More than 2000 guests treated with mouth-watering cuisines

Mysore :

They are no Karan-Arjun or Krishna- Balram but both share a strong relationship from the past 60 years depicting the same affection as that of brothers whom we have seen on television or heard about in stories of Bhagavata. At the time when families no more live together, here is a family that lives, eats and breathes together. Yes, I am talking about one of city’s well known families… The Shenoy’s of famous Mangalore Ganesh Beedi Works.

Yesterday it was a festival atmosphere among the members of various communities at the Govind Rao Memorial Hall on JLB Road when they came together to celebrate the 60th birthday of city’s industrialists M. Ramanath Shenoy and M. Jagannath Shenoy of Mangalore Ganesh Beedi Works, who are twins. It was a rare occasion where people from different walks of life came together to celebrate their 60th birthday.

The felicitation committee headed by Dr. C. Umesh Kamath had organised a grand event to celebrate 60th birthday of industrialists who are known for their philanthropy apart from taking care of their employees.

Both Ramanath Shenoy and Jagannath Shenoy were given a Poorakumbha Swagatha accompanied by Naadaswara on their arrival at the venue. The event began with both couples M. Jagannath Shenoy, his wife Kusuma Shenoy and M. Ramanath Shenoy, his wife Vasumathi came on the stage after seeking the blessings of Surendra Bhat, a senior member among the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community. Later, the event began with rendering of invocation by Rajesh Padiyar, who took the members present on a devotional journey.

Industrialists from Mysore and Mangalore, politicians, businessmen and well-wishers had come to wish both the brothers on their 60th birthday which is considered to be a great occasion among the Hindu community. Vishwanath Bhat, a close friend of Shenoys, spoke about Jagannath Shenoy and his achievements, also about the meaning of celebrating the 60th birthday of an individual.

The event was presided by K.V. Kamath, former Chairman of ICICI Bank along with his wife Rajalakshmi Kamath. Incidentally, K.V. Kamath is the co-brother of Ramanath Shenoy and Jagannath Shenoy. More than 1,000 people had assembled at the Govind Rao Memorial Hall to felicitate and greet the Shenoy brothers. Tributes were also paid to the parents of the Shenoy brothers on the occasion. Vijayraghavan, one of Jagannath Shenoy’s friends, spoke about their school days and the pranks they played when at school and home.

Speaking on the occasion, Jagannath Shenoy, thanked all those who were involved in organising the event. He also remembered tough situations and challenges he faced while taking over the management of Mangalore Ganesh Beedies.

Thanking his co-brother K.V. Kamath for his guidance when the company was in trouble, Jagannath Shenoy said that company had to take loan of Rs. 114 crore to solve a legal matter. “It is when Kamath helped me and till today he has been guiding me all through,” he said.

Jagannath Shenoy also added that the company cleared all the liabilities within the given time and today the turnover is around Rs. 550 crore per year. He advised the youngsters to respect parents and elders. Speaking about his company, Jagannath Shenoy said that the Government of India has announced the deadline to close the tobacco industry by 2020. But, till now the Government has not come out with any alternative programme for those involved in the beedi industry. “There are around 65,000 people dependent on the industry and the company has been paying Rs. 3.5 crore every week towards wages. But, if the industry is shut, there is no alternative for these workers who are not educated. Let government come with an alternative job for these beedi workers,” said Shenoy.

Later, K.V. Kamath said that nothing was made easy for Jagannath Shenoy and whatever he got was only on merit. “He wanted to change things in 1993 and be an entrepreneur. His hard work and dedication has brought him to this level and I feel very proud of him,” he added.

GSB Sabha Vice-President Mahesh Shenoy, Secretary Mahesh Kamat, Dr. C.D. Srinivas Murthy, Star of Mysore Editor-in-Chief K.B. Ganapathy, Vijaya Vittala Vidyashala Secretary Rtn. R. Vasudev Bhat, Canara Bank Deputy General Manager Dr. S.T. Ramachandra, music patron Rtn. K.V. Murthy, Industrialist B.R. Pai, MLA Vasu, MLC G. Madhusudhan, former MLC Thontadarya, Dr. C.G. Narasimhan, Rtn. Parthanath, Dr. C.K.N. Raja, Kamakshi Hospital Administrator Dr. K.R. Kamath and others were present.

More than 2,000 guests were treated to 12 kinds of cuisines specially prepared for the occasion. A total of 10 cooks were brought from Mangalore to prepare the special dishes.

The menu included Ghee Rice, Kurma, Gobi Manchurian, Khichdi and desserts.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / February 08th, 2014

Meet architects Farah Ahmed and Dhaval Shellugar, who love to come up with out-of-the-box ideas

Farah Ahmed and Dhaval Shellugar are the people behind the Farah And Dhaval Design (FADD) Studio on St. Mark’s Road, which started in 2012. So, what’s new about them?

For starters, they like working with offbeat and natural material such as burnt rust cement or bricks. “Cement, when it is waxed, looks so gorgeous that you will be surprised that it is cement,” explains Dhaval.

He adds that he always had a passion for architecture. “My father was into automobile accessories. The products at his store always intrigued me and I would find myself creating something new with the material he had. Then, I decided that I had to study architecture at Rachana Sasand’s Academy of Architecture in Bombay, after which I worked with Sandeep Khosla.”

Farah, on the other hand, was an artist. She says she always had leanings towards design. She studied in the U.S. and the turning point came when “I was gifted a camera which drove me into photography. Strangely it was never about people, but more about landscape and forms and textures. I was so inspired by nature that I found myself always creating an abstract composition.”

The young architect started exhibiting her works and lived as an artist before she interned with Sandeep Khosla, where she met Dhaval and the duo decided to start FADD.

She went on to study at Istitutio Marangoni in Milan. “I feel interior designing is a different manifestation of the same kind of creativity that I used in my art work. The only difference is in architecture, the physical space becomes my canvas,” explains Farah.

Coming to their work they say that Indians are fascinated with new designs. And with the world becoming smaller, resources are always “at our disposal”.

Dhaval says one should also always keep a tab on global trends. “That way you will be in sync with the latest in the market. No, we do not have a signature style for that will just put us and our thinking in a box. It is more like playing with form and function and yet keeping it minimal.”

They talk about the challenges they face in their profession. According to Farah it is “changing people’s set notions about designs. They think if something is expensive then it is classy. That is not always true.”

Dhaval says for him the challenge was designing the florist shop, Flower Box in Indiranagar. “We wanted to create a special look for the flowers, which are so colourful by nature. So we had to create an intensive design that would not kill the beauty of the flowers. We studied Zen and Ikebana and other flower arrangements to come up with something unique for this store.” The duo used shades of white and grey and found that the “flowers simply pop out from the shaded backgrounds”. A Kerala houseboat designed for a business man in Goa is also close to their heart.

For more on the architects, log on to www.faddstudio.com or call 22223661.

This column features those who choose to veer of the beaten track.

SHILPA SEBASTIAN R.

People think if something is expensive then it is classy. That is not always true

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metro Plus / by Shilpa Sebastian R. / February 12th, 2014

It is that time of the year again when fashionistas from the town are all taking a second look at their wardrobes. Literally so! As the Bangalore Fashion Week is currently on and everyone is heading there to catch the latest fashion trends.

The event, which has designers from all over the country showcasing their work, saw a decent turnout on the first day where city based designer, Michelle Salins, showcased her work.

Michelle, who has been catering to the clients abroad, has now launched her label in India and her collection at BFW showcased what she has targeted for the Indian audiences.

The collection, which had designs for both men and women, was fun and flirty. Short dresses, gowns, jumpsuits, shirts and suits – they were all there.

A lot of prints were seen in the collection which made it stand out. While the models strut their stuff, the showstopper, actress Sharmiela Mandre walked down the ramp in a cream and white ensemble which had lace work on it. The pretty actress was seen having fun on the ramp. Later, she was seen catching up with her friends once the show was over.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Kannada> Bangalore Fashion Week / by Taniya Talukdar, TNN / January 24th, 2014