Coffee Meets Carnatic Music
Carnatic musician Akshay Vaidyanathan orchestrates a harmonious blend of coffee and music with his homegrown brand, Kāpi Kottai. Picture this. You are sitting in your favorite corner of your space, and the mellifluous notes of the raag Khamās fills the air, making your private world an entrancing space. You take a sip from the […]
Cracking the snack code
Think banana chips and the crispy delight will instantly transport you to the bustling streets of Kerala, where the air is filled with the irresistible aroma of freshly-fried yellow goodness made from Nendrangai (a variety of banana). But, just 70 kilometers away lies Nagercoil, a town known for its distinct variant of Nendran chips. Thicker […]
Twenty Years Later at (the) Finale
Anuhya Reddy worked as a barista at the local Starbucks in London. The smell of fresh ground coffee and croissants filled the air amidst the silent chatter and muted keyboard clatters from the tables. Although this was just a part-time job halfway across the world, she felt a familiar warmth she hadn’t felt in a […]
Delectable Desserts for Every Dietary Restriction
It is 2013. Senthil Kumar Balu was in Perth on a short stint as a visiting academic at Curtin University’s stem cell research centre. The door opens as Senthil Kumar Balu walks into his friend’s house with a chocolate cake. This was the first time he had ever used an oven or even attempted baking. […]
Resin to Remember
“Anewlywed couple sent me flowers from their wedding garlands to add to their memory box recently!” gushes Amrita Giriraj. It’s the stories that inspire the products at Alankaara. The jewellery and lifestyle brand relentlessly explores the concept of preserving fragments of time through resin art. At fifteen, Amrita found herself drifting towards science two—a high […]
Chennai’s Chocolatier Recreates Local Flavours with an International Twist
“Chakra Pongal, Mishti Doi, Paan and Panchamridham,” lists Janani Kannan announcing another order. These are not just popular flavours from around India. They are the best-sellers from Zitter’s bonbon collection. The studio opens up into an air-conditioned hall with glass refrigerators at sixteen degrees stacked with decadent chocolates and pastries. A gust of cool air […]
Where Tamil Culture Meets Urban Streetwear
Raghavendar Balasubramaniam, better known as Raghav, grew up in the busy neighborhood of T. Nagar. Anyone familiar with the locality instantly recalls the bustling traffic and hoards of crowding outside the largest houses of the oldest fashion and jewellery brands in Tamil Nadu. The sidewalks and entrances of these large franchises are lined with smaller […]
Siblings in the Business of Sustainable (and Comfortable) Garments
Arun Kumar and his sister SP Ponmani were cleaning up their childhood home in Madurai one afternoon when they stumbled upon a chest filled with pure cotton clothes from when they were babies. “The material was so soft and still usable even though they were about twenty years old,” says Ponmani with amusement recalling the […]
Decadent Layers of Impactful Storytelling
One Christmas Eve, Valampuri John, a celebrated Tamil orator and writer, was invited to a baking show for a Christmas Special where he comedically stated, “Cake is called cake because if you want it, ‘thirupi thirupi cake-anum’ (translation: you have to keep asking for it),” leaving the crowd in hysterics. A young girl in Avadi, […]
Let your clothes tell your story
Fashion icon Iris Apfel once said, “What’s my style is not your style, and I don’t see how you can define it. It’s something that expresses who you are in your own way.” As people learn to be comfortable in their own skin and the world moves towards self-expression and individuality, most fast fashion brands […]
A Sustainable Life Powered by Goli Soda
Six-year-old Sruti Harihara Subramanian grew up in Mylapore with a special love for animals and open spaces. During the vacations, she used to visit her grandparents in a small town amidst the folding green landscapes of Kerala. Her only source of entertainment in this sleepy town was to sit on the steps with the local […]
Coonoor’s Quirky Cafe with a Cause
On the moderately chilly but serene slopes of Coonoor, in Radhika Shastry’s backyard, lies the quirky Cafe Diem with its welcoming warm yellow lights and exquisite interior artifacts against the quaint but cozy brick walls, luring tourists and residents alike. “I always knew I would live in the hills,” declares the founder who quit her […]
OK Google, Where Can I find Hand-Crafted Fountain Pens in Chennai?
M.Pratap Kumar, a chemistry graduate and the unsuspecting heir to the celebrated Gem & Company—popular since time immemorial for the GAMA pen, is the third-generation owner of the hand-made fountain pen business. The highly sought-after company was founded by his grandfather M. C. Cunnan, and his associate, Venkatarangam pre-Independence, amidst the bustling crowds of commerce […]
Once Upon a Slime After School
“Slime is not just for children, it’s for everyone!” declares Avi Natesan, full of zest. Her effervescent personality shines as she brings out tubs of goo, complex origami patterns, and a handmade miniature kitchen. These quirky artifacts are not just outcomes of her summer-time hobbies and passions—hours went into hands-on experimentation before she built her […]
Success through Passion – A Käse Study
Back in 2015, if you had asked international trade and investment consultant, Namrata Sundaresan, if she was going to transform her Coonoor vacation cheesemaking experience into a multi-crore business she would have burst out laughing before responding, “I have better things to do than to make cheese.” Nevertheless, being a foodie at heart and the […]
Out of the Box, into the Market
Almost everyone has lived on a student budget at some point. In 2019, 3rd year product design student, Karthic Rathinam’s life was no different. That was the year he decided to rent a studio apartment in Pune, near his college, as he had to move out of his hostel. The rest of his money would go […]
How Green Crush Canned the Soft Drink Market in Chennai
8th January 2017. Tamil Nadu. Chennai. This was a historic day when around 2,00,000 young people gathered at Marina Beach for 15 days in solidarity to legalize Jallikattu, a traditional Tamil game played during the harvest festival of Pongal, that involves releasing a rogue bull while crowds of people run behind it and try to stop […]
Taste of Small Scale Entrepreneurship in Chennai – In the Choux of Daya’s Patisserie
Daya Shivani, a young baker and entrepreneur is on a mission to show people in Tamil Nadu that pastries dont always mean cake. Daya’s Patisserie was a dream that took shape through an Instagram Page in mid December 2020. Her pastries range from the traditional French Mille Feuille (a layered puff pastry) to a more […]
