Feature

You swirl the golden liquid in a cup first. Take a whiff of the aroma. Have a sip. Roll it around in your mouth to release the flavours. They could be full-bodied, floral, fruity or acidic; the tannins could be either subtle or pronounced. The methods for distinguishing good tea from a mediocre one are similar to wine, so why not bring the two together? That’s the thought that led Guwahati-based entrepreneur Alpana Saikia to craft the state’s first ‘tea wine’ using Assam CTC (crush, tear, curl)...

The classic white-gold saree from Kerala — the kasavu — may have travelled beyond its shores but nothing can beat its crisp rustles and shimmer in temples and homes on Onam, the harvest festival. The 10-day Onam celebrations began yesterday and the demand for the kasavu is “still quite subdued but much better” than what it was in 2020 when the pandemic had made a stronghold in the coastal state. In this land guarded by Lord Vishnu and also referred to as God’s own country, the traditional...

A CEO resigns her job, sells her apartment, breaks all her fixed deposits to follow her passion, and make a success of it From 2 co-workers to 200 From a part-time office allowed to function in a kindergarten school to a clientele of almost 400 These are just three instances in a country with the third largest — after the US and China — start-up ecosystem in the world. Now close your eyes. And, imagine. The excitement and fear as one by one she dismantles the ecosystem around her – Secure, high...

The derring-do to think out of the box, nay boxes. To chart the uncharted even in the face of skid-offs. To simplify the toughest issue at hand applying an Aristotelian principle – these are just some of the rules that have perhaps helped the most influential serial entrepreneur of this century to up and emend his game, project after project. Read how. How does one write of a man one has only read about, only on the World-Wide Net? How does one sift and sort through all those thousands of clicks...

30+ 50+ 65+ No, I am not doing any arithmetic. Just looking at the measurables at various stages of life – money, status, power, love, and not necessarily in that order. So, there’s this 65+ coach and mentor, currently writing a management self-help book, with more than four decades of experience in leading transformational changes in global companies and their supply network. While he does respond with a resounding yes to the question posed in the headline to this article, there are various...

It has been almost twenty years since the five member Shukla Commission submitted its report on the Northeast to the Prime Minister. The high-level commission headed by Planning Commission member SP Shukla, in its 150-page report titled Transforming the Northeast: Tackling Backlogs in Basic Minimum Services and Infrastructural Needs, had surprisingly paid little heed to the textiles sector of the region. The Shukla Commission, tasked to examine the potential of the Northeast, had devoted only...

Does this header sound far-fetched? Is the first question in the introduction above a pipe dream? Questions, questions, questions. Answers are there, but caught in the dreams that design a designer's world. Much is being said about the retail revolution – ongoing, at the threshold, to gain momentum… the industry is yet to decide as voices soft and sure emerge. What is missed out in the big story are the little stories that creep along at a snail's pace on a firm path. IMAGES BoF has been...

It will be a while yet before fashion designers in India can be the toast of the international market. India continues to be the flavour of the season, inspiring greats like Valentino to Oscar de la Renta, but what the Eurpoean and American markets want is a touch of India on clothing that is executed fine. "The Indian design that will really appeal to us will be that which gives an extra emotion. The designer will fly with his own wings. India is magical, the West is attracted to it," said...

Think big. Don't forget the masses when you're looking at the classes. Critical need of the country: How to build image of India as a country that produces high quality textile products. Break rules. Challenge established retail thinking and practice. Space enough for 50-100 new retail formats to come up. Make best use of opportunities available in market today before global players come in and take it away from us. Create/get merchandise to fill the mushrooming space in the country. Each one...

Lurking in the corners of mirth and merriment that mark the dawn of another year is always room for introspection and some retrospection. Umpteen times it has been said that India is in the midst of a retail revolution. And as the retail mass rolls along there are many who have added their own, lending momentum and even speed to the movement. There have been new impulses and pushes, imparting it a robust look. So long the movement has been more or less a consequence of an inertia that was...