In the closet 3: Meet Sharanya Rao

Presenting the 3rd closet story. This one has been lying in the mailbox since forever (i am super-lazy... you know that by now!). 

Meet Sharanya Rao aka Panache_
Sharanya, the fashionista works in a finance company for a living, takes pictures for fun, hordes silver jewelry, applies beautiful mehendi designs when she is bored, reads a lot, loves travel and is a foodie.

And guess what i found in her closet? I found crochet :D

Here's talking to SR, the closet crocheter. She has also shared some resources if you would like to try.

MG: What  do you do for a living?

SR: I have an MBA in marketing and finance and I work with a finance company. I know it sounds boring... Believe me it's lot of fun! 

MG: Social networking and you... in 30 words

SR: Opens a world of possibilities! You can connect with anyone and everyone who are not accessible in real life. You can represent yourself they way you want and the resources you have access to is mind blowing. 

MG: What made you start crocheting?

SR: It started off with SUPW classes in school, mom was very interested in craft...but she didn't have the right resources,  I learnt the basics (saw how the teacher moved the crochet needle and wool) and taught mom or tried to teach. She would somehow see to that my project was complete. Voila! I always got an A+ in my knitting and crochet projects :) I don't think I would have got through school without my wonderful mother :) Later when I got working and wanted to have a hobby... I thought why not try something I already know a bit... And it worked! I remembered every stitch I learnt (visually). 

MG: I love every single piece of crochet in that collage but the wrap is my favorite! SR, hats off to you for the skill and patience with which you have made the pieces featured here. 

MG: What's your favorite color?

SR: It's seasonal! My current favorite is coral... all time favorite is red. When in doubt wear red, I believe in this! 

MG: If you could give up what you do and do something else... would you? And what?

SR: I haven't figured out that yet! I have too many ideas running around in my head and somehow I have this difficulty to commit to one idea :) I might be sounding very vague, but right now that's how it is :) 

{Links if you want to get started crocheting: YouTube and Ravelry.}

{Previous editions: Meet the shoe-hoarder Divsi, the closet poet Braj, the IITian who is passionate about photography Anil, the lawyer who is also a photogrpher Cristian, and the product designed Manreet who now designs and retails jewelry.}

Hope you have enjoyed meeting Sharanya. If you'd like to share what's in your closet... do send me an email to ambicasrimal@gmail.com.

In the closet 2: Meet Brajmohan Kumar

Presenting Part 2 of the Closet Stories after a horrendously long gap. 

Meet Brajmohan aka Birju Maharaj who is a techie working in a Delhi.

How boring you think? Braj is anything but.

Braj is a self-confessed hopeless romantic, who loves to travel, is an avid photographer, a poet and a man with a wicked sense of humour. We met on Instagram and have found friendship hundreds of miles apart.

He is also a foodie and recently tried out camel milk products on his last visit to Bikaner (which he hasn't told me much about, so i am guessing it was really bad!!)

Meet Birju Maharaj, the geek who is a poet as well.

MG: Share with us your favorite poems, the ones you have written?
BM: Hakeekat and Shabd.
MG: (Did i tell you that he is a man of few words? Since we haven't met yet, I look forward to meeting him and chewing his ear off with my garrulousness!)

MG: Which your favorite poem?
BM: My all time favorite poet is Harivansh Rai Bachhan and his collection of poems in Madhushala. My favorite poem though is from the collection called "MadhuKalash"

"बद्ध विश्व अपूर्ण में मैं, पुण्य मुझमें, पाप मुझमें,

हर बुराई, हर भलाई की मिलेगी छाप मुझमें,

पात्र अपयश का अकेला यदि, प्रकट अन्याय जग का

साथ दोषों के गुणों की भी बनी है माप मुझ में;

मैं जगत के वास्ते अभिशाप हूँ, वरदान भी हूँ;

छा गया अभिशाप लेकिन छिप गया वरदान मेरा

पूछता जग, है निराशा से भरा क्यों गान मेरा?"

MG: Who is your favorite poet?
BM: Harivansh Rai Bachhan and Mirza Ghalib
MG: (He talks so less that his answer was - Bachhan and Ghalib!)

MG: What inspires you to write?
BM: Pain, sadness, separation... ummm too many sad things. If you remember the dialog from movie "Bawarchi" :)
MG: (Unfortunately i don't so someone please enlighten me!)

MG: My favorite poem from his writings:

जब रात की बातें कम पड़ने लगे,
जब उनींदी आँखों को सुबह की रौशनी कम लगने लगे,
कोई सुबह तो ऐसी गुजरे।

जब हँसते-हँसते आँख नम हो जाए,
जब साथ गुजारने को समय कम पड़ जाए,
कोई सुबह तो ऐसी गुजरे।

जब यूँ ही तुम बातों-बातों में हंस दो,
जब यूँ ही हम तुम्हे अपनी पहलु में भर लें,
कोई सुबह तो ऐसी गुजरे।

जब होंठों से बातें ना हों,
जब आँखों की बातें कम ना हों,
कोई सुबह तो ऐसी गुजरे।

I hope you enjoyed meeting Birju. Head over to his blog - Between Sunset and Sunshine, if you are looking to read some fabulous Hindi poetry.

Part 1 featured the gorgeous Divsi Gupta and her tiny collection of shoes.

In the Closet: Meet Divsi Gupta

This year is all about new beginnings for me... When i started Instagramming sometime last year, it inspired me to start a new series here called Instalove (which i hope you are enjoying). Presenting to you the first of a new series called In the Closet... talking to people about the things they are crazy about.

Kickstarting the series with Divsi Gupta, a girl i first met on Instagram in October and then met her for real on my most recent visit to Bombay in December.

She is the bubbliest and sweetest person i have had the opportunity to meet... we chat often and i have never ever seen her in a foul mood. Divsi is a happy-go-lucky person, who is always gung-ho to start an Instachallenge!

Divsi works with her father and takes care of the marketing of his business. She is also a writer and photographer and has recently started her career as a wedding photographer.

Meet the fashionista without a single mean bone in her body and a lot of shoes in her closet!

MG: How many pairs of shoes do you own?
DG: To be honest i haven't even counted the pairs... me n my sis are the same size so we kinda exchange :) but should be approx 80 pairs :D between the 2 of us. (*gasp*)

I never throw old shoes... i just can't!!!!!! I keep them with utmost care... so saalon saal chale :P

MG: Favorite pair, from where and how much did you pay?

DG: Fav pair... That's a tough question... i must say there is a tie :p One brown polka dots pumps bought from Starios at Lokhandwala for Rs.700. The other is a pair of white wedges i bought from Venus Steps, Delhi for Rs. 1400

MG: Favorite shoe store?

DG: Favorite shoe shop... nothing in particular! I am not brand conscious... i love street shopping and bargaining :)) But i do love Starios in Lokhandwala... for their variety :D 

MG: You gotta take me there next time i visit Bombay!

MG: A bad-shoe purchase

DG: Ginger (Lifestyle ka in-house brand) All the shoes are of pathetic qlty :( the leather peels off... u get shoe bites... yuck! 

MG: Need to ask Madhu Gopalan about her experience! 

MG: How do you match shoes with outfits?

DG: To be honest, 90 percent of the time i buy shoes first and then the outfit! (*OMG*)

MG: No, no... i mean how do you decide which shoes to wear in the morning when you are getting dressed?

DG: I don't go matchy-matchy. Mostly contrast. With a monochrome outfit, I'd wear Neon. 

MG: Thank you girl. 

DG: :)

This is a pic of part of her collection of footwear. No this does not feature all of them. :)

PS: So who else is envious of this stunning collection?

PPS: Hope you are enjoying the new features in my blog... I am working on a revamp and your feedback would be very helpful.

Manifest Destiny.in

Love at first sight... it does happen :)

Manifest Destiny, a dreamy collection of jewelry that is organic and stylish, made my heart go bumpity-bump. Check it out if you are looking for jewelry that is 'hatke' and not the usual run-of-the-mill stuff. Manifest Destiny will definitely make you swoon too... i promise.

Manreet Deol, the designer of these pieces and the artist who designs these pieces describes her collection as a "melange of Art, Fashion and Everything beautiful". One look at the designs and you will believe her.


Score brownie points! I'd think they would make a lovely gift... especially with Diwali just around the corner.

You can buy online here and connect on Facebook here.


Read on more... if you'd like to know more about Manreet, the talented lady who designs these exquisite pieces. 

An interview with Manreet Deol.

MG: Tell me something about yourself... in 20 words or less.

MD: About yourself' was hard to write... I need to develop some copy for this 

MG: I first met Manreet, exactly a year ago in Pondicherry. I managed to spend some time with her and found her to be a lot of fun, easy-going and easy to talk to. She studied at NIFT and then moved to New York where she studied at the Parson's School of Design. She lived and worked in New York for many years. 

She has made Pondicherry her home now and lives and works from a beautiful home near Auroville that is as lovely as the pieces she designs... I think she still carries a little bit of NY in her because her home kinda reflects that too... Along with her own beautiful organic style of design. I visited her home only once last year and i didn't click any pictures but i remember her house so clearly... the big unfinished canvas painting that was pasted with tape on the wall, the lovely white hammock in the balcony, the iron candelabra with jasmine flowers strewn, the colorful mexican flags, the wall with her drawings, the eclectic collection of books, the colorful red gingham checked mattresses and the ikea hanging lamps that were not hung, but used on the floors with some organic wire shapes she had made. (Oops... i do go on and on!!)

MG: Things you like

MD: I have a fondness for (in no particular order) booking plane tickets (love the people I meet when I travel! ) Scandinavian Electro-Pop music + Steaming Idlis with gunpowder + Wandering in the forest of Auroville + Mid-century Art.

MG: What else do you design?

I mostly design tableware  and other decorative objects - I just got done designing a 7'  tall candelabra and in the middle of a metal tableware collection for major porcelain company and a flatware line...

MG: How and where is your jewelry made?

All our pieces begin as clay sculptures that are then individually cast in Aluminum and Brass using the sand casting technique in Delhi. The soft raw organic nature of this process is perfect for our pieces. Another great thing about this casting method is that each pieces is made from its own unique sand mold that must be broken to release the piece. So in a way each jewelry piece is one of a kind.

MG: Your favorite designer / artist?

MD: I'm constantly inspired by the monumental and raw works of Richard Serra and Louise Bourgeois. I also love all the varied tribal traditions of the world such as the Gond paintings and the fantastic Kutchi jewelry... truly amazing pieces of art.

MG: Your collection... in your words...

MD: We create timeless pieces that are thoughtfully handcrafted and possess a soul that transcends style and cultural boundaries. 

~

Thanks Manreet, for sharing your story with me. Am honored and delighted to have you here. 

~

Hope you enjoyed this post. I am hoping to interview and feature more artists and their work here... send me an email or message me on FB if you'd like to be featured in my blog. 

10 questions with a lawyer (and it's not about law)

Cristian is a lawyer who has been practicing law since the last 30 years but he is also a brilliant photographer and an avid traveller. Cristian M was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1953. He lives in Argentina and has been "married for more than 30 years to a wonderful woman". He has two children - a daughter and a son and two grandsons.

I met and spoke with him for less than 5 minutes when i had visited Agra in October and he took my picture and emailed it. We have been in touch ever since. When i asked him if i could interview him for my blog, he readily agreed. 


So here's presenting my first interview on this blog with an amazing photographer and a very generous man… hope you enjoy it!

1. When did you start taking pictures and what got you interested in photography in the first place?

C: Many years ago, when I was probably 17 or 18. I just felt attracted to the power of images to convey all kind of feelings. 

2. What camera do you use, the lenses you have and the software you use?

C: I use a Nikon D3x. But I always carry with me a small camera: Canon S95. Lenses for the Nikon: a fisheye, a 105mm (for portrait) and two zooms 17-55mm and 18-200mm. The latter ideal for travel. Software: Photoshop (for just the basic), Camera Raw & Bridge (both part of the Photoshop package), Kolor Autopano Giga for panorama stitching and Tiffen Dfx (I strongly suggest you try the latter).

3. What are your other passions besides photography?

C: Music. Can’t live without it.

4. Which is your favorite travel destination that you would like to go back again to? 

C: Paris first, Venice second.

5. If you had an option and no restrictions where would you like to go?

C: Afghanistan.

6. Tell me about your favorite picture

C: Despite the fact that my photo collection is now over 40,000 it didn’t take me so long to make up my mind on this question. It’s a photo that I took to my daughter when she was a baby (some 32 years ago). I developed and printed the picture myself. Now I need to find the scan to send it to you. I have been unsuccessful so far. (A: He still can't find it)

7. There is a sense of solitude in almost all your pics, as it there was no one but the subject and you when you clicked. It's obviously not true and i am sure there were a million people around, but i love this quality in your pictures.

C: Sense of solitude in the photos. Yes you are right. Why: because I like portrait photography. Just the subject; anything else is a distraction unless I want to distract the viewer to that something else. Now the Venice carnival is completely different (on the streets) to, for example, the wild Rio de Janeiro carnival (never been to it but famous worldwide).  The people that disguise in Venice have that formal but intriguing look.

8. If you could be something else - not a lawyer - what would you want to be?

C: An image and music producer or integrator. Anything that combines images with music. Otherwise: orchestra director.

9. A quote / saying you live by?

C: Absolutely always be fair.

10. What inspires you?

C: Being useful to people.

Click here to see his gorgeous and inspiring photographs. And don't miss the pictures he took of the Carnival at Venice and the Angels.

Tagline wisdom and my first giveaway!

Anil Singhal, is one of the first few people i met through my blog. I generally don't interact much with the blogging community (it just didn't happen, but i would love to meet / interact with all the fabulous bloggers out there who inspire me and make my day with their posts). So when i asked Anil if he would like to contribute he was gung-ho and promptly sent me a post. Unfortunately i took quite sometime to post it. (Please don't ask how long, i am not going to answer that!) 

Anil Singhal is a free-lancer, self-taught photographer raised in Siliguri, West Bengal. He has a Masters in Science (Physics)  from IIT, Kanpur & a Masters in Microelectronics from IIT Bombay. He is an entrepreneur but is extremely passionate about photography. You can read his blog and see his photographs here. He also conducts photography workshops in his spare time. 

Presenting Anil's wisdom compiled from taglines. Enjoy!

Where do you want to go today? Wake up and drive to the happiest place on the earth? Celebrate the moments of life. Share moments and Share life. You will have The Perfect Experience. 

We live in a material world of branded stuff. And everyone's story is consummation of some brands in some order. Isn't it? 

We love to exercise our senses, don't we! In a days itinerary we would have used our five senses: Smell, Touch, Sight, Hear, Taste !  However, the prime sense that gets called in all of it is the "feel" factor. Some say its intuition or the sixth sense, but often it is the one that is most ignored. And yet, I believe is the only one that you should learn to care about. And you will be surprised how your choices through the other five are more rewarding, fulfilling and entertaining.

Just do it when it feels right. And then the road will never be the same. 

PS: How many brands did you find in there? Leave a comment with your findings and someone may just win something sweet (not like food, but something handcrafted and pretty) :D

PPS: Would you like to be a guest blogger here? Write to me then!

{Photo of the Raintree Park aka Malaysian Township that is featured above has been shot by Anil.}