bose the plight of those who remain cowed down by repressive social on site by thousands of Chicago residents. “It perches on two outside Pinault’s museum in Milan.
Krishnamachari’s Ghost Transmemoir, which travelled around the and economic disparities. His sculptural installations created down-turned ends, allowing viewers to walk underneath,” says Among his recent works is This Side is the Other Side, an
world, even had video interviews beamed through small screens from fibreglass, titled The Birth of Blindness, make a powerful Kapoor. To the southwest of the sculpture Subodh Gupta’s The Very Hungry God installation with milk cans slung on either
fitted into rows of tiffin dabbas, with headphones to access sound. statement of protest. Lined up in rows of military precision, his is a fountain designed by the Barcelona side of a Priya scooter, a comment on the
Using materials ranging from everyday or found objects protagonists are muffled and suffocated — unable to speak out artist, Jaume Plensa, with two 50-foot-high chasm that exists between the old and the
to new media like video, sound, performance, computers and against the injustices that hold them prisoners. glass-block towers in one-eighth-inch deep new India; Colgate, a quirky piece of metallic
the internet, artists even make installations that are site-specific Bangalore-based artist Sheela Gowda has turned old bits of reflecting pool. sculptures of bundles of neem sticks and
— such as pioneering artist Sudarshan Shetty’s Flying Bus that house timber into battered versions of abstract sculptures. Cow Kapoor, who showed a couple of years Oil on Canvas, a series he exhibited at
is anchored to the ground outside the Maker Maxity complex in dung, thread, spice and oil drums have all been transfigured in her ago in Mumbai and Delhi, his first exhibition the Nature Morte Gallery in New Delhi
Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex. Using the city’s iconic double- installations, bringing to light the daily lives of those living on the in India, says it has always been “a struggle in December 2011, for which he worked
decker bus that will soon be obsolete, the artist has given it a new economic margins. as a non-Western artist not to be labelled” with bronze, marble, brass and wood and
lease of life — and stainless steel wings — as a public art venue Gallery Threshold recently presented a solo show by Israel- with one’s country of origin. “I’m Indian, my explored themes of the readymade and
hosting exhibitions. born artist Achia Anzi (now living in India) titled Peaceful be your sensibility is Indian. And I welcome that, the found object. He has also collaborated
The bus (open for viewing from noon to 7 pm) is symbolic of return O lovely bird... It is a line borrowed from Zionist poet, Hayim rejoice in that, but the great battle nowadays as a scenographer for a ballet staged at
the constant fluctuations in the city. “The work is poised between Nachman Bialik, who wrote these while studying in Europe and is to occupy an aesthetic territory that isn’t Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre at the invitation of
states of relevance and obsolescence, things being remembered long before immigrating to Israel. In this poem, Bialik addresses linked to nationality.” Among his newest the French choreographer, Angelin Preljocaj.

ABOVE LEFT Mute figures by G.R. Iranna

RIGHT The Flying Bus installation by artist Sudarshan Shetty
36 The Leela Magazine – sUMMER 2012 in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex The Leela Magazine – sUMMER 2012 37
 mixed media Travelogue

an imaginary bird that migrated from Palestine to his window, house installations.” He points to Subodh Gupta and Sudarshan
expressing his loneliness and longing to return to Israel. Shetty as India’s leading installation-based artists.
While exploring the fall of the Zionist dream, the sculptures The avowed aim of such practitioners is to challenge the
readdress that old vision. Anzi uses iron, plaster, tin sheet and status quo by encouraging their audience to see familiar objects in
scrap material for his sculptures and sculptural installations. The an unfamiliar light and, half the fun lies in decoding the scrambled
works are crude, coarse, distressed and abrasive so as to convey message. For instance, if one did not know about Riyas Komu’s
feelings of pain and destruction. political preoccupations, one could easily miss the point in his
At their exhibition at the Ullens Centre for Contemporary satirical Oil’s Well at Bodhi.
Art in Beijing in 2010, the artist duo Thukral and Tagra presented a “Though there are few takers, it’s heartening that purchases
series of works entitled, Match Fixed. The works on display were are being made outside of the canvas,” says Gandhy, pointing out
a delightful take on sexual double standards and social hypocrisy, that “almost everything Subodh Gupta makes is sold. His Hungry
stuck in the middle of a contemporary India. God (skull sculpture made of vessels) was bought by Francois
While art installations are engaging and gripping, adding Pinault, one of the world’s biggest collectors.”
life to inner spaces as well as the outdoors, one wonders if art Installations are, more often than not, a financially non-
buyers are ready to accommodate the less ephemeral but still viable exercise. Yet, artists like Delhi-based Atul Bhalla continue
unwieldy works in their collections. If not, why do artists indulge to sink their hard-earned cash into voicing their concerns through
themselves and where do they get the financial support to do so? expansive statement-making visuals. “One doesn’t work because
Shireen Gandhy of Chemould Prescott Road, who hosted Pakistani of the climate, but because one finds it essential to work like that,”
artist Rashid Rana’s “sold out” solo show, maintains that this art shrugs Bhalla, who drew attention to the pollution of the river
form has come into its own, yet laments that the climate is not Yamuna in his solo show at Project 88. “If artists work according
completely conducive. to the climate, there wouldn’t be avant-garde or cutting-edge art.
But Mortimer Chatterjee, partner, Chatterjee & Lal, which It is mediocrity that waits for climate to change rather than make
launched its new gallery space designed to hold new media art as attempts to change it.”
well as paintings and sculptures with a show of video installation Ranjana Steinruecke of Galerie Mirchandani+Steinruecke
work by international artist Sophie Ernst, feels that the tide is feels that galleries should encourage artists by bearing the cost of
turning — as “at last there are viable spaces that can effectively unsold works, though this does not always happen.

ABOVE LEFT Grid by Riyas Komu

38 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 RIGHT Israel-born artist Achia Anzi’s recent show held at Gallery Threshold The Leela Magazine – sUMMER 2012 39
 mixed media Travelogue
Bhalla often has to dismantle and store the huge tanks
that depict his environmental concerns, he insists that there
are buyers — “essentially good collectors and institutions
that appreciate cutting-edge art, and are willing to support it.”
Collectors are currently acquiring what they think is important
within the contemporary art scene. “They are supporting artists
who they think are going to be very essential to the definition of
contemporary Indian art in the coming years,” observes Bhalla.
Anupam Poddar is one among a handful of Indian collectors
who champion such art.
“The interesting thing is, from being a collector he has now
gone on to setting up a foundation that will house, display and
store his collection,” discloses Gandhy, adding that the walls are
designed to display projections rather than only paintings. “If there
are collectors whose passions give birth to foundations (in lieu of
the sad death of museums in our country), then art buying can go
beyond the realm of painting,” she reasons.
Now that we are being surrounded by installations in public
spaces, traditionalists claim that Indian artists are just aping the
West — but Gandhy refutes this indignantly: “It’s not about being
trendy, it’s a process that becomes essential. The stimulus, the
world that sensitises our artists is so intense, that to sustain
themselves creatively they feel the need to make work that’s
not bound by a frame. Art is a reflection of society; so if society
has the privilege of moving forward, why should artists be caged
within the 2-D formula?”
Shetty, who chooses not to describe himself specifically
as an installation artist, finds it essential to be free to move
between different techniques and materials. He echoes Gandhy’s
sentiments when he says, “It is vital to continually find new ways
to re-state things.” He likes working outside the context of the
white walls of the gallery, and accepts that he does not have
complete control over the environment. “That means the work is
allowed to transform and be transformed, and new meanings can
enter,” he explains. “It is interesting to open up the work to as
many different readings as possible.”
After all, that is really the essence of art installations and
public art — to engage the audience and set them thinking,
whether or not they buy or fund the work on display.
(Maria Louis is the editor of Architect and Interiors India)

ABOVE Charkha, the 30-foot-tall steel sculpture designed

by architect Nuru Karim, located at Cross Maidan
BELOW A Volkswagen Beetle installation by Haribabu
40 The Leela Magazine – sUMMER 2012 Natesan at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2012 The Leela Magazine – sUMMER 2012 41
 Photography

The art
of images
There is more to photography then merely
capturing static images. They tell a story
and increasingly are being seen as exquisite
works of art

By Deepali Nandwani

“I have discovered photography. Now I can

kill myself. I have nothing else to learn.”
— Pablo Picasso

E
ven before the world had discovered the art in photography,
one of the world’s greatest artists had begun using the
medium as an art form. Years later, in 1993, auction house
Sotheby’s auctioned off a Man Ray photograph for $194,000 and
Christie’s sold an Alfred Steiglitz photograph of Georgia O’Keefe’s
hands for $398,000. Since then, photography has attracted high
Photo courtesy: Norman Parkinson Ltd./ courtesy

prices at auctions and a strong presence at international festivals.

Norman Parkinson Archive/ Tasveer arts

Vicki Goldberg, the photography critic for The New York

Times, says, “The first time photography was subject to a legal
definition of whether it could be considered art was in France in
1862, when one photographer sued another for using his photos.”
In 1910, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo became the first
Photographer Norman Parkinson’ Floating with Flower, India, museum to buy a photography collection. New York’s Museum of
Vogue, 1956. His impulsive and unstructured style changed the
static approach to fashion photography Modern Art mounted an exhibition of photography in 1937.

42 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 43
 Photography

Internationally, among the biggest photographers-

artists are Andreas Gursky, whose evocative image, Frankfurt
of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange’s trading floor, sold for a record
$2.1million at Sotheby’s New York auction, a couple of years ago.
Chinese photographer Liu Xiaofang, was chosen for reGeneration
2, a selection of 50 photographers of tomorrow curated by Swiss
Musée de l’Elysée. Yet another one is American photographer and
filmmaker, Alex Prager, a self-taught photographer who takes her
cues from pulp fiction.
ABOVE Alex Prager’s portrait of a woman in a store. The American India’s love affair with photography is centuries old. Our
photographer’s images are stylised and often large-scale
maharajas first discovered the medium which helped them
BELOW Chinese photographer Liu Xiaofeng’s work was first shown
internationally at Paris Photo, 2010 ABOVE Pablo Bartholomew’s portrait of Mumbai in the 1970s preserve their family history and their ancestry through exquisitely

44 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 45
 Photography
Photo courtesy: Tasveer arts

Corbis
shot photographs. In India, shutterbugs like Lala Deen Dayal
photographed rare images of the maharajas. Besides, our royalty,
like the Maharaja of Kapurthala, Sirdar Charanjit Singh, and the
ruler of Mysore, Yuvraja Sir Kanthirava Narasimharaja Wodeyar
Bahadur got themselves captured on film for posterity at photo
Photo courtesy: TS sathyan Archives / Tasveer Arts

studios like the Hamilton Studio in Mumbai and the Lafayette

Studio in London.
In later years, Indian photographers like T S Satyan, Raghu
Rai and Dayanita Singh took photography to great heights by
capturing everyday life and Indian landscape through their lens,
but in a way that transformed these intimate portraits into works
of art. Agencies and photogalleries like Tasveer and PhotoInk in
India promote the fine art of photography in India. In recent times,
contemporary photographers like Karen Knorr and Pushpmala
N have turned photography into performance art, where the FACING PAGE (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) A photograph by Derry Moore;
The Great Migration, Serengeti, by Paul Souders; works of T S Satyan and Raghu Rai
images are set up through detailed intervention. Much like Cindy ABOVE Madhuban Mitra and Manas Bhattacharya’s photography of an
Sherman, considered among the important post-modern artists of abandoned camera factory in Kolkata
TOP RIGHT Frankfurt by Andrew Gursky which sold at $2.1 million at the
our times, Pushpmala masquerades as characters in front of her Sotheby’s auction, New York
own camera.
In India and internationally, wildlife photography has also
Photo courtesy: RAGHU RAI

moved from mere images of beauty to art, and ones that help
RARE VIEW — THE LEELA FIND
in conservation efforts. Sweeping portraits of the landscape and Theyyam, a popular Hindu ritual form of worship practised in the north Malabar region
beautifully shot photographs help tell us the story of a world we of Kerala in south India, is also a rarely photographed event, in keeping with the norms
laid down by the temple. We managed to capture the beauty of this celebration in its
rarely encounter in our urban lives, but one which contributes so full regalia and bring you an interesting snapshot (BELOW RIGHT) of the holy dance
or invocation performed in front of the Muchilottu Bhagavathi, the Nair family temple.
richly not just to the beauty of the planet Earth, but also to its
The dancer is dressed in red clothes and his face, shoulder and chest is covered in red
ecological health. sandal paste. Theyyam artists are from low-caste communities and once dressed, even
the high-caste people worship them as they are supposed to be gods in the form of
Theyyam. The dancer, along with the drummers, recites the ritual song, which describes
the myths and legends of the deity of the shrine

46 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 47
 music

P
ietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero to listen to good Western classical music, the idea was to also

On a high note
Leoncavallos’s Pagliacci — euphemistically known as expose them to a genre of music that’s loved and played all over
opera’s heavenly twins — were recently presented by the the world, so on occasions when they are travelling abroad, they
Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) at the National Centre for the feel right at home,” says Dalal. Apart from their national tours and
Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai. At the concert, apart from the concerts in Mumbai over the course of two seasons each year,
sophisticated opera regulars, there were a considerable number the SOI has also performed internationally at the Fifth Festival of
of young, first-time opera goers. The spellbindingly impassioned the World’s Symphony Orchestras in Moscow. “The SOI played on
music of the orchestra smoothly took the audience through the the concluding night as part of the Grand Finale, which incidentally
The Symphony Orchestra many stories of love, jealousy, betrayal, murder and societal was also the eve of Russia Day, in the presence of the highest
of India has transformed privation that the verismo (true to life) opera unfolded. There was echelons of Russian society. The performance of Beethoven’s 9th

India’s musical landscape by no real need to demystify the opera for the Indian audience who Symphony was indeed a great success,” shares Dalal.

introducing Western classical was not exposed to Western classical music as the music did
the needful. “Opera orchestras are supple, fluid and attentive,
music to a country known for and create the homogenous sound for the whole production. It
its strong folk and indigenous makes our musicians better musicians, and provides a sense of
classical music traditions pride that we can accomplish this very complicated art form and
take it to a high standard. We hope to continue to bring opera
to local audiences for years to come,” says Zane Dalal, Resident
By Kriti Sharma Conductor, SOI.
Founded by the NCPA Chairman Khusroo N Suntook and
the international virtuoso violinist Marat Bisengaliev in 2006, the
SOI is the country’s first fully professional orchestra. “Players are
recruited from an international field, with a core of instrumentalists “Players are recruited
drawn from Kazakhstan and many other countries of Europe and
the UK. Many of the principal players are also teachers and the from an international field”
orchestra places great emphasis on developing musical potential
— Zane Dalal
within India,” says Dalal, who himself was educated in England
and holds a masters degree in music from the University of Oxford Talking about the special methods and techniques taught to
and Indiana University. “There is a growing number of Indian make students develop a strong bond with music, Dalal says, “The
players representing the finest local talent and providing a solid NCPA is providing teachers for the successful Suzuki Method,
foundation for the future of orchestral playing in this country. We which introduces players as young as four-years-old to the basics
have recently expanded our search for talent to include players of string technique, providing a foundation for their future musical
from Kolkata and Darjeeling, adding to our already diverse group development. The project was started in 2008 and till date it has
of performers from Goa, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kerala. We are nine participating schools with over 300 children enrolled,” he
proud that the SOI is taking on a truly national spirit,” he adds. says. The Suzuki Method, which has already transformed the
With its formation, Mumbai has joined the ranks of musical landscape of Japan and China, is based on the principle
major international cities that support a professional performing that all children possess ability, which can be enhanced through a
ensemble. “Since the time we started, we have been greeted nurturing environment, like the way they learn to speak their own
with tremendous enthusiasm by Mumbai’s Western classical language with relative ease. “There is also a quintet in residence,
music fans. Beyond providing the audiences with a chance which represents the various sections of the string orchestra. They

RIGHT Zane Dalal, Resident Conductor of the

48 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 Symphony Orchestra of India, during a performance The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 49
 music top gear

“Audiences need to come to all artistic performances

with an open mind and open ears” — Dalal
form the core teaching staff of the SOI and with them, the NCPA will do all the magic on its own, as it has done for the last 415
plans to provide for the future of the orchestra with talent that has years,” says Dalal.
been nurtured over the years in India,” he adds. With the growing popularity of opera and orchestra in India,
Though it may be an elementary phase for India in the the NCPA’s concerted efforts are to bring the best of international
operatic history, Mumbai is no stranger to this ancient performing music to Indian shores. “We are in the process of providing an
art. The Royal Opera House in the southern part of the city stands artistic choice that will widen horizons for our local audiences —
testimony to the importance the British gave towards popularising and make them appreciate all that it is happening here,” he says.
this internationally acclaimed music form in the country. The orchestra has worked with internationally renowned
“The first truly professional opera staged in India was in 2008, in soloists including Michael Collins, Raphael Wallfisch, John
Mumbai, when the NCPA produced Puccini’s Madama Butterfly Lenehan and Andrei Gavrilov. It has also collaborated with eminent
at par with international standards. This piece had a heavy conductors including Adrian Leaper and Alexander Annisimov. In
element of foreign participation but the great advantage of staging the last seven seasons, the SOI presented great masterworks
an opera in India was the easy availability of stage craftsmen, including Strauss’ Don Juan and Stravinski’s Firebell Suite and the
costume makers and technical assistance due to the presence of Beethoven: symphony No. 9 in D-minor, showcasing its virtuosity.
Bollywood and the theatre community, which avails their services Speaking on his musical journey in India so far, Dalal
constantly. These were also available at affordable prices. Our says, “The process so far has been miraculous. The rewards far
second opera, TOSCA, which was produced in September 2010 outweigh the obvious challenges — and I am extremely gratified
was a major undertaking and turned out to be quite successful,” that the orchestra has grown from strength to strength. Our visiting
says Dalal. international musicians look forward to coming here because
Since 2008, every opera performed by the SOI is they know the standards will be worth their effort. Our growing
accompanied by sub-titles to help audiences understand what number of international supporters are recognising the value and
is going on the stage. “Audiences need to come to all artistic the standard of the orchestra, and India can take much pride in
performances with an open mind and open ears. Indian audiences what we have accomplished. When people hear the orchestra we
are no strangers to subtlety or appreciation of good sounds, drama don’t want them to say “That is a great orchestra for India. We
and the grand spectacle. If we can bring people to listen, the opera want them to say ‘That is a great orchestra.’ And they do.”

ABOVE LEFT Maestro Alexander Anissimov conducts

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the NCPA
50 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 RIGHT Indian musicians performing at a SOI concert The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 51
 Literary

remain true to the same criteria only on a much wider scale, that personal and perceptive position. It was clear for me from the
of a city, which is criss-crossed by many different influences. The start of the project that I wanted to have a cross-cultural view so
challenge on this book was to avoid and incorporate the obvious. I I contacted writers of very diverse backgrounds. Pascal Bruckner,
had to go beyond the walls and penetrate into the private sphere, a French intellectual with a good understanding and love for India,
into homes, spaces and routines, which exemplified a certain shares his observations on Pondicherry and how the photographs
culture or cultures, where I could perceive and record a series of affect his perception of a city he visited several times. Akash
recognisable messages. Kapur, an Indian, who has deep roots in Pondicherry but has

An alt view of Pondicherry

Photographer Sebastian Cortes goes beyond the clichéd images of this former French The photographic approach was essentially that of ‘straight travelled and lived abroad for many years, shares with the reader

colony, to explore private spheres, homes, spaces and routines, which exemplify a culture photography’ as opposed to journalistic style photography. I have his worldly Pondicherian view — his observations on south Indian
not used the large or medium format but remained with the transformation may surprise many people. The third author is

S
even years ago, Sebastian Here, he writes about what simplicity of the 35mm camera, but almost always on a tripod Amin Jaffer, an Indian, who is both an art historian and director of
Cortes moved to Auroville went into the making of the book, and with long exposures. The images are captured digitally and Christie’s in India. He recalls the time he spent in Pondicherry as
in Pondicherry from Milan, Pondicherry: in colour, so I have, in a sense, only tried to keep the discipline of a student researching Indo-French furniture.
where he worked as a lifestyle “It (the book) is a further straight photography but not all the aesthetic criteria. The access Photographing is a way of imprisoning reality, understood
and fashion photographer and step on my exploration of ‘the to certain locations and the time needed to photograph what I was as recalcitrant, inaccessible; of making it stand still. One can’t
had a studio. Over the years, place’, my perception of a specific interested in forced me to return many times to the same location. posses reality, one can posses (and be possessed by) images —
Cortes has travelled across India, environment and how it’s lived by The project was in continuous evolution as to what it would as, according to Proust, one can’t posses the present but one can
photographing the life and times of individuals. My last book, Poetic ultimately produce. I kept all doors open and placed no limits. posses the past. To posses the particular world of Pondicherry,
a country under transition, often for Places, was an extended photo Besides the photographs, the books have essays on as experienced by me, was my objective and sharing this in the
international magazines, even as essay composed of a series of Pondicherry written by some very talented writers, who offer form of images — to re-experience the unreality and remoteness
he pursued his artistic practice on a panoramic portraits of 21 major readers an alternative view of Pondicherry — always from a very of the real.”
personal level. Among his long-term projects is an extended photo Italian poets photographed in their space of artistic activity — the
essay on the former French colony of Pondicherry, now known as key to discovering each poet was again ‘the place’— in a literary Pondicherry is at a distance of about 160kms from the upcoming The Leela Palace Chennai. The drive from the hotel to the
beautiful French colony, along the scenic East Coast Road, takes roughly two and a half hours.
Puducherry, which was recently published by Roli Books. and metaphorical sense. In my Pondicherry book I have tried to
CLOCKWISE FROM FACING PAGE An interior shot of the Rue Dumas, a
colonial heritage guest house in Pondicherry; a house at Ananda Rangapillai
Street; La Clinique; The Chamber of Commerce as seen on the book cover

52 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 53
 Tête-à-tête

I
n 1986, he planted an acorn and called it The Leela Mumbai. Establishing The Leela was his way of displaying India’s
Now, 25 years later, this acorn is a full-grown oak tree and has inherent hospitality to the world. There was a growing need for
spread itself to Goa, Bangalore, Kovalam, Udaipur, Gurgaon, more hotels in the country and Captain Nair realised that he could
New Delhi and now, also to Chennai. Meet Captain Chittarath do his bit, along with the others, and make India gain worldwide
Poovakkatt Krishnan Nair, the founder of The Leela Palaces, Hotels recognition for its hospitality.
and Resorts. In a short span of time, Captain Nair has built not just He gave wings to his dreams and what began as a
a landmark hotel chain — The Leela, but also shown to the world getaway to Indian hospitality with the setting up of The Leela
what traditional Indian hospitality is all about. Mumbai, has now gone to attain dizzying heights of success.
A visionary in the true sense of the term, Captain Nair Captain Nair has been feted with the Padma Bhushan, one of
is a living example of dreaming big and what living a dream the highest civilian honours given by the government of India.
really means. He has been conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award by The
From being an army officer in Netaji Subhas Chandra American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS), an award
Bose’s Indian National Army, fighting for the country’s freedom, few from the hotel industry have been honoured with. He’s
joining his father-in-law’s handloom business at the insistence won the Global 500 Roll of Honour award in 1999, conferred by
of his wife Leela (The hotel is named after her), pioneering the the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); has been
‘Bleeding Madras’ fabric and awarded the Hotelier of The
making it the most sought-
after cloth and a huge success
“If hotels, airports and ports Century by International Hotels
and Restaurant Association,
in the US, to venturing into the
hospitality industry at the age of
are given the infrastructural based in Geneva, in 2009, and
has been even felicitated by
64, when most Indians dream status, it will give a big boost the House of Commons, UK.
of retirement, his life is guided His hotels have gone on to
Padma Bhushan awardee
Captain Nair has been
honoured with three Lifetime
by the grit to constantly take on to the Indian economy” win coveted awards from the
challenges, risk everything on a government of India, earned
Achievement Awards: the
Times Travel Honours, Hotelier dream, test his limit and push it further. plaudits from the global hospitality industry, and received
India and the Condé Nast
Traveller, for his outstanding “One should dream big and dream unfettered,” says rave reviews across media publications. He has been featured
contribution towards the Captain Nair, as he looks through the round-rimmed spectacle alongside millionaire investor Warren Buffet and media
hospitality industry
frames. It’s this dream of showcasing Indian hospitality and its moghul Rupert Murdoch in the American business magazine

Captain Nair: Leagues ahead

ethos — Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God) — to the world that Business Week in its Top 50 septuagenarian business heads
made him start a hotel, close to the airport at Sahar, Mumbai. across the world.
He had stayed in some of the best hotels across the world and All this, in a span of just 25 years!
desired to have a similar hotel in India someday. One wonders how.
“As a young officer, seeing the country’s struggle to It’s a mid-week morning and I’m told that the Chairman
As The Leela Group reaches the 25 year milestone and celebrates its silver gain freedom and being part of the historic moment when the has several back-to-back meetings: a photo shoot with a business

anniversary, Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, the founder and Chairman of country finally gained independence from the British rule, was channel on his pioneering journey, a lunch with some guests and
a big motivating factor in my life. I saw how a nation gained a last-minute meeting with a corporate honcho of an MNC firm
The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, shares his vision of India, the
freedom by translating its thoughts into action. At that moment, thereafter. Not to forget the evening car ride with wife Leela, which
hospitality industry and its future in a freewheeling chat with Sujata Dugar I too felt like doing something positive to make this country he religiously undertakes every day. It’s all-in-a-day’s work for the
proud,” recalls Captain Nair, while sitting in the plush living 90-year-old veteran, who has defied age and all its trappings and
Location: The Chairman’s Suite, The Leela Mumbai room of his suite. still continues to work for long hours daily. He is completely up-

54 The Leela Magazine – Summer 2012 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 55
 Tête-à-tête viewpoint

to-date with all the happenings in each of The Leela properties of The Leela properties, including Captain Nair’s home, lies barren
across the country. Nothing misses his sharp mind and keen eye and bereft of grass.
for detail. Yet, when he meets you, his warmth and smile takes In fact, he is a keen environmentalist and both his home
over and he indulges you with his life’s many memorable events, and hotels are surrounded in vast acres of greenery. He is also the
highpoints and feats with such alacrity and relaxed disposition only Indian representative on the United Nations committee for
that never even for once do you feel he’s in a hurry and has a tight Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, established in 2004.

Way to go
schedule to meet up with. Ask him about his journey as a hotelier so far and he
Such is his genuine warmth, amiability and ability to candidly admits, “It’s a big milestone. I never realised that The
befriend one and all. Little wonder, in his lifetime, he’s made Leela Group would achieve such success and fame in such a short
friends that most individuals would take several lives to achieve. time. We were rank outsiders when we got into the hospitality
He’s touched a chord with people he has met even once. His business and it’s amazing how we still managed to create such a
list includes the Dalai Lama, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, profound impact. I remain grateful and truly indebted to our guests,
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, former US President Bill patrons and thankful to every individual, including the government
Vivek Nair Dinesh Nair Rajiv Kaul
Clinton and former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, officials and ministers of tourism, who have supported us in our Vice Chairman Joint Managing Director President
among many others. endeavour and co-operated with us all these years.” The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts

“I speak from the heart and put things across in a very An icon for showcasing Indian tradition, hospitality and What are the new milestones you What have been the achievements of How do you see the company moving ahead
simple way, one that touches the other person deeply,” he its richness of culture through his stunning hotels, Captain Nair have set for the company? The Leela Group in the last 25 years? in the next five years?
reveals. Citing an example, he says, the vast acres of green that feels the road ahead is exciting for the hospitality industry and We subscribe to the India growth Over the last 25 years, The Leela Group Brand Leela shall further consolidate
surround his home in Mumbai and across all his properties is the country at large. story and are therefore focused with its eight properties, has focused itself as the luxury hotel leader. We are
always covered in grass, courtesy, a simple talk he had with his “India has reached unimaginable heights of success, on achieving a pan India presence both in the business and leisure sectors in an exciting growth phase, which shall
gardeners one day on seeing a patch of barren strip. and I truly believe that it will evolve as a superpower. I see that in all the key locations. We are and has successfully created a pan maintain momentum over the next many
“I told them that the lawn was like Mother Earth. I asked dream coming true soon. The youth are its strength and today’s already RevPAR (Revenue Per India presence with hotels that are years. In the forthcoming two years, we
them if they would like to see their Mother Earth lying uncovered younger generation is extremely intelligent and ready to compete Available Room) leaders in most of synonymous with high-end luxury and expect to take Brand Leela overseas
and naked.” This was enough to touch a chord in the gardeners’ with any advanced country’s youth, anywhere in the world,” he the destinations we operate in. In international standards. Our vision to and also launch a secondary brand in
heart and till this day, not a patch of the greens surrounding any feels. He believes that information technology, agriculture, textile the near term, we look forward to innovate and excel has enabled us the upscale tier market. We presently
and tourism will be the cornerstones of the country’s economic stabilising operations in New Delhi to develop and operate hotels with operate eight hotels with another two
growth in the future. and Chennai, and completing our consistency and quality over the years. newly acquired management contracts
“Earlier, the political system did not allow the hospitality projects in destinations such as Agra, are on line by the year-end. Our
industry to grow rapidly as they thought it to be a luxury and not where we already own the land. We What are the new milestones that you have development pipeline shall add another
an essential requirement. Now, things have changed and with the are also in the process of evaluating set for yourself and the company? five hotels in the next five years, growing
world looking at India and its economy growing, hotels and airports joint venture and management Being involved in the day-to-day hotel our portfolio to 15 properties. Our growth
have become a necessity and this infrastructure is instrumental contract proposals in the remaining operations and standardising operational ambitions are calculated, and we shall
in the overall growth of the country. If hotels, airports and ports destinations in India such as procedures of the company have ease our asset burden through pursuit of
are given the infrastructural status, it will give a big boost to the Hyderabad, Pune and Jaipur, where been my core focus areas to steer the more management contracts.
Indian economy and generate employment for millions of people an investment in a hotel of The Leela company towards growth in both the
and these will become the single largest employer,” he advises. brand standard is warranted. Our long domestic and international market. What are the core strengths of the group?
On his part, Captain Nair is already doing his bit by adding term plan is to realise value from our Additionally, paving the way for the It is the staff of The Leela combined with
yet another Leela hotel to his credit — The Leela Palace Chennai. non-core assets through divestment development of our five star entrant sophisticated design, state-of-the-art
For a man like him, there is little time to stand and stare as he has and focus on our core competency of category brand with a presence in India technology and innovative partnerships
many dreams to fulfill and miles to go. managing hotels. is our current focus. that have made The Leela brand unique.

LEFT Captain Nair with his wife Leela, who has been his inspiration and the reason for ABOVE Captain Nair (sitting) with sons Vivek Nair (standing
56 The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 his stepping into the hospitality industry. He has named the hotel after her at the centre), Dinesh Nair (right) and Rajiv Kaul (left) The Leela Magazine – summer 2012 57
 contest
snapshot jet set go

Guess the Leela property Which was the first Leela hotel you stayed at?
in this photograph and win I first stayed at the Leela Mumbai during a trip that combined
a luxurious monogrammed business and pleasure and after some days, I spent some additional
bathrobe from The Leela. time at The Leela Goa.
Send in your entry along
with your contact details to How was your first interaction
theleelamagazine@theleela. with Captain Nair?
com. All entries must be sent I first spoke to Captain Nair after publishing a book I had written on
before June 10, 2012.
India. Captain Nair contacted me with a wish to buy it for the hotel.
A lucky draw from all
the correct entries will Since the book was not for sale, I offered him some copies. What
declare the winner. impressed me most was his genuine love and passion for India and
especially for the people that are the country’s real treasure.
Previous contest’s For me, seeing him is like entering a sunny place after being in the
winner is: shadow, his words warm my heart. He is a leader who inspires people
Irfan Vazirally around him and makes them believe in themselves. Apart from his
Pharmamatch B.V. unique enthusiasm and energy, he is a true visionary, inspiring belief
Vittal Mallya Road,
through his actions in a loving and joyous way. That’s why all the
Bangalore
people close to him adore him — from the doorman or the driver of
the hotel, to the general manager.
You were present at his 90th birthday celebration.
Describe your feelings on being a part
of such a milestone event?
It was an honour and a great pleasure for me to attend his 90th
birthday. I consider myself a very lucky person to have such a friend.
Lifetime relationships teach us lifetime lessons, things we must build
upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Name one thing about The Leela hotels
that strikes you the most?
The Leela Group has landmark hotels in India. What impresses me
Dimitra Stasinopoulou
Award-winning photographer
most is the attention to the smallest details, the charm and quality of
service and the exquisite decor. One can find little need to leave the
hotel if he desires not to. Anything he chooses, from dining, relaxation
in the swimming pool to spa services, they are all excellent.

Guest Speak

Naomi Campbell Colin A Gurley Dr. Amartya Sen Hrithik Roshan Dr. G. Berendt Camillo Pronti
Supermodel Senior Manager, Nobel laureate, economist, Actor Former member of Fashion Designer &
National Bank of professor board of management, Managing Director,
The Leela Kovalam Abu Dhabi, London The Leela Kempinski Kempinski Hotels Asja SRL
“You have taken The Leela Palace Gurgaon (N.C.R.)
such great care of The Leela Goa Bangalore “Thank you for a The Leela Mumbai The Leela Palace
me. Everyone is so “The new restaurant “Great stay — wonderful stay. See “The hotel is a jewel. New Delhi
wonderful. It’s for is world class and wonderful service. you again soon.” There are very limited “Glamour,
sure, I will come the Thai chef’s A most enjoyable international hotels elegance, style
back. Your hospitality dishes are better occasion.” which are able to and exceptional
is one of the best.” than some of the match such standards.” service.“
best I have had.”

58 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 59
 accolades

In golden league New milestone Culinary

T T revolution
he Library Bar at The Leela Palace he Leela Palace New Delhi has been voted amongst the
Bangalore has been awarded the 2012 top hotels across the Asia-Pacific region for the highest

in India
Whisky Bars of the world Gold Medal-India standards of service excellence by the internationally
award for outstanding presentation, promotion acclaimed DestinAsian magazine.
and knowledge of great whiskies from around Adjudged by the readers of DestinAsian magazine
the world. across Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and
By Robert Kropf
The Rubicon Bar at The Leela Kempinski India, The Leela Palace New Delhi has been acclaimed

I
Gurgaon (N.C.R.) also received the 2012 Whisky for its grand opulence and contemporary sophistication, have one wish should I ever become 90 years old:
Bars of the world Gold Medal-India award. impeccable guest service and convenient geographical Everyone shall call me Captain and I will show young
Joining the league is The Library Bar at location, making it the preferred destination for discerning hotel and restaurateur-sailors, where the ship is cruising to.
The Leela Palace New Delhi. It received the business and leisure travellers. The DestinAsian reader poll You ask why I am so declamatory today?
Best Whisky Bar of India by Icons of Whisky results also recommended the Kiziswedhna Spa Ritual at Because I am a big fan of Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair. At
2012. The gold certification was given in ESPA — a synchronised Ayurveda-inspired massage — as a 65 years of age, the Indian gentleman started his innings
recognition of its unrivalled guest experience must-try at the hotel. This seventh annual Readers’ Choice in tourism. Long before, in 1947, he was a young freedom
and for offering the best whisky collection in Awards was conferred at a star-studded event in Hong fighter, served in the Indian army and then went on to
the country. Kong in the presence of major players of the hospitality become a major textile exporter.

LEFT The Library Bar at The Leela Palace Bangalore industry in the region. Today, at the age of 90, the founder of the Leela
Joining the winner’s list is the The Leela Palace group is travelling from one of his resorts to the next:
Udaipur. It has been selected in the World’s Best Hotels Captain Nair is opening yet another five star hotel in
category — Gold List 2012 by Condé Nast Traveller. Chennai this year, flying to Goa, Bangalore, Udaipur and

Restaurants Mumbai, and to Delhi to visit The Leela Palace New Delhi.
At The Leela Palace New Delhi — from a culinary

par excellence point of view — he has founded a new India. With the
opening of Le Cirque, he has introduced for the first time,
an international restaurant concept from the US into one of

L
e Cirque, the internationally renowned his five star hotels. Leela’s co-operation with the American
French and Italian gourmet restaurant, brand Le Cirque is unique in India and a showcase project
which set foot in Asia at The Leela Palace for fine dining in New Delhi.
New Delhi in 2011, was adjudged the winner in Besides Le Cirque, there is another food concept
the inaugural edition of the Travel+Leisure India from New York at The Leela Palace New Delhi: Megu,
& South Asia’s India’s Best Awards. It won in which represents modern Japanese cuisine. Its signature
the Best Hotel Restaurant India category. dishes include kanzumi shrimps, salmon tatar as well as
Yet another winner is the world-class Kobe and satsuma beef in diverse variations.
Japanese cuisine restaurant Megu, which And all of this in India. Sounds like a revolution from
opened this year at The Leela Palace New Delhi. the Captain — a culinary one.
It has been conferred the Six Star Diamond (This is a translated version of the column which appeared in
Award given by the American Academy of the European trade magazine Rolling Pin, a German publication,
Hospitality Sciences. on February 2012)
LEFT Le Cirque restaurant at The Leela Palace New Delhi ABOVE Ronald Liem, Publisher, DestinAsian presenting the award to
Amit Chopra, Director of Sales and Marketing, The Leela Palace New Delhi

60 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 61
 eventS

1 2 5 6
3 7 8

Glorious
L
90!
egendary hotelier Captain C.P. Krishnan Nair, Chairman
and founder of The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
4 9

turned 90 this year and what better way to celebrate than

to be amidst family, friends and the extended Leela family.
1: Chairman Captain Nair receives a bouquet of flowers from Union Minister for
The Nair family organised a glittering party to celebrate
Tourism Shri Subodh Kant Sahay
the occasion at the poolside of The Leela Mumbai. While 2: Captain Nair with his wife Leela
3: Captain Nair’s daughter-in-law Madhu Nair with her daughter Samyukta
younger son Dinesh Nair and his wife Madhu looked into the 4: Captain Nair with Shreeji Arvind Singhji Mewar, Maharana of Udaipur
décor and food arrangements, granddaughter Aishwarya 5: Captain Nair flanked by filmstar Mammootty and sons Vivek Nair (second from
left) Vice Chairman and Dinesh Nair (extreme right) Joint Managing Director,
created a uniquely designed birthday cake. The Nair family The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
6: Captain Nair with Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament and wife Sunanda
was in full attendance and grandson Aushim, who flew 7: Captain Nair with M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs
down from Switzerland to be part of the celebration, was 8: Captain Nair along with his sons greet film director Priyadarshan
9: (Left to right) Vivek Nair with daughters Aishwarya, Amruda, wife Lakshmi
seen welcoming the guests. and son Aushim

62 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 63
 eventS

10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17

18

The party was well-attended by businessmen,

corporate bigwigs, celebrities from the Malayalam film
industry, prominent cabinet ministers, close friends and
10,11,13,15,17: The poolside at The Leela Mumbai was beautifully decorated
with flowers and the entire property was lit up for the birthday celebration. relatives of the family. Prominent among these were
Sumptuous food and a musical evening added an extra edge to the occasion
12: Captain Nair being greeted on his birthday by Ram Kohli, Chairman and Maharana of Udaipur Shreeji Arvind Singhji Mewar,
Managing Director, Creative Travel Union Minister of Corporate Affairs M. Veerappa Moily,
14: K.K. Unni, board member of Bilag Industries Pvt. Ltd. with the Chairman
16: Chairman flanked by Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Rajya Sabha member and Shri Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor with wife Sunanda
Subodh Kant Sahay
18: Praful Patel, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises and Malayalam film superstar Mammootty, among
with Madhu Nair several others.

64 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 65
 PROMOTION

Re-engineer your life

younger, but you may fit into larger sized clothes when you hit Mindful eating
middle-age. Why? Fat is approximately four times muscle volume. As a child you may have been told to chew your food slowly.
As your body’s muscle is replaced with fat, you may continue to Science tells us that if we gobble down our food, we will end up
weigh the same, but the volume has expanded. consuming more calories than if we ate slowly.
Track your body’s fat along with your weight. You may weigh We now know that the hormonal signals that alert your
normal but still have high body fat. The World Health Organisation brain when you are full are swung into action if you chew slowly
Dr Jyotsna Changrani, Co-founder of Meta Wellness, tells us how our lifestyle impacts our (WHO) defines obesity as more than 25 per cent body fat in men but don’t respond if you’re eating quickly. Research shows the risk
health and how Meta Wellness programmes weave in the science for good health and more than 35 per cent body fat in women. High body fat of being overweight is tripled if one is eating quickly.
increases risk for heart disease, osteoarthritis, stroke, gall bladder Meta Wellness solution: Eating for health should be pleasurable,

H
ealth is not something gained by a visit to the doctor or Do you have sitting disease? disease, sleep apnea and some sort of cancer, even for normal not adversarial. Practice mindful eating while at The Leela, and
at an annual health check-up. Everyday choices — what Latest research is focusing on the harm done by a sedentary weight people. sustain it in your regular eating routines.
we order at a restaurant, how we spend time with our lifestyle. Two or more hours a day of leisure screen time doubles Meta Wellness solution: Conduct regular assessment of the body
children, how we commute to work — all add up. Our lifestyle is the risk of a heart attack compared with those who spent less fat. Design a weight-training programme to build and maintain Artificial sweetener and weight gain
the single biggest factor in determining whether we are healthy time. Unfortunately, a few hours a week at the gym does not muscle. You may switch from sugar to artificial sweeteners to lose
or not. Luckily, it is all within our control. offset the harm. weight, and in the short-term, you may
Meta Wellness is a New York-based innovative healthcare Recent studies have shown that inactivity leads to blood Poor quality of sleep = high blood pressure show some success. But recent studies
company offering a range of physician-led programmes to prevent sugar levels spiking significantly after meals. The unused muscle New research has shown that lack of have hinted that artificial sweeteners
and treat diseases caused by one’s lifestyle, such as heart disease, needs less energy, and draws less sugar from the blood, causing deep resting sleep at night can increase may actually be causing weight gain in
diabetes and obesity. It has partnered with The Leela Group in the spiking. the risk of high blood pressure. It is not the long-term. It has been suggested
India and offers lifestyle change programmes for health based on Meta Wellness solution: Creatively convert sedentary time into just hours, but the quality of sleep at that sugar substitutes desensitise
internationally-proven experiential models. active time based on work-life routines. night that matters. Normal individuals people to sweetness because they are
enter into nearly two hours of deep sleep excessively sweet. Nutritious foods such
What’s the bare minimum for exercise? every night. The normal nightly dip in as fruits and vegetables fail to appeal
Figuring out ideal exercise dosage is not simple. The US blood pressure is considered beneficial. to the desensitised palate, and the
Department of Health and Human Services reviewed dozens Individuals who have the least deep unhealthy cravings are magnified. There
of studies and concluded that the minimum amount of exercise sleep are the most likely to develop high is also some research linking artificial
required for health benefits is 500 MET (Metabolic Equivalent of blood pressure. sweeteners to stimulating development
Task) minutes of exercise a week. 500 MET minutes of exercise Meta Wellness solution: Screen for of fat cells.
does not mean 500 minutes of exercise. A single MET is the factors that may influence the quality Meta Wellness solution: Indulge in delicious
amount of energy a person uses at rest. Two METs is twice of sleep and address through medical food that is also heart healthy and made
the energy burned at rest, and so on. The MET minute varies management and lifestyle change. entirely with natural ingredients.
according to the intensity of exercise. Approximately 150 minutes
a week of a moderate, three to five MET activity, such as walking,
Meta Wellness re:verse is a 90-day programme combining intensive in-person treatment with remote
add up to about 500 MET minutes. follow-up delivered either in a convenient in-city weekends format or as a rejuvenating retreat.

Healthy Heart
Meta Wellness solution: Resting metabolism and your heart’s re:verse in-city, available at The Leela Mumbai, begins with a weekend stay at the Meta Wellness
response to exercise is measured for personalised exercise Re:newal Centre at The Leela.
There are four day-long weekend sessions at Week-3, Week-6, Week-9 and Week-12.
prescriptions. re:tune, available at The Leela Kovalam Beach, Kerala, begins with an intensive 10-day stay at the
Meta Wellness Re:newal Centre, in the luxurious environs of the property. It offers spa therapies,
Your weight is only part of the story exercises and gourmet meals perfected by leading nutritionists and weight-loss programmes.
Both the programmes offer personalised monitoring of the clinical team.
You may weigh approximately the same as you did when you were

ABOVE A sedentary lifestyle, coupled with leisure activities which involve

66 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 sitting for two hours and more, doubles the risk of a heart disease ABOVE Dishes prepared with natural ingredients are beneficial for the heart The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 67
 CONCIERGE speak Leela
oenology
Interesting history, unique vinification
process and its sweet taste makes the
Aishwarya Nair
fortified Port wine, produced in the Food & wine merchandising,
The Leela Palaces,
Douro Valley in Portugal, a must-have Hotels and Resorts
In sea-swept Kovalam — the land of palm-fringed beaches,
bountiful verdant greenery and traditional Ayurvedic massages, addition of a neutral spirit to stop the fermentation process
a visit assures to soothe your every frayed nerve. in the wine. Its addition creates the residual sugar in the

Aji Padmanabhan at The Leela Kovalam gives you a ready reckoner wine, which results in its sweet and luscious palate. In the
vinification process, a very unique process is the pressing of
What are the must-do things for a guest staying at The Horse Palace Museum is a rare specimen the grapes in large granite troughs, which is carried out for
The Leela Kovalam? of workmanship in the traditional Travancore style of optimal extraction of tannins and colour. In certain quintas
Start your day by soaking in the beauty of Kerala’s largest architecture with exquisite wood carvings. It displays or houses, manual trodding of the grapes is carried by
beachside resort, cradled between two sweeping beaches. priceless collections belonging to the royal family. skilled labour. These houses have the more traditional and
Perched on a rock-face, it offers the most panoramic view The Napier Museum is yet another attraction and expensive of the Ports.
of the famed Kovalam shoreline. Take your camera along as houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic The modern and preferred blend of grapes used
you might spot the resident peacock family posing for you. artefacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot in the Port are Tinta Roriz, Touriga

Grapes of Port
Enjoy a sumptuous breakfast at The Terrace, which serves and ivory carvings. The premises also houses the zoo, one Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cão
a buffet breakfast, both international cuisine and authentic of the oldest in the country and the Sree Chithra Art Gallery, and Tinta Barroca, amongst 75
Kerala home-cooked delicacies. If you are keen to try the which has on display a rare collection of paintings by Raja other traditional varietals that are
fresh catch of the day, a visit to the Tide restaurant, located Ravi Varma and Nicholas Roerich, among many others. permitted in its production. The
on the beach, is a must. Eating apart, you can enjoy indoor various Port styles include White

Q
and outdoor games, attend cookery lessons conducted by Where can one shop for traditional goods? uintessentially famed to be a British style wine, Port, Ruby Port, Reserve Ruby, Tawny Port, Reserve Tawny
the chefs and pamper yourself with a host of traditional Handicrafts: SMSM Institute, Kairali and Natesan’s Antiques Port has an extremely interesting history. Made for Port, Crusted Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port, Colheita Port,
Ayurvedic massages at the Divya spa. It is a sure shot way on M.G. Road. the British as a result of a political embargo on the French Vintage Port, and the last but not the least, Single Quinta
to help you destress and rejuvenate. Handlooms and silks: Parthas, Khadi Emporium, Jayalakshmi wines, the wines from Portugal and Spain became much Vintage Port.
Silks and Pothys Silks on M.G. Road, Kalyan Silks on East sought-after due to their proximity with England. My pairing recommendation for cheese would be the
Of Kovalam’s tourist sites, which are the must-see Fort and Karalkada at the Karalkada junction. The Methuen treaty, signed between Britain and classic Stilton, Roquefort or Azeitão, an ewe’s milk cheese
places and why? Gold: Josco Jewellers, Jos Alukkas & Sons on East Fort and Portugal in 1703, fortified and boosted trade between the from Portugal.
The Padmanabhaswamy Temple, around which the city Bhima Jewellers near the overbridge. two nations. It is said that two English wine traders on a
has literally developed, is an architectural Spices: Kerala Spices on Bypass Road and Chalai Bazar mission to select wines to take back home discovered one RAISE A TOAST
wonder and a must-see. Situated in at Chalai. — slightly sweet, light and a red varietal that they thought The Leela Palace New Delhi partnered with FINE

the heart of the old city, the massive was appropriate to buy for the English consumers. When Wine & Chamapgne magazine to celebrate the FINE
Life award. Dirk Niepoort of Niepoort Vinhos from
structure has a staggering 100 feet asked how the wine was made, they were told that it had
Portugal, a legendary Port maker from the Duoro
high gopuram, the main temple been fortified by the winemaker with a touch of brandy,
region, was conferred the FINE Life Award 2012 for his
tower. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the making its palate slightly off dry and higher in alcohol. This
exceptional contribution.
family deity of the royal family of Travancore, higher alcohol percentage appealed to the merchants as
The event also saw the FINE Iconic Tasting being
to whom the temple belongs, the massive idol in they were in search of a wine that would travel well across
conducted by Niepoort. It had Port wines of vintages
the sanctum measures 18 feet in length and is the Bay of Biscay, from the Douro region in Portugal to the
from the last three centuries — 1863, 1900, 1912, 1917,
covered with gold and other precious stones. British homeland.
1937, 1947, 1952, 1957, 1970, 1976, 1977 and 2005.
The fortification of port wine is a result of the

TOP A picturesque view of The Leela Kovalam

ABOVE The Vishnu idol in a sleeping posture is the main deity ABOVE Port wine of vintages from the last three centuries were part
68 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 at the Padmanabhaswamy temple of the tasting session held at The Leela Palace New Delhi The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 69
 Nikolina Nikoleski is a professional Bharatnatyam dancer presently living in
insider’s guide New Delhi. A Croatian by birth, Nikoleski learnt Bharatnatyam at the Ganesa
Natyalaya Dance Institute, New Delhi, under the tutelage of Padmashri Guru Leela
Perspective
Dr. Saroja Vaidyanathan. Nikoleski is also a dance professor at the French
Embassy School — Lycee Francais de Delhi. She has learnt contemporary
Delhi with dance in Germany at the prestigious dance school of Pina Bausch and is well-
versed in rhythmic gymnastic, classical ballet, contemporary dance and yoga.

RAHAAB ALLANA
Curator of the New Delhi-based Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, Rahaab Allana oversees
Footsteps to incredible India
a world-class repository of over 95,000 photographs in the archive, collected by his

I
landed from the cold, grey, windy and silent six years the abode where Lord Buddha gained enlightenment, and
grandfather, the renowned theatre doyen, Ebrahim Alkazi. He has been associated with
the field of photography through writing, curating and exhibiting over the years. He also spent in Germany, performing and teaching contemporary at so many other magical, breathtaking destinations.
edits a photography quarterly Pix, which provides a platform to budding photographers dance, into a new chapter of my life called Incredible India. Everywhere, the response of the audience has been
and also sensitises the younger generation towards the evolving medium of photography The Indian Council for Cultural Relations awarded overwhelming and warm, and I’ve felt a deep sense of
Rahaab Allana
By Sujata Dugar me a special six years scholarship to study the classical respect and amazement towards me. They admire seeing
South Indian dance form Bharatnatyam, which originated a foreigner like me coming all the way from Croatia to learn
Which photographers have the history, culture and society of in the temples of Tamil Nadu. It is, perhaps, the most and professionally perform classical Bharatnatyam.
given a unique perspective of those times. The Chowmahalla evolved dance form and encompasses music, rhythm Such opportunities have also allowed me to promote
Delhi through their works? Palace in Hyderabad, the City and expressional dance. Using narrative movements called Croatia. Indians are very curious and like to learn about other
The early years of photography Palace at Udaipur and the hasthas or mudras, the dancer depicts stories based cultures. So, I feel like a perfect cultural bridge between my
in India is inextricably linked Gwalior Museum are a few such on the Indian epics and literature. Bharatnatyam is a two homes — Croatia and India. I call India my home and it
to the colonial regime in the places worth a visit. perfect medium to bring people closer to Indian mythology has been the most beautiful nine years of my life.
mid-19th century. Among the and spirituality. The city of Delhi is so complex, buzzing and ever
photographers who have offered Are there any interesting For me, all those amazing pictures, fragrances and so demanding. There is a rush for time and for space, yet
interesting insights into the cultural hubs in Delhi that perceptions I had visualised and imagined, just became real in this maze-like urban jungle, one can still connect and
city, I especially like the works on Mumbai titled Where The seamlessly against the backdrop promote photography? and a part of my life. recharge in those hundreds of cultural programmes that the
produced by H.A. Mirza & Sons, City Rests, Adil Hasan’s The TV, of the historical monuments. The Nazar Foundation, begun My dance performances have given me a deep insight city has on offer. India is culturally so rich and superior.
Bourne & Shepherd, Lala Deen Ronny Sen’s A Tale Of Three Nizammuddin, known for the by two senior photographers into the rich Indian culture. I’ve performed Bharatnatyam I simply enjoy walking into the theatres every
Dayal, Robert Tytler, Felice Beato Rooms and Probir Gupta’s series dargah (mausoleum) of the — Prashant Panjiar and Dinesh in some of India’s greatest dance festivals and venues evening and viewing the innumerable concerts, dance
and Motivala, an amateur Parsi on cinema. famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Khanna, hosts the Nazar ka such as the ancient temples of Thanjavur, Kumbakonam performances, exhibitions, talks… It’s overwhelming.
photographer, who was present Auliya, is another compelling Adda, an interactive session on and Brihadeswara; against the backdrop of the place New Delhi is a great melting pot where traditional
in Delhi at the time of the 1911 If you had to pick some space. The modern-day Bus photography at the Kunzum Café where Arjuna sat in penance at Mahabalipuram; at Indian culture so easily communicates contemporary and
British Durbar. interesting spaces in Delhi Rapid Transit (BRT) transport at Hauz Khas. It also conducts Kurukshetra’s battlefield; Ganga Mahotsav classical Western art.
that are great views for system, the fast-paced urban life workshops on photography and at the ghats of Varanasi; at the Besides my Bharatnatyam performances, I
Among the contemporary photography, which ones running parallel to the dargah, holds a biennial photo festival. magnificent Taj Mahal; at Rajgir, enjoy performing contemporary dance at so
photographers, whose works would you choose and why? all showcase the transition of PhotoInk, the Delhi- many different events like the Italian Opera, the
do you find intriguing? I find Agrasen ki baoli near the city. based photograph agency Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, etc. All this
I like Shahid Datawala’s work Connaught Place quite established by Devika Daulet- right here in a metropolis that is changing its face
fascinating. This historic stepwell Which are some of the best Singh, runs a gallery which and features every passing day. It has been a joy
juxtaposed against the modern- museums in the country to presents contemporary as well as watching Delhi change and evolve so much in the last
day highrises has an element view works on photography? vintage photographic works and nine years.
of starkness, which is quite Some of the royal palaces have also hosts talk shows. I look forward to welcome many more
captivating. Shahjahanabad or an invaluable collection of Our photography changes as we grow together in sharing
Old Delhi is another such place. photographs, which are now quarterly Pix, too, hosts lectures and bridging cultures through the universal
It exudes a sense of history and on display for the public. These and exhibitions on photography language of dance.
shows how modern life runs photographs give an insight into at the Max Mueller Bhavan. Nikolina Nikoleski in striking Bharatnatyam poses

ABOVE The Agrasen ki baoli is rated by Allana as a great photographic site Nikolina Nikoleski in a striking
LEFT A photograph of the Jantar Mantar taken by Lala Deen Dayal shows the Bharatnatyam pose
70 The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 open spaces that defined the city of Delhi before it became the country’s capital The Leela Magazine – SUMMER 2012 71