An Oscar always counts more than anything else doesn’t it? So in a splendid ceremony on the night of March 3rd, 2016, when Radisson Blu MBD Hotel, Noida once again proved its unmatchable superiority in the food and beverage services by winning the prestigious Times Food & Nightlife Awards, 2015 in four different categories, it was a special for sure.
The awards which have been hallmarked as the ‘Food Oscars’ of India, reach out to the most commendable food and beverage outlets across the city, awarding them on different qualities. Radisson Blu MBD Hotel, Noida has created unique innovations in food and beverage with its specialty restaurants and confectionery. The first 5 – star hotel of Noida continues to be one of the favourite among the masses with its top notch quality in not only food but also the incredible services it offers.
Made In India, the North Indian restaurant at the hotel offering a wide variety of delicacies from Punjab to Mughal cuisine has won the prestigious award in the “Best North Indian, Fine Dine Category”, Noida, 6th time in a row. This surely makes it one of the restaurants to explore for North Indian food.
Blending ancient favourites with modern dishes from today, Made in India restaurant invites guests on an epicurean journey. While Made in India offers what the talented chefs call “futuristic cuisine”, the restaurant also specialises in rare and forgotten recipes such as the Dorra Kebab, a centuries-old recipe revived by the culinary team. A reflection of culinary time, here you experience the memories and prophecies of the great Indian cuisine, starring from traditional Indian masterpieces and modern Indian cuisine. Made in India’s signature dish, the Dorra kebabs, have been recreated and introduced by the chefs and are so called because the meat is so delicate it has to be held on with a fine string. The menu also has a range of kebabs to cater to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian palates. Made in India is a culinary journey — from the State of Hyderabad with its linkage to West Asia, to the Vijaynagar Empire and its roots in the Telangana, the mighty Moguls and the aristocratic nawabs of Avadh and, of course, the legends of Punjab.
R.E.D. (Rare Eastern Dining), serves interpretations of classic far eastern cuisine from Japan, China, Thailand Malaysia & Singapore along with a selection of customized Signature dishes designed by the reputed Singaporean Chef has won two esteemed awards, 7th time in a row under the “Best Chinese” and “Best Pan Asian, Fine Dine Category”, Noida.
MBD Radisson Blu’s Rare Eastern Dining is a hotpot of contemporary flavours from China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. R.E.D, the pan-Asian restaurant at the Radisson Blu in Noida is an eclectic mix of eastern cuisines to cater to Indian tastes. The menu is replete with alternate options; for instance, the stir-fried vegetables are a simple, yet tasty combination of Chinese greens tossed in a wok, with their umami flavours standing out. R.E.D specialises in an array of unusual appetisers. The Dynamite Roll, with prawn tempura, wasabi mayonnaise in a tobiko reverse roll, is a house specialty. The tempura prawn gives the roll its crispiness, while the wasabi mayonnaise gives it a sharp tanginess. The Sushi Tempura Roll, a fried sushi roll made tempura style, with salmon and tuna is simple, yet delicious. What makes the dining experience special at R.E.D is Chef Sim interacts with most of the tables; he finds out what his customers would like to eat, and goes out of the way to cook even if it’s not there on the menu. The restaurant also offers diners the option of using the induction tables to cook for their guests or you can pick your ingredients and catch and watch the chefs in action in their show kitchen.
The indulgent confectioner and patisserie The Chocolate Box Lounge has won the renowned “Best Bakery/Confectionery, Fine Dine Category”, Noida, 5th time making it one of the hot spots among the bakeries in the region.
The TCB Lounge, is an extension of The Chocolate Box, the award winning patisserie, and boulangerie, famous for its hand-made chocolates. Continuing the tradition of innovation in food and beverage, the TCB Lounge, is the perfect place to savour the highest standard of high tea service and boasts of some of the finest teas and coffees, with an elaborate service. Designed like a chocolate box, the lounge has all the elements that will make you go back to the simple happiness chocolates can bring. At The Chocolate Box, as the name suggests, the interiors are inspired by the components of a box of chocolates.
And the inspiration has been carried forward in the not just the colours but also shapes and textures. The colours, a mix of rich dark chocolate brown, gold and white, have all put together such that the place actually resembles a “chocolate box”. While parts of it resemble a box, the gold used in the elevations and equipments are inspired by the wrapper of a box. The ceiling will remind you of chocolate sticks and the blinds are the inspiration from a butter paper wrapper in a box. Almost all the ingredients used at The Chocolate Box have their origin in Belgium, Switzerland and France. What is more, the chocolates are done in the most innovative forms, textures and of course, taste. There are coloured chocolates, sugar free chocolates, designer chocolates, truffles and soft center pralines. Some of the interesting offerings are the “Spice collection” chocolates, passion fruit chocolates, Baileys, green tea chocolates. Head for the lounge and you are sure to get a treat for your taste buds. The Chocolate Box promises to surprise you with the art of their designer sculpted Cakes. Some signatures include the sinful Frosted red velvet Tiramisu and the original Schwarzwaelder Kirschen torte (Black Forest Cake), Almond Prunes Ring, seasonal fruit cake and Chocolate Mud Cake to name a few.
I absolutely love the look of surprise in some people’s eyes when they hear the MBD Group is spearheaded by three women.
Why just MBD, there are women leading an entire gamut of organisations, movements and campaigns. From spearheading business enterprises, being celebrated chefs and unveiling the complexity of genetics, to leading financial institutions, they are doing it all — and doing it with aplomb. Look closer and you will see it’s women who are leading the banking sector in India!
Clichéd as it may sound, but women have not just broken the glass ceiling, they have set new benchmarks with their performance.
All this deserves a harder pat on the back, especially considering the Indian scenario. India might have progressed by leaps and bounds, but the underlying lack of equality still ails most sections in the society. Here, praying to the Goddess is one thing, and giving respect to an average woman, quite another. I do not exaggerate when I say there is no woman who hasn’t faced discrimination in one form or another.
But I want to look at the glass half-full. A reason why we’ve got some inspiring women from various fields on our cover this time. Be it Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur who manages her numerous business ventures, school, museums, NGOS and her political career, the Ayurvedic expert czarina Shahnaz Husain, danseuse Geeta Chandran or the enterprising Deepika Jindal, they’ve proven what it takes to be brave and come out victorious.
And victories fought against popular notions, to my mind, need to be celebrated the most. And through these pages in DW, we’ve been proud to showcase stories of many braves going against the tide, of being courageous enough to follow one’s heart, and be radical in one’s thinking.
So here’s to all the radical minds.
Keep inspiring!
UK EU REFERENDUM// On June 23, 2016, the people of Great Britain will vote on a national referendum to decide if they want to be part of the European Union (EU) or leave it. The EU, which was formed in 1973, is a partnership of 28 countries in Europe that make shared decisions on important political and financial matters. The EU countries have one currency — the Euro — and their people can freely move between countries of the EU to live and work. Basically, the EU works as one big country. Many people in Britain believe they would be better off without the EU. They don’t like paying billions of dollars in EU fees, having EU rules imposed on their businesses, and having to support workers who come from other EU countries to work in Great Britain. Last week, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, who doesn’t want his country to leave the EU, announced that he had worked out a deal with the EU that would give Britain more freedom in some of the areas mentioned above. But will that convince the people of Britain to stay on in the EU? We will know on June 23.
AWARD// ‘Titanic’ star Leonardo Di Caprio, won his first Oscar for ‘The Revenant’. He was nominated five times in the past, but managed to after break the jinx. He was sixth time lucky as he was named best actor at the 88th Academy Awards, with Brie Larson named best actress Oscar for ‘Room’.
Leonardo’s victory came as little surprise and was gripped with a sense of déjà vu since it brought back the memories of Bafta award ceremony, where the audience had more or less similar reactions. Leo’s best pal and co-star Kate Winslet had similar expressions on her face as she did when Leonardo walked up the stage to receive Bafta earlier. Leonardo got a standing ovation as he walked up to grab an Oscar. In the last several years, Leonardo was nominated five times for his work, but had always missed the mark. He previously got nominated five time-four times for acting and once as a producer. The movies include ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ in 2014 for Best Actor and Best Picture, ‘Blood Diamond’ in 2007 (Best Actor), ‘The Aviator’ in 2005 (Best Actor) and ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ in 1994 (Best Supporting Actor).
POLITICS// The leaders of Nepal and India have overcome mutual misgivings after talks to ease tensions over Nepal’s recently-adopted constitution. Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli was recently in New Delhi for talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi after a long freeze in political relations that was triggered by the grievances of plains dwellers in southern Nepal. Nepal made changes to its constitution to ensure greater participation of the Madhesi community in Parliament, although the amendments failed to address their central fear that provincial borders would be redrawn in a way that would divide them.
A four-month border blockade by the Madhesis ended only after amendments to the constitution that sought to address their concerns about representation. India welcomed the amendments, which paved the way for Oli’s visit. Modi and Oli inaugurated a power transmission line between India and Nepal and signed a framework agreement for reconstruction work in areas affected by last year’s earthquakes that killed nearly 9,000 people. Although India has offered $1 billion in aid to Nepal, reconstruction efforts have been slow to get started.
UNREST// A student of New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who is also the leader of its students union, has been arrested by the police and sent to jail. The police said that JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was shouting slogans in support of Pakistan and against India. Ten days later, for having a view different from that of the government, he was still languishing in jail. On February 10, JNU students led by Kumar had organised an event to protest against the death punishment that was given to Parliament attacks convict Afzal Guru. Guru was found guilty of attacking the Parliament building in 2001. It was at this protest event that the slogans that were against India, but supported Pakistan, were said to have been shouted out by JNU students. The police arrested Kumar on the charges of sedition. JNU administration has ordered a disciplinary enquiry about the event. This move comes after ABVP began protesting outside the VC’s office, demanding all the students who “misled” the university about the nature of the events to be expelled. JNU authorities believe that the entire event was an act of indiscipline as the event was sought by “giving incomplete information” since Afzal Guru’s name was not mentioned anywhere in the permission request and the students allegedly passed it off as cultural event. Kumar’s arrest and police action on the JNU campus had infuriated the students who feel the government and Delhi Police have behaved unfairly. Support for the students has come from many other students and people across the country. The situation inside JNU remained tense and the presence of the police around the campus has added to the disturbed situation.
PROTESTS// Jat quota agitation that started last month turned violent, resulting in deaths of 10 people and dozens, including security personnel, injured. The army was deployed in eight districts — Rohtak, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar, Panipat, Jind and Kaithal -- and over 5,000 security personnel were pressed into service in the affected districts. Jats particularly targeted shops and establishments that belonged to non-Jats, at several places. Protestors also ransacked and damaged private property. Malls, cinema halls and scores of new cars at showrooms were torched, shops looted, and private residences damaged. The financial losses are estimated to be above Rs 20,000 crore.
The Jats from Haryana are a politically influential community with a population of around 82.5 million. Mostly well-to-do farmers, the Jats are protesting because they want reservation in colleges and in government jobs. They are seeking reservation under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. They had been promised that the Economically Backward Category (EBC) quota will be increased from 10 per cent to 20 per cent by the state government. As the protestors sabotaged the Munak Canal, more than 10 million people in Delhi went without water supply for a little over three days. The army finally came to the rescue and took control of the canal and normal supplies were resumed to affected areas. All Delhi's schools remained closed because of the water crisis.
While the violence has given disgruntled BJP leaders a good reason to seek Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s ouster, the Jat opposition leaders, including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the leader of the Opposition Abhay Singh Chautala, did not attempt to calm the mobs either.
Budget 2016//Shifting focus to farmers and rural poor, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled his third Budget which laid emphasis on rural India particularly in the agricltural and social sectors. Jaitley went all out to woo the segment by promising a slew of welfare measures including electricity to all villages and road connectivity in the next couple of years. Here are the highlights of the Budget 2016:
Tax
Personal Finance
Social
Health
Education
Energy
Investments and infrastructure
Agriculture
Banking
VIVID MEMORIES. We all have some of these. Memories that are etched in the echelons of our minds’ historical register — they simply refuse to fade. One such memory of mine was gazing at the Siberian ducks at my farmhouse lake in the nondescript village of Amarpaatan, Madhya Pradesh. I was made to understand that these ducks migrated from Siberia to escape the harsh winters; they then migrated all the way back after the winter snow had thawed.
There was something about the flock of those Siberian ducks. They almost made the lake and that rural Indian heartland landscape their own, at least for the period that they were there. As much as I looked forward to seeing them each winter, I did wonder about one thing. Could the hassle of them having to fly thousands of miles each winter be avoided? As a kid, I was told that it was survival instinct that drove them to find a home away from home, albeit temporarily so. Little did I know I’d have a migration story of my own in years to come.
There’s another vivid memory from the Fall of 2002 in. I walked into one of the computer labs at my soon-to-be graduate school. The vision of hundreds of fingers typing away at their respective keyboards, almost conniving to create a rhythm of sorts, is still etched in my mind. Apart from the usual daze that you’d associate with a FOB (fresh off the boat — graduate school slang for someone new to the US), there was another thing that stayed with me from that first day. It was the number of Indians in that lab! It reminded me of the Siberian ducks.
The Indian Diaspora remained a consistent theme for the entirety of my doctoral studies in Arlington. The number of Indian students dominated the proceedings, be it the graduate classes, the research assistants, the on-campus jobs — you name it. Despite the numbers, I sensed we weren’t half as good as the Siberian ducks when it came to owning the landscape — not back then, at least. I still remember teaching a graduate class and receiving the most back-handed of compliments. I was told that I spoke brilliant English for someone from India. Not knowing what to make of it, I duly went about explaining to the folks that most educational institutions in India had English as their modus operandi for communication. Over the years though, I started to notice a gradual paradigm shift. While admittedly gradual, the shift was obvious with the passage of time — even to the blissfully unaware.
It started with the smallest of things, more Indian grocery stores in the metropolis, for instance. Suddenly, Indian grocery stores were burgeoning like spring flowers. Before you knew it, there was a multi-lingual Indian FM radio station on air. It didn’t stop there. Mainstream multiplexes, which only catered to Hollywood movies until now, were now showing Hindi and, what’s more, regional movies! The ticket queue for Baahubali ran longer than DDLJ had been running in that theatre in Mumbai, I tell you! A home away from home literally, I thought to myself. The real estate market suddenly had knowledge of vaastu, puja rooms and north vs south facing houses. Residential communities were being announced with the typical Indian buyer in mind (you know that when the highlight of the community is the best school district in town!).
Now here was a telltale sign of the Indian Diaspora playing an integral part in the economic development far away from home. A sign that we were every bit part of this landscape now — just like the Siberian ducks were of that rural Indian landscape. The analogy was compelling with so many parallels between the two. What better parallel than the motivation — for flying thousands of miles — for both! Was it survival for us, too, or simply a better way of life? At least the Siberian ducks could attribute their long arduous journey to forces of nature. But we?
A wise man once told me — sometimes the answer lies in the questions themselves, literally. As I was picking up a friend of mine, who recently came to Dallas for his higher studies, our conversation veered to the topic of his visa interview. As he walked me through the questions he was posed with during the interview, a thought struck my mind. What if every visa interview was accompanied with an “exit interview” by the Indian counterparts? The thought seemed to get interesting by the minute. Each question that my friend recounted from the visa interview almost automatically generated a counter-question for the “exit interview”. A sequence of questions would go like this:
Visa interview question: What is the purpose of your visit?
Exit interview question: What is the driver behind your decision to go abroad?
Visa interview question: Do you have enough financial means to sustain yourself there?
Exit interview question: Do you not have enough financial means to have the same lifestyle here?
Visa interview question: Why did you choose this school for higher studies?
Exit interview question: Why not a school here?
The list could go on. Some answers may not be what we want to hear, but the process seemed inherently democratic to me. More importantly, the answers for both interviews stand for hope and betterment, I hoped. The former for the migrant and the later for the home — and this time, not away from home! This might well be the “feedback loop” our “control system” is lacking, the engineer in me surmised.
The mental tête-à-tête aside, I found myself back home visiting family this last winter. I promptly took the time for the customary Amarpaatan visit. The walk through the farm, the tractor ride, the jumping in the haystack, the –choolahcooked food - it was a delight. However, the highlight of the day had to be the Siberian ducks. We had formed a bond of sorts by now. As I sat on the ledge, admiring the flock, I noticed we had a much smaller group than the days gone by. Upon enquiring with the locals, I was told that the migration had diminished over the years. The winters must have eased up there, I thought to myself. Just as I was walking back to my car, something dawned upon me. If the forces of nature can adapt and evolve — surely we can give it a try, too!
Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, MLA, Rajasthan
She might have been born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, but that didn’t stop this princess from getting out and getting her hands dirty. She might look all elegant and calm on the outside, but inside her is a raging fire, to try and make a difference to people around her. Not only does she admirably manage her numerous business ventures, school, museums and NGOs, but also devotes a large part of her time developing her constituency of Sawai Madhopur as an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. In 2014, she was appointed Rajasthan State Government’s Ambassador for the “Save the Girl Child” campaign, and was awarded the YFLO Women Achievers Award in Politics by the Young FICCI Ladies Organisation (YFLO), New Delhi. InDIa’s
Early challenges
I faced two challenges when I entered politics -- one was at the perception level and other at the grassroots.
Being a member of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, people had a preconceived notion about me as one who wouldn’t be able to relate to people from other walks of life, or someone who wouldn’t be able to put in the kind of effort that is needed in politics. On the contrary, I had an ordinary upbringing; my father, late Brigadier Shri Bhawani Singh, served in the Indian Army and I grew up in cantonments living a simple and disciplined life of an army child. I had to break the incorrect perception that I was leading a sheltered life of a princess, and that I didn’t work as much or couldn’t relate to the ordinary way of life.
The second challenge was when I was elected as an MLA from Sawai Madhopur and got down to work at the grassroots; I realised that working within the constraints of the system, and given how backward the region is, it would take a while to get even basic development into the area. This was a little frustrating at the start, because it was taking time to build everything ground-up and I wanted to do everything I could for the people of Sawai Madhopur as soon as possible. In over two years now, I have learnt the ropes to work fast within with system and have undertaken several important initiatives.
How the world has changed for women
After living in suppressed conditions for so long, the Indian woman is now slowly and steadily walking towards the path of empowerment. She is pursuing education, educating her children, holding a job, and competing shoulder-toshoulder with men. She is changing the mindset of our society, which is used to looking at her as a liability or a lesser being. However, the pace of this change needs to be faster and as a society we need to provide a much stronger support system for women to fully realise their potential. India’s dream of becoming an economic superpower can only be realised if women get equal representation in all walks of life, since they can contribute significantly to our socio-economic development.
What women bring to workplace
With attributes such as emotional intelligence, empathy, flexibility and multitasking, women have a unique ability of making workplaces well-rounded. They can foster stronger collaboration among team members and can hold organisations together. The other special quality women have is resilience — women are tougher mentally and emotionally than men and don’t break easily; their resilient nature helps them navigate tough situations at work.
Geeta Chandran, Danseuse
Founder-President of Natya-Vriksha and Artistic Director of the Natya Vriksha Dance Company, Geeta Chandran is a celebrated artist. She has blended the knowledge she received from eminent gurus to imprint Bharatnatyam with her personal vision of the dance. She is known not only for her deep and composite understanding of the art of Bharatnatyam, but also for her Carnatic music.
Chandran has also created innumerable solo performances that spotlight her aesthetic persona as an eclectic classical choreographer. She is the author of So Many Journeys, a collection of her writings narrating her engagement with Bharatnatyam. In 2014-2015, she marked the completion of four decades of dedication to classical dance, since her arangetram in 1974. Chandran was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007.
Early challenges
It was both easy and difficult! Let me explain. Hailing from a traditional Palakkad-Iyer south Indian family, one was expected to learn dance and music in addition to excel in formal education.
Balancing this during childhood meant letting go of the nothing-time other children enjoyed. I had an extremely demanding and strict mother who managed my time with clockwork precision. I may have chafed at all this at that time, but today I realise that it was her draconian upbringing that led me to be a multitasking individual.
I went on to complete my graduation in mathematical statistics from Lady Shri Ram College, acquired a post-grad in advertising and public relations from the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communications (IIMC) and even worked in a few companies.
But the dance bug gnawed me from inside, until one day I decided to let go of the job-and-salary security to embrace a highly uncharted path with dance. Fortunately, my mother-in-law and mother supported me to the hilt! You could say that women’s power worked in my favour!
How the world has changed for women
Classical dance is an unusual profession in that the spotlight is mainly on women who are the cynosure of all eyes on stage. The men play a supporting part as members of the orchestra, as technicians, tailors, and so on. This is a profession that gives the gender dialogue a quick twist.
Dancers today are educated and have made an informed choice to become dancers. It is not an inherited profession for them. They are financially secure and are able to deal with their stardom as a work hazard.
I feel today’s dancers enjoy exalted social status. They are icons — brand ambassadors. Every time India’s pride needs to be boosted at international events, classical dancers are summoned!
What women bring to workplace
Dancers multitask efficiently and I feel their dance training makes them more intelligent. In fact, students who learn dance often are also achievers in their scholastic lives and go on to become achievers in whatever field they choose to embrace. So classical dance is a true friend in the gender walk.
Shahnaz Husain, Herbal Queen
As the undoubted Zarina of the herbal world, Shahnaz Husain is a towering figure. And yet, it’s interesting to think this young woman once took baby steps to reach where she is today. As Chairperson and Managing Director of the Shahnaz Husain Group of Companies, Husain is well-known the world over.
Early challenges
When I started my first herbal salon more than four decades ago, women were just stepping out into the career world. I adopted Ayurvedic beauty care and cure, which was a totally new concept. In fact, I pioneered herbal beauty care based on Ayurveda. People were hardly aware of the benefits of herbal beauty care and the dangers of chemicals. So, creating awareness was a big challenge if my enterprise had to succeed. I did this by contributing articles in leading newspapers and magazines. Very early in my career, I also made it a point to reply personally to letters seeking solutions for skin and hair problems, a practice I still maintain.
I had to overcome social and economic hurdles. I was already married and a mother. I started in a very small way, by starting my first herbal salon in my own home, after borrowing Rs 35,000 from my father.
Entering the international market was the biggest challenge. India was not even represented in the global beauty market at that time. I participated in the Festival of India in London in 1980, and was given a counter in the perfumery section at Selfridges. In the face of fierce competition, to stand up alone and sell India’s ancient civilisation in a jar was not easy. To everyone’s surprise, the entire consignment sold out in three days, breaking the store’s existing cosmetic sales records. It resulted in a permanent counter at the London store. From there, we moved on to Harrods in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, the Seibu chain in Japan, La Rinascente in Milan, and El Certe Inglis in Spain. The Shahnaz Husain Group has experienced an increasing demand for Indian Ayurvedic products from across the globe.
How the world has changed for women
Women have made their mark in every field. Today a woman is financially independent, and does not have to suffer in silence. But attitudes need to change, too. A woman has to realise her own potential and strength as an equal member of society. She has the strength to bring about change in the society and in her own status. That said, changes are much needed in the upliftment of women in rural areas and for education of the girl child. The quality of life and basic healthcare need to improve.
What women bring to workplace
I can honestly say that sound management and business acumen are gender-neutral. Given the same opportunities, a woman can be equally successful. As managers, women have many fitting qualities. They are good at dealing with people and at being able to integrate and nurture. Indeed, women have better communication and people skills. Their social conditioning and inherent nature can make them good managers. It is interesting how they juggle their different roles efficiently. They maintain delicate relationships and bonds within the family and the extended family. Where soft-core incentives are concerned, I feel that women are better at motivating and encouraging their juniours. They are certainly more tolerant, understanding, tactful, cooperative, consistent and sincere.
Deepika Jindal, Executive creative DirecTor and MD, arttd’Inox; and MD of Jindal stainless limited
Her petite frame can easily belie her steely fire. But then she has been instrumental in making a metal like steel seem fashionable, and how! Deepika Jindal initiated her design journey with manufacturing lifestyle products in stainless steel under the brand name Arttd’inox. Sceptics wondered how this plain metal could be fashionable, but she nurtured it with love and determination. Today, Arttd’inox has grown on to give the country its first luxury stainless steel modular kitchens and stainless steel furniture. Taking her passion of design and art forward, she has worked with hi-profile designers, with the latest collaboration with country’s foremost couturier, Suneet Varma. Under her aegis, Arttd’inox has won several highly-acclaimed awards such as EDIDA, India Design Mark, Red Dot (honorary award), and so on.
Early challenges
I started Arttd’inox quite late, and had the support of the family business to give birth to a brand like that. But it didn’t come without other challenges. For instance, I feel I should have studied business and management, because while creativity is innate and comes from within, managing a business is something I feel one should have learnt, as it helps to understand the nuances of running a business better. On the creative side, I would say the challenge has been to offer and create Indian designs with a modern and cold metal such as stainless steel.
How the world has changed for women
I am proud and delighted to see that today’s women are confident, very clear in their thinking and know exactly what they want. It’s heartening to see women doing well as entrepreneur, a business woman, and so on. I think the best part is they are no longer afraid of taking risks and have the support of their family and friends, which truly is a big change from the past.
What women bring to workplace
Women inherently nurture relationships and that’s why I think they make better team leaders, since they value each person and, thus, allow better team spirit. They are more persuasive and do not let ego come in between work.