Life & Style

What does 4 pm mean for you? For most school children, it is the quick joy of a veg puff or an egg puff after school, or a bajji on the way back from tuition classes. For office-goers, it is a break from routine—a short walk with colleagues to the nearest tea shop, where a masala chai with butter biscuit, samosa or vadai works its magic.

Shabnam addressing the gathering and talking about the tiffin culture of Chennai
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

Murukku sandwhich
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

On August 23, as a part of The Hindu’s Made of Chennai, Madras Munches, was hosted at Sree Akshayam, Velachery. Curated by Shabnam Kamil, food consultant, the evening was filled with nostalgia for the participants, who were selected from among the readers of The Hindu.

“When we travel across the country, we realise that each city or town will showcase their local cuisine when it comes to street food. But Chennai is unique. As it is a multicultural city, we have local food as well as Andhra and Kerala specialities, Burmese food, Tibetan food, and sandwiches, doughnuts and puffs influenced by the Anglo-Indians, making the street food culture very vibrant,” says Rajesh Kannan, Partner, Sree Akshayam.

Shabnam says that when evening tiffin in Chennai is predominantly vegetarian, and each locality has its own street food hub. What Madras munches on, is not restricted to just bajji, bonda and vada; in recent times, the range of street food has widened. Soups, sandwiches, samosas, puffs, atho-bejo, momos, cut fruits and puttu varieties are now sold from pushcarts.

“Snacks at Marina is something all of us would have experienced. The iconic thenga-manga-pattani sundal, chilli bhajjis, cotton candy and popcorn are sold even today, alongside other fancy food items,” says Shabnam, adding, “We socialise, connect and carry on conversations over food. Especially at snack time, whether in office, school or at home, we come together for this evening ritual.”

Participants savouring the classic Chennai snacks
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

At this event, there was also an exclusive showcase of classic Chennai tiffin snacks. One of the highlights was the Delhi applam, a huge circular snack deep fried in oil at a live counter. Normally sold at exhibition grounds, it evoked fond childhood memories for almost every participant. This was closely followed by the murukku sandwich, which originates from Sowcarpet, where bread slices are replaced with murukku and filled with mint chutney, slices of onion and cucumber.

Also on the menu were veg puffs, onion samosas, pattinam pakodas, butter biscuits, rose milk, marina sundal, mango ice cream from Kunhiraman, bun-butter-jam from Gopaul Bun Butter Jam, and filter coffee.

Simran, of Deli Dally, presented her rasam focaccia, which was a fusion of Italian focaccia with Tamil Nadu rasam podi, and she topped the dish with curry leaves.

“Celebrate Chennai, its multicultural nature as reflected in these snacks we have curated. Take a moment to savour every snack, celebrate culture, history, and enjoy that nostalgic moment,” said Rajesh.

The Hindu Made of Chennai is presented by Casagrand and powered by SRM. Associate Partners: Tata Tea Chakra Gold, Tata Coffee. Walk partners: Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Limited. Curation partner: Annam by Shabnam. The event is also done in partnership with Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Greater Chennai Corporation, Greater Chennai Police, Greater Chennai Traffic Police and Namma Marina, Namma Pride. Radio Partners: Big FM, Fever FM and Radio One.

Published – August 26, 2025 12:06 pm IST

What does 4 pm mean for you? For most school children, it is the quick joy of a veg puff or an egg puff after school, or a bajji on the way back from tuition classes. For office-goers, it is a break from routine—a short walk with colleagues to the nearest tea shop, where a masala chai with butter biscuit, samosa or vadai works its magic.

Shabnam addressing the gathering and talking about the tiffin culture of Chennai
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

Murukku sandwhich
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

On August 23, as a part of The Hindu’s Made of Chennai, Madras Munches, was hosted at Sree Akshayam, Velachery. Curated by Shabnam Kamil, food consultant, the evening was filled with nostalgia for the participants, who were selected from among the readers of The Hindu.

“When we travel across the country, we realise that each city or town will showcase their local cuisine when it comes to street food. But Chennai is unique. As it is a multicultural city, we have local food as well as Andhra and Kerala specialities, Burmese food, Tibetan food, and sandwiches, doughnuts and puffs influenced by the Anglo-Indians, making the street food culture very vibrant,” says Rajesh Kannan, Partner, Sree Akshayam.

Shabnam says that when evening tiffin in Chennai is predominantly vegetarian, and each locality has its own street food hub. What Madras munches on, is not restricted to just bajji, bonda and vada; in recent times, the range of street food has widened. Soups, sandwiches, samosas, puffs, atho-bejo, momos, cut fruits and puttu varieties are now sold from pushcarts.

“Snacks at Marina is something all of us would have experienced. The iconic thenga-manga-pattani sundal, chilli bhajjis, cotton candy and popcorn are sold even today, alongside other fancy food items,” says Shabnam, adding, “We socialise, connect and carry on conversations over food. Especially at snack time, whether in office, school or at home, we come together for this evening ritual.”

Participants savouring the classic Chennai snacks
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

At this event, there was also an exclusive showcase of classic Chennai tiffin snacks. One of the highlights was the Delhi applam, a huge circular snack deep fried in oil at a live counter. Normally sold at exhibition grounds, it evoked fond childhood memories for almost every participant. This was closely followed by the murukku sandwich, which originates from Sowcarpet, where bread slices are replaced with murukku and filled with mint chutney, slices of onion and cucumber.

Also on the menu were veg puffs, onion samosas, pattinam pakodas, butter biscuits, rose milk, marina sundal, mango ice cream from Kunhiraman, bun-butter-jam from Gopaul Bun Butter Jam, and filter coffee.

Simran, of Deli Dally, presented her rasam focaccia, which was a fusion of Italian focaccia with Tamil Nadu rasam podi, and she topped the dish with curry leaves.

“Celebrate Chennai, its multicultural nature as reflected in these snacks we have curated. Take a moment to savour every snack, celebrate culture, history, and enjoy that nostalgic moment,” said Rajesh.

The Hindu Made of Chennai is presented by Casagrand and powered by SRM. Associate Partners: Tata Tea Chakra Gold, Tata Coffee. Walk partners: Chennai Port Authority and Kamarajar Port Limited. Curation partner: Annam by Shabnam. The event is also done in partnership with Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation, Greater Chennai Corporation, Greater Chennai Police, Greater Chennai Traffic Police and Namma Marina, Namma Pride. Radio Partners: Big FM, Fever FM and Radio One.

Published – August 26, 2025 12:06 pm IST

Every stitch in Punit Balana’s creations is a proud paean to Rajasthan. The garments are shaped by memories, art, colours, music, culture and localities from the State that he calls home. Be it Bagru, Sanganer, or the buzzing chowks of Jaipur, all of them find representation in Punit’s collections.

“Jaipur is where everything began. I grew up surrounded by block prints, crafts, embroidery, textile… Craft was a part of my everyday life. The city is layered: one day you are looking at the geometry of Amer Fort, the next day, the colours of Johri Bazar. I don’t think I looked for inspiration anywhere else,” says Punit who was born in Bikaner and moved to Jaipur in 2007.

Bhumi Pednekar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The label just turned 10 and to commemorate the milestone, Punit and his wife Malvika hosted a fashion show in the Pink City last week, and unveiled a brand new store. The store — his third in the country, after Mumbai and Delhi — has calm terracotta olive interiors that are brought to life by the bright colours from his Festive 2025 collection Amer. The new space reflects his aesthetics and features his trademark work like coin embroidery (in the form of curtains and as aesthetic touches on chandeliers and cushions), and chaandi tille embroidery around mirrors.

Amer is inspired by the fort as well as Punit’s decade long journey. So, naturally, it comprises a number of silhouettes, colours, elements, and embroidery seen over the years, right from his first collection Pyari Darpan to the recent Johari Bazar. “When you see an old silhouette, it can tell the story of Punit Balana but it still has freshness and that’s what we kept in mind while creating this line,” he says.

Diana Penty in a Punit Balana creation
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The recurring chaandi tille work is inspired by the Sheesh Mahal of Amer Fort. “It is tikri work, which is basically glass inlay. But if we put glass in our garments then the fluidity of the garment goes. So we did R&D with different materials and opted for silver sheets that we cut into different shapes and did zardozi embroidery,” explains Punit. This is an embroidery technique that very few can master. In the past year we have trained a lot of karigars which is why Amer has a large collective of chaandi tille ka kaam, he says.

The brand new Punit Balana store in Jaipur
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The coin embroidery, another trademark, came about when he wanted to replace sequins with something unusual. Now one sees them on the label’s signature silhouettes like ghagri maxis, handkerchief blouses, and waistcoats.

Notes from the runway

The fashion show, set against the backdrop of the iconic Rambagh Palace, featured a ramp lit by numerous candles, with waterfalls and a waterbody adding to the appeal. The clothes matched the setting with dramatic silhouettes, flairs that made the models twirl, and elaborate gota, coin, and chaandi tille embroidery that add a festive feel. Ananya Panday closed the show in a gulaabi gulal lehenga, a shade of pink that clearly seems to be Punit’s favourite.

A Rajasthani folk singer did the job of background music with his powerful, earthy vocals. This was interspersed with beats by musical duo Tech Panda X Kenzani. Folk dancers from the region took to the ramp displaying traditional Rajasthani dance forms like ghoomar and kalbeliya. The ramp was a blur of vibrant colours with gulaabi gulal, kacha aam, and surkh laal from the Utsav collection and mustard and dry henna from the Rabari collection. Saleti blue is the only new colour introduced for this collection. Everything is a tribute to the heritage and craft of the region, including the bandhani hand fans that attendees were thoughtfully equipped with to combat the humidity.

Interiors of the store
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

These creations are my way of acknowledging my roots, says Punit, visibly relaxed after the show. He admits he was a bundle of nerves before the show. This was his first solo event and that too on his home turf. While the rain did play spoilsport initially, the grandeur of the show and clothes made up for it. “Rajasthan is a living museum of craft. Every cluster here works with something unique,” he smiles, adding, “I’ve travelled the whole world, the calm, serenity, and peace that I get from this city, I don’t get feel that anywhere else. If I had to live anywhere in the world, it can only be Jaipur.”

30MP_Punit_New
| Photo Credit:
Gulshan Sacheva-(Vidhi Images)

Published – August 25, 2025 05:07 pm IST

At a rehearsal of We Will Rock You
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

It was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, the sung-through musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, that inspired Leila Alvares to create musicals herself, more than three decades ago. “I was studying abroad at that time and told myself that when I go back to India, I would do Joseph,” says the founder and president of the CAUSE Foundation (Co-operation of the Arts for the Underprivileged in Society and Environment), a non-profit organisation that promotes local talent and donates profits from musical productions to charities.

Not only did she indeed do Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat multiple times in Bengaluru, but since 1997, the CAUSE Foundation has been staging a musical every year. These include classics like The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady, Grease, The Addams Family, Something Rotten and Monty Python’s Spamalot. Now, more than 28 years later, the foundation is all geared up for their next one: We Will Rock You, a futuristic, jukebox musical, written by Ben Elton and set to the legendary music of Queen.

The musical, set in a bleak, dystopian world, “a very Orwellian kind of thing,” tells the story of two people who join the Bohemians, a bunch of rock rebels, and their battle to restore freedom and individuality in this totalitarian world. “I grew up with Queen, and while I’m not saying it was my favourite band ― I preferred ABBA and Boney M, there were certain songs, like We are the Champions and We will Rock You, that I loved,” says Leila.

The play is also a nod to the age of social media algorithms, where technology constantly risks eroding individuality. “This musical was written in 2002 and was slightly ahead of its time,” she says, admitting that while the play is entertaining, it does have an important message.

“The underlying thing is that these people want to bring back individuality, people making their own decisions and thinking for themselves rather than have other people or even AI thinking for you.”

Leila Alvares
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The cast of We Will Rock You includes Rahael Thomas, Samiksha Chawla, Deepa Jacob, Kieren Alvares Lynn, Arvind Kasthuri, Aakarsh Paul, Trisha Purohit, Shyju Varkey and Prem Koshy. As with every musical by the CAUSE Foundation, profits will be donated to good causes in Bengaluru as well as in the other cities the play goes to. “We make sure that we donate to an animal charity, because that is very close to my heart, and a human charity, too,” she says.

We Will Rock You will be held at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Bengaluru, on August 30 and 31, at 7:15 pm (both days) & 11:15 am (only on August 31). A show will also be held at the MLR Convention Centre, Whitefield, on September 6 at 7:15 pm. Tickets, priced at ₹ 1000, ₹ 800, ₹ 499, and ₹ 300, are available on BookMyShow or by calling Kavitha (98844169903).

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Ashifa Firdous and Faizal Subair, who launched Badi Rasam
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A ready-to-eat meal pack for ₹49. That is Badi Rasam for you. The branded product comes from Thiruvananthapuram-based couple, Faizal Subair and Ashifa Firdous.

Currently available within the city limits, the pack has Kerala matta rice, sauteed green gram, a pickle, tomato rasam and badi. “Badi is a sun-dried dumpling made of lentils. The badi we use has black gram (uzhunnu). The dumplings are dry roasted and powdered. It is mixed with sautéed shallots, green chilli and garlic. This is a traditional dish prepared in many North Indian states and I knew of it from my wife who is from Odisha.”

Badi Rasam has found its clientele within a few days of arriving in the market and the duo is happy. “We retail from around 25 shops within the city. Going by the response, the number is bound to go up,” says Faizal. While he is a former employee with IBS in Technopark, Ashifa currently works in the same company.

Faizal says the idea was borne out of his desire to start a business that is beneficial to society. That was when he zeroed in on food, specifically lunch. “When I used to eat from outside I preferred a light meal. But the lunch I usually bought would be more than what I needed. I have seen people trying hard to finish the serving because they did not want to waste the money or the food. That was when I thought about a light meal that is affordable. The first thing I did was fix the price. Next step was to introduce something that is healthy, wholesome and hygienic,” he says.

Being “a health freak”, Faizal says he has ensured that the weight of the contents adds up to enough calories — 250gm cooked rice, 50gm green gram, 100 ml rasam and 10gm each of pickle and badi. “But this might not be enough for those who do hard physical labour. My target is those who prefer light but healthy meal that they can by from a nearby store.” The target crowd includes travellers, hostelers, office-goers, and daily workers.

Faizal says he chose green gram instead of a vegetable because he was worried about the quality of the latter. “Green gram is rich in protein. But now customers are asking for other options, especially those who are buying the pack daily. We never expected that someone would have it every day!”

Premium packing

The food comes in a paper container. While badi and green gram are packed in butter paper, the rasam pack is made with corn starch. There is a wooden spoon as well. “The only plastic element is the outer covering that keeps the container tight so that the contents do not spill out or get wet.”

Faizal does the cooking at their home at Ambalathara. “I’ve got the guidance, especially regarding the utensils, from my father-in-law who is an executive chef in a leading hotel in Kochi,” he adds.

The meal remains fresh for six to eight hours. “But you can refrigerate it and can have it for dinner as kanji (porridge) or as fermented meal the next day,” he says.

While currently it is being sold only within city limits, it will be expanded depending on the demand. For details, log on to www.badirasam.com or contact 9895499479

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“It is all about becoming self-sufficient.” That is N Harikesan Nair’s principle behind his love for farming. The retired bank employee from Thiruvananthapuram is currently basking in the glory of winning the award for the best organic nutrition garden at the State Farm Awards 2024.

One cannot help but listen in awe as he lists the variety of crops and plants he cultivates at his home at Sree Nagar, Kalippankulam, near Manacaud. Besides the area around his home on the 10-cent plot, farming is being done extensively on two terraces, covering an area of 2,500 sq ft.

“I have been doing this for the last 21 years. I expanded the cultivation after retirement in 2019,” says the 66-year-old who worked in Bank of Baroda. Fruit-bearing trees, medicinal plants, tubers, vegetables, flowers, leafy greens etc are grown on the terrace and around the house. “When the award committee came for the review, they said that curry leaf and drumstick are a must in a nutrition garden. I grow both in plenty on the terrace and the ground,” he says with pride.

Among the medicinal herbs and plants grown in his farm are neela amari (indigo plant), turmeric varieties, aloe vera, kacholam (aromatic ginger), chundakka (turkey berry), ramacham (vetiver), pathimukham (sappan wood) etc. Besides commonly-grown vegetables and tubers, the garden also has beetroot, carrot, celery, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage, different varieties of yam, sweet potato, Chinese potato, arrow root, ground nut, pineapple, plantain varieties etc.

Around 50 fruit-bearing trees are cultivated here, most of which are grown in huge pots on the terrace. These include dragon fruit, passion fruit, miracle fruit, star fruit, cherry, mango, jackfruit, green grapes, guava, sapota, pomegranate and lemon.

Paddy grown on terrace at N Harikesan Nair’s home
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Paddy is also grown on the terrace. His garden is rich in terms of flowers as well, which include marigold, cock’s comb, lotus, water lily, ixora variants and other varieties.

“I have adopted vertical arrangement so that the most number of pots can be arranged in the available space. My policy is, less space but maximum yield,” he adds.

It was only natural for Harikesan to take up farming since his father was a farmer while they lived at Alumkuzhy, a few kilometres from Palode. “We cultivated everything, right from vegetables and plantain to paddy, coconut, areca palm, and reared cattle and poultry. After my father’s demise, my mother took it forward,” he recalls.

Farming is no easy job, he stresses. “It is time consuming and calls for immense patience and hard work. Climate change poses the biggest challenge. Unexpected rainfall and strong winds often damage the crops.”

Harikesan says his wife, S Sreekala, a retired government official and son, Ananthu H, help him in running the farm. “Waste management is done at the source. Slurry from the biogas plant is the fertilizer, and we don’t use any pesticides. The garden also has a few honeybee colonies to facilitate pollination. We use the harvested honey at home.”

He adds, “I depend on vegetable shops only to buy potato, onion and shallots. And whatever yield I get is distributed among neighbours, friends and family. I don’t market any produce. I consider this a service.”

Contact: 9497849823

Published – August 23, 2025 02:20 pm IST

Rain has been cascading in plumes, only to pause just before the launch of designer Rahul Mishra’s largest maison in the country, in Mumbai, at Kala Ghoda district. On his way from Mumbai Airport to the new atelier, Rahul says that he had been looking for the perfect space for his flagship outlet before he chanced upon the City Ice, a nearly-80-year-old building, in Kala Ghoda. The sprawling 7,500 square-foot property, which served as an ice-storage facility in the 70s, will now house some of the most exquisite collections by Rahul who became the first Indian designer to be invited to showcase at the Haute Couture Week in Paris in 2020.

The 7,500 square-foot property, which served as an ice-storage facility in the 70s, will now house some of the most exquisite collections by Rahul 
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Muse and museum

To breathe life into the bare shell, Mishra turned to Rooshad Shroff, whose practice is synonymous with Indian craftsmanship blended with a modern aesthetic. Rooshad has also designed the luxury outposts of labels Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Kunal Rawal in Mumbai.

Interiors of the store
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

“I wanted to work with Rooshad. The idea was to create something that brought us together with a shared sense of purpose. This atelier became that meeting ground,” says Rahul. Rooshad’s concept, The Museum of Rahul Mishra, creates a gallery that stands strong as a beautiful, meaningful environment, even without the garments. Finalising the concept was a seamless process, Rahul laughs. It took him and his wife and co-founder, Divya Mishra, just 15 minutes to align with Rooshad’s vision. The store was established in nearly two years and this is his label’s fifth outlet in India.

Rooshad approached the project, not by imposing his signature style, but by contemplating the evolution of Rahul’s couture canon
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

“How do you find a completely new retail language, which also remains unique to you,” asks Rahul. Rooshad approached the project, not by imposing his signature style, but by contemplating the evolution of Rahul’s couture canon and contextualising it within the space. “That kind of versatility and the ability to adapt creatively is something I respect deeply,” says Rahul.

Immersive experience

The space has been designed as a series of chambers that invite you to meander from one to the next. “Every corner should create a new surprise or present an object of interest for people to keep discovering,” says Rahul. The journey begins in the first chamber, at the atelier’s entrance — a meditative space that Rahul paradoxically describes as “cosmic chaos” to describe Nature in full bloom.

The space has been designed as a series of chambers
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

From floor to ceiling, every inch of space is covered by framed artwork — watercolour sketches, muslin swatches, pressed flowers, and botanical embroideries. It’s a veritable scrapbook that invites you to linger, even ponder over them.

From floor to ceiling, every inch of space is covered by framed artwork
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The inner sanctum, finally ending at the couture chamber — a soaring, high-ceilinged vault — is where suspended metal birds lift the gaze upwards, accentuating the vastness of the space.

The inner sanctum of the store
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Reimagining expressions

The flagship combines the delicate minutiae of Rahul’s craftsmanship with Rooshad’s nuanced interpretation of it: elaborate embroidery, archival motifs, and layered storytelling. “It’s a celebration of craftsmanship,” says Rooshad. It is a sensorial, tactile exploration of different elements distilled from Mishra’s majestic fashion universe. For instance, the dragonflies from the Superheroes couture collection are reimagined on marble inlay work. Three-dimensional bejewelled insects from his couture are affixed to the wall. French knots from the fabric are scattered across wooden panels.

The flagship combines the delicate minutiae of Rahul’s craftsmanship with Rooshad’s nuanced interpretation of it
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

“You’ve seen these elements on the runway in Paris and across the world, but here they take on a different form. It’s about materiality, of seeing the same language translated into a new medium, giving it fresh life,” says Rahul, about the paradox of uniqueness juxtaposed with familiarity.

Rahul is introducing a new concept for clients to engage intimately in the creation of couture in meaningful ways
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Rahul is introducing a new concept for clients to engage intimately in the creation of couture in meaningful ways. With each objet d’art custom-created for the store, people can walk in and point to a motif they love, and ask, ‘Can you design that for me?’. “A bride, for instance, might say, ‘This flower is special to me. Could you incorporate it into my dress?’; Or someone might choose a ladybird, considered a sign of luck in France, and ask for it to be embroidered into the garment,” says Rahul, the entire store acting as a catalogue for co-creation.

The store acts as a catalogue for co-creation
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Art’s sake

The Rahul Mishra Maison features couture and his prêt-à-porter label AFEW. Guests will also be able to purchase detailed artworks made by the artisans in the atelier using his signature techniques. And it will retail his latest drop: couture bags that are already on the way to acquiring a cult status — a universe of minaudieres, saddle bags, clutches, and more. The store will also have a space for a master tailor. And for guests who seek an added layer of privacy, there are VIP shopping suites for an intimate couture experience.

The Rahul Mishra Maison features couture and his prêt-à-porter label AFEW
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Towards the end of the atelier is a dramatic passageway, framed by his Parisian haute couture collection on both sides. A pool of light cascading like water, or the falling of leaves, illuminates a striking silhouette in all gold from his Becoming Love collection. For Rahul and Rooshad, the store is a love letter to India’s incredible craftsmanship, a testament to their enduring vision. 

Published – August 23, 2025 01:46 pm IST