INDIAN EDITION

WHAT A MANS GOT TO DO

JANUARY 2015 `150

NEW RULES OF
OFFICE STYLE
How to nail
workwear in 2015

Why Microsofts

Satya Nadella
has the toughest
job in Business
INDIAS BEST
BREAKFAST
SPOTS
CRICKET
Manjrekar on why
we flopped in
Australia in 1992

rj n
T

U E

GET FIT!

r
T R

WITH THE
COUNTRYS
COOLEST
TRAINERS

ARJUN KAPOOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERRIKOS ANDREOU

Contents

126

A moveable feast
Inside the mind of
Bollywoods newest
bad boy. By Dave Besseling
ON THE
COVER

INDIAN EDITION

WHAT A MANS GOT TO DO

JANUARY 2015 `150

NEW RULES OF
OFFICE STYLE
How to nail
workwear in 2015

Why Microsofts

Satya Nadella
has the toughest
job in Business
INDIAS BEST
BREAKFAST
SPOTS
CRICKET
Manjrekar on why
we flopped in
Australia in 1992

PHOTO: ERRIKOS ANDREOU

Arjun Kapoor
THE UNEXPECTED MOVIE STAR

GET FIT!
WITH THE
COUNTRYS
COOLEST
TRAINERS

ARJUN KAPOOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERR KOS ANDREOU

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JANUARY 2015

Contents

154

Power Play
How to make some mean
sartorial moves in the
boardroom.
By Jatin Kampani
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JANUARY 2015

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Contents
14
16
18
20
22
181
184

style; how to dress for less; The

List; GQs style guru weighs in

Editors Letter
Contributors
Letters to the Editor
GQ Online
GQ Access
Where to Buy
Open Letter

56 Look sharp
The new rules of dressing
up for work
ON THE
COVER

GQ Watch

87

Bulgari is back with a brand new

store in Delhi; a primer on the
biggest players in the luxury
watchmaking industry today

Features
48 Sell the DJ
Indie musicians and corporate
sponsors are changing Indias
music culture. By Rana Ghose

GQ Drive

122 Elements of style

These four dress watches will take
you to the big league.
By Attila Hartwig

93

The countrys edgiest motorcycle

chop shops; Jaguars XE gives you
more bang for your buck

The Good Life

101

144 The empire reboots

As tech giant Microsoft
faces huge challenges, Satya
Nadella gears up to tackle the
toughest job in the business.
By Bethany McLean

Hollywoods production
powerhouse Ryan Kavanaugh
comes to lunch; Buzz
101 Boom boom breakfasts
ON THE
COVER
We take breakfasting like a
king very seriously

164 GQs guide to a mans diet

Funnyman Abish Mathew shows
you how to shed weight without
compromising your masculinity.
By Victoria Coren Mitchell

GQ Talk

ON THE
COVER

Insider

25

GQ chats with EDM star and

undisputed king of the jungle,
Steve Aoki; Erika Correa is our
woman of the month; meet
Hoirong, the renegade brigade
of the Indian indie music scene;
the best music, books and movies
in Culture Wulture; how not to
get punched in the face by your
co-workers; which superhero are
you?; Ewan McGregor talks life and
the possibility of a Trainspotting
sequel; William Dalrymple on
why Sensorium is Goas biggest
intellectual party

GQ Style

53

We love these stylish suits by

Corneliani; sexy eyewear is the
new black; patterned ties to pull
together your ofce look; Delhi
real estate mogul Sanjit Bakshis
take on corporate dressing; buying
your next suit is just four easy
steps away; Adidas creative
director loves his sneakers; looking
back to when real men spelled real
8

JANUARY 2015

113

113 Relationships: Friendships

dont need to last forever.
By Che Kurrien
116 Music: Nostalgia and
everything thats fucked up abut it.
By Uday Benegal

136

Ashika Pratt
She could never have
stayed back on her
farm in New Zealand.
By Anushka Menon
HIGH-WAISTED
UNDERWEAR
BY KIKI DE
MONTPARNASSE.
BODY CHAIN BY
CANDID ART

119 City lights: Mumbai and the

unrelenting treadmill it is.
By Ayaz Basrai

Grooming

118 Clash of the titans

Indias royal cricketing mess
in Australia in 1992.
By Sanjay Manjrekar

171 Raising the bar

From CrossFit to Iyengar
yoga, get t with Indias coolest
new trainers

ON THE
COVER

171

Everyones mental health could

use a trainer
ON THE
COVER

EDITOR

Che Kurrien

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Arjun

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Surve
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INDIAN EDITION

WHAT A MAN S GOT TO DO

JANUARY 2015 `150

NEW RULES OF
OFFICE STYLE
How to nail
workwear in 2015

Why Microsofts

Satya Nadella
has the toughest
job in Business
INDIAS BEST
BREAKFAST
SPOTS
ET
kar on why
ped in
a in 1992

UNEXPECTED MOVIE STAR

GET FIT!
WITH THE
COUNTRYS
COOLEST
TRAINERS

ARJUN KAPOOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERRIKOS ANDREOU

INDIAN EDITION

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WHAT A MANS GOT TO DO

JANUARY 2015 `150

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S Moda

NEW RULES OF
OFFICE STYLE
How to nail
workwear in 2015

Why Microsofts

Satya Nadella
has the toughest
job in Business
INDIAS BEST
BREAKFAST
SPOTS
CRICKET
Manjrekar on why
we flopped in
Australia in 1992

GET FIT!

Arjun Kapoor
THE UNEXPECTED MOVIE STAR

WITH THE
COUNTRYS
COOLEST
TRAINERS

ARJUN KAPOOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERRIKOS ANDREOU

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What a mans got to do

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Letter
from the
Editor

Over easy

CHE KURRIEN
Editor
14

JANUARY 2015

PHOTO: ARJUN MARK (CHE)

s the father of an early-rising toddler, Ive been forced to

discover the joys of daybreak. One of the upsides of this
monastic routine is a renewed emphasis on breakfast. For
years, the days first meal was an annoyance, a utilitarian function,
mostly involving shoving fistfuls of dry fruit down my throat while
pulling myself together for work. These days theres plenty of time
to whip up French toast, spicy potato toasties and filter coffee
all with my kid tugging happily at my knee. As a result, Im
eating less at lunch and significantly less at dinner not a wholly
unsatisfactory outcome.
Life wasnt always as healthy. As a college student in America,
I was rarely up before 10. And if any undergrad tells you they are,
theyre lying. Yet some of my favourite memories of those wonder
years involve raging till dawn then heading with friends to
George Webb, a sleepy diner on the outskirts of our Midwestern
college town, wolfing down Denver omelettes, grits and sausage
links with truckers, winos, piss artists and sundry oddballs.
Mornings are a little more predictable these days. On
weekends my wife, daughter and I head out early to our
favourite spots. This is the best time of day to venture out in
Mumbai: the roads are desolate, the city just stirring to life.
The only diners at this hour are parents and kids, wolfing
down akuri, eggs Benedict and buttermilk pancakes, all
looking bleary-eyed and dishevelled. No one seems
to mind. This is a completely different universe from
the Sunday brunch scene where appearances
matter and everyones trying to look cool. But few
groups match parents in spending power an
opportunity canny restaurateurs have sensed, and
responded to by substantially upping their morning
game. Wheres all the action taking place? Weve
put together a list of our favourite breakfast venues
for this issue. And if you ever catch me at one of them
looking like I just rolled out of bed, chances are that I did.

Contributors

SANJAY MANJREKAR
WHO: Former international cricketer
WHAT: Remembers losing to the Australians in 1992 at
Brisbane in The Royal Turds, page 118
THE FORECAST: Expect some surprises at this World
Cup. Australian pitches have a tendency to throw up a
few twists and turns. Remember who won the last time
the World Cup was held in Australia/New Zealand? Yup,
Pakistan. The underdogs.

JATIN
KAMPANI
WHO: Photographer
WHAT: Power
Play, page 154
THE STRATEGY:
Know what works
for you and your
body and youll
always be the most
stylish guy in the
boardroom.

ERRIKOS ANDREOU
WHO: Photographer
WHAT: Captures cover star
Arjun Kapoor, page 126
THE SETTING: I really enjoyed
shooting in a theatre. We
had to light the space quite
differently to give it an operalike feel.
INDIAN EDM

or most music fans Ross Birchard isnt exac ly a

household name But among hose who have been
paying attention o the rapidly expanding world of
electronic dance music a world currently ec ipsing
most other popular gen es the name Hudson Mohawke
is close to being canonized The 28 year old Glaswegian
DJ and producer has always been a bit of a prodigy From becoming
a 15 year old finalist at the DMC the Olympics of DJ sc a ching
o being selected as a Red Bu l Academy participant at 21 signing
o seminal UK label Warp two years later and more recently taking
rap to another level en irely with his EP TNGHT which resulted in
a co laboration with Kanye West
As Ross enters Social the latest addition to Delhis hipster haven
of Hauz Khas Vi lage his physical appearance runs contrapuntal to
he scale of his ambition Armed only with a shy sm le bedecked in
low slung white jeans he cranes his neck to take in his surroundings
You know what? he says I was imagining the polar opposi e
of where we are right now I was expecting velvet ropes some
swanky club But this is pret y fucking amazing If there are long
ables with power bars hanging from he ce ling the place knows
whats going on
Before taking the stage Ross sinks comfo tably into a couch
and a few vodkas in a cordoned off area stage right His slightly
s ooping demeanour might be a reflection of his notoriously low
key persona or perhaps a response o being in an altogether a ien
environment But although its his first ime in India there is some
his ory here My father came to India a bunch of times in he
Seventies with Pe e Townshend he explains They were followers
of Meher Baba Actually he was kind of an actor Hes been in The
Dark Knight and a few other Hollywood films but usually just for a
second or two Hes usually that guy who explodes or dies horribly
A par icularly bizarre heirloom is available on YouTube where
Birchard Senior raps about Glaswegians playing American football
over the 1987 Super Bowl halftime show But he brought a lot of
Eighties R&B and rap into the house when I was a kid explains
Ross so I grew up wi h that And no mat er how disjointed his
beats get Hudson Mohawke is never far f om a throwback o Dads
record collection
As the crowd begins o swell Ross Birchard casts a glance at
his sister Nina who hes brought along on he rip a habit hes
replica ed with his o her siblings on prior international dates She
sm les back and Hudson Mohawke enters the glassed in DJ booth
He acknowledges his reception with a mild grin and immediately
akes control steering an overdriven PA into B ainwave a
beatless atmospheric piece from his new EP wi h enough low
end to induce an aneurysm Watching him as part of the crowd
I instinctively move towards the subs and as the track tapers off
he cascading synth ine of Goooo from 2012s TNGHT begins to
congeal Arms are launched into he air teeth are bared and for the
next hour and a half were gleefully assaulted by something more
han a crowd pleasing DJ set as HudMo turns out a showcase of
his o iginal work at incendiary volumes Apart from pouring Grey
Goose over the glass barrier and in o the mouths of fans crushing
out he front at one point he is tota ly fixated on his craft I wan ed
o do something special he says later
Ba hed in a high pi ched hum l kely the onset of innitus
af er HudMos set the crowd is rounded up by square shouldered
security guards and guided out of the venue in o the alleys of Hauz
Khas V llage Its 12 30am and the ejected masses are configuring
af er par y strategies overseen by a po ice jeep
The spectacle presents an irony scored by the music sti l
ingering between my ears On the one hand he State as he
police jeep is here to curtail this kind of en e tainment whether in
he name of law and order or o quell the spectre of an imagined

WHO: Founder of the Busride Design Studio

WHAT: Tracks city speed settings in Bombay
High, page 119
SLOW AS MOLASSES: The slowest city Ive
experienced (having studied in design school
there for six years) is Ahmedabad. The languid
pace at which food, conversations, work and
even trafc accidents occur is a source of
constant amazement. It was responsible for
my schools atmosphere too, which would
have been immensely diluted in a fast-paced
metropolis. The city itself gave you the
time and space to be able to think, and not
jump to quick half-baked solutions that are
symptomatic of a Mumbai polytechnic.
16

JANUARY 2015

00

RANA GHOSE
WHO: Self-taught lmmaker; founder of
REProduce Artists
WHAT: Sell the DJ, page 48
ON SHADOWING HUDSON MOHAWKE: The
man is a beast behind the decks but one of
the most humble, unassuming people I have
ever met.I am sworn to secrecy about other
aspects, sorry.

000

CARICATURE: TINA RAJAN (MANJREKAR)

AYAZ BASRAI

THE GUIDE

LETTERS
GQS 7-POINT
G
GUIDE TO BEIN

Best dressed
OUR FIRST

GROOMING
AWARDS

WHAT A MANS GOT TO DO

NOVEMBER 2014 `150

The Best for the

perfect
Gentleman

GO LOCAL
How to dress
this wedding
season

Jessica
Alba
Does business

AMAZING
SECRET
HOTELS
NEAR YOU

I usually dread this time of year,

simply because of the sheer
volume of wedding invitations
I receive I never know what to
wear and end up recycling the
same tired outfit. But this season
found GQs 7-point guide to
being the best man extremely
helpful. And I know Ive definitel
made an impression on the singl
ladies at those events.

The sherwani
Words out:
have
and bandhgalar and
gotten slicke
slimmer
tuxes are now
update your
Allow us to
obe with
wedding wardr not to
edge
rn
a mode
groom but
upstage the
it to the
enough to stick smen
other groom

B KRAMJIT
BOSE

STARR ING
ACTOR

FAWAD
KHAN

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KARAN SHETTY, LUCKNOW

NOVEMBER

The shir
all shirts t of

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JEFF BEZOS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ARJUN MARK

AMAZONS

2014

If youve been
reading GQ,
youll know
that
are the head-tu oral shirts
moment. Wear rners of the
ivory suit and one under an
leave the collar
open. Why?
Because thats
how the Hawaii
ans would
do it.

with GQ and
much more

A peek
into the
extraordinary
life of a Vegas
Billionaire

SHIVANGI
LOLAYEKAR

VENDRA
BHARDWAJ

FAWADS TEAM
HAIR & MAKE-UP:

Introducing

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AT EVERY WED

Be a
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114

THE KING OF ONLINE SHOPPING

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NOVEMBER

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Write in about our January issue for a chance

win a `10,000 voucher from Jack & Jones

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After living for years in London, I was certain I knew the city well.
To my surprise, I discovered that was not the case, and now I have
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BHAVYA JAIN, RANCHI

More
power

EDITED BY MEGHA
SHAH

THE

CAF CHULA
75-89 LOWER WALKWAY,
WEST YARD, CAMDEN TOWN,

NW1 8AF

URMILA BHOWAR, MUMBAI

Power

AN AUTHOR S
GUIDE to an
ALTER TIVE
LON ON

LUNCH

with

done with Fodors,

Youre over Lonely Planet, long
is lame What you
and know full well Wikitravel
is an itinerary thats
really want for your next trip
nt author walk you
off the grid Let our corresponde
haunts that populate
through her favourite London
her new novel, Seahorse

Manish
Malhotra

By JANICE PARIAT

its way into my

London isnt a place that stealthily weaved
and refused to budge.
writing. It hunkered down on the page
must. I ve been travelling
No, it said, I m afraid you simply
stints and fly bys, for a
to the city for over a decade, year long
literary readings (not
(mine),
wedding
a
two,
or
graduation
Nehemiah although a
mine). In Seahorse, the protagonist
is in London for
purposeful sounding Royal Literary Fellow
he is captured by this
a lark. Weary of having lived in Delhi,
old friends (Shantanu)
place filled with ancient light. With
spills far beyond the
and new (Eva), he discovers a city that
alternative map is
This
guidebook.
thumbed
well
margins of his
among others, a secret
inspired by his adventures, involving,
endless drinking joints.
sex club, an Orientalist bookstore and
In short, London as it should be.

You can disco

ver
a man over sush a lot about
i. In the rst
of a new serie
s, Megha Shah
meets the fashi
on insider
who talks abou
t stepping
away from Bolly
hating beer and wood,
resolving
his identity crisis
ts like Dubai
in here, Manis
h
Malhotra annou
nces as he walks
across the gleam
ing floors of
the
Palladium Hotel
Mumbais new
Japanese restau
rant Yuuka Its
so shiny I love
it He sits down
opposite me
and sinks his
voice
conspiratoria
ll I wo
surprised if th
like little

THE MARQUIS
CORNWALLIS
31 MARCHMONT
STREET, WC1N 1AP
This stylish, leather-andwood-panelled pub like
the inside of a ship is
where we first encounter
Nehemiah and Shantanu
in London. For your
concerns, its perfect
for either a quick
after-work craft beer
pint, or a boozy homecooked mid-day meal
(sustainable, seasonal,
free-range, local). The
Sunday Roast is also the
best in Bloomsbury.

,
THE QUEEN S
HEAD
66 ACTON STREET,
WC1X 9NB

,
REGENT S PARK

OUTDOOR THEATRE, INNER CIR,

WESTMINSTER, NW1 4NU
Rained out while Nehemiah and
Eva watch Twelfth Night, but
perfect otherwise for a dry,
balmy summer evening of live

This Victorian pub squats

in an industrial street just
off lawyer trodden Grays
Inn Road In Seahorse,
its a favoured haunt for
Nehemiah and Shantanu
(bent on listing, and
drinking, every ale in
the country) Inside, its a
far cry from Dickensian
workhouse gloom, complete
with roaring fire, grand
piano (folk on Wednesdays,
jazz on Thursdays) and
board games galore What
sets this place apart from
most other charming

entertainment

NOVEMBER

2014

NOVEMBER 2014

189

CORRIGENDUM: The watch Sanjiv Shanmugam is wearing in our December edition of

My Style (page 142) is by Patek Philippe and not Batik, as was printed. The error is regretted.

Send your letters to gqletters@condenast.in, or write to: GQ Letters, 2nd Floor,

Darabshaw House, Shoorji Vallabhdas Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400 001
18

JANUARY 2015

freehouses lies behind the

bar. A regularly altering
beer and ale list (from
specialist local craft to
ancient monk-brewed
Belgian), and since its
a designated Scotch Malt
Whisky Society venue a
selection of spirits that
will make you weep with
joy, even before your first
dram of the strong water.
For recommendations,
rely on Nigel, the friendly
bespectacled owner, who
truly knows his trade.
NOVEMBER 2014

262

Lette
of ther
month

Past the riotous pubs on the

Camden High Street, perched
on the edge of Regents Canal,
in
Caf Chula (called The Mexican
Seahorse) is a buzzing, rustic-chic
place littered with a proliferation
of decorative Da de los Muertos
skulls. Here, Nehemiah and
Shantanu join Eva for a live music
night a performance by a young
Portuguese singer with a face
like a perfect seashell and
drink (so I like to imagine) gallons
of grapefruit and habaero
margaritas. Apart from the usual
concoction, theres also hibiscus,
and jalapeno and cucumber.
If youre not a margarita fan,
reach for a Bloody Maria. With
a separate lunch, brunch and
dinner menu, theres plenty of
sparklingly fresh fare to choose
from, although the Flautas de
Pollo and Bistek de la Casa are
keenly recommended.

PLC, INFOTERRA LTD & BLUESKY,

DIGITALGLOBE, GETMAPPING

PHOTO: NISHANT
SHUKLA; LOCAT
ON: YUUKA/P
ALLAD UM HOTEL
MUMBAI

I thought your magazine

was definitely on par
with your international
counterparts this
month, and read it
cover to cover. But
what did it for me
was the inaugural
Power Lunch with
GQ interview with
Manish Malhotra.
That, combined with
your informative cover
story and impressive
feature on hospitality
mogul Sam Nazarian,
has made this issue
one of my favourites
of the year. Keep up the
great work!

AN INDIAN TWIS
T // 8 OFF-THE-G
RID HIDEAWAY
S // BUZZ

PIN, STAMP), MAP 2014 BLUESKY,

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK (FLAG,
MAP DATA 2014 GOOGLE
THE GEOINFORMATION GROUP,

COCKTAILS WITH

263

HAIR & MAKE-UP:

FAWADS TEAM

You gotta bring

the
bling in just
a tad and we
recommend
doing it with
a slick gold
watch. Its
way classier
brooches and than all the
pearl strings
out there and
when youre
sipping your
scotch and
your sleeve
slides up, the
lady by the
bar will
be impressed.

WHATS NEW ON

Women we love

is a man of many talents

US
EXCL

Ashika
Pratt
Fitness test
Where to nd the best
trainers in your city

Po
su
in
Bu
loo
eve
bu

Have you tuned

into the GQ

SoundCloud
page yet?

20

JANUARY 2015

IV E

PHOTO: ERRIKOS ANDREOU (ARJUN KAPOOR); ROHAN SHRESHTA (FITNESS, SUIT); ANUSHKA NADIA MENON (ASHIKA)

ARJUN KAPOOR

india.com

YOUR EXCLUSIVE PASS TO THE MOST HAPPENING PARTIES AND EVENTS

HOLLYWOOD NIGHT
WHAT: Celebrating the premiere of The Best Of Me
WHERE: AER, Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai
Leading Hollywood studio Relativity, B4U and GQ toasted
the premiere of The Best Of Me at the glitzy rooftop bar,
with a dazzling crowd including LA legend Ryan Kavanaugh.
Also present were James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan,
who couldnt get enough of the glittering B-town skyline.

Britta Lazenga & Ryan Kavanaugh

Vijendra Bhardwaj
Huma Qureshi
Che Kurrien

Ishan Saksena

Tara Sharma

Anish Sood

Alex Kuruvilla

& James Marsden

Michelle Monaghan

Neetu Chandra

Michael Hoffman

Akshay Oberoi

TIE
HOT
Gaurav Gupta & friend
Mandira Bedi

22

JANUARY 2015

Sophie Choudry

W
OM
A
PL N
AY
L
P O IST
P
CU
M
L
A
NS TU
KI RE
M
US LL
IC S
M
OV
IE
S

insider
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS MONTH

Born to get

IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

wild

You know Steve Aoki for his chart-busting EDM hits

and those insane live gigs, but what you probably dont
know is that behind the on-stage Tarzan-like persona
lives a man obsessed with science and the planets
future. Nidhi Gupta catches up with the prolic protean
musician, arguably at the top of his game, to learn what
makes him the king of the jungle
JANUARY 2015

25

MUSIC

Tell us about your last album,

Neon
Future I. Is there going to be
a sequel?
Its been a mad journey. There was
a huge
range of collaborations, such as
with
Will.i.am, Waka Flocka and Flux
Pavilion. NFI
is based on the observation that
a lot of sci-fi
concepts are turning into reality
as we speak.
It looks at a bright, colourful futu
re a sort
of utopia where theres a lot of
positivity to
explore. Im basically a futurist at
heart, Ive
been reading a lot of books and
following
the work of scientists like Ray Kurz
weil and
Aubrey de Grey (both of whom
are also
featured on the album). NFII is read
y too
were planning an April/May relea
se but its
a lot more serious, darker, more
futuristic.
What are these sci-fi concept
s that you
think are being realized?
Most importantly, the idea of tech
nological
singularity, which Kurzweil talks
about.
Eventually, I feel, well come to a
point in
history when technology and the
human
race will reach a stage of no disti
nction.
You know the things were plag
ued by
disease, aging all of it will vani
sh. It will
require a re-invention of our und
erstanding
of life, artificial intelligence and
the lines
in between.
Thats heavy. Is this interest
in science-y
things new?
Well, yes and no. Ive been read
ing comic
books since I was a child, and they
obviously
are your first introduction into that
world.
But 2008, when my father passed
away, is
when I took it upon myself to learn
how to
survive certain things. I learned
things book
by book and now I want to shar
e it all. Music
is a tool into which all this scien
ce stuff is
embedded. I havent been very pub
lic about
this interest, though my album
Wonderland
in 2012 was named after my addr
ess in LA
and was a personal project.
26

JANUARY 2015

Is this why the Neon Future

video series
with Wired magazine was bor
n?
I really wanted to convey to my fans
how real
and simple these concepts are. The
folks at
Wired understood my aim and that
s where
the talk sessions started. Ive done
10 so far;
Stan Lees up next. I didnt want to
just talk to
scientists and philosophers, so I broa
dened
the spectrum and spoke to Ariana
Huffington
about how the medias changing
, for example.
Whats been your main takeawa
y from
these sessions?
Its like checking things off a buck
et list.
These are people Ive wanted to
meet, to
get their perspectives on life, not
just what
we see around us now but also
what they
think the futures all about. And
Ive delved
quite deep into the tech space, far
enough to
understand that it really isnt as
complex as
all that.
Your performances, on the othe
r hand,
seem to be just crazy parties,
with all that
cake and champagne being hurl
ed at the
audience. Rather Antoinette-e
sque.
[Chuckles] Thats all elements of capt
ivating
an audience. Part of training your
self as a
performer and artist is to know that
its more
than about the music. Theres sigh
t, sound
and now, theres taste too. But whe
n I think
crazy, I think emotional. For me,
the spike
is when you hear a stadium full of
people
singing along. When I stop the mus
ic and
theres a chorus of pom pom pa
pa pom
thats when I feel it.

You have degrees in sociolog

y and
feminist studies as well.
Yeah and Id enrolled in two PhD
programmes too. I didnt know
what a DJ
was when I was in college. But
by the time
I was done with school, it had beco
me a
side project. I started my own reco
rd label

[Dim Mak] when I was 19. Soon

, as a way
to promote the bands on the labe
l, we
were throwing parties every wee
k in LA. It
became really influential: We man
aged to
turn electro into a subculture in
the city. That
was at the end of 2006. After that
, my own
thing took off
Your father (Rocky Aoki, the
founder
of Japanese restaurant franchis
e
Benihana) has clearly been a
big
influence. What else has shap
ed your
sensibilities?
Yes, my entire family, in fact. My
father
was a role model for all of us beca
use he
captivated a worldwide audience
, not just
an Asian one. Then theres my youn
ger
sister Devon, who became a succ
essful
model at 14. Her drive and dedi
cation is
unmatched. Growing up, I was
into straightedge hardcore music. I turned vege
tarian,
started playing the guitar, was enth
ralled
by this world of punk. Its a cultu
re that
gives you the confidence to put
your music
centrestage even though it may
be bad. All
these influences come together
in everything
I do today. Its all about DIY. Ther
e are no
roundtable conferences, no busi
ness plans.

Did you ever consider joining

the
family business and running
things
at Benihana?
I used to work in the kitchen whe
n I was 16.
But for about 14 years, I was off
meat. It just
doesnt make sense for a vegetaria
n to run
a steakhouse, right? Ive invested
in a few
restaurants around LA Eveleigh
, Goldies
but running the business? Hell
no! My
brothers doing a pretty fine job.
Im better
off feeding people cake.
Steve Aoki will perform at the
VH1 Supersonic Arcade
in Mumbai on January 16, Delhi
on January 17 and
Bengaluru on January 18

WOMAN

As far as millenials go, Erika

Correa is an anomaly. At 19, she
knows exactly what she wants
out of life. No, it isnt to inundate
the internet with selfies
(although that luscious pout is
a sure winner). She wants to
travel see the seven wonders
of the world and eventually
settle down in LA. But not
before she becomes a Victorias
Secret model. (Youre paying
attention now, arent you?)
Which is why she decided
to skip university, opting to
spend her time watching
videos of Gisele Bndchen
instead (I cant stop looking
at her!). Maybe thats how
she got her first modelling
assignment at 13. Clearly
shes ambitious just one of
the many reasons shes won a
special spot in GQs affections.
Erikas got refined tastes, too
She calls herself an R&B girl;
likes her vacations lazy, and her
men bearded, tall and smelling
really good. But then she says
her favourite food is potato
chips and gets all squealy about
Justin Bieber (Im just 19, so its
allowed!). Oh baby, talk about
acting your age.
28

JANUARY 2015

Erika

Correa
LINGERIE BY LAGENT BY
AGENT PROVOCATEUR

WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA; PHOTO: PRABHAT SHETTY; STYLIST: TANYA VOHRA; HAIR & MAKE-UP: CLAIRE SCHULTZ/INEGA TALENT

WHO: Model
LAST SEEN: As the GQ Girl on
NDTV Good Times Kingfisher
Supermodels 2
HAILS FROM:
Colombia, South America
FAVOURITE SCENT:
Paco Rabannes One Million

PLAYLIST

LEGALLY

Indie

IN A

SSO

CIAT

ION

WIT

Out beyond ideas

of right and wrong,
theres a eld.
Hoirong, Indian
indies last true
purveyor, will meet
you there for a
guitar-smashing,
fun-poking, hellraising session

T-SHIRTS BY
BREAKBOUNCE

WRITTEN BY
BHANUJ KAPPAL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY
GIANLUCA SANTORO
STYLED BY
TANYA VOHRA
HAIR BY
MAMTA DHOLAKIYA/ FATMU
MAKE-UP BY
MELANIE DSOUZA/FATMU

30

JANUARY 2015

was the year Indian indie went

fully po-faced. You couldnt turn
around without being
confronted by painfully sincere
singer-songwriters, brooding
electronica producers and
poorly written manifestos about
how [insert generic electro-pop
act] aims to change the world. I
havent seen so much
manufactured angst and fauxrevolutionary posturing
backed by tepid, anything-butrevolutionary music since
1992, when MTV tried to jump
on the grunge bandwagon and
unleash a deluge of Kurt Cobain
clones on us poor unsuspecting
audiences. But thankfully for
those of us who cant look at
another Indie = The Realness
promotional photograph
without gagging, 2014 has also
seen the rise of industrial discopunks Hoirong.

PHOTOGRAPHER AGENCY: ANIMA CREATIVE MANAGEMENT

2014

he brainchild of former Lounge

Piranha frontman Kamal Singh,
Hoirong are everything that indie
once used to stand for. Theyre
ironic, irreverent and openly
contemptuous of the corporatefriendly music industry and its phony hype
machine. Youll never find Hoirong playing to, say,
Page 3 celebs at alcohol-soaked music awards. The
band members are old enough to remember when
indie music saw the corporate rock machine as its
natural enemy rather than a generous patron. And
unlike some of their contemporaries, they havent
made their peace with the new paradigm. As Singh
croons on Fancy Dress + Hindi = Awesome, The
grass is greener on the other side/but thats all
right/Id like to stay here without you.
Hoirong started life as a solo project in Singhs
Bangalore bedroom. He began writing the ten
songs that would make up 2013s debut album,
The Resurrection Of The Princess Of Woe And Her
Vampire Hound Posse (TROTPOWAHVHP), soon
after the break-up of Lounge Piranha. There was
quite a clear idea of what it was not going to be
like, he said. No thinking, just playing.
Heavily influenced by the weirder, noisier side
of Nineties alt-rock, TROTPOWAHVHP features
artful pop melodies enveloped in bleeding walls of
noise that threaten to blow up your speakers and
send sound engineers into fits of apoplexy. Theres
a fascinating tension between the raw, muscular
atonality of Singhs punk and noise influences and
his love for pop music and intelligent songcraft.
In the meantime, Singh had shifted to Delhi
where he studied music therapy and assembled his
band, consisting of former Another Vertigo Rush
members Akhil Sood (guitar), Akshat Nauriyal
(drums) and Samar Grewal (guitar, laptop).
Hoirong slowly gained a small but devoted fanbase
built on the strength of the debut album and a
series of quirky releases on Soundcloud including
noise-punk covers of the Spice Girls, Baba Sehgal
and a seven-track EP of nursery rhymes. But things
really took off with the release of their sophomore
album Dandaniya Apraadh (DA) last August.
DA sees the band blend dance beats,
progressive metal guitars and an industrialstrength heaviness to create a mongrel
experimental sound its as if Kurt Cobain and
Trent Reznor took a lot of drugs, listened to a lot
of Hauz Khas Village club music and then created
a love child. The 15 tracks on the album veer all
over the musical landscape, from lo-fi post-rock
to Nineties alt-stomp to Bollywood-industrial rock
with tablas on the side. What ties them all together
apart from the omnipresent layers of guitar noise
is New Delhi. The albums name, which means
punishable offence, supposedly comes from the
regular announcements on the Delhi metro, but
it could just as possibly be a reference to their
second-ever gig, at the PCRC penthouse, which
was unceremoniously shut down by the police at
the end of 2013. I chose the name because I think
it resonates with the way Delhi works, Singh said.
And as that statement implies, our capital
city doesnt come off looking too good on the
album. Targets include our prime minister, our
generations ideological political bankruptcy, fake
accents, the inanity of Delhis social elite and the

T-SHIRTS, JACKETS,
PANTS, BLUE AND WHITE
SNEAKERS (ON KAMAL);
ALL BY BREAKBOUNCE.
BEIGE LOAFERS (ON
SAMAR), BLUE DENIM
SNEAKERS (ON AKHIL)
BY CLARKS. BLACK AND
WHITE STRIPED SNEAKERS
(ON AKSHAT) BY
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

trustafarians of Hauz Khas Village. Singhs dry,

sardonic wit ensures that none of this comes off as
pompous or overbearing. Instead, DA is an oftenhilarious critique of life in Indias cacophonous
metropolises and all that comes with it the chatter
of spoiled rich kids, the meddling of intrusive
strangers, unprovoked aggression and kakotopian
socio-politics. Its music to dance to as everything
else falls apart around you. And judging by the
response to their first Mumbai gig last September,
its something that resonates with the current
generation.
2015 looks promising for Hoirong. The band
finally got the attention it deserves, with sets at
music festivals like NH7 Weekender and Magnetic
Fields last year. Where they go from here depends
on how much space our indie industry has for
experimental music thats too weird or noisy
for a car commercial or primetime TV. I seriously
hope we do, because the alternative a thousand
indie-by-the-numbers acts churning out accessible,
pretty and insipid pop is much scarier than
anything Singhs guitar can conjure up.

From left: Sa
mar Grewal,
Akshat
Nauriyal, Ka
mal Singh an
d Akhil Sood

POP CULTURE

MUSIC

HIP HOPS NEW VIRTUOSO

Ty Dolla $ign can party with the best of them
but his musical chops are his real currency

WU

LT U R E

played keyboards for Seventies funk

band Lakeside did session work at
Death Row Records.
There he met 2Pac and Snoop Dogg
and he saw how Dr Dre used live
orchestration to create his hellified
gangsta lean. Now Ty who earned a
2013 Best Rap Song Grammy nod for
co-writing the Snoop, Wiz Khalifa and
Bruno Mars single Young, Wild & Free
is part of his own rising West Coast
clique, along with DJ Mustard and the
rapper YG. Meanwhile, hes finishing up
his Atlantic Records debut, Free TC. (The
title is inspired by his younger brother,
whos serving a life sentence for murder.)
There are definitely more serious
songs on there, he says. Its my whole
journey, from the hood to Hollywood.

Mark Knopfler
The Dire Straits founders kept himself
busy this year, participating in World
War I tribute concerts and Weird Al
Yankovics parody projects. Now, hes
got his ninth solo album ready and
announced another years worth of
tour dates. Are you still wondering
who the real Sultan Of Swing is?

U
LT

RE

***
*
Hung
Lee

IN TOKENS & CHARMS

Prateek Kuhad
The bilingual singer-songwriter, whos gone
from performing on obscure stages in New
York to prime slots at major Indian festivals
in just two years, has his first full-length
album out this month. And if his 2013 EP
Raat Raazi was any indicator, were pretty
sure hell bewitch you this time too.

WEIRDASS
PAJAMA FESTIVAL
In its second year, the countrys one
and only laughfest, curated by Vir Das,
is taking on three cities: Pune, Mumbai
and Delhi. International standup artists
like the Showstoppers (UK), Jeremy Craven,
Mona Shaikh (US) and Hung Lee (Australia)
will be dropping the mic alongside Indian
favourites like Kanan Gill, Abish Mathew,
Pune:
All India Bakchod, East India Comedy
January 23
and Johnny Lever.
Mumbai:
Stock up on the tissue boxes,
January 23-26
because some hilarious shits
Delhi:
about to go down.
February 1

32

JANUARY 2015

THE PALE EMPEROR

Marilyn Manson
For all those following the king of goths
crawl across Hollywood (such as his stint
on Sons Of Anarchy) with disdain, theres
good news. Mansons ninth album has
some honest-to-goodness damnationcausing songs like The Mephistopheles
Of Los Angeles and Cupid Carries A
Gun. Keep the kids away from this one.

WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA, JEFF WEISS (HIP HOP); PHOTO: ERIC RAY DAVIDSON (TY DOLLA $IGN); IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES (WU-TANG CLAN)

LT U R E

EVENT

TRACKER

CU

C U LT

Ty Dolla $ign says his life is like a

movie. Asked which one, he replies
with a joke Titanic 2, though his
music is more Spring Breakers. A seablue-eyed Lothario with blood-red lips
tattooed on his neck, the 29-year-old
rapper made his way onto playlists
last January with his Beach House EP,
spinning freaky tales of spurned lovers,
strip clubs and cabana orgies. I like
to do drugs, party and fuck, he says.
Everyone can relate.
Dont get us wrong the debauchery
is fun. But Tys enviable musicianship is
enough to draw you in (he plays drums,
piano and string instruments, from
guitar to violin). Growing up in South
Central Los Angeles, Tyrone Griffin Jr
used to tag along when his dad who

COMICS

MOVIES
Escobar: Paradise Lost
Directed by Andrea di Stefano
Told through the eyes of a nave
Canadian surfer who falls for the
niece of Pablo Escobar (an evocative
Benicio Del Toro), this film isnt about
the notorious Colombian drug lord as
much as it is about one idiots attempt
to escape his orbit. Meet The Fockers
in Latin America, anyone?

Tak3n
Directed by Olivier Megaton
[My daughter] cant get taken again.
Thats just bad parenting, Liam
Neeson had quipped after Taken 2 was
released. And so ex-CIA operative
Bryan Mills turns fugitive himself,
falsely implicated in the murder of his
ex-wife. Dont be fooled by his slick
moves, though at 62, even Neesons
sincerely hoping this is the last one.

Predestination
Directed by Michael and
Peter Spierig
Never mind the story about a
temporal agent who must save
a whole generation under threat
from the Fizzle Bomber. Watch
this for Aussie Sarah Snooks
riveting performance. And to see
if our handle-barred hero Ethan
Hawke, emasculated by Before
Midnight, can return to the fold
of the macho.

Bill Watterson drew

a new comic...
... Almost immediately eliciting a chorus of
excitement from all corners of the internet.
Whats the big deal, you ask? Its just a poster for
a comic festival, after all. Right?
Well, not quite. Watterson, whos been called
the JD Salinger and sometimes Bigfoot of
the comic world, went silent in 1995 after he
retired Calvin And Hobbes. Since then, his work
has been honoured at museum exhibitions and
sold at high-priced auctions. Now, the recluse
has broken almost 20 years of silence (barring
sporadic appearances, such as on Stripped, a
documentary about comic strip creators, and a
delightful collaboration with cartoonist Stephan
Pastis, creator of Pearls Before Swine, last year)
with this wordless strip for the Angoulme
International Comic Art Festival in France.
True to form, its subtle and self-deprecating
(Watterson said he stuck to the newspaper
comic strip format as a reflection of a bygone
era, and his dead career). Its simple and genius,
evidence of why he deserves the lifetime
achievement award that hes been nominated for
at the festival. He may have declined to attend
the ceremony, but for fans, this rare sighting is
enough. If this isnt worth getting excited about,
we dont know what is.
The 42nd Angoulme Comic Art Festival will be held from January 29 to February 1

The Boy Next Door

Directed by Rob Cohen
News flash: Jenny from the
blocks moved to cougar town,
where she romps about as
a middle-aged high school
teacher who sleeps with the
teenage hunk next door. This is
Fatal Attraction gone wrong, but
at least JLos acting her age for a
change and still looks hot.

JANUARY 2015

33

MANSKILLS

How to get punched in the

face by your co-workers
The men and the style moves that no one is excited about this year

Make no
mistake,
everybody,
hes about to
go work out.

Guy Who
Rocks
Wearable
Tech Before
Anyone Else
Theyre a
smiiidge
buggy, but
my feedback
will help them
work out
the kinks.

Guy Who
Incorrectly
Thinks Hes
Hilarious
Would have
gone into
stand-up, but
the siren call
of accounts
was too
tempting.

Guy Who
Has Stopped
Trying
His work clogs
make him
feel supercomfortable
and you
the opposite.

34

JANUARY 2015

The latest
FiveFingers
monkstraps?
Oh, right,
I almost forgot
I was wearing
these...

Guy Who
Really Wants
You To Know
Hes Going
Hiking This
Weekend
Its similar to
cross-country
skiing, but
you just walk.

Guy Who
Needs You To
Know What
Inspires Him
Let your eyes
marinate in his
own personal
Hard Rock Caf
that celebrates
himself.

The Where
Did He Even
Get That?
Guy
He doesnt
follow fashion
fashion
follows him.

WORDS: SCOTT ROTHMAN, MIE SACKS; ILLUSTRATIONS: WARD SUTTON

Guy Whos
In The Best
Shape Of His
Life, Brah!

Guy Who
Made A Big
Purchase
This
Weekend

Subodh Gupta and

Peter Nagy

Vogues Anaita
Shroff Adajania

Vogues Bandana Tewari

Karla Bookman

FLYING
HIGH

The Grey Goose bar

Grey Goose and Vogue hosted the rst-ever

nd awards to honour the work of ten
nding individuals across industries

Kareena Kapoor Khan

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The Grey Goose

mixologists

Lisa Haydon

Neha Dhupia and

Cond Nasts Arjun
Mehra

Vijay Subramaniam

Hrithik Roshan,
Vikas Khanna and
Karan Johar

Vir Sanghvi

Huma Qureshi
Grey Goose
cocktails

Manish Seth

Farhan Akhtar
Manish Malhotra

Pernia Qureshi
Farah Khan

Aditya Ghosh

Barkha Dutt
Ajay Arora, Vogues
Priya Tanna and
Simone Arora

Kalyani Chawla

Amruda and
Aishwarya Nair

Manisha Girotra and

Sanjay Agarwal

Ali Zafar

Parizad Kolah
Marshall

Natasha Poonawalla, Ramona Narang

and Niamat Bakshi

KEDAR NENE

Lata and
Vispi Patel

Cond Nasts Oona

Dhabhar with Ricky
and Laila Lamba

Prabh Uppal and

Alicia Kom

Arvind Dubash

Malaika Arora Khan

Fahad Samar and

Simone Arora

Uraaz Bahl and

Shaana Levy-Bahl
Vijay and Sunita
Choraria
Kaajal Anand
Sabina and AD
Singh

GQs Almona Bhatia with

Neeraj Roy
Flawless
performing at the
event

Ashiesh
Shah

0
.
2
r
e
d
Highlan
At 43, Ewan McGregor is
enjoying the simplicity of life
and lm-making, with plans for
a sequel (this time, the one you
were hoping for)
You recently made your New York stage
debut in a revival of Tom Stoppards
The Real Thing as Henry, an unhappily
married playwright. Why hadnt you
done Broadway before?
I was never asked to do it! No, Ive got a wife
and kids, and I was never willing to move my
whole family from LA to New York. Its such
a clever play, and I get to be smart and a bit
smug and arrogant every night. And I didnt
have to come up with any of these clever
thoughts on my own, which is the beauty of
being an actor, really.
You became a father at 24. What was that
like, being a parent so young?
Youre very idealistic at that age. You think you
know it all, and in a way, you do. I see it in my
daughter Clara, whos just starting college in
New York City. I remind her that Ill be giving
her a call every night after the play is over:
Where are we going? Shed be like, Fuck
you, Dad. Get out of my life. Youre starting
college, Clara... But Im coming with you.
Star Wars fans are notoriously intense.
Have you had positive experiences
with them?
I dont have any experiences with them. Ive
never been to one of the conventions. The
people I meet are the fuckers who want me to
sign Star Wars photos so they can sell them on
40

JANUARY 2015

the Internet or the people at premieres who

are crushing children against barriers to get
me to sign their fucking picture of Obi-Wan
Kenobi. Theyre not fans theyre parasitical
low-lifes and fucking wankers.

In almost every online ranking of Star

Wars movies, Phantom Menace is rated
as the worst. Do you defend the movie or
agree with people who think its a piece
of crap?
I watched it once, at the premiere, so Im not in
a good position to judge. They had a tall order,
the three films I did. The fans waited so long
and wanted to feel like they did when they
watched the first film, but they were grownups by that time. I dont mind the criticism. Ive
heard it to my face.
You were reportedly partying pretty hard
while making those movies.
I did party very hard. I used to like it. Because
of Trainspotting and Shallow Grave, I was very
well known in Britain, where I lived then.
At the end of the millennium, I was meeting
people who had an idea of who I was before
I even talked to them. I would recognize this
look on their face as they were seeing if they
were right or wrong about me. It makes you
feel very lonely. I partied hard, wherever I was,
whenever I was. It wasnt Star Wars fault.
What are the odds of a Trainspotting
sequel?
It looks like it might happen. The idea is that
we shoot it in 2016, which would be 20 years
after the original came out. And Id be up for
it. I wouldnt have been 10 years ago, but I
am now.
That was around the time you said your
relationship with director Danny Boyle

was over. You felt hurt after he cast you

in The Beach, then replaced you with
Leonardo DiCaprio, right?
It was an unfortunate situation, and it wasnt
handled well. I was very upset. But time has
gone by, and we put to bed the bad feelings
and all of that shit.
Have you ever done a film just for
the money?
There have been films Ive done where Ive
been very happy to have reached my last day
on set, but not many. And Ive never started a
film with anything other than enthusiasm.
Well, youre an optimist. In fact, you
thought you could make a great movie
with Michael Bay.
I did make a good movie with Michael Bay!
The Island got hammered by reviewers
because it was his turn to get hammered. We
made his best movie, dont you think?
You said good, not great. That
sounds like faint praise.
Well, there are no great movies made
anymore. [Lawrence Of Arabia director] David
Leans not with us.
If you had a time machine, what era
would you want to visit?
The Twenties, for very shallow reasons: cars,
fashion, music, the lack of cell phones. And
there was a simplicity to making movies,
because the camera couldnt move much. Now
we have cranes and tracks, shit like that.
You dont like tricky film-making, do you?
I remember the first shot Colin Farrell and I
did with Woody Allen for Cassandras Dream.
We come into frame, run down a gangplank
and jump on a boat. The camera was on an
arm, so it could move just a foot or two. And
a few weeks later, we went back and redid
the shot, except the camera didnt move. I
said, Why are we doing that again, Woody?
And he went [impersonating Allen], It it it
looked like a fuckin movie.
Ewan McGregor stars in David Koepps Mortdecai along
with Johnny Depp, out this month

INTERVIEW: ROB TANNENBAUM; PHOTO: ROBBIE FIMMANO; STYLIST: EUGENE JONG; GROOMING: ERIC POLITO; SET DESIGN: ELI METCALF/MAREK & ASSOCIATES

MOVIES

COMICS

Are you
an orphan?
NO

YES
Whats your
sartorial preference?

Bare essentials

Spandex/Armour

Does this come

in beast mode?

How good are

you with tech?

Im as
bad as my
grandparents

Hell yeah!

I got 99 problems,
but a bitch aint one

My girlfriends
called Palm-ela

Congratulations! Are you

an arrogant prick?

I was the coolest

guinea pig in town

42

JANUARY 2015

The only science

I know is H2O

What do you do when someone

pisses you off?

Start plotting their slow,

excruciating demise

I usually get where

theyre coming from

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Are you afraid of heights?

,I ZH ZHUH PHDQW
WR \ ZHG KDYH ZLQJV

BATMAN

bitch,
Karmas a arred
e sc
son. Thos
get you!
souls will

Where do you
think the human
race originated?

2K KHDYHQV
Look at me,
QR
,P DZHVRPH

IRON MAN

The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

was based on your life

D-oh,
commando!

Were you part of a

science experiment?

How good are you

with the ladies?

Im more of
a brains over
brawn kinda guy

ys
Wednesda
the
t
are legs aro!
b
gym,

SPIDER-MAN

WOLVERINE

, JR VN\GLYLQJ
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HULK

CAPTAIN AMERICA

SUPERMAN

THOR

WORDS: MERYL DSOUZA; IMAGE: REX FEATURES

Zuckerberg
stole my
ideas!

Are you buff?

ART

3
4

Tayeba Begum Lipi's

Recalling I,
part of Shrine
Empire Gallery's
showcase

Different
strokes
Eighty-five galleries, 90 booths,
24 special projects, a gamut of
experimental on-site artworks and
an eagerly anticipated Speakers
Forum in its seventh edition, the
India Art Fair promises to be more
exciting than ever before. Heres
what you shouldnt miss

THE DELHI ART GALLERY BOOTH: The

largest booth ever occupied by a single
gallery at IAF, DAGs display will be a
survey of modern Indian art, covering all the
important eras and movements. Anybody
interested in a crash course on 20th century
Indian art history should head here.

44

JANUARY 2015

American artist Stephen Knapp's

Impressario, on display at the
Brinkerhoff Fine Art booth

The India Art Fair is on from January

29 to February 1, 2015 at the NSIC
Grounds, New Delhi.

Morning by Latvian
artist Anita Arbidane at the
Art Gallery 21 booth

IMAGE: SHRINE EMPIRE - TAYEBA BEGUM LIPI - INDIA ART FAIR 2015 (RECALLING - I); BRINKERHOFF FINE ART - STEPHEN KNAPP - INDIA ART FAIR 2015 (IMPRESSARIO); ART GALLERY 21, ANITA ARBIDANE, INDIA ART FAIR 2015 (MORNING)

DANIEL BURENS INSTALLATION:

The legendary French artist has
created a work specially for the faade
of the IAF tents. Coloured filters stretch
across canopies or awnings, and cast shifting
patterns on the tents or the floor, making for
an entrancing play of colour and light.
DHRUVI ACHARYA AND CHITRA
GANESHS COLLABORATION:
Ganesh and Acharya, who are good
friends as well as respected artists, will paint
a large canvas together in the course of
the fairs four days, bringing private studio
practice into the public space.
FRANCESCO CLEMENTES TENT:
The famous Italian-American artist
has worked in India regularly for the
past 40 years in collaboration with artisans
from Chennai, Varanasi and Jodhpur. But
he has never shown his work before, except
at the on-going Kochi Muziris Biennale. At
IAF, the tents will be elaborately printed and
embroidered on the outside, and covered on
the inside from top to bottom with paintings
on cloth. Called Taking Refuge, the tent is
inspired by Buddhist philosophy.
THE CURATORS PANEL
AT THE SPEAKERS
FORUM: Curators have
gained tremendous prominence
in the art world over the past
two decades. In this session,
three renowned curators and
one artist who has also curated
shows discuss future directions
in art. The speakers are Adam
Szymczyk, artistic director of
the contemporary arts festival
documenta, British artist
Jeremy Deller, Britta Schmitz,
head curator at the National
Gallery of Berlin and Chang
Tsong-zung, co-founder of the
Asia Art Archive.

ARTS

Between the lines

William Dalrymple is not just a historian, author and music lover.
Hes also the First Man of arts and literary festivals in India. Even
as he curates the 2015 Jaipur LitFest, hes taken time off for Goas
latest intellectual party Sensorium and to tell GQ all about it

From Anus
ha Yadavs
A Peoples
History,
a photoser
ies culled
fr
the Indian
Memory Pr om
oject

three years just talking about it. Its easy to

spend a whole lot of time on stage. You just
have to buckle down and go back to being a
writer at some point.

What do you think about

the growing number
of arts and literature
festivals across
Asia?
Strictly speaking, we
dont actually need
so many of them,
because the same
people seem to be on the
circuit.I suppose JLF did
have this catalytic effect across
Asia. Which is great, honestly. At their best,
festivals like this are interesting sites. There
are lots of interactive topics, you get to
learn, buy new stuff. They all do their little
bit in changing the cultural landscape of
the country. But what we really need are
more books!
And youre participating in the very
first edition of Sensorium. Whats
that like?
Its got a stellar lineup theres Dayanita
[Singh] who Im a big fan of, Ritesh [Batra],
Jitish [Kallat] and so many other exciting
people. Then theres the added bonus of the
location: Portuguese-style villas, cobbled
streets, the sea, a river nearby Its a
perfect retreat.
For the festival, Ive curated an exhibition
of extraordinary images from the Ajanta
46

JANUARY 2015

and Ellora caves. The artwork inside these

places is about the oldest that we have
here in India dating back to 1800 BC.
Theyd been almost entirely invisible till the
Archaeological Survey of India recently
and very quietly did a marvellous job of
restoring them.
I have also given a talk about my great
great aunt, Julia Margaret Cameron, the
first female photographer in this country, an
eccentric lady whod put people like Charles
Dickens and Lord Tennyson on boats and
take pictures. Shes famous now, but her
work didnt have much of an impact back
then. So weve traced the lines of feminism
and photography through her story.
Do you think youll ever get sick of
arts festivals?
[Laughs] Its been two
years since I wrote
my last book. There
is the danger that,
after all this touring,
you become a Writer,
with a capital W you
know, where an author
has written a great
book, been shortlisted
for some fancy prize,
been translated into
40 languages and lost

What lessons can you share with

someone looking to start their own
festival?
There are only four real festivals of any note
in this country right now: JLF, Times Litfest
in Mumbai, Calcutta Litfest and Lit Live
Chennai. There are 66 other festivals across
Asia, but honestly, the quality drops a little.
We at JLF have always tried to bring a
balance between the desi and international
participants. We have two missions: to
showcase Indian literature to the world, and
to showcase great literature from abroad to
Indians. Namita [Gokhale] brings in the most
exciting people from the obscurest parts of
this country; my job is to get the foreign ones
to the same table. Its a formula thats worked
well for us. We try to lead by example.
Sensorium at Sunaparanta Centre for the Arts, Goa is
on until February 5;the Zee Jaipur LitFest takes place
from January 21-25

A still from
Salaam Bombay

WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA

From Jazz, a photo

exhibition by Farrokh Chothia

+91 22 7111 7700

AO1, Amerchand Mansion, 16 Madame
Cama Road, Colaba, Mumbai 400 001, India
sales@simone.com | www.simone.com
Fine Fabrics | Furniture | Artefacts
Monday Closed

INDIAN EDM

48

or most music fans, Ross Birchard isnt exactly a

household name. But among those who have been
paying attention to the rapidly expanding world of
electronic dance music, a world currently eclipsing
most other popular genres, the name Hudson Mohawke
is close to being canonized. The 28-year-old Glaswegian
DJ and producer has always been a bit of a prodigy: From becoming
a 15-year-old finalist at the DMC the Olympics of DJ scratching
to being selected as a Red Bull Academy participant at 21, signing
to seminal UK label Warp two years later, and more recently, taking
trap to another level entirely with his EP, TNGHT, which resulted in
a collaboration with Kanye West.
As Ross enters Social, the latest addition to Delhis hipster haven
of Hauz Khas Village, his physical appearance runs contrapuntal to
the scale of his ambition. Armed only with a shy smile, bedecked in
low-slung white jeans, he cranes his neck to take in his surroundings.
You know what? he says, I was imagining the polar opposite
of where we are right now. I was expecting velvet ropes, some
swanky club. But this is pretty fucking amazing. If there are long
tables with power bars hanging from the ceiling, the place knows
whats going on.
Before taking the stage, Ross sinks comfortably into a couch
and a few vodkas in a cordoned-off area stage right. His slightly
stooping demeanour might be a reflection of his notoriously lowkey persona, or perhaps a response to being in an altogether alien
environment. But although its his first time in India, there is some
history here: My father came to India a bunch of times in the
Seventies with Pete Townshend, he explains. They were followers
of Meher Baba. Actually he was kind of an actor. Hes been in The
Dark Knight and a few other Hollywood films, but usually just for a
second or two. Hes usually that guy who explodes or dies horribly.
A particularly bizarre heirloom is available on YouTube, where
Birchard Senior raps about Glaswegians playing American football
over the 1987 Super Bowl halftime show. But he brought a lot of
Eighties R&B and rap into the house when I was a kid, explains
Ross, so I grew up with that. And no matter how disjointed his
beats get, Hudson Mohawke is never far from a throwback to Dads
record collection.
As the crowd begins to swell, Ross Birchard casts a glance at
his sister Nina, who hes brought along on the trip; a habit hes
replicated with his other siblings on prior international dates. She
smiles back, and Hudson Mohawke enters the glassed-in DJ booth.
He acknowledges his reception with a mild grin and immediately
takes control, steering an overdriven PA into Brainwave, a
beatless, atmospheric piece from his new EP with enough lowend to induce an aneurysm. Watching him as part of the crowd,
I instinctively move towards the subs, and as the track tapers off,
the cascading synth line of Goooo from 2012s TNGHT begins to
congeal. Arms are launched into the air, teeth are bared, and for the
next hour and a half, were gleefully assaulted by something more
than a crowd-pleasing DJ set, as HudMo turns out a showcase of
his original work at incendiary volumes. Apart from pouring Grey
Goose over the glass barrier and into the mouths of fans crushing
out the front at one point, he is totally fixated on his craft. I wanted
to do something special, he says later.
Bathed in a high-pitched hum likely the onset of tinnitus
after HudMos set, the crowd is rounded up by square-shouldered
security guards and guided out of the venue into the alleys of Hauz
Khas Village. Its 12:30am, and the ejected masses are configuring
after-party strategies, overseen by a police jeep.
The spectacle presents an irony, scored by the music still
lingering between my ears. On the one hand, the State, as the
police jeep, is here to curtail this kind of entertainment whether in
the name of law and order, or to quell the spectre of an imagined,
49

INDIAN EDM

immoral, cultural threat. On the other hand, government policies

have opened the doors to the kind of foreign investment that makes
such events possible, and a newly minted youth is ready to buy in.
In new music markets like India, there has never been a
mainstream culture of record labels to bankroll electronic dance
music. An entire cycle for growth, practice, taste-making and survival
by record sales was leapfrogged, and a new industry bounded
directly into the pool of corporate sponsorship. Tonight, its Red Bull
the sponsor that gave Ross that big break at age 21, and one of the
most visible sponsors of music events in India right now.
Globally, electronic dance music is an industry worth over four
billion dollars. In India, its estimated to be 3.3 billion rupees. While
Indian EDM events in 2007 drew just over 10,000 attendants, six
years later, that figure is over 320,000. Compare that to a Delhi of
the not-so-distant past, where showcasing Western dance music
could earn you a death threat.

fter moving to Delhi in 1998, veteran DJ and producer

Arjun Vagale began a long stint as resident DJ at
Someplace Else, the former house bar at The Park, the
least avuncular of the hotels dotted around Connaught
Place. During one of his first sets, he recalls, a patron requested
that he stop spinning the house tracks he loves, suggesting that a
Bollywood tune would be more convivial. The handgun the patron
then pointed at Arjun served to motivate a temporary change in taste.
Most of the first movements in India towards independent,
non-film-oriented dance music began taking root around this time,
and Delhi was the soil. Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj better known
as Midival Punditz made music
partly inspired by British producer
Talvin Singh and his short-lived
Asian Underground scene, but
also by an innate desire to do
something more of and for the
city around them. In turn,
their Cyber Mehfil parties on
the outskirts of Delhi would
unintentionally incubate a
movement leading straight into
the EDM of today.
One alumnus, Samrat B aka
Audio Pervert became one
of the first producers to move
beyond turntables and bring in
synthesizers, and later, software.
As he recalls, it made us more
confident about this music There
was this cultural transferability
that someone like Talvin was
doing, pulling out bizarre Hindi
records and placing it in a different context altogether.
Madhav Shorey aka Kohra was another attendee; he went
on to start Qilla, one of the first Indian labels catering to this new
music. I would have been like 15 then, but Id never seen anything
like it. You could just do what you wanted, be who you wanted
gay, straight, freaky, whatever. That was the catalyst, and we all
connected on that level.
This was around the time Goa psytrance was oozing north
towards the capital, into the gated and gilded upscale clubs and
private parties the kinds of venues Hudson Mohawke thought
hed be seeing on his India tour. Yet as the parties that grew the
quasi-legal Delhi rave scene more often than not financed by
increasingly shady promoters the original intent of the Cyber
Mehfil parties became untenable, even sinister. Shravan Chellapa
aka Ravana, a former metalhead-turned-producer, who, along

Coke and MDMA

were everywhere.
There were people
selling their cars
and shit to get blow
and we were in
the middle of it all

50

JANUARY 2015

with Kohra and others

put on the DeBase drum
and bass nights recalls,
We werent afraid of
anything until the cops
got into the picture, and
then it got to a point
where promoters would
tip off the cops about
their competitors and
wed all get busted.
Vagale lived through this
scene as well, and adds,
Coke and MDMA were
everywhere. There were
people selling their cars and shit to get blow and we were in
the middle of it all. At 8am you were looking at people and they
were totally fucked. It led to a downfall for all of us. By 2006 it
was all dead.

rom a corrupted psytrance scene emerged something

else entirely. Those who spearheaded and survived
this first wave began to get regular DJ gigs at hotel
bars and clubs, and started to make their own music.
Jalebee Cartel took things beyond the Punditz-oriented Indian
sound, pairing live instrumentation with software and laptops,
and discovered an eager audience they didnt know existed. In
2008, a young Sahej Bakshi aka Dualist Inquiry recalls seeing
500 people losing their minds to Jalebee at a gig in Goa. On a
break from his studies in California at the time, I had no idea that

this was happening in India. This is coming from the guy who now
regularly sells out venues across the country. I knew then that I had
to come back. I was Indian after all, and I felt I had to be part of this.
With this new, young audience with post-liberalization
dispensable incomes, the commodity of Indian EDM was about
to go mainstream, and in the process, a cadre of event managers
formed, middle-manning artists and the brands, not the record
labels, that would back them. But, especially in nascent, untested
waters, its never as simple as that.
Its not easy to convince a brand that we have the youngest
population in the world, says Shailendra Singh, founder of what is
still Indias largest EDM festival, Sunburn. They only want to catch
on to wagons that are already moving at high speed; nobody wants
to start the wagon.
He would know. Singhs got a few wagons rolling in his time,
convincing brands how marketable EDM could be and getting
them to pump the kind of money into EDM events we routinely
see today. He explains, India is a follower nation. We only got
independence 60 years ago, and we still look at the West. So
when communication lines really opened up in India around
2006 television, mobile phones, the internet things changed
drastically. It didnt take a couple of years to explode, it took a
couple of months.
Technology is key to the equation, and whats happening in
India mirrors the nature of the global music industry. Analyzing
trends on apps like Shazam has facilitated remarkably astute
pre-assessment of what a given public will soon be listening to.
Smartphones have completely altered how risk is navigated in
launching an artist, and as a result, a labels traditional role is
becoming a historical artefact. Today, its the lifestyle brand sponsor
playing risk broker.

he scale bro, the scale. Do you know how many thousands

of people a niche market means in India? Do you? Its
crazy! It doesnt matter if the music is good or bad, its
how you target that niche. Thats the future! I mean look at
second-tier cities
I smile, nod, and turn away from this particularly inspired ad
executive at a house party following Hudson Mohawkes gig at Blue
Frog, Mumbai. This guys far from the only person seeing Indias
EDM craze in strictly business terms, and theres no doubt that
corporate sponsors will continue to patronize the culture, but even a
year ago, its unlikely anyone would have taken the risk of bringing
a lesser-known artist like Hudson Mohawke to the Subcontinent.
The play that Red Bulls making is a long one: More than corporate
sponsors backing anything that will get kids through the gates of the
next Sunburn or NH7 Weekender, HudMo represents the authenticity
a mature music culture demands, and like the scene itself, it didnt
take years, it took, at least it seems sometimes, mere weeks.
I slink away and join Ross, whos seated on a couch in the
crowded living room, holding court around a coffee table crowded
with room-temperature beers and whisky dregs. We talk about
a number of things mutual friends, he and his sisters trip to
the Taj Mahal the day after the Delhi gig, and his most ambitious
production effort yet, The Rap Monument: the worlds longest
rap song. We also talk about what it feels like to be on the verge of
something huge his second EP is set to drop early this year and,
consequently, having commercial stakes come into play.
Im not sure how long Ill do this, says Ross, a bit sheepishly.
Its been amazing, but in 30 years, I want to be scoring films.
While I try to put his first India tour in context, Im reminded
that as much as Ross may concern himself with the business side of
things, Hudson Mohawke is purely a creative entity. I just do what I
do, he says. I mean look at my sister. She does this crazy math shit
that I dont get. But me? This is all I can do.
JANUARY 2015

51

S
P
O
R
C
E
T
A
R
O
P
COR
Whether youre delivering a presentation or heading to a sales pitch, the right
hairdo gives you the condence required in a work space. Hair experts at JeanClaude Biguine recommend two looks that will rock your ofce wardrobe

THE EXECUTIVE FADE

To get this versatile and dapper haircut, ask your stylist to
leave the hair on top long and taper it on the back and sides
all the way down to the neck. At work, sweep the hair on top
to the side to accentuate the hairline.
Style tip: Style your hair with a good hair wax. We
recommend Sculpte from LOral Professionnel Homme

THE BOARDROOM QUIFF

Need to make an impression? Try the stylish quiff a runway hairdo
thats making its way into the work space. For this look, your hair
must be short on the sides and left long on the top. For volume, push
the longer hair backwards with both hands.
Care tip: For a visibly fuller look, try Fibreboost by LOral
Professionnel Homme

Book an appointment with experts at Jean-Claude Biguine for a

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EDITED BY VIJENDRA BHARDWAJ

& SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR

SUIT BY
CORNELIANI, `1,35,000

Price is what you pay.

Value is what you get.
Warren Buffett

Suiting
star
In a world where men wear jeans to the
ofce and sneakers are kosher, its the
perfectly put-together guy whos cooler than
the rest. Follow suit in Corneliani. Plain or
pinstripe, thats up to you

JANUARY 2015

53

THE GUIDE

SPOT THE
DIFFERENCE
Every guy in the Wests wearing
a trench because its the most
versatile, unpredictable and
cool thing you can throw on
this season. The bonus is that it
ts as well over your ofce suit
as it does over your weekend
gear. And when it ends just a
little above your knee, you get
that extra leg room for a little
extra swagger.
KE:/>&d: TRENCH COAT, `1,25,000, SUIT,
`1,35,000; BOTH BY BURBERRY. SHIRT, `25,000,
SHOES, `38,000; BOTH BY CANALI. TIE BY LOUIS
PHILIPPE, `1,400
KEs/:/Z/',d: TRENCH COAT BY BURBERRY,
`1,35,000. SUIT BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA,
`2,64,800. SHIRT BY T.M. LEWIN, `3,500.
TIE BY ZARA, `1,990. SHOES BY SALVATORE
FERRAGAMO, `69,300. BRERA BAG BY BOTTEGA
VENETA, `2,34,000

WHO VIJAI ATAL

WHAT Banker
SARTORIAL STATEMENT

Navy jackets are my go-to for

formal meetings. I also switch
it up with a grey one from time
to time.
WHO AJAI ATAL
WHAT Private equity
SARTORIAL STATEMENT

The New Wave

Wall Street three-piece serious or Silicon Valley casual? Oxfords or loafers?
Tieless or tied? Ofce style has never been more confusing. We pull in eight young
professionals to give you a masterclass in modern workwear
PRABHAT SHETTY

56

JANUARY 2015

TANYA VOHRA

SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR

HAIR: SHEFALI SHETTY/BBLUNT;

MAKE-UP: XAVIER D'SOUZA/FATMU

A button-down shirt, trousers,

Oxfords and cufflinks. Always.

GREYS
ANATOMY
With all due respect to
ofce-bound bizmen, suiting
up really starts when you
have some fun with it. One
way to do that is to swap
your routine black suit for a
dark grey one. Clip on a tie
bar, fold in a pocket square
and then put on a smug
smile. No ones going to think
youre at the bottom of the
food chain anymore.
SUIT BY BOSS BY HUGO BOSS, `90,600.
SHIRT BY THOMAS PINK, `12,990. TIE
BY T.M. LEWIN, `4,000. TIE BAR BY
MONTBLANC, `18,050. POCKET SQUARE
BY TOM FORD, `9,000. BELT BY LOUIS
PHILIPPE, `1,700. BROGUES BY CHRISTIAN
LOUBOUTIN, `85,500

WHO ARMAAN EBRAHIM

WHAT Professional driver
FIRST LEG

I could drive a car by the time

I was 12, and I won my first
National Championship when
I was 14.

TIP

Never match your

pocket square and
your tie.

JANUARY 2015

57

THE GUIDE

LOAFING
AROUND
Are you that guy who wears
loafers everywhere? To
work? The movies? A swish
bar? The bathroom, if you
could? Dont be that guy.
There are a few rules to doing
it right:
1) Never wear them with a suit for a
formal meeting.
2) To a bar and movie are okay as long as
youre not repeating the same pair too often.
3) Always wear them for casual Fridays.
KE ,/^,< >&d: SHIRT BY LOUIS
PHILIPPE, `2,600. TROUSERS BY ZARA,
`4,000. TIE BY SALVATORE FERRAGAMO,
`14,000. BELT BY LOUIS PHILIPPE, `1,700.
LOAFERS BY CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN,
`63,000
KE z^,K Z/',d: BLAZER BY TOMMY
HILFIGER, `20,000. SHIRT BY T.M. LEWIN,
`3,500. CHINOS BY LEVIS, `4,000. TIE BY
ZARA, `1,990. POCKET SQUARE BY TIE RACK
LONDON, `1,500. BELT BY CANALI, `12,600.
LOAFERS BY BOTTEGA VENETA, `75,000.
WATCH BY ROLEX AT ROLEX BOUTIQUE
SWISS PARADISE, `12,29,300. TRUNK BY
LOUIS VUITTON, PRICE ON REQUEST

WHAT Owner, Boveda Bar,

Mumbai
ON ABHISHEKS STYLE

As owners of a bar, we can

dress more casually. Abhishek
DJs as well, so hes normally in
jeans and a T-shirt.
WHO ABHISHEK GOYAL
WHAT Owner, Boveda Bar,
Mumbai
ON YASHOS STYLE

We have very similar style

preferences, though Yasho leans
more towards shirts and semiformal clothes.
58

JANUARY 2015

HAIR: SHEFALI SHETTY/BBLUNT; MAKE-UP: XAVIER D'SOUZA/FATMU

WHO YASHO SONTHALIA

KNITTED OUT
If you think only corporate guys wear ties, you
dont own a knitted one. Theyre the coolest
thing about suiting up right now. And the fact
that Steve McQueen called it his prime sash
should be enough for you to stick your neck out.
CARDIGAN BY ARROW, `2,400. SHIRT BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA,
`13,100. TIE BY HUGO BOSS, `15,200

TIP

Cardigan, waistcoat or
suit jacket, always leave that
last button open.

OLDS COOL
The Nehru jackets named after Indias rst
prime minister for good reason: He was a
walking, talking example of excellent sartorial
delivery, and a perfectly tailored achkan was
his weapon of choice. Now, were not saying you
should always wear it in its more aristocratic
form. To an ofcial business event? Go all-out
modern Nehruvian.
BANDHGALA BY CANALI, `1,35,000. POCKET SQUARE BY
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA, `9,500. WATCH BY ROLEX AT ROLEX BOUTIQUE
SWISS PARADISE, `12,29,300

WHO JAI ANAND

WHAT Marketing professional
STYLE INSPIRATION

Ive worked at Salvatore Ferragamo on Fifth Avenue

in retail operations. Everyone was dressed so well that
I had to make an effort. Now its just become a habit.

JANUARY 2015

59

THE GUIDE

TIP

Burgundy, wine and

maroon are all respectable
suiting choices.

You might think a deep-hued

suit is something only your
grandfather would wear.
Technically, youd be correct, but
the new spirit of this burgundy
suit is more young dynamo than
retired professional: form-tting,
sumptuous and ready to deliver a
sartorial KO in the boardroom.
JACKET, `49,900, TROUSERS, `19,900; BOTH BY
PAUL SMITH. SHIRT BY ARROW, `2,300. TIE BY
DIOR HOMME, `14,500. POCKET SQUARE BY TOM
FORD, `9,000. SHOES BY SALVATORE FERRAGAMO,
`69,300. WATCH BY HUBLOT, `9,56,000. FRAMES BY
GIORGIO ARMANI, `16,150

WHO HAMZA PATEL

WHAT Director, AP Group
HEIRLOOM PIECE

My dad passed on a 1947 Rolex

Oyster Perpetual Datejust to me. But
I swear by my collection of Swatch
watches for everyday wear.

60

JANUARY 2015

HAIR: SHEFALI SHETTY/BBLUNT; MAKE-UP: XAVIER D'SOUZA/FATMU

DARK KNIGHT

THE GUIDE

BACK TO BACK
In the last two months, backpacks
have taken over the style rooms of
GQ HQ not for their storage value
but because the trusted slingback
you carried to school is back in
its most luxe form. Carry it with
your suit (though not like a techie),
or stick to a classic black or tan
carryall. Anything in between
doesnt make the cut.
LEFT: SUIT BY BOTTEGA VENETA, `1,27,100. SHIRT
BY CALVIN KLEIN JEANS, `4,300. TIE BY T.M. LEWIN,
`4,000. POCKET SQUARE BY TOM FORD, `9,000.
SHOES BY HEEL & BUCKLE, `33,970. WATCH BY
CHOPARD, `6,00,000. BRIEFCASE BY SALVATORE
FERRAGAMO, `1,17,000
BELOW: SUIT, `32,000, SHIRT, `3,500; BOTH BY T.M.
LEWIN. WATCH BY CHOPARD, `6,00,000. BACKPACK
BY TUMI, `37,000

WHO KUNAAL SEOLEKAR

WHAT Architect and owner,
studioHAUS
DRESSING THE PART

HAIR: SHEFALI SHETTY/BBLUNT; MAKE-UP: XAVIER D'SOUZA/FATMU

I never go to work in a T-shirt and

jeans. It doesnt have to be formal, but
its always trendy. My Persol sunglasses
and a backpack are routine.

62

JANUARY 2015

THE OFFICE

How to buy a new suit

Whether its your rst or fteenth, weve nailed the four fool-proof steps between you
and that elusive sartorial beast: a perfect-tting, trend-transcendent off-the-rack suit

PICTURE IT FIRST
Buying a new suit doesnt start in the store, it
starts in your head. Is the suit for work? Date
night? A buddys wedding? All three? Know that
and you can make the right choices, starting
with colour.

GREY

If this is your rst suit, start here. A simple

charcoal grey works with anything and goes
anywhere. Its the standard. Largely
un-fuck-up-able.

B LU E

Navy has the pedigree, but lately were into

a slightly brighter shade we call heightened
blue, cause it gives everything youre wearing
a little lift.
No, you wont look like a postman. But brown
does deliver (sorry) an element of surprise.
Great for rounding out a budding suit collection.

B ROW N

Not as fool-proof as you think. You imagine

The Strokes, but you might end up with security
guard if you dont bring serious rockstar
style moves.

B L AC K

PICK YOUR TUDE

Youve got two choices. The full-American notch
is like ordering roast chicken: a total failsafe.
The ashier, more formal peak lapel it juts up
and out, towards your shoulder is a Euro-born
power move.

N OTC H L A P E L L

Shoulders
Cant tailor
A tailor cant x a bunk
shoulder, so make sure
the seam ends right at the
outside of yours. Most guys
overestimate their jacket size.
Think youre a 42? Try a 40.

MAKE SURE
THE DAMN
THING FITS

The perfect off-the-rack suit

is mythical, like the Yeti, or
Arsenal winning the Premier
League. But you can get close
if you know what has to t in
the tting-room mirror and
what the tailor can x up.

Lapels
Cant tailor
With the jacket buttoned,
the lapels should lie at on
your chest. Do they bow or
leave a gap around your
shirt collar? You need
a different size or a
different brand.

Arms
Tailor-friendly
They should hug your actual
arms and show a half-inch of
cuff. But dont worry too much
about either: Any tailor can
sort out both the length and
any excess bagginess.

PEAK LAPEL

Torso

LEARN TO COUNT
The two-button is the Wayfarer of suit jackets,
because it looks great on everyone. The singlebutton is a fashion-y choice that atters beanpole
types, while three-buttons can look dated.

ONE-BUT TO N

T WO-BUT TO N

Tailor-friendly
Fasten your pants at your
natural waist (about an
inch below your navel). Too
loose? Call the tailor.

THREE-BUT TO N

Hems
Must tailor
Since most suits have unnished
hems, you cant buy today and wear
tomorrow. Get em tailored to hover
just above your shoes. Better yet,
ask if the store will do it gratis.

THE NEW WAVE

64

THE N0-BRAINER

JANUARY 2015

THE RISKY MOVE

WORDS: JONATHAN WILDE; ILLUSTRATION: PATRICK LEGER

Waist

Tailor-friendly
With the jacket buttoned,
slide your thumb between
the button and your gut. If
your thumb is snug, good.
If its a little loose, you
can tailor. If its crunched,
try one size up.

India Modern with Savile Row tailoring

www.facebook.com/TarunTahiliani

THE LEGENDS

Glory
Days

Jawaharlal Nehru
At every stage of his life,
Pandit Nehru made a powerful
sartorial statement.

66

JANUARY 2015

WORDS: SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR; PHOTO: ROGER RENBERG (NAIR); IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES, CORBIS, REX FEATURES

Here's to a time when

style and substance
went hand in hand
and men paid attention
to the details, says
Shivangi Lolayekar

VK Krishna Menon
Indias former Defence Minister was a
true dandy.

very time Im asked to

name a person I wish
Id met, my answer is
my grandfather. He was
a Navy Commander
during the British Raj, and his elegance
was apparent in every black-and-white
photograph at home. His hair was always
slicked back with a Cary Grant part and
his round gold-rimmed glasses would be
at home on any hipster today. My Nana
didnt try to make an impression he just
did, as my mother would say, whether he
was hosting Lord Mountbatten or Chinese
Premier Zhou Enlai.
My grandfather was a creature of his era;
part of a generation of men who
made an effort to present themselves
well, regardless of whether they were
born wealthy. They dressed up for
work whatever their profession.
And even though they didnt have
access to an army of stylists, wearing
a glistening tie bar on a jacquard
cravat or a meticulously tailored suit
was de rigueur.
Leading the pack was Indias
first prime minister, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru. As a young lad
in Cambridge, Nehru would wear
lush three-piece tweed suits, before
switching to achkans and soon-to-be
eponymous band-collared jackets
once his political career took off.
He wore a freshly plucked rose in
his buttonhole every morning and
carried monogrammed kerchiefs.

Captain Nair
The man behind the
Leela understood the
importance of a wellplaced accessory.

Homi Bhabha
A lesson in cutting a ne portrait.

Men dressed
up for work
whatever their
profession
C Ra agopalachari
All it took were a pair of cool
rockstar glasses to put Indias last
governor-general in the league of
extraordinarily-dressed gentlemen.

THE LEGENDS

Much like his close aide and Indias former

defence minister, VK Krishna Menon, whose
suits made as much of an impact as his
oratory skills. He always placed his pen at a
calculated distance from his pocket square
and carried a cane to leverage the appeal of
his double-breasted suit but never used it
when he wore a mundi.
Style in a newly independent India often
stemmed from the British, with trim tailoring
and accessories (hat, pocket square, cigarette
and martini). Downtime attire was borrowed
more from grandfathers and fathers shatung
jackets and Madras prints were popular.
Sadly, that sartorial flair hasnt trickled
down from the time of my grandfather,
and we are all the poorer for it. What we
need to remember is that looking good isnt
incumbent on designer labels. Its about
dressing up to demonstrate that you have
integrity. You are cultured. You are a man of
your word. You have substance. We
can only encourage you to take
heed of this kind of discipline
and detail when it comes
to your wardrobe choices.
Ignore this at your peril.

JRD Tata
Always suited up,
regardless of the
occasion.

C V Raman
The leading physicist
had a penchant for wing
collars and turbans.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Looking good isnt incumbent

on designer labels. Its about
dressing up to demonstrate
that you have integrity. You are
cultured.You are a man of your
word. You have substance
68

JANUARY 2015

IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES, CORBIS

A picture of elegance married with rockstar swag.

SA

HI

BESPOKE MENSWEAR
Kolkata | New Delhi | Mumbai | Hyderabad | Chennai | Ahmedabad | Bangalore
Dubai | San Francisco | London | New Jersey
www.sabyasachi.com

THE LINE-UP

BERRY GEOMETRIC TIE,

NAVY AND RED CIRCLE
TIE; BOTH BY CORNELIANI.
BLUE MEDALLION TIE,
OCHRE MEDALLION TIE,
GREEN PAISLEY TIE; ALL
BY BEN SHERMAN. BROWN
AND ORANGE CIRCLE TIE
BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
COUTURE. DARK GREEN
DROP PATTERN TIE, DARK
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
PRINT TIE, DARK GREEN
CREST TIE; ALL BY POLO
RALPH LAUREN. NAVY
AND RED FOULARD TIE BY
GANT RUGGER

70

JANUARY 2015

Pull your look together in

style with the seasons nest
patterned ties

PHOTO: TED HUMBLE-SMITH; WORDS: SOPHIE CLARK; PRODUCTION: KATY OFFLEY PRODUCTIONS; SET BUILDER: VINCENT OLIVIERA/MAGNET

PATTERENED TIES:

Tongue tied

STRIPED TIES:
RED, YELLOW AND GREEN
STRIPED TIE BY POLO
RALPH LAUREN. NAVY AND
BLUE STRIPED TIE BY JOHN
VARVATOS. WHITE AND
CHARCOAL HORIZONTAL
STRIPED TIE FOR GIVENCHY BY
RICCARDO TISCI. RED TARTAN
TIE BY CARVEN HOMME. NAVY
AND PURPLE TIE, BROWN AND
BLACK STRIPED TIE; BOTH
BY ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
COUTURE. NAVY AND RED
STRIPE TIE, PORT AND GREY
STRIPED TIE; BOTH BY GANT
RUGGER. GREY WHITE STRIPED
TIE BY DIOR HOMME. OLIVE
AND GREY TIE, BLUE AND
SILVER TIE, GREY CHARCOAL
AND SILVER STRIPED TIE; ALL
BY KENT & CURWEN. RED BLUE
AND GREEN STRIPED TIE BY
TOMMY HILFIGER

www.r a r er a bbit .in

THE OFFICE

GIORGIO ARMANI,
`19,550

MAX & CO.,

`8,900

MARC BY
MARC JACOBS,
`9,900

T
L
P

P
E

Fr
72

JANUARY 2015

Take it from us: eyewear is the new black

PHOTO: NIRMAL JAIN

BOTTEGA VENETA,
`21,400

LIV E
PROFESSION A L

PHOTOGRAPHER: BIKRAMJIT BOSE; STYLIST: NIKHIL MANSATA; MAKE-UP & HAIR: AVNI RAMBHIA; PRODUCTION: VANGUARD FILMS;
AJAYS WARDROBE COURTESY: ARROW; LOCATION COURTESY: GATEWAY ROOM, THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE, MUMBAI

ALEX SANCHEZ
HEAD CHEF
THE TABLE, MUMBAI

I am Alex Sanchez, a chef from San Francisco. When I was recently asked to
join The Table, Mumbai, a restaurant that was yet to open, my initial reaction
was to say no. But after giving it some thought, I realized that it was time to
take my career to the next level. So I hopped on a plane and grabbed this
opportunity before it passed me by.
I like my clothes to be versatile stuff that will see me through a day of
work and an evening out after a long day. Blues, blacks, greys, greens and
browns are usually the colours that I choose. Chefs are not known to have a
six-pack, so I prefer shirts that are tailored to be slightly loose on the stomach but t well around the arms and chest. My style? Simple and comfortable. People take style too seriously, trying hard to be someone or something they are not. Me, I like to keep it simple and real.

THE OFFICE

ALEXANDER
McQUEEN,
`18,900

CARRERA,
`6,400

HUGO BOSS,
`12,400

GUCCI, `14,400

PHOTO: NIRMAL JAIN

T
JIMMY CHOO,
`17,400

T
74

JANUARY 2015

LIV E
PROFESSION A L

PHOTOGRAPHER: BIKRAMJIT BOSE; STYLIST: NIKHIL MANSATA; MAKE-UP & HAIR: AVNI RAMBHIA; PRODUCTION: VANGUARD FILMS;
THERONS WARDROBE COURTESY: ARROW; LOCATION COURTESY: BELL TOWER & DUTCH SUITE, THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE, MUMBAI

ANUJ RAKYAN
CEO & FOUNDER
RAW PRESSERY

I am Anuj Rakyan, CEO and founder of Raw Pressery Indias rst-ever

cold-press juice company. It all began in 2013, when I decided to explore my
passion for health and nutrition.
My style is minimalistic yet trendy. The right amount of accessories can give
you that much required edge. My clothes in the morning are selected very
carefully because I believe that they have a lot of inuence on my energy
and determine the way I feel for the rest of the day. If my style philosophy
became a movement, it would probably be called suavism.

RO
K HA
A
SH LY N
IV AN SH
AN I D RE
GI ES ST
LO AI HA
LA
YE
K
AR

DRESS FOR LESS

HOW TO

DRESS
FOR WORK
FOR UNDER

SUIT

ENDORSES

AR

maximum impact.

ho
, invest
nes.
as they
them
with grey straight-cut trousers
for a head-to-toe winning look.

SUIT BY PETER ENGLAND, `4,499.

SHIRT BY THE INVICTUS LOOM,
AVAILABLE AT MYNTRA.COM, `1,899.
TIE BY PETER ENGLAND, `499.
POCKET SQUARE BY ZODIAC, `500.
SHOES BY ALBERTO TORRESI, `2,295

SHIRT BY THE INVICTUS LOOM,

AVAILABLE AT MYNTRA.COM `1,699.
TROUSERS BY ARROW, `1,799.
TIE BY ARROW, `999.
BELT BY PETER ENGLAND, `499.
SHOES BY ALBERTO TORRESI, `2,295

TOTAL `9,692

TOTAL `7,291

ack suit a
duty with
ed suit
t off with a
t square for

76

JANUARY 2015

MODEL: BRUNO RANGEL/INEGA MODELS; HAIR & MAKE-UP: SABEENA MEGHJ/BBLUNT

W
dr ho
r e
w equ ssin say
a
s l i g s
w how let res sh
? a a
li ay
on ke s t yo We fat rp
a the o lo u fo
bu b o u
dg os k r
et s,

`10,000

TIP

The
Gentleman's
Rule: Being
well groomed
is as important
as being well
dressed

MAN FRIDAY

VESTED
INTEREST

When Friday hits, ditch

your Monday-to-Thursday
power suit look. Throw
on a slick polo and slim
trousers. Keep that jacket
handy for any last-minute
client meetings.

Waistcoat rule no 1: Its okay

to wear it solo, without the
jacket. Just dont skip the
tie. It pulls the whole look
together, while saying you
mean business.

BLAZER BY FORT COLLINS,

AVAILABLE AT MYNTRA.COM,
`3,260.
POLO SHIRT BY U.S. POLO ASSN,
`1,399.
TROUSERS BY ARROW `1,899.
SHOES BY BATA, `2,999

WAISTCOAT BY KOOVS, `2,295.

SHIRT BY THE INVICTUS LOOM,
AVAILABLE AT MYNTRA.COM,
`1,899.
TROUSERS BY VAN HEUSEN, `1,999.
TIE BY PETER ENGLAND, `599.
SHOES BY BATA, `2,299

TOTAL `9,557

TOTAL `9,091
JANUARY 2015

77

THE ADVICE

Style Shrink
GQs style guru Vendra Bhardwaj addresses your sartorial
dilemmas. This month, how to look stylish at work

WORKING CLASS
Q.1 SLIM SHADY
Every month the pages of GQ have
fantastic slim-cut suits on t-as-hell
guys. Would these work for me?
Lets just say Im not as well-versed
with the gym.
KAPIL, DELHI

The solution lies in one word: bespoke.

I highly recommend Ermenegildo
Zegnas service, which offers slick
Italian tailoring and elegant fabrics.
And theres more good news: The
Guccis, Tom Fords and Canalis of the
world come in two styles now there
are the runway pieces (the ones you
see in GQ) and then there are their
respective suit departments, which
focus on the requirements of real men
(with more forgiving cuts).

I snagged a high-prole
MNC job but I am unsure
of what is appropriate yet
stylish workwear.
DARREN, DELHI

First impressions are very

important, Darren, whether youre
meeting a new client or liaising
with your companys bosses. Id
simply reiterate the GQ style
motto: Look Sharp. Here are six
ways to make that happen:

1. BE SUITABLE
IMPECCABLE NOT
INCAPABLE
Invest in two (one charcoal
or navy and one khaki)
suits. Charcoal and navy are
authoritative and classic,
perfect for a Monday
morning meeting in the
boardroom. Khaki is your
secret weapon, which
you should bring out at a

2. SHIRT UP
SMART OVER STUNT
A crisp, clean, well-fitted
shirt is your first line of
defence. Keep in mind that
the seams should hug your
shoulders, without extra
fabric ballooning at your
waist. And make sure your
collar is firm, with no bulges.
Opt for solids, or choose your
patterns carefully: Stripes,
windowpanes and micro
florals are office-appropriate.
Batik and polka dots arent.
3. GET KNOTTY
FUN NOT FUNNY
Solid, repp (diagonally
striped), check, dotted and
floral ties convey that you
have style chops, and a sense
of humour. Donald Duck-like

Q.2 DONT TUCK UP

Is it okay to tuck my tie into my
trousers if its a bit long?
SARTHAK, MUMBAI

The tie tuck is a style blunder and looks

like youre trying not to let it dip into
your soup. There are three reasons why
a tie dangles too long: one, because it
is too long (quite probable); two, the
trousers are too high (rare in these slimcut days); or three, the wearer is a tad bit
careless (most often the case).
Id say, rst check the tie length
before buying it. Second, tie it in such
a way that the bottom skims the top of
your trousers.
Send your sartorial queries
to styleshrink@gqindia.com,
or write to: Style Shrink, Cond
Nast India, 2nd Floor, Darabshaw
House, Shoorji Vallabhdas Marg,
Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400 001
78

JANUARY 2015

COLLEGE TO WORK

novelty ties dont make

the cut.
4. THE DETAILS MAN
DO, DONT OVERDO
Accessories are great, if used
with discretion. Were big fans
of tie bars and timepieces.
And, of course the trusted
pocket square a quick and
easy way to add that extra
something to your suit.
5. BE A SHARP SHOOTER
STEP IT UP, NOT DOWN
Brogues and Oxfords are a
safe bet through the week
while posh trainers and loafers
work for Casual Fridays. The
only rule? Make sure youre
wearing leather and that its
polished well.
6. KEEP A GOOD HEAD
NEAT, YES; NESTY, NO
Dont OD on gel. Get a good
cut and style your hair in a
way that enhances your look.
If facial hair is your thing, go
for groomed, not grunge.

IMAGE: CORBIS (SLIM SHADY), GETTY IMAGES (OBAMA, WORKING CLASS)

Q.3

business lunch. Pair it with

a blue Oxford shirt and a
skinny dark tie for maximum
impact. And do not skimp on
quality. Remember, it takes
money to make money.

MY STYLE

Sanjit
Bakshi
This real estate developers
ready to school you in
corporate dressing
Describe your personal style in
three words.
Classic, preppy, understated.
Which labels do you like?
Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Belstaff, Marni,
Lanvin, Balmain and Bottega Veneta.
What do you wear in the boardroom?
A suit is imperative. It doesnt have to be
a three-piece, but a dark suit with a tie is
a must.
What is your view on corporate
dressing today?
It needs a revamp. Men in India seem to be
under the impression that office wear needs
to be extremely conservative, to the extent
that it actually looks outdated. Corporate
attire must be appropriate, but it doesnt
need to be boring. And theres no excuse for
wearing ill-fitted pants or oversized blazers.

What sits on your desk

at work?
My fountain pen, Smythson diary
and leather bureau. Im a great
believer in the dying art of
letter writing.
What should every man have in his
work wardrobe?
A dark suit, a crisp white and blue shirt,
cufflinks and a pair of black or brown
derby or Oxford shoes.
How do you kick back after a
long day?
Ive been browsing wine auction sites
these days. It helps me to unwind.

80

JANUARY 2015

What are
you wearing?
Turtleneck by
Cerrubi. Trousers,
loafers; both by
Marni

INTERVIEW: SHIVANGI LOLAYEKAR; PHOTO: MANISH MANSINH

How do you accessorize?

I keep things quite simple, limited to a
leather bracelet and a simple belt. If Im
wearing a suit, I usually wear a pocket
square and a tie pin.

Eternity Lifestyles Pvt. Ltd.

+91.22.4340.2222
info@eternitylifestyles.com

THE TASTEMAKER

Not for him are stuffy brown

brogues and classic black laceups. The man behind the Stans,
Adidas creative director Dirk
Schnberger, is all about his
pumped-up kicks

THE WORK UNIFORM

I attribute my love of minimalism mostly
to my German heritage. Adidas is casual,
so at work, I wear black. Its always a mix
of having a Jil Sander or Prada
tailored trouser and
A selection of Schnbergers favourite kicks,
including the Ozweego 2 (bottom right) from
an ongoing collaboration with Raf Simons, a
military-green Y-3 Qasas designed with Yohji
Yamamoto and two Stan Smith standbys
one cut from black reective fabric (on foot)
and a pair in the classic green and white. At
the moment, I have ve different pairs of
Stan Smiths in various fabrics on rotation,
Schnberger says.

y
s
a
e
k
a
Sne
a black or white shirt with a black
sweater. And, of course, I wear a lot
of sneakers.

THE GO-TO MEAL

My first dinner when I come back
to Berlin is almost always at Grill
Royal a very cool steakhouse with
a lot of artists, actors and musicians.
I usually order red wine and a beef
filet thats locally sourced. You can
go there alone, and by the end of
the evening, you have a lot of people
sitting with you at the table.

THE OFF-DUTY GROOMING

ROUTINE
I have an apartment in the countryside
in Herzogenaurach near Adidas
headquarters, and I live in Berlin on the
weekends. A bath is something
I really like to take my time enjoying
its a ritual on the weekend and
usually how I start the day after my first
espresso. Im a Shiseido addict; I really
love their mens products shower gel,
face wash, moisturizer.
82

JANUARY 2015

THE ART FASCINATION

I recently went to an exhibition in an old

villa by artist Michael Sailstorfer and am a
big fan of Sergej Jensens paintings. They
have a strong sense of romanticism and
vulnerability but are still raw and brutal
at times. He uses corrosive substances to
create works of art.

THE DOWNLOAD
At the moment, Im listening to Aphex
Twins Syro as well as something from my
youth, American band The Gun Club. The
brand has a history with music, having
first collaborated with Run-DMC back in
the mid-Eighties. Its a rewarding part of
Adidas identity for me to toy with.

WHEN INSPIRATION STRIKES

If I have visual ideas, I write and draw
by hand in an unfortunately very clichd
Moleskine notebook. For taking notes,
I prefer a Montblanc pen, and for
sketching, I prefer traditional wooden
pencils, as opposed to mechanical ones. I
love the act of sharpening them and using
very basic, classic tools.

WORDS: MOLLY CREEDEN; PHOTO: GREGOR HOHENBERG; GROOMING: HENRIETTE HOEFT/BLOSSOM MANAGEMENT

n 2014 alone, Adidas partnered with

plenty of big-time names whose
style youd actually want to copy: Raf
Simons, Yohji Yamamoto, Pharrell
and even Kanye, who jumped ship from
Nike to join the company. You can thank
creative director Dirk Schnberger
for these genius collaborations, not to
mention his part in the re-release of those
iconic Stan Smiths last year (the go-to lowtop for designer Marc Jacobs, among other
sharply dressed tastemakers). The German
designers minimalist instincts and fervour
for modern art are exactly whats making
the sneaker stalwart feel fresh again.
Adidas is a brand I grew up with, says
the 48-year-old, who joined the company
in 2010 after working on several European
menswear brands. One shoe that sticks in
my mind is the Top Ten basketball high-top.
They were so expensive when they came out
in 1979, and I was 14. My mother thought I
was crazy to want them, so my grandmother
bought them for me. I remember that really
well they were such an object of desire.
Here, he shares everything else he loves.

Vermillion

Featuring

FLAGSHIP STORES: DELHI: D-6, South Ex.-II, Ring Road. Ph.: 49486825 Karol Bagh, Ajmal Khan Road. Ph.: 49486621 info@diwansaheb.com
Online Store: www.diwansaheb.com For Any Query: SMS DS to 52424 Customer Care: 09311190001 Also at: JAIPUR LUDHIANA

WESTERN FORMALS ETHNIC WEAR ACCESSORIES WORLD-CLASS FABRICS & CUSTOMIZED TAILORING

Join us on

THE LIST

2. WEDDING
HANGOVER

WORK
HARD
Theres nothing like
this slick black gusset
briefcase from S.T.
Dupont to show you r
there to nail it.
st-dupont.com

When you switch things up with this

Herms holdall for the weekend,
youre saying you know how to have
a good time. hermes.com

DESK
JOB

ALL SHOOK UP

Audemars Piguet is shaking things up

on the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding
Tourbillon Chronograph with a case made
from a carbon, titanium and ceramic
composite. At around $300,000 a pop,
dont expect the boss to be sold on theidea
of you needing a raise at the start of the
year for this watch. On the other hand,
if youre packing one of these, youre
probably bossman already.
audemarspiguet.com

As rst impressions
go, your ofce space
is as important as
the suit you wear.
Replace those
pictures of you at
the company party
with this sumptuous
Nappa leather
Bottega Veneta
Intrecciato desk set.
Just dont eat it.
bottegaveneta.com

Who: Batas exclusive limited

edition collection, The One
What: A pair of slick leather hand-woven
brogues that are suitable for the
ofce and the after party.
Why: Only 1,500 people in the world
have a pair, and Narendra Modi
is one of them.
bata.com

The List
TOP PICKS FROM GQS STYLE DESK

WORDS: SHIVANGI LOLAYEKA

HOT
RIGHT NOW

84

PLAY HARDER

If youre still being invited

to weddings but have
exhausted everything
in your wardrobe, Sunil
Mehras new store in
Delhi can offer a rell.
Its also got kurtas in
every colour and a wide
selection of suiting options.
sunilmehra.co.in

V
V

Bulgari is back with a bang

The business of time

EDITED BY VARUN GODINHO

Return of the

ROMANS
Bulgari is back in India after a three-year exile.
And this time, theyre leaving nothing to chance,
nds Varun Godinho
lizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven
husbands. The man who got a second shot was her
Cleopatra co-star Richard Burton. Known for his
extravagant gifts, he showered her with Bulgaris
finest jewellery, including the fabled emerald-and-diamond
suite and the sapphire sautoir (both worth millions today),
during their 13-year on-off liaison.

Bulgari LAmmiraglio
Del Tempo

JANUARY 2015

87

V
V

all that glitters

Elizabeth Taylor sporting the
brands signature emerald
necklace, with husband Richard
Burton in 1967

had made it clear it wanted to grow

its 10-year-old watch business
to surpass its other categories.
Thats not Bulgaris play though.
Jewellery is well over 50 per cent
of our business. Its the core of
the brand, our identity. I dont
want watches to be as large as the
jewellery business. And its this
core thats inspired the creation of
other products. For example, the
Serpenti bracelet led to the Serpenti
watch, and then the Serpenti
handbag and, more recently, the
Serpenti range of eyewear.
Still, as one of the most
successful watchmakers around,
Bulgari has a legacy to nurture.
We are among the 15 largest Swiss
watch brands, Babin says, and we
intend to build on that.

Taylor and Burton fell in love

while filming Cleopatra in Rome
in 1963, where afternoon strolls in
between shoots inevitably resulted
in Taylor leading Burton by the
hand to Bulgaris flagship store
at the base of the Spanish steps
on Via Condotti. As Burton wryly
said, I introduced Liz to beer, she
introduced me to Bulgari.
Since the Fifties, Bulgari has
been a jeweller to the stars. Apart
from Burton, Kirk Douglas and
Jack Lemmon would visit the store
with their wives. The brands
first mens watch, Bulgari Roma,
was born in 1975 out of the idea to
reward gentlemen who brought
their ladies to buy jewellery. We
88

JANUARY 2015

didnt want the men to leave the

store with empty pockets, but with
something that reminded them of
their visit, says Jean-Christophe
Babin, CEO of Bulgari, when I
meet him in Delhi. Hes here to
inaugurate the marques brand
new India store at DLF Emporio,
which is all shimmering Murano
chandeliers, gilded Venetian
mirrors and buffed Italian marble.
Babins appointment as CEO last
year (after a 13-year stint as head
of Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer)
sparked a debate in the world of
haute horology. Was Bulgaris
watch business ready to upstage its
storied jewellery segment? After
all, its LVMH sibling Louis Vuitton

Then and now

Bulgaris all-new
agship store at DLF
Emporio in Delhi;
(inset) the brands
rst store opened
on Romes Via
Condotti in 1884

where the stars shop

Kirk Douglas visits the Via
Condotti store with his
wife in 1958

has witnessed a successful growth

trajectory in the country. Bulgaris
fi rst innings lasted from 2004 until
2011. But the franchise model it
had opted for didnt work. At that
time we werent managing the
brand directly. Now, we have the
majority stake in our joint venture.
We can decide what we want in
the store how many timepieces,
what kind of jewellery because
the cash invested is ours.
And Bulgaris betting big.
Weve got plans to set up five
to six boutiques over the next
few years in Mumbai, Chennai,
Bangalore and other cities, says
Babin. Indians have been one of
our biggest clients worldwide, and
now we want them to buy here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is
already on board: He rocks a pair
of Bulgari frames.

Whats
in store
(clockwise
from top) The
Commedia
DelArte, the
Tourbillon
Saphir and the
Octo Finissimo
Tourbillon are
available at the
boutique in Delhi

he Italian marque had a

handsome showing of
timepieces at Baselworld
last March. Two mens novelties
convinced me that Bulgaris got
a real shot at making it to the top
10: You can activate the chiming
function on the LAmmiraglio Del
Tempo (pictured on the previous
page) by pulling the lug away
from the strap, a fi rst in the world
of haute horology. And the Octo
Finissimo Tourbillon houses
the worlds thinnest tourbillon
movement.
Though its been making
mens timepieces since the midSeventies, the brands reputation as
a watchmaker to reckon with were
shaped by its acquisition of two
eponymous brands Grald Genta
and Daniel Roth in 2000. Genta
lent Bulgaris mens timepieces a
distinctive aesthetic identity, with
his iconic octagon design inspiring
the brands Octo collection. Roth, a
movement specialist with a highly
skilled team of watchmakers
working for him, brought technical
know-how and a mastery of
complications such as tourbillons

and minute repeaters. As a

consequence, Bulgari today not
only manufactures its own dials,
cases and bracelets, it also makes
its high complication movements
in-house.
But Babin isnt afraid to shake
things up when he needs to,
either. After a transition period
following the two acquisitions in
2000, Bulgari stopped using the
Roth (and Genta) name exclusively
on the dial, and replaced it with
Bulgari by Daniel Roth. Until
Babin came on board. When I
joined the company, it was my
decision to eliminate the Roth and
Genta names entirely from the
dials. It needed to be a Bulgari
watch and nothing else. The
younger generation has absolutely
no knowledge about Roth and
Genta and it would be a waste of
money to build that awareness.
his is Bulgaris second foray
into India. And who better
to spearhead its return
to the country than Babin, who
brought TAG Heuer to India in
2003, another LVMH brand that

Men of
the hour
Matthew
McConaughey
rocks a classy
Bvlgari Bvlgari
watch at the
2014 Emmy
Awards; U2s
frontman Bono
sports Bulgari
eyewear onstage

alpha man
CEO JeanChristophe Babin
is bossman at
the 131-year-old
Italian brand

Matthew
McConaughey

Bono

JANUARY 2015

89

V
V

Timetable

$10.5 billion*

The business of luxury watchmaking is booming.

Heres your primer on the biggest players by numbers, and
the dynamic pecking order among the major domos

RICHEMONT
GENEVA, 1988

THE SWATCH GROUP

BIEL, 1983

JOHANN RUPERT,
CHAIRMAN

WORDS BY Michelle Mussler GRAPHICS BY Florin Preussler

1.

$8.61 billion*

NAYLA AND NICK HAYEK,

PRESIDENTS

TOP 3 CONGLOMERATES

WHO BELONGS TO WHOM?

AN OVERVIEW

The three largest conglomerates Richemont, Swatch Group and

LVMH own a total of 38 brands between them. Together they account
for 40 per cent of the global market share. Add independent Rolex to the
mix, and that figure climbs to well over 50 per cent. The colour-coded
timeline below indicates which watch brand belongs to whom and
the year in which they were founded.

1750

1730

1770

1790

2.

MARKET SHARE OF THE TOP 10

WATCH MANUFACTURERS (2012)

P 18.3%
H GROU
SWATC

NT
MO
HE
C
I
R

7%
15.

ROLEX 11
.8%

.2%
OTHERS 30

S PIG
UET
1.7

CASIO

AUD
EMA
R

.7%
H4
LVM

N 3.9%
CITIZE

SEIKO 3.4%

%
2.1%
PATEK PHILIP
PE 3%

FO

SSI
L5
.2%

1810

1830

1850

1870

3
NUMBER OF
WATCHES
SOLD
ANNUALLY
WORLDWIDE

120,00,00,000

*ESTIMATED TOTAL ANNUAL SALES IN 2013

$3.47 billion*

$4.54 billion*

LVMH
PARIS, 1987
BERNARD ARNAULT,
CHAIRMAN

$1.16 billion*

$808 million*

$710 million*

$353 million*

ROLEX
GENEVA, 1905

PATEK PHILIPPE
GENEVA, 1839

CHOPARD
GENEVA, 1860

AUDEMARS PIGUET
LE BRASSUS, 1875

BREITLING
GRENCHEN, 1884

BERTRAND GROS,
PRESIDENT OF THE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THIERRY STERN,
PRESIDENT

THE SCHEUFELE FAMILY,

PRESIDENTS

JASMINE AUDEMARS,
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS

THODORE SCHNEIDER,
OWNER

TOP 5 INDEPENDENT LUXURY WATCH BRANDS

SOURCES: COSC (COSC), CREDIT SUISSE, DELOITTE, FONDATION DE LA FINE WATCHMAKING (FHH),
INTER-BRAND, LE TEMPS SWISS COMMERCIAL REGISTER, STATISTIC BRAIN, FEDERATION OF THE
SWISS WATCH INDUSTRY (FH), VONTOBEL EQUITY RESEARCH, WATCH WORLD REPORT

1870

1890

4.

1910

1930

THE TOP 10 MOST VALUABLE

LUXURY WATCH BRANDS
(BRAND VALUE IN USD, 2013)

1950

1970

1990

2010

UNITED KINGDOM 4%
USA 10%

HONG KONG 20%

GERMANY 6%

CHINA 8%

JAPAN 5%

IWC
$729.7 million
SWATCH
$1.09 billion

ROLEX
$5.13 billion

PATEK PHILIPPE
$1.55 billion
CHOPARD
$691.08
million

CARTIER
$2.98 billion

OMEGA
$2.93 billion
TAG HEUER
$853.2 million

LONGINES
$727.2
million
BREGUET
$737.23
million

TOP 10
EXPORT
MARKETS
FOR
SWISS
WATCHES
(2012)

FRANCE 6%

UAE 4%

SINGAPORE 5%

ITALY 5%

REST OF EUROPE: 9%; REST OF ASIA: 12%; REST OF AMERICA: 4%; AFRICA/OCEANIA: 2%
JANUARY 2015

91

EDITED BY VARUN GODINHO

The four bike builders we trust to take a chainsaw to our motorcycles

Why Jaguars new XE entry-level luxury saloon will be the British brands largest selling car

The

When it comes to high-end machines on two

wheels, the actions moved from the manufacturers
to boutique customization houses across the country.
Meet the four builders who are rewriting the rules
of how your motorcycle should look

The young gun

TUSHAR JAITLY, 24
TJ MOTO, DELHI

PHOTO: ADIL HASSAN

Hes grown up sketching cars and studied automobile design at Turins Istituto Europeo di
Design, where Anders Warming, Minis global chief of design, singled out his concept Mini.
When he came back to India in 2012, he decided to custom build bikes instead of cars
because they were a smaller canvas to start with. Jaitly may be only three builds old,
but hes hooked and hes slowly building up a cult fan base too.

JANUARY 2015

93

CUSTOM BUILDS

THE GENESIS: Jaitlys first

project was chopping up his
own hardtail Harley-Davidson
Iron 883. The mods included
a British racing green paint

job, suede and leather accents

and a drag-racing handle bar.
The most unconventional bit,
though, was a floating petrol
tank (with the chassis brought
above it). He christened the
bike Nadia and exhibited it
at India Bike Week last year,
where it was profiled by
international motorcycling
blogs Silodrome and Pipeburn.

BUILD STYLE:He swears by

the minimalist approach of
American motorcycle builder
Indian Larry, known for his

old-school choppers. Apart

from crafting the required
components, Jaitly also
orders custom-made parts
from firms like Vince & Hines,
Roland Sands and indie bike
builders he finds online.
COST: The average cost
of a build is `6-8 lakh. And
although his first three
builds have all been Harleys,
hes thinking about what he
wants to do to an Enfield the
moment he gets his hands
on one.

The old-school
designer
BOBBEE SINGH, 41
OLD DELHI MOTORCYCLES, DELHI
Bobbee Singh is a restoration specialist.
Over the last 15 years, hes cultivated a
network of informants who tip him off
about vintage Royal Enfields that are up
for sale. Singh snags them, restores them
and then sells the modded motorcycles to
customers around the world.

OLD DELHI MOTORCYCLES THE FILM:This

18-minute documentary starring Singh
was showcased at New Yorks Motorcycle
Film Festival last September and has
already racked up over 250,000 views on
YouTube. In it, Singh speaks of his love for
restoring Enfields, and introduces some of
the mechanics and component specialists
he works with. These maestros, as Singh
refers to them, range from the pottymouthed Ashiq Ali who custom makes
saddles for his bikes to cockfight-loving
paint job specialist Pawan Kumar Biltoria.
BUILD STYLE:Vintage. When consulting
a client, the conversation isnt about tech
specs or geek speak. Instead, expect to
answer questions about what you want
your machine to sound like and your
preferred riding posture.
COST: Singh works on about 15-20 bikes
annually, each of which cost between
`3.5-5 lakh.

94

JANUARY 2015

PHOTO: ADIL HASSAN (BOBBEE), ARJUN MARK (VIJAY)

BRITISH FETISH:Nortons, BSAs, Triumphs

and Royal Enfields are Singhs preferred
bikes. Ive grown up on stories which
romanticized these motorcycles stories
about British officers meticulously polishing
their Triumphs afterSundayMass within
the cantonments, of riding them to events
like the Jabalpur Ball. These motorcycles
were designed for India.

VIJAY SINGH, 28
RAJPUTANA CUSTOM
MOTORCYCLES, JAIPUR

In the winter of 2009, Singh

decided to build a custommade motorcycle around
a Royal Enfield 350cc
engine. He had six months
to spare, before starting a
job as a sports journalist in
Mumbai. I schooled myself
on bike engineering by
watching YouTube videos.
For aesthetic inspiration,
I turned to Californian
builder Jesse Rookes
cruisers. I sourced a few of

the components locally and

built those I couldnt find
off-the-shelf.

LUCKY BREAK:Singh
exhibited that Enfield,
named the Original
Gangster, at the 2010 Delhi
Auto Expo, to rave reviews.
A mutual friend introduced
him to John Abraham, who
already owned a stock
Yamaha R1, V-Max and a
Suzuki Hayabusa and was
looking for his first custom
build. The actor/producer
commissioned a board
track racer a lightweight,
narrow-framed motorcycle
with dropped handlebars,
stretched low-set frames

and narrow wheels which

Singh nicknamed Lightfoot.
After that, the orders
started pouring in.

THE RETICENT
RACER:Singh began riding
his dads BSA Falcon when
he was just seven. At 11,
he was participating in
informal off-road races
in Jaipur. This year, he
returns to his racing
roots in the One Make
Race Championship with
a customized Honda
CBR250R.

BUILD STYLE:To date,

Singhs built nearly 40
motorcycles.Although

he fabricates most
components in his
workshop, his global
suppliers include
Thunderbike in Germany
for hand controls and
switches and J&P Cycles in
America for air filters.
COST: An average build
costs `5 lakh and will
take about two months
to complete.

JANUARY 2015

95

CUSTOM BUILDS

The boss

96

JANUARY 2015

brass and aluminium to carbon fibre to design

components like fenders and panels. Swing by
his boutique for pre-fabricated templates of
customized components for Harleys, Triumphs,
Enfields and Nortons, which you can get fitted
by his team or take home if you fancy yourself
a builder too.
COST: The off-the-shelf body kits, which
consist of front- and rear-fenders, a tank,
headlamps, side panels and a seat, will set
you back between `40,000-1.2 lakh. If its a
custom build you want, expect to shell out
approximately `5 lakh.

PHOTO: ARJUN MARK

AKSHAI VARDE, 34
VARDENCHI MOTORCYLES, MUMBAI

Bollywoods got Varde on speed dial: Akshay Kumar commissioned him

to build a one-off chopper for a film; Jackie Shroff asked him to create
a 500cc Royal Enfield bike with a frame that resembles a skeleton; and
the first bike that actress Sameera Reddy ever rode was a red 500cc
Royal Enfield that he customized. She liked it so much, she married him.

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT:In 2004, I was still working with Jet

Airways when I modded my 1977 Royal Enfield. While I was riding
it down Marine Drive, a Scorpio pulled up alongside me. Actor and
comedian Ash Chandler rolled down his window and asked me to pull
over. He was so impressed with my work that he became my first
customer, and thats how I set up Vardenchi Motorcyles. Ash helped
with networking and spreading the word initially, taking it from a
hobby to a business.

SCALING UP:Varde has a 32-member staff of engineers, designers,

fabricators and even a separate quality-control department. He plans
to open several showrooms across the country, in addition to the
Bandra boutique he recently inaugurated, where hell sell Moto Morini
motorcycles as CBUs, as well as his own Vardenchi brand of custombuilt motorcycles using a Morini engine in an in-house-designed frame.
Vardes tight-lipped on his exact plans, but we expect his first 1,200cc
power cruiser to roll out early this year.

BUILD STYLE: Varde calls it neo-retro: classic styling with modern

engineering. Hes also a materials specialist, and uses everything from

TOP CAT
Four-door
convenience with
a price point to
rival the C-Class

THE PEOPLES

JAG
Not content to fuel its own fortunes
with the new XE, Jaguar is also
gearing up to refill Britains coffers

98

JANUARY 2015

WORDS: JASON BARLOW

anaps under a space

shuttle. An Italian military
Chinook dropping a
Ferrari on a frozen
Tyrolean mountain. A Breitlingand Bentley-sponsored acrobatic
jet upside down in a Swiss valley.
New-car hullabaloo has taken
many forms over the years, and I
thought Id seen it all.
Wrong. It seems that the
shadow cast by Danny Boyles
triumphant Olympics opening
ceremony is inescapable, and for
the global reveal of its new XE
model, Jaguar dangled the car from
a helicopter, sent it up the Thames
in a speedboat, then drove it onto a
stage at Londons Earls Court arena
flanked by two stunning Sixties Jag
police cars.
All great theatre. Unfortunately,
the preceding 90 minutes had
been more challenging: a subGlee, pseudo-Doctor Who timetravel-theme-park-Britain fantasia
played out to 3,000 guests and
streamed online to an increasingly
befuddled worldwide audience.
What the merry f*** is going on?
one of my colleagues tweeted. It
made We Will Rock You look like
Chekhov, but if nothing else, it was
amusingly ambitious.
Eventually, we got to see the
car, which was a relief. Not least
because the XE arguably the
most significant new Jaguar ever
looks very much like the real deal.

JAGUAR XE

ITS THE ENTRY-LEVEL JAGUAR, A CAR

THAT WILL SELL IN GREATER NUMBERS
THAN THE REST OF THE RANGE COMBINED

need to know
BACK TO THE WILD
Its dynamic rear stance is
similar to the pricier XF saloon

Its accessible, innovative and

extremely pretty. New factories
are being erected in which to
build it and its clever new engine,
generating thousands of jobs in
the British car industrys Midlands
heartland. Its the entry-level
Jaguar, a car that will sell in greater
numbers than the rest of the range
combined, yet design director Ian
Callum talks of it as the defining
sports saloon for the company.
Cara Delevingne in a bin bag
outside a South London KFC
would have done the job, you
know? Jaguar, of course, has been
here before. Back when it was still
owned by Ford, the companys top
brass had big-volume aspirations,
a hunger that can only be sated
by taking on the everymans gold
standards: Audi A4, the BMW 3
Series and the Mercedes C-Class.
The X-Type was essentially a
reheated Ford in an ersatz body. But
if the XE has it all to play for, at least
this time its not fighting with one
arm tied behind its back. Heres why.
Callum and his world-class team
of designers have worked tirelessly
during the past decade to redefine

Jaguars aesthetics, so even if the

XE is roughly what youd expect a
small 2015 Jaguar to look like, its
also exquisitely honed. Its surfaces
are voluptuary, its perfectly
proportioned and the detailing
is crisp and imaginative. Lead
exterior designer Adam Hatton
insists it looks as good on the
17-inch wheels that the most ecofriendly version must wear, and a
fast rake to the windscreen and a
coup-like profile finish the job.
An ugly Jaguar is of no use to
anyone, but the real beauty as
David Cronenberg is apt to say
is under the skin. The current
obesity crisis affects cars as much
as it does other occupants, but
the XEs aluminium chassis the
first and the only car in its class
to use this light, strong and stiff
material pares the weight down,
benefiting the cars agility, reducing
its emissions and improving its
performance. Its a critical USP
for the car, but as far as half the
target audience is concerned, the
more enlightened XE owner will
of course revel in its phenomenal
degree of dynamism.

JAGUAR XE
This is the rst
Jaguar ever to
be tted with an
electric powerassisted (instead
of hydraulic)
steering system.
ENGINE
335hp;
3-litre V6
PERFORMANCE
0-100kph in
4.9sec
TOP SPEED
250kph
(limited)

Aluminium is also used in the

XEs suspension, whose setup
at the front and rear mimics the
pricier, bigger XF for class-leading
refinement while resisting the sort
of lateral loads that would have
95 per cent of passengers reaching
for the sick bag. Venturing beyond
the limits is unlikely thanks to
new traction- and stability-control
software called All Surface
Progress Control. This is one
slickly engineered car.
We await more news on
powertrains, but two are
confirmed: part of the all-new
Ingenium family, whose
99g/km CO2 emissions and
34,000km service interval should
help make this XE a dead cert
in the company-car trenches. A
335hp, supercharged 3-litre V6 is
obviously juicier and a substantial
weapon when mated to the
brilliant ZF eight-speed automatic.
Numerous other XEs are on the
way, including an even more
powerful BMW M3/AMG C63 rival.
Thatll be some battle.
Inside, the XE is wading into
the intensifying in-car tech fight
armed with an all-new and muchneeded multimedia system, called
InControl. An eight-inch central
touchscreen is the hub of the nowobligatory whirl of connectivity,
and mobile Wi-Fi allows up to eight
devices to hook up simultaneously.
Among the myriad apps is one
that allows you to start the car and
adjust the air-con all by using your
mobile phone.
The XE is all-singing and
all-dancing. Perhaps we should
forgive Jaguars creatives for taking
the idea quite so literally during its
big moment.

SIDE SWIPE
The XEs prole
exhibits the instantly
recognizable cat-like
Jaguar shape

JANUARY 2015

99

presents

THE DESTINATION

WEDDING GUIDE

Cond Nast Traveller presents the rst-ever Destination Wedding Guide for everything you need to
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Complimentary with Cond Nast Travellers February-March 2015 issue

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EDITED B Y MEG H A SH A H

THE

POWER LUNCH WITH THE BILLION-DOLLAR PRODUCER// BUZZ

BOOM BOOM
BREAKFASTS
Our un-ranked, incomplete and indisputable list of
the best breakfasts in the country

The Secret Breakfast Club

WORDS: MEGHA SHAH; PHOTO: ADIL HASAN

INDIGO DELI, DELHI

The Burberry Brit to Rahul Akerkars
Burberry Prorsum, Indigo Deli is his spry
sub-brand that has managed to be both
mainstream and cool.But when an outlet
opened in Delhis Ambience Mall last
year, a popular food critic visiting on a
bad day slammed it for poor service in
a national daily. Now, India really isnt
the sort of country where a review can
make or break a restaurant however
famous the writer but the deli buckled
hard, plunging into over-compensation
mode (think four waiters descending on
a table depositing menus, water, butter
and freshly baked bread in relay-style
harmony). It now has the faint air of
needing to please and show off like
a fat girl-turned-thin at a high school
reunion. But what shes putting out
is top-notch.Including some sick offmenu secrets. The Breakfast Club, too
shamefully decadent to list on the menu,
is the platonic ideal of a sandwich after
a hangover. Crispy bacon, grilled Franks
chicken or pork grilled onions, fried
egg, gherkins, Swiss cheese and brandied
Thousand Island inside a freshly baked
croissant. It covers two meals at once,
which means you can stumble in, eat
one, and then go back to bed and sleep
through lunch.
PRICE: `525
TIMINGS:10am 12:30am
ADDRESS:3rd floor, Ambience Mall,Vasant Kunj, Delhi;011-3310 5604

JANUARY 2015

101

FOOD

SAKURA ,

THE METROPOLITAN HOTEL, DELHI

If youve never had a Japanese breakfast, give yourself

over to aTamagom yaki(Japanese omelette), grilled
salmon, spiced seaweed, sticky rice, pickles and
miso soup. A sane and fortifying idea for breakfast,
as it turns out just ask the many Japanese expats
youll nd here, all bewildered by the mayonnaisesprayed sushi elsewhere. Over a decade ago, the
owners of the Metropolitan Hotel in Delhi tied up
with Japanese hotel chain Nikko (owned at the time
by Japan Airlines) and opened Sakura for homesick
expats, complete with Japanese chefs and ingredients
freshly own in from Tokyo every couple of days. This
excellent set breakfast is available at the coffee shop
(Sakura doesnt open till noon) but is prepared by the
restaurants underrated chefs. Dont be deterred by
having this very specialized cuisine in a highly generic
environment. Somehow, it works.
PRICE: `1,000
TIMINGS: 7am 9:30am
ADDRESS: Zing, The Metropolitan Hotel and Spa, Bangla Sahib Road, Delhi; 011-4250 0200

Hardys Bhai Istyle

Breakfast

CHURCH
STREET
SOCIAL,
BENGALURU

PRICE:`250
TIMINGS:9am 7:30pm
ADDRESS:46/1, Cobalt Building, Church Street, Bengaluru; 080-4171 3016

102

JANUARY 2015

The more grown-up

successor to Impresarios
Mocha chain of coffee
shops is The Social. From
campus-bar raucous,
Riyaaz Amlani has gone
corporate-chic with the
rst outpost at Bangalores
Church Street. The hybrid
cafe, meant to be a
workspace for creative
freelance types, and a
boardroom for informal
corporate meetings,
morphs into a hip bar at
night. But in the mornings,
you can avoid the crowds
and order a reasonably
priced retro breakfast tray.
The Hardys Bhai Istyle is
a valentine to the hugely
satisfying Irani breakfasts,
named after one of the
directors at Impresario.
Served in a rickety
wooden tray is kheema
gotala or bun omelette
with bun maska, cutting
masala chai and khari
biscuit. It warms the soul.
Especially when you add a
quarter bottle of Tabasco.

Kunafa Bel Ishta

KUNAFA ,

DELHI

The six-decade-old Mehar Chand Market, ignored not

so long ago simply for having more famous neighbours
like Khan Market and Defence Colony Market, has of
late become so hipster its almost a bit twee. Thanks
to the advent, in the last three years, of decidedly
quaint shops and cafes looking for the next Hauz Khas
Village.And situated among places like the FrenchCanadian Chez Nini and Nourish organic caf, where
you can eat zucchini hummus with ax crackers, is
Kunafa. Nasser Barakat, a jolly Palestinian, runs the
shop, and has Syrian chefs whipping up fresh baklava
and kunafa (a cheese pastry soaked in sugar syrup)
in a nearby factory every morning, to be served with
Turkish and Arabic teas. The bakery also sells dry
fruit-stuffed dates and Arabic incense. And if you wait
around for long enough in your skinny pants, looking
haughty, youll be offered some pistachio and honeydoled baklava for free.
PRICE: `130
TIMINGS: 10:30am 11:30pm
ADDRESS: 70, Mehar Chand Market, Lodhi Colony, Delhi; 011-4905 0644

WORDS: MEGHA SHAH; PHOTO: ADIL HASAN (SAKURA) WORDS: CHE KURRIEN (THEOBROMA), SHIKHA SETHI (NUTCRACKER), ROCHELLE PINTO (AJIT TEA STALL); PHOTO: NIRMAL JAIN (THEOBROMA, NUTCRACKER); IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES (CLAM)

Japanese set breakfast

The Chip Butty

THEOBROMA,

MUMBAI

When Theobroma opened a decade ago, food

critics and masses alike couldnt stop raving
about its narrow selection of signature items:
the focaccia, walnut brownies and delectable
chicken puffs. But the gourmands of Khusrow
Bagh the Parsi gated community on whose
perimeter the restaurants rst store is located
always knew the real gems were tucked
deep inside the breakfast menu. The star of
the show has always been the Chip Butty, the
ultimate carbfest comprising of an imperious
burger bun stuffed with French fries, dollops
of mayonnaise and laden with melted cheese.
Eat one of these bad boys and youre clearly
in Man Vs Food territory, without the pangs of
carnivorous guilt. This is truly the breakfast of
Parsi champions.
PRICE: `230
TIMINGS: 7:30am 11:45pm
ADDRESS: 24 Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai

Buttermilk Pancakes

THE NUTCRACKER, MUMBAI

Breakfasting here is the gastronomic equivalent

of listening to your favourite music on a mix tape:
old-school, comforting and guaranteed to lift your
mood. The brainchild of rst-time restaurateur,
Annie Baffna, the 26-seater cafe is warm, friendly
and buzzy, with details like upturned yellow stools
hanging off the walls at odd angles. Everything here
is fresh and sunny. Including the menu, which offers
you a hearty all-day breakfast, featuring locally
sourced ingredients and home-made breads. Start
with old savoury Parsi favourites like poached eggs
served on a bed of crisp salli or a perfectly spiced
akuri with pav. But whatever your rst course, end
breakfast on a sweet note. The buttermilk pancakes,
plump with promise, come within minutes of
ordering. And as you pour the melted butter, honey
and blueberry compote onto the cratered surface,
with Louis Armstrong crooning in the background, it
is a life-afrming act.
PRICE:`210
TIMINGS:9:30am 10:30pm
ADDRESS:Opposite One Forbes,Dr VB Gandhi Marg,Kala Ghoda,Mumbai;022-2284 2430

Clam Xacuti

AJIT TEA STALL, GOA

Sandwiched between a line of travel agencies outside Mapusa

Bus Stand in Goa, Ajit Tea Stall is a secret that locals guard
jealously and expats boarding an early-morning bus chance upon
fortuitously. Serving up crispy samosas and golden-brown batata
vadas during the day, its post-4am that the tiny snack spot turns
into the salvation of party-goers looking for an antidote to the
previous hours revelry. The star on the menu: fresh kalva (clam)
xacuti served with uffy pav. The capsaicin zing in the coconut
curry base wakes you up instantly, while the pav can be used to
douse that slow re in your mouth. On Sunday mornings, the menu
expands to include chicken and prawn versions, making allowances
for your alcohol-compromised dexterity. All this, before the sun
rises. And you thought Goans were laid-back?
PRICE: `50
TIMINGS: 4am 6am
ADDRESS: Ajit Tea Stall, opposite Mapusa Bus Stand, Goa

FOOD

The Champagne Breakfast

CITRUS,

THE LEELA PALACE, BENGALURU

Smoked salmon, golf and Met by the pool. The Leela in Bengaluru
takes breakfasting like a king seriously. At Citrus, the all-day poolside
cafe, what may be Indias swishest breakfast buffet is laid out. And no
matter which cuisine you choose European or Asian its all served
with a side of caviar and a choice of bubbles. Champagne or Prosecco?
Also available to golf enthusiasts is a simulator for a relaxing game
after. Theres nothing quite like imagining a simulated walk across miles
of green to digest your breakfast.

Gadbad
Kheema Parantha and Single-Estate Artisanal Coffee

CAF LOTA, DELHI

The owners of this hipster cafe certainly seem to cherish their privacy.
Forget that theyve never advertised anywhere the place is also difcult
to nd. Which is why the meteoric rise in its street cred in just a year
is the only testament you need to know youll nd an excellent meal
here. Walk in through the National Crafts Museums arched doors, past
tribal murals and terra cotta horses, into this minimally done-up space.
Skip the long list of healthier options like the quinoa upma, mushroom
uttapam and ragi banana pancakes and order the kheema parantha: uffy,
butter-soaked mince meat-stuffed bread cut into four neat portions. In
true Punjabi style, it comes with mango pickle and curd topped with fried
aubergine. Wash it down with your pick of their signature single-estate
artisanal coffees, straight from Karnataka. Fair warning: the chef, Rahul
Dua, is perpetually hovering over tables like a doting grandmother, so a
pre-breakfast jog in Purana Qila is highly recommended.
PRICE: Kheema Parantha `175; coffee `120
TIMINGS: 8am 8:30pm
ADDRESS: National Crafts Museum, Bhairon Marg, Pragati Maidan, Delhi; 78389 60787

104

JANUARY 2015

SAURABH, MUMBAI

Like anything worthwhile in life, scoring a divine gadbad

essentially a falooda on steroids doesnt come easy. First you
have to brave the odours emanating from the giant Sassoon
Dock, easily among the most rancid olfactory sensations man can
experience. Saurabh itself doesnt care much for appearances,
with melamine tables and hard benches. The space is usually
populated by shermen who count money on the table and
residents of the working womens hostel next door. But theres a
reason Shantaram took Madonna to this particular udipi when she
visited Mumbai over a decade ago: The food is fantastic, from the
crispy dosas to the buttery idlis. While the world heads to Mysore
Cafe, insiders occupy Saurabh. Yet the highlight of the menu is the
gadbad a giant orgy of chopped apples, chikoos, banana, raisin,
cashews, rose sherbet and ice cream, served in a tall glass with
a long spoon. Haters will diss the gadbads mass appeal, but its
straight from the Bombay streets with a whole lot of love.
PRICE: `95
TIMINGS: 8am 11pm
ADDRESS: Near Colaba Bus Station, Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Mumbai

WORDS: NIDHI GUPTA (CAFE LOTA), MEGHA SHAH (CITRUS), CHE KURRIEN (HOTEL SAURABH); PHOTO: ADIL HASAN (CAFE LOTA), NIRMAL JAIN (HOTEL SAURABH)

PRICE: `6,000 per person

TIMINGS: Sundays, 6am 4pm
ADDRESS: 23, Old Airport Road, Kodihalli, Bengaluru; 080-2521 1234

LUNCH WITH GQ

Power

LUNCH
with

Ryan
Kavanaugh

f youve got a problem with Hollywood,

youve likely got a problem with Ryan
Kavanaugh. As the owner of Relativity Media,
he is one of the biggest power producers, but
his methods are unlike others. Kavanaugh
uses math to make movies.
The magic of storytelling created on the
cinema screen begins as an algorithm on his
computer modelled on the risk assessment
formula that the American government uses to
test hypothetical outcomes of nuclear missile
launches. His computer spews out the most
profitable way to make a movie (if its deemed
commercially viable at all) wherein actors,
directors, even scripts are replacable. His
speciality is quick, mid-budget, romantic dramas
and he makes a lot of them.
The 39-year-old walks into the Four Seasons
hotel in Mumbai, taking the sunlit stairs upto
San-Qis slickly-designed top level two at a time.
He strides in with an entourage of slick thirtysomethings dressed in sharp suits, carrying slim
laptops and at least two phones each. Hes dressed
in a suit too, but less assertively. As he walks
106

JANUARY 2015

PHOTO: ARJUN MARK; LOCATION: SAN-QI/FOUR SEASONS HOTEL MUMBAI

Seventy-ve per cent of the

Hollywood lms and a couple
of Bollywood ones you see this
year will likely have been nanced
by Ryan Kavanaugh. They may
not be pathbreaking, but they sure
as hell will make him richer. Over
Japanese, Indian and Thai food,
one of American cinemas most
powerful players tells Megha Shah
about taking the mystery out of
the movies

towards me beaming, his air more

Tintin than tyrant, Kavanaugh is
instantly likeable.
He fist bumps one of his
colleagues and they all laugh. They
seem like a group of rich boys whove
rolled into Vegas for the weekend.
I explain that the format entails
that I dine with Ryan alone and they
good-naturedly occupy another
table. Kavanaugh sits down next to
me and orders a diet Coke. He is
in town to finalize a deal with the
Lakshmi Mittal-owned B4U. After
a decade of restructuring the way
Hollywood operates, hes got his eye
on the Indian film industry. But first
things first.
Ive heard rumours that every
single movie that gets made in
Hollywood, finds itself, at some point,
at his doorstep. I ask him if its true.
He smiles pleasantly and looks out
through the large windows lined
with trees, as though, Ive opened
with a question about the weather.
I suppose thats true. About 95 per
cent of the films in the last five years, I
would say. Except, of course, the inhouse productions certain studios do.
Those dont come to me.
Not just his methods, his job
description is also unconventional.
He began his career playing
middle-man to many producers and
filmmakers, scoring investments from
institutions like Citibank, Deutsche
Bank and Merrill Lynch. He also has
co-financing deals with studios like
Universal and Sony (where he gets
to look at their entire roster of scripts
and cherry pick the ones he feels will
work). Warner Bros. has been known
108

JANUARY 2015

to tap him for financial help, and so

has Marvel. Relativity Media also
produces about a dozen of its own
films every year.
San-Qi offers a selection of four
Asian cuisines and weve opted to
try them all. I only accept about 75
per cent of the films, he says, as
two plates of crispy salmon and
avocado nigiri are slid onto the table.
The rest get rejected via Monte
Carlo the name given to his riskassessment algorithm.
I made the software, but
since then about 50 people have

There are rumours that

every single movie that
gets made in Hollywood,
finds itself, at some
point, at his doorstep

San-Qi's 40ft
booze tower
at the Four
Seasons in
Mumbai

worked on it from quant guys to

artificial intelligence its really
quite sophisticated, four computers
connected together.
Two salads find their way to our
table. His a smoked chicken, mine a
crunchy, tangy Som tum. It takes the
entire night for the data to process.
Hes quite animated at this point,
digging his fork energetically into
his salad. So it goes, Okay, I made
the movie, here are the results; okay,
now I switched around the actor,
here are the results; now I switched
around the director, here are the
results; now I switched the actor
and the director. So it has to do that
10,000 times and by the end of the
run its sheets and sheets of results.
But the sheet that matters is the
summary, which is: I did it 10,000
times and out of that 85 per cent of
the times it made money, but it only
made 10 per cent of the money, and
50 per cent of the time it lost 10 per
cent of the money.
The computers will also calculate
the best weekend for the movie to be
released, whether Russell Crowe will
be popular in China this year and the
box-office effect of an R rating versus
PG-13. Which means Relativity will
never produce a film that doesnt have
a formula that hasnt worked before.
A lot of the mid-budget romance films
Kavanaugh produces have movie
posters that look identical.
I make a lot of love stories, he
shrugs. Which is why hes struck a
deal with B4U to re-produce some
of his films in Hindi. Its going to
be a full Bollywood starcast, Balaji
will handle the production and
well package the same content in
a way thats relatable to the Indian
audience. Bollywood loves love
stories. First up is the Hindi version
of Nicholas Sparks The Best Of Me.
A humdrum film which died out
without making much noise, still
making a profit, as predicted by his
model. The production has already
begun and within a few years, well
have released three others.
And how well will the Hindi
versions do according to Monte
Carlo? Pretty well, he beams.
India will soon have the largest
youth population. This is the market
to be in!
What happens when a last-minute
creative requirement needs extra
budget or a change in the model, I
ask. The Hindi film industry is after
all not as structured as the models

PHOTO: ARJUN MARK; LOCATION: SAN-QI/FOUR SEASONS HOTEL MUMBAI

LUNCH WITH GQ

Power

LUNCH

with

hes used to operate within.

Everything has to run on the
principle of profit, Kavanaugh says.
Well never let creative decisions
rule our business decisions. If it
doesnt fit the model, it doesnt
get done.

t the 2009 premiere of

Brothers, a film that
Kavanaugh considers close to
his heart, he had half-jokingly
told the crowd that after
reading David Benioffs script
for the film he turned to his girlfriend
with tears in his eyes and said, Im
about to do the dumbest thing ever.
Im about to make a movie because I
love a script.
Kavanaugh represents that era
in the corporatization of Hollywood
where the studio executives running
the movie business speak, the fiscally
strict, profit-oriented language of
today but also have the nerve and
exclamation-point-adorned personality
of old-fashioned showmen.

From his Malibu mansion, he

rides a helicopter (he flies it himself)
to work every day, where Baz
Luhrmann or Tim Burton can be
found waiting in his office lobby or in
the attached private theatre with
a popcorn machine. He has over
10,000 contacts on his phone (Ill
recognise 75 per cent of the names
he tells me), his best buds are
Leonardo Di Caprio and Gerard
Butler and in his own words when
you have money, great sex follows.
His current fiance is a leggy blonde
model. And hes fairly certain this
marriage will work. I wish I had a
risk-assesment algorithm for such
situations though.
Does any of this make sense?
he asks, eyeing the buttery black dal
thats been scooped into a bowl for
him. I find myself nodding, because
Ryan Kavanaughs greatest talent
is his ability to make other people
nod.At 21, he started his own hedge
fund and rode the bull market
making millions for his investors.

From his Malibu mansion, he flies a helicopter to

work every day, where Baz Luhrmann or Tim Burton
can be found waiting in the lobby or in the attached
private theatre with a popcorn vending machine

But when it crashed in 2000, he went

from owning a Ferrari to not being
able to pay rent. Since a lot of my
investors were from Hollywood, I
started getting calls, saying can you
help me finance this project or that
one? And so he took to Wall Street
to convince big shots to invest in the
movie industry, just as they would
in real estate. I started with helping
someone get their first big producer
deal done and that turned out to be
the origin of making 300 and then I
struck a deal with Marvel, which led
to Iron Man, Avengers and Captain
America. Some of his few megabudget blockbusters.
Dessert arrives, but Kavanaugh
has just caught the eye of a chef
whos preparing sushi at a counter.
Im gonna give that a whirl, he
says. And hes up and rolling sushi. A
crowd has now gathered around him
with the sole purpose of cheering on
as he deposits clumps of rice onto
nori sheets. A young lady enquires
when hes coming to India next and if
he can please bring Channing Tatum
with him.
Sure thing, he tells her, holding
out a plate of freshly rolled sushi
for her to try. And were he not
married, I think you two would hit
it off. She titters as he strides off
leaving me with a wave, a smile and
a billionaires lunchtime leftovers.
JANUARY 2015

109

THE LAID-BACK,
BOOZY GETAWAY

Chances are Damdama Lake wasnt on your list of places to visit this
year. Sure, its only a two-hour drive from Delhi and youve heard its
scenic, but somehow that wasnt enough to convince you. The region
has a secret though. The Gateway Resort Damdama Lake is a
sun-kissed, pool-amid-hills sanctuary. The Gateway (a sub-brand of
the Taj) isnt the first name you think of when you want luxury, but
this first resort by the brand is pretty upscale. Theres mini-golfing,
a luxe spa, bungee-jumping and Swirl, a well-stocked bar which
by evening transforms into a vibey spot by the lake. After all that
holiday season extravagance, you can put in for a maximum of, what,
two days vacation now? Damdama makes those two feel like ten.
thegatewayhotels.com/damdamalakegurgaon

ALL THATS HOT THIS MONTH

ON THE MENU

1part hisky
1partwhisky

your
new favourite
cocktail
We love a good whisky cocktail.
Well even drink a bright alcopop if
the occasion calls for it. But some
whiskies are just meant to be had
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generous measures in a tumbler
and Aberlour, the single malt from
Chivas Brothers, is good to go. The
Aberlour distillery was founded in
1879 in Scotland, and now its 10,
12 and 18 Year Old expressions
are available in India. Its sweet,
refreshing, just a little bit sherried
and complete in itself. Kind of the
perfect winter cocktail and at the
very least, the easiest one to make
at home. Available at the Mumbai
and Delhi Duty Free, `3,300-6,800;
aberlour.com

110

JANUARY 2015

Heng Bok for

Korean: The
two-level fussfree joint from the owners
of Kofuku features Korean
barbecues and a private
dining area with traditional
low seating. Its the only
place in the city where
you can nd an extensive,
authentic menu which goes
beyond the usual bulgogi
and bibimbap.
11/1, Kalpak Corner,
Turner Road, Bandra West;
022-2651 0077

The Green
Onion for
Nigerian:
Attached to Hotel
Sapna Marine in Marine
Lines, this multicuisine
restaurant offers two
dozen Nigerian items,
which, going by the
number of Nigerian
patrons around, must
be authentic. Its owned
by a Punjabi lady
who was trained by a
visiting Nigerian family
staying at the hotel. On
the menu are items like
prawn egu, sh stew
and Nigerian goat
jollof rice.
Behind Metro Cinema,
Dhobi Talao, Marine
Lines; 022-2219 4040

Burma Burma
for Burmese:
One of the
toughest places to get
into in Mumbai, this
vegetarian restaurant has
a waitlist that runs for
weeks. Burmese cuisine
is a mix of inuences:
Indian, Chinese and
Thai, and the menu here
reects the best of all
three. Theres Mandalay
Lahpet Thoke or
fermented tea leaf salad
which is a version of bhel
or the Thai-inuenced
Ohn Thamin with rice
cooked in coconut milk.
Kothari House, Off MG
Road, Near Allana Centre,
Fort; 022-4003 6600

New
Sernyaa
for
Tibetan: Located
amid garages and
wine shops on Link
Road, youll have to
trust Google Maps
to nd this one.
But, served against
the backdrop of the
Dalai Lamas picture
hanging next to a
guitar, are some of
the best momos in
the city.
185, Oshiwara Link
Road, Adarsh Nagar,
Andheri West;
022-6574 1005

WORDS: MEGHA SHAH; IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES (HENG BOK, NEW SERNYAA), SHUTTERSTOCK (COUNTRY FLAGS)

Yes, Delhi has a great dining-out culture no other Indian city has that kind of variety to choose
from. Yet when it comes to speciality cuisines, Mumbai has a few secrets too

7$

Relationships: Che Kurrien

Nostalgia: Uday Benegal
NEW Sport: Sanjay Manjrekar
City Lights: Ayaz Basrai

NEW

EDITED BY SHIKHA SETHI

113

THAI NIGHTS

BY CHE KURRIEN

BEST FRIENDS
DON'T NEED TO LAST
FOREVER

ALAMY

ere often told the

best friendships
endure over a
lifetime; mine lasted
a day. It sparks off on
a full moon night in
Koh Samui. Im sitting alone
on the beach, plugged into
Ziggy Stardust, watching the
waves break. Im soon
approached by an odd trio: a
ladyboy accompanied by a
hooker and a stray dog. I
rebuff their advances. The
colourful triage soon settle
down on the sand nearby
and the ladyboy lights up a
cigarette. I relax a little.

JANUARY 2015

113

RELATIONSHIPS

Moments later I notice a squat Thai

man a few feet away, drawing circles
with his toes in the sand. His face is
smeared with white cream, imbuing
him with a ghost-like countenance.
My defences go up again, expecting
another carnal pitch. It doesnt come.
Instead he keeps tracing away. We
get to chatting. His English is poor
but the points he makes are clear.
And for some reason we cant stop
talking: about the girl at the nearby
7-Eleven who he likes, about his
family and my life back home.
What we really share is the rarest
of things: a real, immediate and
frankly inexplicable connection.
We plan to meet the next morning,
though when we say good night, Im
not sure we will.
Id been travelling through Asia
for weeks, and my companion, a
middle-aged German diplomat, had
started getting on my nerves. Since
were both leaving for our respective
countries tomorrow, neither of us are
bothering with pleasantries anymore.
At 9am, my bleary-eyed
roommate responds to a series
of knocks on our door, to find a
beaming fresh-faced Thai guy on the
other side. What the faaack? the
German screams.
114

JANUARY 2015

by Pitlum, my knees and elbows

are badly cut. He rushes me to
a medical store, then cleans and
bandages my wounds in the most
kind, gentle manner.
We dry off at a beachside
shack over spicy Pad Thai and
Chang beer. Soon after lunch
we resume our road trip, zipping
past sleepy villages, Thai massage
signs, monasteries and luxury
resorts. There are plenty of
locals zooming around on small
motorcycles, including 10-year-old
boys riding triple-seat. If we were
in Bangkok their parents would be
in jail, says Pitlum.
As dusk approaches we head
to Chaweng, home to Koh Samuis
largest beach. Pitlum leads me to
his friends mother, manning a
street cart, and says the word. The
graceful lady begins pounding
away at a bowl, adding onions,
peanuts, sprouts, raw papaya and
plenty of red chillies to the mix. As
she works, Pitlum tells her about
my fall, bringing a smile to her
kind face. The salads fiery hot and
Pitlum teases me about my tears.
That night, my last one in
Thailand, we ride for an hour in
complete darkness to Rocky Bay
We met on the beach last night,
for a moonlight rave. Its a stunning
I mutter, half-asleep, Pitlums a
setting for a party: a secluded
friend. I sense how odd this all
beach against a rocky cove lined
looks and sounds, especially since
with rows of trippy lava lamps.
were in Thailand, but dont bother
Hundreds of backpackers and
explaining. I simply slip on my shoes
locals sit around on the beach in
and leave.
small groups, others dance freely
We rent two scooters and ride to
to the hypnotic sounds. Id been to
Samuis most marvellous sight: two
a New Years rave in San Francisco
remarkable rocks that resemble male
but this was better reinforcing
and female genitalia lying next to
Koh Samuis reputation as a global
each other on a silver beach. I climb
party spot. At about 4am, local
down to the large, flat specimen
law enforcement burst in and pull
and smile. The ocean collects like a
the plug. Yet, its not five minutes
reservoir against her insides and I
before the trance flows again. Thai
feel a boyish urge to touch the water
police, remarks Pitlum wryly.
in its deepest crevice. I step into her
Before parting ways, we
and carefully inch ahead, crouching
exchange telephone numbers and
low to counter the rocks steep
promise to stay in touch. But
downward incline.
this doesnt happen. The
Inches away from
WE RIDE FOR AN HOUR
distance between our
the goal, my feet give
IN COMPLETE DARKNESS TO
worlds is too great. A
way and I slide down
ROCKY BAY FOR A MOONLIGHT RAVE.
decade later while in
her smooth plane
Koh Samui with my
landing straight into
ITS A STUNNING SETTING FOR A PARTY:
wife, I attempt to locate
the water. Its such
A SECLUDED BEACH AGAINST A ROCKY
Pitlum, but theres no
a steep descent that
COVE LINED WITH ROWS OF TRIPPY LAVA
trace of him at the old
my bodys instantly
LAMPS. HUNDREDS OF BACKPACKERS
spots. So I do my best to
submerged. When
AND LOCALS SIT AROUND ON THE
pay tribute to our brief,
Im pulled back on
BEACH IN SMALL GROUPS,
brilliant friendship and
land by a human chain
OTHERS DANCE FREELY
trace a circle in the sand.
of camera-wielding
Japanese tourists led
Che Kurrien is Editor of GQ

AFP

TALK

MUSIC

TALK

116

BLAST THE PAST

BY UDAY BENEGAL

WHY NOSTALGIA
SUCKS

uck memory lane. I have no

patience for photo albums and
scrapbooks. Or any interest
in recollections and reminiscences.
Throwback Thursdays usually
make me feel like throwing up. And
whenever I hear someone utter the
words the good old days, I feel a
twisting of the intestines along with a
gurgling of the spleen.
Whats not to hate about
nostalgia? As a musician whose
path began to unfurl in the late
Eighties, that would mean going
back to the days when, every time
we had an outstation gig, wed
have to ferry a boatload of gear to
a turd-reeking train terminus and
be forced to grease the palms of
the presiding railway official just
to get our instruments on board.
But only after wed furnished the
crooked clerk with a document called
an octroi certificate, an invention
of Indias babudom that kept that
under-the-table tradition of chaipaani in business. The long journey
across the country was addled with
other inconveniences. Like nastyass railway chow, the aftermath of
whose trip down your GI tract would
speed you to a toxic latrine where
you had to squat ungainly over a
hole through which you could see
the train tracks beneath whizzing by.
All the while, the pitch and yaw of
the lurching locomotive threatened
to swallow your chappals along with
your dispatch of last nights dinner.
But you know what? That was
still better than hefting your way to
the hinterland on an interstate video
coach that blared an interminable
slew of Bollywoods screechiest flicks
as you bounced precariously close
to decapitation each time the bus hit
a bump. Which was every time you
finally managed to fall asleep.
Ah, those salad days, when there
was no music television or FM radio
stations that would play your music,
and so you were reliant on the rather
unscientific method of marketing
known as word-of-mouth. This was
a time when social media implied
grubby-pawed journalists whod
come to a press conference just for
the swag, and going viral actually
meant succumbing to a disease.
And after playing a gig through a PA
116

JANUARY 2015

Uday Benegal
& Co back in
the Nineties,
when Thums Up
not Red Bull
sponsored rock
concerts

system better suited to the eardrumbusting revelry of a Ganeshotsav

block party, you could be spending
months fiddling with your diddlies
wondering when the next gig would
happen. Or, often enough, if another
gig would happen at all.
Oh, for the glory days of preliberalized India when the only guitars
available were local knockoffs that
sounded like something between a
ukulele and a bulbul tara. And when
relatives predictably responded to your
announcement of having decided to
become a full-time musician with, Its
good to have a hobby. How are you
going to make a living? Because no
one in their right mind would make a
choice where joyous passion trumped
boring stability.
Everythings better now, isnt it?
Weve got low-cost airlines departing
every 15 minutes, quality music
equipment stores a rickshaw ride away
and enough bejewelled pop stars to
make your music career a legit prospect
in your parents eyes.
But in the light of my frothing rant
about the days gone by, I would like
to add that history is nothing if not
a primer on how to find your way to
gratitude, humility and happiness.
Though Im a chronically reluctant
reminiscer, every backward glance
reveals to me glimpses of times

perfectly spent. Those simpler days

contain a million lessons for these
interesting times. Theyve taught
me to value the things we so readily
take for granted nowadays.
Its because it was so hard to get
anywhere that I am so darn grateful
to be able to take my music to onceinaccessible destinations. And I love
my locally purchased, internationally
made state-of-the-art music-making
gear all the more for the difficulty
I used to have in acquiring each
priceless device. I am able to
appreciate more truly the efficacy of
creating, marketing and distributing
my work from a single room to
the rest of the world because it
was once an avenue available only
to those who conformed to the
narrow parameters of big record
companies that had the monopoly
on everything. Its this self-reliance
that has allowed me to continue to
make a living out of a prospectless
career choice.
And so I wish every young
dreamer great struggles and
fulfilling rewards, so that you can
someday look back briefly and say,
hell yeah, I love this life Im living.
I know that because it used to be
damn hard and so much fun.
Uday Benegal shills for Indus Creed
and the Whirling Kalapas

SPORT

118

THE ROYAL TURDS

BY SANJAY MANJREKAR

HOW WE MADE A MESS

IN AUSTRALIA IN 1992

mong World Cup matches, the one

that many Indians still remember
is India vs Australia at Brisbane in
1992. Typically, as was the trend at the time,
India lost a match we should have won. It was
amazing how good Indian cricket had become
at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Thankfully, India has given up this old habit
and, when there is a match to be won, we
usually win it.
The match was crucial for both teams and
although Australia had whipped us in all the
cricket we had played till then, they were not
doing so well at that World Cup. Once again
they found themselves on the brink of defeat.
Australia set India a target of 238 to win. And
some bizarre things happened during the
Indian run chase, two of which I will share
here. Scoring 238 in those times was not as
easy as it seems today. As luck would have it,
a brief shower interrupted play for a while.
When the match resumed, it was advantage
India, as the ball started skidding nicely on to
the bat upon contact, it flew off the bat nicely
too. Todays Indian team would have won this
match with overs to spare, but despite all the
advantages, the team of 1992 made a royal
mess of it.
After being well set, Mohammad

118

JANUARY 2015

Azharuddin got out on 93, at just the right time

One of the batsmen on our team
for Australia, leaving the job for untrained
sheepishly confessed later that he may have
players to finish. I got run out on 47 for the nth
made a mistake during the run chase.In
time in my career. Somehow I had embraced
Australia, at the time, there was a practice
run out as my favourite mode of dismissal
of putting the over in progress on the
on this tour. I dont know why I took on the
scoreboard and not the overs completed, as
man in the deep, and that too one with the
is generally done if the scoreboard read 46
best throwing arm in the business, especially
overs, it meant 45 overs were completed and
when I wasntUsain Bolt. We used to do
the 46th over was currently being bowled. I
curious things then. As India neared the
dont know why Australia liked to do things
target, we the batsmen ensured that the job
differently. 8-ball overs, for example. Anyway,
had to be completed by the bowlers, the tailduring the nail-biting stage of that run
enders. Dhoni & Co prefer to do it themselves.
chase, one of our batsmen was counting the
In the dying stages of the innings,
overs wrong. In his state of anxiety, he had
Javagal Srinath, a highly excitable cricketer
completely forgotten the Australian method
by nature, especially when he had a bat
of recording overs. He was batting thinking it
in his hand, usedhis long, wiry arms as
was one over more than it actually was.
leverage and hit the ball a long way towards
Can you imagine that? When every
mid-wicket. For the winning runs, thought
ball mattered, here wasa senior batsman
Venkatapathy Raju. Because Raju started
counting wrong, thinking in his head that
jumping with joy at the non-strikers end, not
he had six balls less than he actually did.
realizing that the ball had not really cleared
No wonder all of us watching from the
the ropes. Instead, a fielder was coming
dressing room thought he looked like
under the ball to catch it.As it turned out,
he was in too much of a hurry. Geoffrey
an equally panicky Australian dropped the
Boycott caught hold of this batsman a few
catch, but it took Raju a while to come out of
days laterand said, Come here, boy, let me
his state of euphoria and back to reality to
see whats there between your ears. Ah! As
run the winning run. Sadly, it was a bit too
I thought, nothing!
late. Rajus premature, badly-timed
The Indian team of 2015 isa
celebration cost India the game.
far better one-day team than
Having said that, its never
our team of 1992. Thats
really fair to pin the blame
why they are defending
I GOT RUN OUT ON 47.
on a bowler for losing the
champions and,
SOMEHOW I HAD EMBRACED
game when he is playing
according to me, one
the role of a batsman.
of the favourites this
RUN OUT AS MY FAVOURITE MODE
All of us in the dressing
time as well. And yes,
OF DISMISSAL ON THIS TOUR. I DONT
room knew it was really
their batsmen do the
KNOW WHY I TOOK ON THE MAN WITH THE batsmans job, and
us batsmen who had
lost India the game. The
BEST THROWING ARM IN THE BUSINESS,
they count overs
bowlers just applied the
better too.
ESPECIALLY WHEN I WASNTUSAIN
final losing touch.
Sanjay Manjrekar is a sports
BOLT. WE USED TO DO CURIOUS
Now brace yourself for
commentator and former
THINGS BACK THEN
international cricketer
this one.

GETTY IMAGES

TALK

CITY LIGHTS

TALK

119

BOMBAY HIGH

SHUTTERSTOCK

BY AYAZ BASRAI

NO REST FOR THE WICKED

ometimes a cussword can tell you a lot about a

citys psyche. Take thakele for example. While just
meaning tired, its a quintessentially Mumbai abuse.
Im not sure any other city assigns as much stigma to the
very human act of being weary. It also fits in most contexts:
thakela can as easily describe a boring movie plot, a
mediocre meal, a slow or confused person, and even entire
communities of people who arent living on the very edge.
Mumbai is a treadmill like no other, a place reserved for
the emotionally and physically robust, a most unforgiving
evolutionary climate for the upwardly mobile. The ultimate
insult here is to get tired, give up and, in the end, to
literally fall off. The city experience is a relentless event, a
constant uphill wheel in motion, gears grinding furiously.
Its immense motive power is palpable, a constant wheel in
motion, gears grinding furiously. This is the elusive buzz of
a city. Its what makes a week in Mumbai feel like the blink of
an eye, and a week in Goa feel like a month.
All cities have speed settings.
Which often defines what ends up existing in them.
Delhi decides policy and houses most of the bigger
institutions, dealing with long-term planning and larger
timelines. Mumbai is home to the stock market, that pulsequickening institution of instant decision-making.
The speed of a city affects other aspects of life, too.
What survives the treadmill, and what falls by the wayside?

MUMBAI IS A
TREADMILL LIKE
NO OTHER, A
PLACE RESERVED
FOR THE
EMOTIONALLY
AND PHYSICALLY
ROBUST, A MOST
UNFORGIVING
EVOLUTIONARY
CLIMATE FOR
THE UPWARDLY
MOBILE

Chef Gresham Fernandes of restaurant

chain Smoke House Room and Deli told
me about longer sit-down degustation
meals, which require a sizeable time
commitment from both the chef and
the diners, and how they work across
cities. One of the most interesting
experiments Ive conducted are the
Swine Dine dinners, across the country,
where the main ingredient is pork, and
its prepared in a multitude of ways
using different techniques. I do feel the
sense of preparation and ritual is vastly
different in Bengaluru, even Delhi. People
have time to breathe, and spend time
over their food. Food-related rituals
still survive, families eat together and
our menus are able to explore genres
apart from convenience dining. I feel
the current spate of cafes and delis in
Mumbai serving mostly generic food
with small variations points to a degraded
food etiquette. Ive seen people whove
forgotten to chew, in the rush to move to
the next thing.
Conversation, nuances and rituals take
a back seat over convenience, speed and
ready availability. Ive seen this in our own
projects at Busride, while designing cafes
and restaurants across the country: The
quality of craft is multiplied manifold as
soon as you leave the city limits there is
a certain commitment to fine detail that
gets lost out in all the mad rushing.
While slower cities can explore the
preparation of a three-day biryani, where
ingredients need that time to settle into
their final flavours, Mumbai takes the
opposite stance. Innovation is often
confused with value engineering the
act of making something similar, faster.
Nuances are not important. Were willing
to accept mediocrity if its delivered two
minutes before time.
Certain other processes thrive on
speed. Fashion, film, television and
other culture-producing engines, for
example, where static environments are
diametrically opposed to growth. But
the city also creates pockets of slower
tides within it, or the illusion of pauses
in heritage areas where one can trick
the mind into believing life has slowed
down. The illusion is reserved for a tiny
residential pool, where one can get a
temporary respite from the torrent that
is the city.
In this scheme of things then, thakele
isnt so much an abuse as a way of
referring to someone or something thats
a misfit, an anomaly, going slow in a city
built on speed. Think about that the next
time youre stuck in traffic.
Ayaz Basrai is co-founder of The Busride
Design Studio

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

ATTILA HARTWIG
STYLED BY

NINA LEMM

ROLEX
Cellini Dual Time
A dress watch quite unlike
what youd expect from
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work.

Elements of style
If your new years resolution is to up your style game, begin with
your wrist. Here, four dress watches to put you into the big league
122

JANUARY 2015

A.
LANGE &
SHNE
Richard Lange Perpetual
Calendar Terraluna
A single glance at this watch tells you
all you need to know about the day,
date and month, while the orbital
moonphase display on the back
needs to be adjusted for just
a single day after 1,058
years.

JANUARY 2015

123

OMEGA
DeVille Hour Vision
Co-Axial Annual Calendar
The DeVille was born in the Sixties
as a dandy addition to the brands
extensive range of robust sports
watches. This new chronometer has
been tted with Omegas patented
Co-Axial movement, making it
a modern wristwatch with
vintage design cues.

124

JANUARY 2015

BREITLING
Navitimer 01 (46mm)
The ultimate aviators
chronograph, the slide rule along
the inner bezel can multitask to
calculate speed, distance and fuel
consumption. Reading any of the
metrics or telling the time off
this delightfully busy dial isnt
difcult though, thanks to
its large 46mm of real
estate.

JANUARY 2015

125

DOUBLE-BREASTED PINSTRIPE
SUIT BY DOLCE & GABBANA.
WAISTCOAT BY ERMENEGILDO
ZEGNA. SHIRT BY CANALI. TIE
BY TOM FORD. TIE BAR BY
SS HOMME. HAT BY
PACHACUTI. MINI STEINWAY
PIANO FROM FURTADOS

126

JANUARY 2015

A Moveable Feast
It took four years of hard-fought fitness to get movie-hero ripped, but only two more to establish
himself as one of Bollywoods big kahunas. Arjun Kapoor is young, flush, and in demand
Written by Dave Besseling

Photographed by Errikos Andreou

Styled by Vijendra Bhardwaj

JANUARY 2015

127

I may look tired,

says a heavy-lidded
Arjun Kapoor, but dont worry, Im just conserving energy. Saddled
low in the back seat of his midnight-blue Mercedes SUV, the actors
Fonzarelli quiff is windswept even before he lowers the impenetrably
tinted window, lets in the phosphorescence of Madame Cama Road
and sparks a Marlboro Light. Ill liven up when I see food.
And the mans as good as his word. Over a couple of hours in
Colaba, far from the kinds of resturants where celebrity would be
more disruptive, my dinner with Arjun comprises enough duck,
beef, pork and chicken to put a middle-aged Marlon Brando into a
meat coma.
Wed reserved a table for two at The Table, and when Arjun asks
the hostess presiding over the booked-out space if we can occupy
a table for four, she hesitates, but soon relents. Because hes Arjun
Kapoor. Arjun Kapoor can get away with this sort of thing. Arjun
Kapoor knows he can get away with this sort of thing.
You know what I mean, right? he says, sidling into the booth
side of the table, I can light a cigarette wherever I want, I was half
an hour late for the shoot this morning and no one said anything.
And thats not fair. Im a paid professional. I should be showing up
at 8:30 when Ive known for the last month wed be shooting at 8:30.
If I was a 29-year-old whod shown up late for an office meeting, it
wouldnt be cool, right?
A young waiter lays out two menus, a tic at the corner of his lip
as he resists a smile. Arjun may only be a two-year vintage on the
top shelf of stardom, but hes already adept at not noticing people
notice him. All things considered, the kids doing a pretty good job
of playing it straight himself. We decide to start with a salad. A salad
covered in succulent, shredded duck.
Perhaps since the perks bestowed by this level of fame are still
relatively new to him, its been a quick maturing process for the
Chembur native, and Arjun speaks in almost conspiratorial tones
about how things are now available at my fingertips because Ive
become an actor, like some kind of djinn were hovering nearby,
ready to snatch it all away. Everybody is at my beck and call, you
know? But in a way, its made me more immature than I was before.
I fork some duck and pomegranate from the salad as I listen. Its
like a tiger tasting blood, you want more, and you start feeling like
you can get away with all these small things.
And thatsshh dangerusshh, I agree through my food.
Its like, youre now so used to having everything go your way,
sometimes you cant accept when it doesnt.
What he describes is not so much a matter of emotional regression
as acute self-consciousness, because, as Arjun says, he was always the
fat kid, and theres nothing to force you into a quickened state of selfconsciousness like being the fat kid in a family with Anil Kapoor for
an uncle and Sonam for a cousin. Spend some time with Arjun and
you may notice theres still that close-thigh shuffle, that walking
from below the knees, that physical memory no amount of squats
can render amnesiac.
Every time I feel I can take all this for granted or be
complacent, he says, kneading his hands over a plate of steamed
buns cradling chunks of hoisin-slathered pork, I remind myself
that there are a million people who come to the city every day to

be in this position, maybe more talented than me, maybe more

hardworking than me, but Ive got this opportunity and Ill be a
fucking dickhead if I fuck it up. He takes a mouthful of pig. So the
idea is not to fuck it up.

As the conveyor

of dishes continues
spiced mini lamb burgers, pork tenderloin tacos, beef meatballs
with melted cheese in tomato sauce Arjun admits this is a cheat
meal, a reward for the bout of cover-shoot training he put in after a
holiday in Turkey: land of the glorious dner kebab.
Once a fat kid, always a fat kid, he shrugs, folding a taco. Like
today, when I was trying on clothes for the shoot, I was praying, I hope
they fit, I hope they fit. That pressures still there, its there at the back
of my mind, I hope I look good today, I hope I havent put on weight.
Im starting to feel a bit full, but I cant let Arjun know. We may
be sipping Diet Coke and nimbu pani, but in spite of, or maybe
because of that, keeping pace with the food is as close as these two
male egos are going to get to bonding over a competition-level
drinking session. I stab a meatball, rotate it in the melted cheese and
send it into the side of my mouth like Popeye. Arjun matches my
meatball and raises me a tenderloin taco. Mustnt let the movie star
win. I take the last taco.
Do you think theres as much pressure on male stars to be super
fit as there is on female stars? I ask.
Arjun thinks as he chews, but isnt convinced. I mean, you
know, Priyanka, Anushka, all these guys eat, yaar. Priyanka is a guy
when it comes to her appetite, but she works really hard at the gym.
Anushkas a really beautiful woman but I always wonder where
the food goes. Shes got this fantastic body despite being hungry,
literally, every hour, and, take Ranbir. He eats, but hes always
been lean. If I put on two kilos, it shows.
Much like a night of drinking, past the euphoria, after the
measured rationale, comes the justification; which, in the mind
of an overeater or an alcoholic, will excuse the next stage of
over-consumption. I never want to live my life in a way where
I dont look forward to eating, nods Arjun. It gives me
genuine happiness.

Arjun introduced

himself to the theatregoing public in 2012s Ishaqzaade, hamming it up as Parma

Chauhan, a buff, belligerent sociopath. In Tevar releasing this
month, produced by his father and uncle Arjun portrays a kabbadi
player: novel on top, but still one of those interchangeable, shortfused macho-man baby-punchers who will inevitably reform by Act
Three. I wanted to bulk up for this one, says Arjun, so when I beat
people up it looks like they will die.
With his Punjabi warrior genes, its a look he can pull off, but
eager to relay that hes not a one-trick Kapoor, Arjun explains how
he went five or six kilos underweight to play the geeky, gecko-like
Krish Malhotra in 2 States, and settled somewhere around a normal

Being a star might get you into bed with the hot
girl, but its still you that has to satisfy her
128

JANUARY 2015

STATUTORY WARNING: SMOKING IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH

CHECK SUIT BY VERSACE. WAISTCOAT,

POCKET SQUARE; BOTH BY
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA. TURTLENECK
JUMPER BY HERMS. HAT BY
BORSALINO. WATCH BY PANERAI

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129

DOUBLE-BREASTED PINSTRIPE SUIT

BY DOLCE & GABBANA. WAISTCOAT BY
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA. SHIRT BY CANALI.
TIE BY TOM FORD. TIE BAR BY SS HOMME.
HAT BY PACHACUTI. WATCH BY PANERAI.
STEINWAY PIANO FROM FURTADOS

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weight for Finding Fanny, a film that does not at all live up to its
double-entendre.
Listen, says Arjun, speaking of Finding Fanny, I get accused
of being frivolous all the time, that Im having this huge amount of
sex But I only started getting attention from girls three years ago,
so what you experienced at 18 or 19, Ive never had in my life. So
when it comes to flirting, hanging out, all those healthy things you
do at a certain age, Im just getting to do them now.
And hows that working out? I ask, imagining him signing
autographs for his female fans, a tight scrum of screaming
Arjunarians ready to devour him.
Theres that bashful, dimple-creasing smile thats no doubt a
decent first play in this new season of the mating game. I cant
complain, he says, with a sheepish tilt of the head.
Being a star might get you into bed with the hot girl, but its
still you that has to satisfy her: If I have a sloppy conversation or
dont even know how to open the door for her, theres no difference
between me and that guy sitting at that table over there. Not that
Arjuns pointing at any specific man in the restaurant. Eventually,
its your personality thatll speak, not your work. I hope I fall for a
girl whos in it for me.
Well, thats a whole other kind of danger, right? The
starfuckers?
Thats a trust issue, which, you know, youve just got to go with
your impulse.
Maybe youll have to get out of Mumbai. Or India.
Yeah, he ponders, Maybe I need to travel I think I need to
find an Italian woman.
Well you know, I offer, Indians and Italians are, essentially, the
same people.
You might be right. I like Greece, too. Greeks are like halfIndians I dont know about Greek gods but I know their food
is outstanding.

Our hero plunders

through our
epicurean voyage, the waiter coming back and back and back with
chard ravioli, chicken tortilla soup and, you know, why the fuck not
in an uppity place like this, chilli cheese toast. When Arjun leans
back from the table, he does that thing paunchy people do, where
they pull their T-shirt away from their stomach, lest any unflattering
folds of fabric have formed. Arjuns body isnt some kind of realtime calorie factory that puts on weight as food is ingested, but in
his mind, theres always going to be phantom flab. Gluttony is my
one sin, he says.
I ask him about what other guilty pleasures we may have had
in common as we tore through our twenties, but he maintains that
kind of male bonding would have to take place off the record. I
think Ranbir spoke to GQ about smoking up one time, and he got
sued by somebody, for influencing kids or something.
There was a time, however, when Arjun was 22 or 23, where I
just went off the rails a little bit. I was partying all the time, maybe
a bit more than I should have. I dont regret anything that I did, but
any more would have ruined me. I got out at the right time. Arjun
picks at a piece of the chilli cheese toast as he deliberates. I had my
moments of glory, I dont want to relive them, but those experiences
define you as a person, as much as his father kind of dropping out
early in his life, his failing Grade 11, his mother dying in the leadup to his first films release, daddys second wife being an allegedly
wicked witch of a stepmother everything that could have turned
him into a rich-kid clich.
I could have used all that as an excuse to be exactly what people
wanted me to become, says Arjun, it was almost like there was
nothing else theyd expect me to become.

Nepotism can only get

you your first opportunity,
it cant confirm the
audience will love you
Its not like this Kapoor doesnt know the Bollywood games
rigged and hes wearing the same nametag as the house, but, he
maintains, Ive done this for myself, to prove that Im not some loser.
Im not going to end up jobless. Im not going to live off my fathers
name or my mothers money. He squints his eyes and snaps his
fingers. Whats that word? I cant remember that fucking word
Nepotism?
Nepotism! Yes, eyes wide open, broad frame turning straight to
face me, Nepotism can only get you your first opportunity, it cant
confirm the audience will love you. Just because youre a Khan or
a Kapoor or a Khanna does not not guarantee success. He collects
his thoughts, searching for the tortilla bits in the soup. Im still not
that sorted. And I know that. This is one of the few professions that
gives you tremendous fame and adulation one year and can destroy
you the next.
Our waiter is back clearing plates, maintaining non-fanboy
composure, and Arjun asks if Id prefer the raspberry cheesecake or
the chocolate tart for dessert. Id love neither. He orders both. If this
ever was an unspoken bro-competition in lieu of a piss-up, hes won
this thing fair and square.
So is longevity something you worry about? I ask.
Longevity will come from the work I do. By not fucking up. If
you dont give it 100 per cent youll get destroyed Ranbir is a good
example. Hes here to stay. Or you see a guy like Hrithik Roshan.
Theyve put in ten years, set up a foundation.
How long will it take for you to crest that hill?
He does some quick calculations on the ceiling. Maybe five to
seven years of surviving, maintaining the quality, getting embedded,
so when the audience sees a poster theyll go, Oh, hes in it, then
well go watch it.
When it comes to his career when it comes to this meal
Arjuns playing the long game, at any cost. The calorie cost of a
meal like this, he says, is an extra workout the next day. No big
deal. (Neither is footing the bill. The GQ managing editor says
thanks, Arjun.) As for the price his career on screen will exact on his
privacy, No one should become an actor if they want a private life,
he says. Its not like Ive been pushed into this. Im very happy with
it. Anybody who cant handle it shouldnt be here.
After our post-prandial cigarettes under the arch of the covered
sidewalk, Arjun can sense that even though I live a mere few
blocks away, by this stage its a trip better made being pushed in
a wheelbarrow, and he offers me a ride home. The driver unlocks
the Merc and as I roll myself onto the back seat, a couple of stray
Arjunarians walk by and pinch each others shoulders when they
realize whos waiting to get into the car after the sloth-like whiteboy.
They are overcome by silent paroxysms of joy, while again, Arjun
feigns ignorance of the spectacle hes created by occupying space.
Im going to do this for the rest of my life, he says, give interviews,
do media. Every day a part of me is going to be put out there for the
world to see, so there is no privacy except what I do in my bathroom,
but Im sure nobody wants to know how many times a day I wank.
I give him an eyebrow-arch of incredulity. I think you might
be surprised.
JANUARY 2015

131

No one
should become
an actor if
they want a
private life.
Anybody who
cant handle it
shouldnt
be here

ASSISTANT STYLIST:
TANYA VOHRA
HAIR:
SHEFALI SHETTY/
BBLUNT
MAKE-UP:
SHIMSHA SHETTY/
BBLUNT
PRODUCTION:
VASUNDHARA
SHARMA, BINDIYA
NARII/TEMPLE ROAD
PRODUCTIONS

132

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CHECK SUIT BY VERSACE.

WAISTCOAT, POCKET
SQUARE; BOTH BY
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA.
TURTLENECK JUMPER BY
HERMS. CHELSEA BOOTS
BY OLIVER SWEENEY.
WATCH BY PANERAI

JANUARY 2015

133

INSIGHT
IN ASSOCIATION WITH

HOMES OF THE FUTURE

Presenting the rst ever AD INSIGHT, in association with Asian Paints

A rst-time endeavour for both Architectural Digest and Asian Paints, AD INSIGHT was
an exclusive event focusing on current and future residential architecture and interior
design trends in the region. Held at Tote On The Turf, Mumbai, the event saw three
eminent speakers: Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury of Kashef Chowdhury/URBANA, Nipa
Doshi of Doshi Levien and Mann Singh, Head of Product Design at JSL Lifestyle, in a
panel discussion with Michael Snyder, contributing editor at AD.

Ratan Batliboi

Amit Syngle

Sunita Choraria

Manju Sara Rajan

Shimul Jhaveri

Michael Snyder & Nipa Doshi

Sunu Aibara

Mann Singh

Satish Kulkarni & Deepa Bhatia

Kashef Mahboob Chowdhury
Smita Khanna

Jamini Ahluwalia

Ashish Jajoo
Rooshad Shroff

Ashiesh Shah

Sukant Somani

Shafali Choudhrie Diwanji

Asian Paints display

Ranjit Ahuja

Kiran Shetty

PHOTOGRAPHED BY

Anushka Menon

WRITTEN BY

Dave Besseling

WRAP TOP & UNDERWEAR

BY COSABELLA

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She comes from the land under

Down Under but, as GQ discovers,
there was no chance of keeping
this Kiwi down on the farm

t
t
a
r
aP

UNDERWEAR BY
BCBGENERATION.
BODYSUIT BY BODYBINDS

JANUARY 2015

137

uckland-born model Ashika

Pratt says she first came
to India because Id been
shooting for a lot of Indian
brands, so I thought I should
come and see what it would
be like to work here. And my
mother is Fijian-Indian, so I always had that connection without
really exploring it. I would have come regardless of work. It
wouldve just taken me longer.
Theres something almost counterintuitive hearing a
24-year-old reminisce about her career, but it was back in 2009
when she first touched down in Mumbai, a city with about six
times as many people as New Zealand. She says she started off
as a homesick foreigner but, because I look Indian, everyone
assumed I spoke Hindi, when really I could only muster a few
words and phrases. But, soon enough, I got to travel all over
the country, she says. I fell in love with Jaipur and the people
in Goa. My favorite place is Ladakh.
Things have gone well enough for Ashika. Shes currently
shuffling between the two places all models want to be
shuffling between New York and Paris and she just finished
a shoot in her native New Zealand. Jetlag is constant, she says.
If I had to choose a base right now it would have to be New
York, but I cant picture myself in just one place. I need to make
regular trips back home. And to India.

HIGH-WAISTED
UNDERWEAR BY KIKI DE
MONTPARNASSE. BODY
CHAIN BY CANDID ART

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JANUARY 2015

JANUARY 2015

139

BRA, UNDERWEAR, GOWN;

ALL BY FRANCIELLE
STIEFELMANN

140

JANUARY 2015

HIGH-WAISTED
UNDERWEAR BY KIKI DE
MONTPARNASSE. BODY
CHAIN BY CANDID ART
STYLIST:
RASHIDA MEGGETT
HAIR & MAKE-UP:
NEVIO RAGAZZINI/
NEXT MANAGEMENT
PRODUCTION:
SHILPA MANKIKAR
LOCATION:
STYLEETHIC

JANUARY 2015

141

INDIA
`250

THE DESIGN
HANDBOOK 2015
INDIAS MOST EXTENSIVE
HOME PRODUCT LISTING
LIVING ROOM BEDROOM BATHROOM
KITCHEN SOFT FURNISHINGS ELEMENTS

The AD Design Handbook 2015 is back in its second edition

this time bigger and better
Showcasing the most iconic Indian and International home products
and decorative elements available in India
Products listed across six main categories: living room, bedroom,
bathroom, kitchen, soft furnishing and decorative elements
This comprehensive guide will give your home all the elements
required for a stylish, unique and fresh update.

THE DESIGN
HANDBOOK 2015
IN ASSOCIATION WITH

ON STANDS NOW

144

JANUARY 2015

SET DESIGN: MARY HOWARD

Photographed by Annie Leibovitz

Written by Bethany McLean

Over the last decade, as the biggest force in tech history has hurtled towards
irrelevance, some blamed Microsofts woes on founder Bill Gates.
Most pointed to his successor as CEO Steve Ballmer. Now, Hyderabad-born
Satya Nadella steps into the toughest job in the business

JANUARY 2015

145

THE REBOOT

n some ways, Bill Gates, Microsofts founder and first CEO,

and Satya Nadella, a longtime employee who last February
became the companys third CEO, are alike. They are both
engineers, and they are both businessmen. In the language
of the Myers-Briggs personality test, designed to measure
how people perceive the world and make decisions, they
both strike others as NTs, meaning they are highly rational seekers
of knowledge. So perhaps theyll work together seamlessly to run
Microsoft, helping it meet the huge challenges it now faces. Gates
devoted most of his time and energy during the last six years to his $40
billion philanthropic effort, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but
when Microsoft announced Nadellas appointment on February 4, he
decided to devote 30 per cent of his time to Microsoft.
Theres a sense in the world outside Redmond, Washington, that
Microsofts best days are behind it, that the sprawling colossus, which
employs more than 100,000 people, doesnt know what it is, or even
what it wants to be. Gates and Nadella are adamant thats not the case,
and they are both adept at the sort of big-picture corporate-speak
designed to persuade people that the company not only has its act
together but also has a vision. In their view, this new world of unlimited
computing power, where your devices can connect you anytime,
anywhere, should rightfully belong to Microsoft. They even have a
catchphrase: Re-inventing productivity.
When I ask them what excites them most, Nadella looks at Gates.
You want me to start? Sure, Gates replies. This is, says Nadella,
a great world. Its not lost on a few other people who are capable
of exploiting that world. But the thing What is scarce in all of this
abundance is human attention. And whoever does the best job of
building the right software experiences to give both organizations
and individuals time back so that they can get more out of their time,
thats the core of this company thats the soul. Thats what Bill started
this company with. Thats the Office franchise. Thats the Windows
franchise. We have to re-invent them Thats where this notion of reinventing productivity comes from.
Is software the most exciting industry in the world? Gates says,
taking up the thread. Absolutely. You know,
when it comes to vision, speech, handwriting,
screens that are going to be pervasive, that
are going to let you navigate information in
rich new ways, in ways that you understand
your customer, whats going on with your
products Were not even a third of the
way towards empowering workers even to
the dream that goes back to the start of the
company. He adds, The opportunity is pretty
incredible. And the original idea of having
great software people and broad software
products and Office being the primary tool
that people look to across all these devices, thats as true today and as
strong as ever.
The way I think about success is our relevance, says Nadella.
Relevance, however, is exactly what Microsoft doesnt have,
according to its critics. The Irrelevance of Microsoft is actually the title
of a blog post by an analyst named Benedict Evans, who works at the
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. On his blog,
Evans pointed out that Microsofts share of all computing devices that
we use to connect to the internet, including PCs, phones and tablets,
has plunged from 90 per cent in 2009 to just around 20 per cent today.
This staggering drop occurred not because Microsoft lost ground in
personal computers, on which its software still dominates, but rather
because it has failed to adapt its products to smartphones, where all the
growth is, and tablets. Even Microsofts new chairman of the board, a
former IBM executive named John Thompson, told Fortune last winter
that there are some attributes to Microsoft today that do look vaguely
like IBM circa 1990. That is a particularly wounding comparison,
because, as any tech person knows, IBM is the company that two

decades ago an aggressive young Microsoft helped topple from the

pinnacle of great technology companies.
Around three-quarters of Microsofts profits come from the two
fabulously successful products on which the company was built:
the Windows operating system, which essentially makes personal
computers run, and Office, the suite of applications that includes
Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Financially speaking, Microsoft is still
extraordinarily powerful. In the last 12 months the company reported
sales of $86.83 billion and earnings of $22.07 billion; it has $85.7 billion
of cash on its balance sheet. But the company is facing a confluence
of threats that is all the more staggering given Microsofts sheer size.
Competitors such as Google and Apple have upended Microsofts
business model, making it unclear where Windows will fit in the
world, and even challenging Office. In the Valley, there are two sayings
that everyone regards as truth. One is that profits follow relevance.
The other is that theres a difference between strategic position and
financial position. Its easy to be in denial and think the financials
reflect the current reality, says a close observer of technology firms.
They do not.
Many people blame Microsofts predicament on Steve Ballmer,
the big, bald, manic, fist-pumping sales guy who was Bill Gates
longtime best friend and anointed successor, becoming CEO in
2000. His contentious tenure ended more abruptly than most people
expected when he stepped down last February, after announcing
he would do so in August 2013. After a five-month search for a new
CEO, which Fortune called a textbook example of how not to do
CEO succession, and which at first focused on candidates who
didnt work inside the company, Nadella, who has spent 22 years at
Microsoft, was chosen. Until then, his name was barely known in the
outside world. As one former Microsoft executive puts it, He was
flying commercial a year ago!
Not the least of the boards problems in finding a new CEO was that
there werent a lot of outsiders who wanted the job. Gates and Ballmer
are both aggressive personalities. They stopped speaking to each other
as a result of the bad blood surrounding Ballmers resignation. But both

IS SOFTWARE THE MOST

EXCITING INDUSTRY IN THE
WORLD? ABSOLUTELY

146

JANUARY 2015

were then still sitting on the board, ready to second-guess each other
and, perhaps, the new CEOs decisions. The balance of power between
Gates and Ballmer is not as obvious as it may seem. At Gates current
clip of stock sales he will be out of Microsoft by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile, Ballmer has sold very rarely, and so the consigliere now
owns more of the company than the founder. Indeed, Ballmers 333
million shares, worth some $15 billion, make him Microsofts largest
individual shareholder, with a 4 per cent stake.
In July, Ballmer announced his $2 billion purchase of the Los
Angeles Clippers basketball team from the embattled Donald
Sterling; in August he abruptly announced his retirement from
Microsofts board, citing his multitude of new commitments. These
days Ballmer, the man who once referred to Microsoft as his fourth
child, is working out of a 40th-floor condominium some 20 minutes
from the sprawling campus he once presided over, having meetings
with basketball greats. Im kind of moving on, he says. It will make
Nadellas job a little bit easier.
But being Microsofts CEO may still be the toughest job in business.

IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

allmer, as you might expect, has his own way of scoring

his tenure, and it is not the Valleys way. He was an appliedmath-and-economics major at Harvard, and he likes to
quantify things. In his new office he pulls out a chart that
tracks the profits of the top 25 technology companies from
2008 through 2013. Back in 2008, Microsoft was the most
profitable company, earning 15 per cent of all the profits generated. In
2013 it was the second-most profitable company (after Apple), earning
12 per cent of all the profits generated. In technology its easy to
glorify the products produced and the reputations won, not the money
made, he says. Indeed, under Ballmer, Microsofts profits grew almost
threefold, to $21.8 billion.
Steve will never get the credit hes due, a former executive says.
He was brilliant brilliant in finding ways to harvest more money
from Windows and Office.
Ballmer likes to note that the lines of authority were not clear, which
is part of what makes thinking about his tenure complicated: Before
I became CEO, I felt pretty completely responsible for the company,
Ballmer says. And I didnt feel completely in charge until Bill left
[entirely in 2008]. It is a well-known part of Microsoft history that
Ballmer and Gates fought bitterly during the first year of transition.
Among other things, when an engineer was displeased with Ballmer,
hed go to Gates. Some Microsoft employees from that era refer to
Ballmer and Gates as Mom and Dad, and recall that no one knew
which parent was in charge.
He didnt know how to let me be CEO, and I didnt know how to
do it, says Ballmer. At the urging of both their wives and Microsofts
board of directors, the two men patched things up at what Ballmer calls
a really awkward, terrible dinner at the Bellevue Club in early 2001.
It was like My Dinner With Andre, Ballmer says, referring to the 1981
film in which two old friends slowly realize they have radically different

worldviews. They officially made up, and Gates turned the company
over to Ballmer. Im not going to need him for anything, Ballmer told
The Wall Street Journal when Gates finally left completely. Use him, yes,
need him, no.
Inside Microsoft, there isnt one simple take on Ballmers tenure,
or as a former executive tells me, In some ways the way people
think about Bill and Steve is almost a Rorschach test. For those who
romanticize the Gates era, Microsofts current predicament will always
be Ballmers fault. For others, its not so clear. He left Steve holding a
big bag of shit, the former executive says of Gates. In the year Ballmer
officially took over, Microsoft was found to be a predatory monopolist
by the US government and was ordered to split into two; the cost of
that to Gates and his company can never be calculated. In addition, the
dotcom bubble had burst, causing Microsoft stock to collapse, which
resulted in a simmering tension between longtime employees, whom
the company had made rich, and newer ones, who had missed the
gravy train.
There is one thing everyone agrees on, which is Ballmers genuine
love for Microsoft. He cares more about Microsoft than anyone in
the world, including Bill, says a former executive. Some people found
it inspiring, but perhaps, in business, it is possible to care too much.
Certainly there were also disadvantages to Ballmers approach. I
am a salesman by nature: I want you to actually agree with me. Dont
just come on the voyage with me. Believe, he told a crowd at Oxford
University last winter, his voice rising to a bellow. Oh, you dont
believe? Im going to keep trying to get you to believe.
Emotionally volatile is a not uncommon description of Ballmer.
His passion can tip over into what a former executive calls religious
zealotry. Challenge was betrayal. His view was that anyone in the
company who used the iPhone was a traitor, says this person. His dad
worked for Ford, and that meant you had Ford in your garage.
JANUARY 2015

147

THE REBOOT

THERE WAS
CLEARLY A FEELING
THAT THE BOARD HAD
BEEN NEUTERED
FOR LONG ENOUGH
(To this day, Ballmer drives a Ford Lincoln.) And Ballmer, partly due
to his sheer physical presence, is intimidating when he is not pleased.
People tended to acquiesce rather than risk his wrath. One person even
likens the result of what he calls Ballmers ability to drive sub-optimal
human behaviour to the state of affairs in Afghanistan.
Ballmer might be a complicated character, but he has nothing on
Gates, whose contradictions have long fascinated Microsoft-watchers.
He is someone who has no problem humiliating individuals he
might not even notice but who genuinely cares deeply about entire
populations and is deeply loyal. He is generous in the biggest ways
imaginable, and yet in small things, like picking up a lunch tab, he can
be shockingly cheap. He cant make small talk and can come across as
totally lacking in EQ. The rules of human life that allow you to get along
are not complicated, says one person who knows Gates. He could
write a book on it, but he cant do it!
But he combines that with flashes of insight and humors that leave
some wondering whether he cant do it or simply chooses not to, or
both. His most pronounced characteristic shouldnt be simply labelled
a competitive streak, because it is really a fierce, deep need to win. The
dislike it bred among his peers in the industry is well known Silicon
Bully was the title of an infamous magazine story about him. And yet
he left Microsoft for the philanthropic world, where there was no one to
bully, only intractable problems to solve.
Today, the public Bill Gates seems polished, without many traces
of the badly groomed enfant terrible of Microsofts early days, who
would rock when he spoke and eviscerate an underling who gave
him an answer he didnt like. Many people credit his wife, Melinda,
for the improvements. Bill is smart enough to construct himself as
a human being with Melindas help, says someone who has known
him for decades.
But Gates, though he tries, still cant always maintain the construct
privately. Admirers say that this is only to be expected from someone
who has had no adult supervision since his teenage years, and who,
because of his sheer genius, has never had to play by the rules most
of us are forced to learn. A loose generalization might be that those
who see Gates in situations where he is not the one in control are less
forgiving. He was so publicly and so early in life defined as the brilliant
guy, says a person who has observed him. Anything that threatens
that, he becomes narcissistic and defensive. Or as another person puts
it, He throws hissy fits when he doesnt get his way.
Microsofts culture was confrontational from the start. But what
worked so well when the company was young and small carried the
seeds of future problems. About both Gates and Ballmer, a former
executive says, Their passion too often crossed the line into abuse.
Thats terrible when you become the role model that others are trying
to emulate. Maybe Gates and Ballmer could get away with it. But when
people three levels down are acting that way, it is not pleasant.
Many people liken the relationship between Ballmer and Gates to a
marriage. It is like couples that get divorced and hook up again, says
someone who knows both men. Trying to explain the relationship from
the outside is a waste of chronology.
148

JANUARY 2015

At the root of Gates and Ballmers friendship, famously begun

when both were Harvard students, was a deep respect for each others
intelligence. I have a high-bandwidth relation with Steve, Gates would
often say, which was his highest praise, while Ballmer has said that he
dropped out of Stanford Business School after one year to join Gates
because he was the smartest guy I knew. Even today, Ballmer says
that Gates has more CPU and more storage than anyone I know.
Ballmer was Gates best man when he married Melinda, in 1994,
and, an early Microsoft executive says, in the old days, when Microsoft
was run by a small executive council, there were a few people who
rose to the status of first cousins but the family was Bill and Steve.
Everyone else was a hired hand, this person says. In 2006, Ballmer
described the relationship in his own way to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
I think brothers tend to argue a lot, and somehow they stay brothers
and stay connected, he said. I think Bill and I have figured out how to
do all of that.
No one will ever know for sure what would have happened to
Microsoft if Gates had stuck around. But there is a special reverence
accorded the founder that will never be accorded his successor, and
even if Gates wouldnt have been the solution, Ballmer became the
problem. As the billions of dollars he invested in new ventures failed
to show any return, even investors who thought Microsoft should
be trying to keep up got increasingly dissatisfied. Then there was
another set of investors, who wanted Microsoft to slim down and pay
out its cash hoard to them. Ballmer, who likes to use the phrase the
tyranny of or to describe the horror of being forced to choose between
alternatives, wanted to preserve all his options. He wasnt willing to
give up on the idea that Microsoft could build new muscle, as he likes
to put it, and catch the next wave, and he wasnt about to tell investors
what they wanted to hear. There was even a period when he refused to
meet with them, and their dislike of him became visceral.
Ballmer often said that he wanted to stay as CEO until his youngest
son graduated from high school, in 2017. But he says today that that
changed. I always think more like a shareholder than a paid CEO, he
says, pulling out his performance review from 2010, in which he told
the board that his target departure date was no less than three years,
but no more than five in other words, between 2013 and 2015. I had
to have a few glasses of wine before I could hit send, he admits. He
says that he even began interviewing outside CEO candidates at firms
ranging from Amazon to Apple to Oracle. While Ballmer wont give me
names, another person who is familiar with events corroborates that
the two had started looking. But there was a problem: They couldnt
find anyone.
At the same time, the pressure was building. The heavily hyped
next iteration of Windows, Windows 8, which launched in 2012,
was regarded as a flop. Microsofts second-largest shareholder, the
powerful but behind-the-scenes mutual-fund giant Capital Group, was
quietly agitating for change. ValueAct, a hedge fund that had taken a
$2 billion stake in the company, wanted a board seat, too. There was
clearly a feeling that the board had been neutered for long enough.
ign either inside or outside that change at the top

he discord between Gates and Ballmer, both of whom

were still on the board, did not make for a pleasant
search for a new CEO, although, in truth, it might
have been difficult anyway. Just consider the other
ingredients: disagreement over whether the new CEO
needed to be an engineer. Disagreement over whether
or not an outsider was needed. A board that felt it had been in thrall to
the former CEOs for far too long now wanting to exert its own control.
A former CEO who could not brook not being in control of what he still
considers his company. And the incredible difficulty of finding a person
who both could and would want to run Microsoft.
Initially, there was some consensus around Alan Mulally, then-CEO
of Ford, who is regarded as a turnaround expert. But Mulally felt that he

IMAGE: GETTY IMAGES

should not be required to go through a formal process of interviewing

for the job, according to several sources, and the board began to have
doubts. It wasnt until January that Mulally formally announced that
he would stay at Ford, but sources say he had been out of the running
for a long time before that. The board had also been interested in Steve
Mollenkopf, the chief operating officer of Qualcomm, but less than
24 hours after Bloomberg News reported that he was a candidate,
Qualcomm responded by naming him its CEO. Another potential
candidate was Paul Maritz, a former top Microsoft executive who had
gone on to key jobs at other technology companies. But in ex-Microsoft
circles, the story is that Maritz felt that Microsoft was too far behind
in too many critical battles, and would have to slim down and make
choices. When Gates disagreed, Maritz concluded he wouldnt have the
freedom to do what he wanted.
As the search wore on, the stress increased. Im not sure there was
disagreement about any one thing, says a close observer. I think it got
competitive And Bill cant stand losing. It makes him more unhappy
not to win than anyone Ive ever seen. At one point, some on the
board felt that a fellow board member, John Thompson, a former IBM
executive and then-CEO of Symantec, wanted the job. Gates said, with
some emotion, that he would not support Thompson, and that Nadella
would be a better pick. (A source close to Microsoft says that Thompson
never put his hat in the ring.) Among the internal candidates,
Ballmer pushed for Kevin Turner, the former Walmart executive who
is Microsofts COO and runs the sales force. But eventually Nadella
emerged as the top internal candidate.
There were still some on the board who wanted to bring in an
outsider. Hans Vestberg, the CEO of the Swedish telecommunications
company Ericsson, was under consideration but Vestberg kept
delaying meetings, and some on the board concluded that he wasnt
that interested in the job. At a meeting on January 19, the board finally
decided on Nadella. In the end, they all agreed on the one thing that
mattered, says a source close to the board.
When Microsoft announced on February 4 that Nadella would
be the new CEO, the company also announced that Bill Gates would
step down as chairman of the board. The new chair would be John
Thompson. He [Gates] used up his chips with these people is how one
close observer sums up the situation.
The funny thing is that Gates, who has been passionately committed
to his foundation, didnt step away from his former company. Instead
he decided to step back in. Not for roughly one-third of his time, Gates
says. We say 30 percent, he corrects. He deeply believes he can bring
something to Microsoft that no one else can, says someone who knows
him well.
Will Steve Ballmer go quietly? He did go, but it remains to be seen
how quiet hell be. He says he has seven big things hes doing, including
learning Hebrew, getting in shape, figuring out his civic duties, running
the Clippers and managing his stake in Microsoft, which he says is
65 to 70 per cent of his net worth. He has no intention of selling, partly
out of loyalty and partly because he thinks that Microsoft is a good
investment. I want to be a good shareholder, he says. Im not going
to be active for the sake of being active, but Im not going to be passive
and just sell when I dont like something, either. At the same time, he
says hes very conscious of the lessons of the past. Hes met with Nadella
a few times but always off the Microsoft campus. Its not like I have an
allergic reaction [to the campus], he says. But I am giving him space.

ts my 37th day, but whos counting? Thats how Nadella,

who is just 47 years old, began his remarks at a March
Microsoft retreat, where he spoke to the companys top
100 or so executives for the first time about his worldview,
about his view of Microsoft, and about the path forward.
One longtime executive was struck by Nadellas balance. He is intense
without being intimidating, this person says. He is totally positive
without being Pollyanna. But this person was most struck by what
Nadella didnt do. It would have been so easy to throw the previous
administration under the bus, he says.

Nadella, despite his long career at Microsoft and his similarities

to Gates is in fundamental ways a break from the past. He has had
his executive team read Nonviolent Communication. (The title speaks
for itself.) Hes a genuinely nice person, with a wide smile that cannot
be faked. He is liked by people who have worked for him, by his peers,
and by those who were above him. Everyone likes Satya, says one
former Microsoft executive. You cannot dislike Satya. Bill loves him.
Steve loves him. Satya is clearly a morally good person. You want to
get behind him, says Greg Sullivan, who is the director of the Windows
Phone division.
He looks the part of a modern technology CEO, certainly more
than Gates does now or than Ballmer ever did. In Apples famous 2006
commercial, in which the staid, uninteresting guy is the PC and the hip,
cool one is the Mac, Nadella would play the Mac. He is fit, with closely
cropped hair. He wears black-rimmed glasses and has even been seen
in a hoodie. In his short tenure, he has already used a metaphor with
overtones of Zen to explain to the troops what he wants (a team of
rowers working together at the highest level). One of the reasons the
board chose him, according to someone familiar with the process,
was that he was an insider who had the best of what an outsider
could bring. He actually talks to people outside the company, from
competitors to venture capitalists. This is unusual in a company that
people describe as insular. You talk about the rise and fall of empires
or families or anything; being insular is the best way to sort of kill
yourself, says Nadella.
He likes to ask, How would the world be different if we werent
here? One ex-Microsoft executive who was not a fan of the companys
old corporate culture says, Hes obviously a Microsoft loyalist. But he is
open to challenging the status quo.
He quotes Nietzsche and other philosophers, but his real love is
poetry, because poets can take perhaps any philosophical point or any
point of life and can compress it into a few lines, he says. TS Eliot and
Keats are among his favorite poets, and he also enjoys Urdu poetry.
Growing up in India, once you started engineering school you really
dont have any liberal arts education, he says. Somehow I got hooked
onto saying, Look, the one good way to renew yourself is to read
good literature and good poetry And I think my moms been a great
influence on it.
Nadella was born in Hyderabad. His childhood was an exercise
in managing dissonance. My mom was a professor of Sanskrit, and
my dad was a Marxist economist. They were two very contrasting
personalities, he says. They had their ideological wars, and I got to
ignore both of them. It was a fun upbringing, I would say. (Both his
parents still live in India.)
Nadella moved to the United States in 1988 and got both a masters
degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
JANUARY 2015

149

THE REBOOT

NADELLA S CHILDHOOD
WAS AN EXERCISE IN
MANAGING DISSONANCE

and an MBA at the University of Chicagos Booth School.

When he first arrived at Microsoft, in 1992, he worked
on the business side, helping to oversee Office, and then
ran research and development for the companys online
services, which included the troubled search engine, Bing.
After taking over that business, he became the head of
something called Server and Tools, which sold Windowsbased software and services to help big corporations manage their
technology needs, in early 2011. That made him one of five executives
reporting directly to Ballmer.
The holy grail for Microsoft would be getting developers to write
new software for Windows again, putting Windows back at the center
of a new virtuous circle. But its hard to see a path from here to there.
Right now, Windows itself is fragmented: Applications developed for
one Windows device, say a PC, dont even necessarily work on another
Windows device. And if Microsoft develops a new killer application, it
almost has to be released for Android and Apple phones, given their
market dominance, thereby strengthening those ecosystems, too.
Microsofts historical reluctance to open Windows and Office is
why it was such a big deal when in late March, less than two months
after becoming CEO, Nadella announced that Microsoft would offer
Office for Apples iPad. A team at the company had been working on
it for about a year. Ballmer says he would have released it eventually,
but Nadella did it immediately. Nadella also announced that Windows
would be free for devices smaller than nine inches, meaning phones
and small tablets. Now that we have 30 million users on the iPad using
it, that is 30 million people who never used Office before [on an iPad],
he says. And to me thats what really drives us. These are small moves
in some ways, and yet they are also big. Its the first time I have listened
to a senior Microsoft executive admit that they are behind, says one
institutional investor. The fact that they are giving away Windows, their
bread and butter for 25 years it is quite a fundamental change.
Im pretty excited about whats going on in Office, says Gates, who
describes his new role at Microsoft as way more intense than his old
role as board chairman. The open-mindedness to some new things is
there. And you can say I should have pushed harder for that in the years
before anyway, now Satyas putting resources on that.
If the Gordian knots that lie ahead faze Gates at all, he doesnt show
it. He says his next meeting is with one of the genius guys whos really
pushing this idea that when you write an application you dont write
an application for this thing and then another application for that thing
and another application for this thing. When you fire up the meetingroom application, everybodys machine has a part of this meeting-room
application. His idea is that once youve launched call it Meeting
Room Plus you can do everything that needs to be done, from
sharing notes to video-conferencing, without having to pause to open
something else up. On that one, I think well take the lead, says Gates.
Thats a very cool thing, and it does kind of trump whats come before.
I think thats a great way to think about it, says Nadella. Lets say
we walk into this room. There are cameras there that recognize each
omatically log us into a shared whiteboard, rendezvous the
have, a phone or a tablet, so that you can share things.

o far, in Wall Streets eyes, Nadella can do no wrong.

Microsofts stock has risen 30 per cent since he became
CEO, increasing its market value by $87 billion. Its
interesting with Satya, says one person who observes
him with investors. He is not a business guy or a
financial analyst, but he finds a common language with investors, and
in his short tenure, they leave going, Wow. But the honeymoon is the
easy part. Ballmer has given a piece of advice to Nadella: Be bold and
be right.
In September, Microsoft announced its first major acquisition
under Nadella: Mojang, the maker of the phenomenally popular game
150

JANUARY 2015

Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. And a couple million third-graders just

asked: Whats Microsoft? tweeted Dave Pell, an investor who writes
a newsletter called Next Draft. Indeed. Although fans are worried
Microsoft will mess up their game, the deal gets Microsoft access to a
whole generation that didnt even know the company existed. And, in
another sign of change at Microsoft, the company says its committed
to keeping Minecraft available not just on its own devices, but on all
platforms, from Android to iOS to Sonys PlayStation. Nadella has also
presided over some changes to the board, replacing three longtime
members with fresh faces, and adding a new seat.
But as well-respected and well-liked as Nadella is and as different
as his style is from Ballmers or Gates there are still questions about
how radically different his Microsoft will be. Within the company, it has
almost become a clich that he was the safe pick: That he will stick
with the status quo, whether in keeping the consumer businesses or in
reshaping Microsofts executive ranks, which, as several people point
out to me, are filled with employees who thrived under Ballmer. Hes
not Genghis Khan when you might need Genghis Khan, says another
former Microsoft executive about Nadella. Theres a Game Of Throneslike feeling inside Microsoft right now as people wait to see who will
stay and who will go. But most of Ballmers senior executives still have
their jobs.
The biggest question of all, though, is what Bill Gates resumed
presence at Microsoft means. Can he add value, given his age and how
long hes been away from the technology world? And, above all, who
is the real CEO? On this, Ballmer has another piece of advice for his
successor. Satya needs to be in control, he says. He needs to feel and
know that it is his, that he owns the decisions.
Gates and Nadella are sanguine about this. When you say, Well,
Bills going to review something, or Were going to have a discussion
with Bill on something, the energy it creates is just not replicable, says
Nadella. I mean, youve got to just accept the fact that the founder has
a different class, a different status. And, quite honestly, I want to take
advantage of that Because one of the first things it does for the people
who show up to Bills office is they bring their A-game.
When I ask what happens if they disagree, Gates says, Satya runs
the company, so he gets to decide. He says that he has learned from
his experience with Ballmer, and from running his foundation, that
he does not have the full picture. So I get to give input. And if I say to
Satya, Hey, this project needs 10 or 15 people, Ill bet Ill get it, but its
up to him.
The thing youve got to remember is I grew up in a Microsoft where
Bill and Steve were there, says Nadella. If theres anything that I know
its how to get stuff done with Bill around.
Obviously, it is too soon to tell how this will all work, at least in part
because Nadella is, probably deliberately, not an easy person to read.
Take his recent decision to lay off 18,000 employees, most of them from
the newly acquired Nokia. While he says it is just the normal aftermath
of a big acquisition, others see it as a much broader dismantling of
Ballmers broad strategy to move into hardware.
When I ask Nadella if hes capable of being Genghis Khan, he ducks
the question. Stylistically I think were all made differently, but, for me,
making hard calls, quite frankly I may do it with a very different style.
Introducing Ballmer at Oxford, his friend Peter Tufano, the dean of
the business school there, said, When we write the history of business
for the 20th century and the 21st century, there is going to be a whole
chapter on Microsoft. Of course thats true. In the next few years, well
know if that chapter is celebratory or a cautionary tale.

AROUND THE WORLD

ONE BAR AT A TIME

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DEC -JAN

2014 -15 |

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PUT ON
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HAWAII

THE GLOBAL BAR HOP: Next time youre travelling, keep an eye out for
these must go places to wine, dine, party and continue after hours.
This issue is also Cond Nast Travellers rst-ever Art and Travel Special
that brings you a bucket list of places that an art lover ought to visit.

SUN, SA
ND
SURFERS & SEXY

READERS
TRAVEL
AWARDS

NORTH
G OA
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BES
OF TH T
WO RLDE
20
14
YOUR TO

UR SEC
ADDRESS RET
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WHATS

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ON STANDS NOW
DECEMBER - JANUARY 2014 - 2015 ISSUE
@CNTIndia | www.cntraveller.in

P CITIES
,
HOTELS
& SPAS

OPPING

GUIDE +

ME LBOU

RNE CHIC

WINNERS OF THE
READERS TRAVEL AWARDS 2014

CONGRATULATIONS
1. Favourite Indian Leisure Destination
Goa
Kerala

16. Favourite Restaurant in Overseas Hotels

Dinner By Heston Blumenthal at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Nobu at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai

2. Favourite Indian City

Mumbai
New Delhi

17. Favourite Hotel Loyalty Programme

Starwood Preferred Guest
Trident Privilege

3. Favourite Emerging Indian Destination

Coorg
Leh-Ladakh

18. Favourite Domestic Airline

Indigo
Jet Airways

4. Favourite Overseas City

London
Dubai

19. Favourite International Airline

Emirates
Singapore Airlines

5. Favourite Country
Singapore
USA

20. Favourite Airport

Changi Airport, Singapore
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai

6. Favourite Emerging Overseas Destination

Greece
New Zealand

21. Favourite Cruise

Princess Cruises
Royal Caribbean International

7. Favourite Leisure Hotel in India

Park Hyatt Goa Resort And Spa
The Leela Goa

22. Favourite Tour operator

Thomas Cook
Cox & Kings

8. Favourite Overseas Leisure Hotel

Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
The Address Dubai Mall

23. Favourite Online Tour Operator

MakeMyTrip
Cleartrip

9. Favourite Business Hotel in India

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
ITC Maurya, New Delhi

24. Favourite Travel App

TripAdvisor
Cleartrip

10. Favourite Overseas Business Hotel

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai

25. Favourite Hotel Spa in India

ESPA at The Leela Palace Udaipur
Kaya Kalp, The Royal Spa, ITC Mughal, Agra

11. Favourite New Leisure Hotel in India

Dusit Devarana, New Delhi
Palladium Hotel, Mumbai

26. Favourite Overseas Hotel Spa

Jiva Grande Spa at Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives
One&Only Spa By ESPA at One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives

12. Favourite New Overseas Hotel

The Oberoi, Dubai
Vida Downtown Dubai

27. Favourite Destination Spa

Ananda In The Himalayas
Wildower Hall, Shimla In The HimalayasAn Oberoi Resort

13. Favourite New Business Hotel in India

The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore
JW Marriott Hotel, Aerocity New Delhi
14. Favourite Boutique Hotel in India
The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg
Suryagarh, Jaisalmer
15. Favourite Restaurant in Indian Hotels
Bukhara at ITC Maurya, New Delhi
The China Kitchen At Hyatt Regency Delhi

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Maharaja of Jodhpur His Highness Gaj Singh II
EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Mr Sanjay Reddy
Mr Manish Mehrotra
Mr Rahul Mishra

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

ON JOSHUA: THREE-PIECE
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HACKETT LONDON. TIE BAR
BY THE BRO CODE. POCKET
SQUARE BY CANALI

ON HELENA: LACE BODYSUIT

BY AGENT PROVOCATEUR.
SKIRT BY DOLCE & GABBANA

154

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POWER PLAY

It takes a few Mad Men in sharp suits to win big in the boardroom. Your move, sir
Photographed by JATIN KAMPANI
Styled by TANYA VOHRA

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

ON SASHA: SHIRT BY ETRO.
TIE BY JOHN VARVATOS.
TROUSERS BY RICHARD JAMES.
TIE BAR BY THE BRO CODE.
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WATCH BY BREITLING

ON EVELYN: LACE BODYSUIT BY AGENT

PROVOCATEUR. BLACK SHIRT BY FIFI CHACHNIL
ON ROBBIE: PINSTRIPE SUIT BY HACKETT
LONDON. SHIRT BY TOM FORD.
TIE BY HACKETT LONDON. TIE BAR BY THE BRO
CODE. WATCH BY BREITLING
STATUTORY WARNING: SMOKING IS
INJURIOUS TO HEALTH

JANUARY 2015

155

ON ROBBIE: CHEVRON SUIT

BY GIORGIO ARMANI. SHIRT
BY BROOKS BROTHERS.
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156

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WELL, IVE
GOT TO GO
LEARN A LOAD
OF PEOPLES
NAMES BEFORE
I FIRE THEM.
ROGER STERLING

JANUARY 2015

157

TWEED SUIT BY ETRO.

SHIRT BY HACKETT
LONDON. TIE BY
RICHARD JAMES. WATCH
BY CARL F. BUCHERER

158

JANUARY 2015

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BROTHERS. POCKET
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ON KUNAAL: DOUBLEBREASTED SUIT BY ETRO.

SHIRT, TIE; BOTH BY
THOMAS PINK. TIE BAR BY
THE BRO CODE. POCKET
SQUARE BY HACKETT
LONDON. WATCH BY
BREITLING. EYEWEAR BY
GIORGIO ARMANI
ON SASHA: DOUBLEBREASTED SUIT BY
HACKETT LONDON. SHIRT
BY THOMAS PINK. TIE
BY BROOKS BROTHERS.
EYEWEAR BY GIORGIO
ARMANI. WATCH BY
CARL F. BUCHERER. DESK
ACCESSORIES BY
BOTTEGA VENETA
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HEALTH

JANUARY 2015

159

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BOTH BY HACKETT LONDON.
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POCKET SQUARE BY CANALI.
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160

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DIOR HOMME. SHIRT BY HACKETT
LONDON. TIE BY JOHN VARVATOS.
TIE BAR BY THE BRO CODE.
WATCH BY CARL F. BUCHERER
ON KUNAAL: THREE-PIECE SUIT
BY GIORGIO ARMANI. SHIRT
BY BURBERRY. TIE BY BROOKS
BROTHERS. WATCH BY
CARL F. BUCHERER
STATUTORY WARNING: SMOKING
IS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH

GINSBERG: I FEEL
BAD FOR YOU.
DRAPER: I DONT
THINK ABOUT
YOU AT ALL.
JANUARY 2015

161

ON ROBBIE:
WINDOWPANE CHECK
SUIT BY RICHARD
JAMES. SHIRT BY
HACKETT LONDON.
TIE BY THOMAS PINK.
POCKET SQUARE BY
STUDY BY JANAK
ON SASHA: SUIT
BY BROOKS BROTHERS.
SHIRT BY DOLCE &
GABBANA

162

JANUARY 2015

PLAID BLAZER
BY CORNELIANI.
SHIRT, TIE; BOTH BY
HACKETT LONDON.
EYEWEAR BY
GIORGIO ARMANI

HAIR:
WALTER DORAIRAJ
MAKE-UP:
SHIMSHA SHETTY/BBLUNT
MODELS:
KUNAAL SEOLEKAR; ROBBIE
MAIRH; HELENA IVANCIC,
JOSHUA HARRIS, SASHA
RADULOVIC, EVELYN
NORDSTROM/ANIMA
CREATIVE MANAGEMENT
PRODUCTION:
VASUNDHARA SHARMA;
BINDIYA & NARII/TEMPLE
ROAD PRODUCTIONS

JANUARY 2015

163

GQS GUIDE TO

A MAN'S DIET

Nothing is less attractive than a man who makes a meal of his strict weight-loss regime, apart from a
man who really should be on a strict weight-loss regime. Let funnyman Abish Mathew show you how to
stealthily shed the pounds without compromising your masculinity
Written by Victoria Coren Mitchell Photographed by Prabhat Shetty Styled by Tanya Vohra

DIETING IS VERY PROBLEMATIC FOR MEN

Youre doing it to be fitter and healthier, but more
importantly to improve your attractiveness and sex appeal.
Unfortunately, the act of doing it is extremely unsexy. All
that poaching fish and wistfully refusing potatoes Its just
a bit fey, isnt it? Men are supposed to show hunger and
dynamism, not dainty care and bodily insecurity.
Besides, being seen to be dieting reveals a problematic
relationship with food, which is undesirable already.
Unless you actually have a medical disorder, if you exercise

QUIT DRINKING

(THE HORROR)

ALWAYS
WEAR
A SUIT
Its terribly slimming. A well-cut
coat or jacket hides a multitude
of sins. And by sins, I
mean biryanis.

SUIT BY KENNETH
COLE. SHIRT BY LOUIS
PHILIPPE. TIE BY
HACKETT LONDON.
SHOES BY STEVE
MADDEN

164

JANUARY 2015

normally and eat with reasonable restraint, you will simply

be the right shape. If thats gone wrong to the extent that
youre having to embrace unusual self-denial, that raises (to
others) the image of you historically gorging on sweets and
chips. Not attractive.
All in all, it just doesnt add up to a masculine endeavour.
One simply cant imagine Salman Khan weighing his
portions and saying no to dessert. So, how can you improve
your look without anybody thinking youre on a diet? Why,
just follow these handy tips, of course!

While its not very masculine to let the world know that youve
eaten too many doughnuts, somehow the same does not apply
to alcohol. Im not sure why this is. Perhaps its because history
is riddled with manly drinkers, from Ernest Hemingway
to Dharmendra.
These men were lucky enough to be born before phone
cameras and Twitter were invented, so there is no public footage
of them reeling clumsily down the street, covered in vomit and
wee. The Chinese whispers of the pre-digital age converted these
stories into heroic tales and carousing, hell-raising and hard
living all codes for wetting yourself and sobbing in doorways.
This may be the reason that too much booze is considered
rather macho, while too many burgers seems lame and weak.
Thats not to say its cool to be drunk all the time. It quite
spectacularly isnt. Secretly, of course, you will be quitting alcohol
because its a fabulous way to lose weight. Gargling beer does not
a six-pack make. But all you need to say at parties is: No thanks...
I dont, and you will be immediately redolent with that irresistible
air of intrigue and discipline.
SHIRT BY LOUIS PHILIPPE

BUY A CLINGY
DOBERMAN
Acquire a Doberman that you know to be of nervous
disposition. You will have to take it everywhere with
you, as it will get skittish if left alone in the house.
Train it to sit at your feet wherever food is served,
then simply feed any fattening items to the
anxious creature. Some people disapprove
of feeding dogs at the table. But youre
the owner of a volatile Doberman;
nobodys going to argue
with you.

HAIR & MAKE-UP: SHIMSHA SHETTY/BBLUNT

WALK
EVERYWHERE

Youd be amazed how effective this is. Never mind running

youll just go all purple and sweaty, damaging your knees
as you pound along the pavement and probably risking a
heart attack. Im convinced that running is worse for the body
than living on cigarettes or whisky, and you should definitely
listen to me because Im not a doctor. Purple and sweaty
with dodgy knees is not a look you want. Walking is far more
elegant: You can burn off thousands of calories while barely
creasing your cream linen trousers. More to the point, you are
walking to get somewhere. Theres something terribly uncool
about exercising for its own sake. Its fine to play football, but
huffing and puffing round the gym, or struggling for that
difficult seventh sit-up on your bedroom floor, is an awkward
admission that youre only doing it to lose flab.
Far classier to lose flab incidentally, during the natural flow
of your vigorous and manly lifestyle. And luckily, walking does
not take a lot of skill. Its the single thing you can do, in the
ordinary course of life, thatll shape you up without being a
special exercise regime.

DENIM SHIRT,
T-SHIRT; BOTH BY
GAS. TROUSERS
BY LOUIS
PHILIPPE. SHOES
BY CLARKS.
SOCKS BY HAPPY
SOCKS

U
P
SIG
N

R
O
F

ON
D
E
BL
M
WI

POLO T-SHIRT
BY LOUIS PHILIPPE.
TRACK PANTS
BY DIESEL

g
y
advice. There were immediate results
in his alertness, accuracy and success
rate. His diet is now entirely based on
vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, lentils,
white meat and fish. It sounds about
as interesting as a Mumbai traffic jam,
but terrific for the waistline.
So, what you need to do is sign up

5
to compete in a tennis tournament.
Ideally, it would be next years
Wimbledon but for most of you it
could be a big annual tournament at
your local tennis club, as long as its
not happening for a while.
You dont actually need to play in
this tournament; you can always twist
an ankle the day before. But it buys
you several months to tell everyone
youre following the Djokovic Method.
As you fork down the beans and
lentils, wave away the bread basket
and eat the olives off the top of a pizza,
you can pre-empt others teasing
by saying you feel like an idiot. But
youre doing it for sound, competitive
reasons, in the wake of one of the
worlds top sportsmen. Nobody can
quibble with that.
You could also play tennis, of
course. I expect that helps.

Work
FromHome

TwoDaysAWeek

HAVE
ATHLETIC SEX
Dont just lie there, wheezing gratefully.
Buy yourself a Kama Sutra and get active!
This is a virtuous circle: The more you
maximize the energy factor to burn off
calories and hone your hot physique, the
more sex youll get. Soon youll be so fit that
youll have to compensate the other way by
gobbling ice-cream sandwiches. (This is not
a euphemism.)

166

JANUARY 2015

The 5:2 diet is extremely effective. If you dont know what it is, then youve
had your head in the sand for the last year, but the gist is: starve yourself
for two days a week and you can eat what you like for the rest of it.
However, you simply cant sit at your desk in front of co-workers,
picking at an undressed salad and quavering, Its a starve day. Not
if you have any dreams of promotion. Mimsy self-denial and insecure
thoughts of waistband sizes do not spell leadership quality, and this
should be true of either gender. In an office scenario, lunch should
involve spearing down great chunks of hearty sustenance, in a hungry,
expanding, building, spreading, this will be the greatest company of all
time sort of way.
Neither can you be starving on weekends, leaving yourself all weak
and whispery in social situations.
No, the only option is to find a way to work from home on a couple
of weekdays. You will actually get this work done in the small hours
of normal days, when youve eaten properly and can think. On your
working from home days you will, in fact, be lying secretly on the floor
(to reduce risk of fainting), alone, counting the hours until you have a
small teaspoonful of celery soup.

8
HEAR
NOISES

GO TO CHINA
How often do you see a fat Chinese
person? I think youll find its never.
You might occasionally (and its
only occasionally) spot a fat Brit or
American of Chinese extraction, but
that poor guys just been sucked into
the McDonalds lifestyle.
The Chinese have a fantastic diet:
all rice, vegetables, tofu and fish, with
no dairy and precious little alcohol.
As a result, all Chinese people have a
fantastic physique and live until theyre
well over 200.
Im assuming you arent actually
Chinese yourself. If you were, you
wouldnt be reading this for weight-

10

HAIR & MAKE-UP: SHIMSHA SHETTY/BBLUNT; IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK (CHINA)

Whatever weight-loss regime youre

following secretly at home, you will
sometimes find yourself at a dinner party
where its rude not to eat whatever youre
given. In this situation, pretend you keep
hearing mysterious noises upstairs and leap
out of your seat to investigate them. This
will make you look brave and determined,
which disguises what youre really doing:
getting cunning extra exercise.

CARRY
A TOOL KIT
You dont have the first idea how to rewire a light
switch or plumb in a dishwasher. Offset this guilt and
shame by carrying a toolkit at all times.
Make sure its a nice heavy metal one, so the mere act
of holding it will beef up your biceps. But for Gods sake,
dont put any tools in it someone might ask you to help
replace a door handle, and then where would you be?
There should be nothing inside the toolkit but paper and
pens, allowing you to explain (if challenged to do some
handiwork) that youre simply using it as a temporary
briefcase after leaving your real one on a train.
Your large accessory will not just increase arm
T-SHIRT BY JACK & JONES.
muscle; that is an incidental benefit. What
TRACK PANTS BY US POLO
its actually for is to hold in front of
ASSN. HOODIE BY CALVIN KLEIN.
you, thus cleverly masking
SHOES BY ADIDAS ORIGINALS.
SOCKS BY HAPPY SOCKS
your paunch.

loss tips. But this doesnt stop you

becoming a Sinophile. Start by taking a
holiday to China. Its got caves, rivers,
the Great Wall and the Forbidden
City youre going to love it. While
there, you must pick up conversational
Mandarin and a vast range of local
superstitions. You will come back a
much more interesting person, as a
backup to the fact that you now eat
exclusively Chinese food.
By Chinese food, I do not mean
plastic punnets of cheap sugary
takeaway. I mean the great restaurants
which specialize in regional Chinese
cuisine, and cooking in a fresh,
colourful Chinese spirit at home. With
lots of water. Water is very lucky.

IT S GRANDER
THAN THE
WHITE HOUSE

THE
RASHTRAPATI
BHAVAN

JAN-FEB 2015 ISSUE ON STANDS NOW!

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015

INDIA
`150

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD

AT HOME WITH THE

PRESIDENT OF INDIA

H IK

INDIAS
COOLEST
NEW
TRAINERS
Who can help you get t,
get hot and get laid

NIRAV GANDHI

MUMBAI

WORDS: ROCHELLE PINTO; PHOTO: NIRMAL JAIN

IYENGAR YOGA
FLEXIBILITY IS ALSO A
FOUR-LETTER WORD
THE PATH: A student of Iyengar veteran Kobad
Variava since 2004, Nirav decided to quit his career
as a music producer and spend the next two years
solely studying yoga. He opened his own studio in
2009, but moved to doing group classes in Gamdevi
to accommodate a growing number of students.
EQUIPMENT: Belts, chairs, blankets and ropes are
available at Seva Sadan. Just bring your own mat.
TRAINING: Group classes only; he wont be battling
Mumbais soul-crushing trafc to teach you in the
comfort of your penthouse. Once youre in, you

may be packed 30 to a session, but Nirav will script

a unique set of asanas to address your specic
diagnosis. Dont think you can get away with a halfassed sirshasana by hiding behind the other 29
either. Hell be by your side in a second, forcing you
to twist muscles you didnt even know existed.
PERKS: Practising your moves like Jagger, another
Iyengar yoga devotee, in the bedroom.
CLASSES: 90 minutes, 50 classes over
three months.
CONTACT: 98923 61010 (`7,500 for three months)

JANUARY 2015

171

FITNESS

Gr omng

ADITYA CHOUDHARY
+ SATISH NARKAR

MUMBAI

TRX
YOUVE GOT A KAFKA-ESQUE
PREDILECTION FOR CLIMBING WALLS
CELEB CLIENTS: Sidharth Malhotra and
Kiran Rao. Satish is also Yash Rajs goto trainer: Sometimes a hero needs to
bulk up for a role, sometimes he needs
to be leaner. I usually have 2-3 months
to make it happen, he says.

TYPE OF TRAINING: Personal.

Depending on your goals running a
marathon, losing weight, toning a full
body workout will be designed for you.
FITNESS LEVEL: All. Resistance can be
easily tweaked to deliver an easier or
more difcult workout.
CLASSES: 45 minutes, thrice a week.
The rst 10 minutes will involve a
warm-up, then a workout consisting
of ve key movements to activate
your core pulling, pushing, lunging,
squatting and rotation followed by
a cool-down session. The next day is
for active rest: think brisk walking or
swimming.
THE APPROACH: I also make my
clients do vertical training, such as
climbing a Fitwall, which requires you
to work against gravity. This requires
more effort and uses a larger group of
muscles than a simple lunge or squat,
says Satish.
PERKS: Both Aditya and Satish
specialize in training people whove
suffered weak backs and dodgy knees.
They also double up as nutritionists and
if you cant train in Bandra, where most
of Satishs clients live, he also offers
online training.
CONTACT: Aditya 09004021444
(`2,500 per class); Satish 09920654652
(`30,000 for 12 sessions)

172

JANUARY 2015

BASU SHANKAR

CHENNAI

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING

THE FITNESS LABORATORY

THE ROSTER: Royal Challengers

Bangalore, Deepika Pallikal, Virat Kohli
and Daniel Vettori.
THE PRIMAL BLUEPRINT: Classes with
Basu involvepower and strength work as
well as exercises to enhance speed and
agility (think of Kohlis lightning-quick
catches), but what youre really signing
up for are one-on-sessions with a Dark
Knight, who will make your health and
tness his mission, and advise you on all
aspects of your lifestyle, including diet,
sleep patterns and hormonal balance.
WHAT TO EXPECT: If youre looking for a
hands-off, limited tness regimen, youre
in the wrong place. I bring a highly
scientic and methodical approach to my
work, says Basu, a former athlete and
trainer at the National Cricket Academy.
A lot of trainers today are like snakeoil salesmen, making false claims about
what they can do, without having the
necessary understanding or experience.
If a guys not t himself, he shouldnt be
your trainer.
LIKE:The Primal Patterns Facebook page.
Basu regularly posts on health, tness,
supplements and nutrition.
CLASSES: `5,000 per session
CONTACT:primalpatterns.com

WORDS: SHIKHA SETHI; PHOTO: NIRMAL JAIN (MUMBAI), KUNAL DASWANI (CHENNAI), ABHISHEK BALI

EQUIPMENT: Rip Trainer, Kettlebell,

ViPR, Fitwall, medicine balls, Gravity
Training System. Its all pretty raw and
masculine. At its most basic, all you
need is an overhead bar and two straps
and youre good to go.

SARAH KILLOUGH DHAR

SPIN CYCLING

DELHI

STUDIO 54 ON WHEELS
COMES TO THE CAPITAL
SPINNINGS FOR REAL MEN: For
most guys, if they work, 60 minutes
of intense cardio ts into their day
just perfectly. They push their heart
rates, strengthen their lungs, sweat
and build muscle, and can be back
at work within 90 minutes, says
Sarah. Bradley Cooper and Jake
Gyllenhaal are fans too, and your
girlfriend certainly isnt going to be
complaining about that perfectly
rounded posterior.
YOU SPIN ME RIGHT ROUND: We
keep changing the resistance, but
essentially, I take them for a ride.
We do push-ups on the bike while
climbing a hill, y down mountains,
lift weights and do forward crunches
to work the abdomen, so it becomes
a workout for the full body.
EXPECT: New playlists every class,
with each song carefully curated,
from Montell Jordan (This Is
How We Do It) to Lenny Kravitz.
Sometimes, Sarah might dedicate a

VESNA JACOBS

cycling class towards charity, as she

did for the Kashmir oods. Other
times, a class may be more trippy.
The room will be blacked out, Ill
light candles, the music will be much
more soulful, and Ill ask my class to
focus on something they want for
themselves.
REVIVE: Grab a wasabi and
cucumber shake from Zehens
Food for Thought restaurant
after. Anything spicy burns fat,
replenishes what youve lost and
keeps your metabolism activated so
youre burning calories even after
your workout.
MANTRA: 90 per cent of the
workout is just showing up; then
letting me take over. It can be
intimidating; but you have to be
all in. In my classes, there is no
cheating. If your ass isnt on re,
youre not doing it right.
NO EXCUSES: A weak back and
wobbly knees shouldnt be a
deterrent to spinning, because if
youre doing it properly, the weight
should be borne by your core and
abs. Sarah also does a 30-minute
stretching class post each session to
help relax muscles and keep you in
good form.
CONTACT: zehen.com

DELHI

PILATES + BOOT CAMP

THE MOTHER OF ALL WORKOUTS
THE REFORMER: A national-level
basketball player in Bosnia, Vesnas
career was felled after a knee
injury. Using Pilates, she made a
full recovery and is now a qualied
teacher, whos whipped most of
Delhis A-list into shape over the
last decade.
FITNESS LEVEL: A beginners class
for postural alignment; a weekly
Pilates class; Boot Camp bi-weekly.
BOOT CAMP? FOR SHIZZLE? Yup.
You wont be allowed in unless
Vesnas veried your basic posture
and core strength. Expect jumping
jacks, military push-ups and
exercises with weighted bars. This
is a surprise workout. The idea is
to challenge the body in different
ways so it doesnt get used to one
kind of training, and you get the
best results.

SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE

LOW-KEY, PLEASE: The Pilates
class involves work on the Reformer
machine, oor exercises and using
the Bosu ball for body balance.
Sometimes, I might use the whole
hour to work on ve elements but
I need complete focus There is no
music and no chatting. If thats a
bit austere for your ADD-impaired
self, dont worry. Jacobs carries a
whip to class, so motivation wont be
a problem.
INSIDE TIP: Discuss goals with
your trainer. If you want to change
the shape of your muscles, the
equation is 80 per cent exercise,
20 per cent changing your diet. If
its weight loss you want, then its
80 per cent what youre eating and
20 per cent exercise.
Contact: zehen.com
JANUARY 2015

173

FITNESS

Gr omng

ROHAN MENON + ABINAV BENGALURU

SHANKAR NARAYAN
CROSSFIT
FOR THE HAPPY PUKER
BEST FOR: The kind of guy who likes to ip a
couple of tractor tyres before breakfast. Also,
if youve got a competitive streak to match
Tony Starks.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Group classes in the
functional gym or outdoors in leafy Cubbon Park.
In a single class, you may nd yourself sprinting
up and down a winding staircase, jogging uphill,
climbing up a skywalk and jumping over hurdles.
FITNESS LEVEL: Rohan and Abinav, founders
of Namma CrossFit, say that even complete
beginners are welcome, but the fact is, this is an
intense form of training that thrives on Olympiclevel competition. If youre injury-prone, or
just generally wimpy, sign up for one of their
foundation classes rst to avoid embarrassing
yourself in front of the 65-year-old grandma who
can do a better deadlift than you.
TIME TO MAN UP: Rohan is known as Robo or
Menna to clients and can be a terror when it comes
to pushing them. Be prepared to reach breaking
point. CrossFit shouldnt be intimidating, but
Im not afraid of using the carrot and the stick to
motivate clients. Whatever it takes, he says.
MANTRA: Strength, endurance
PERKS: A community of tness freaks, pig-out
sessions at The Monkey Bar after, and a Whatsapp
group you wont want to mute
WEAR: Shorts, not track pants while exercising, to
be able to move more easily. Always carry mineral
ice gel and deo. Stink-free tness gear hasnt been
invented yet.
CONTACT: nammacrosst.com

ASHOK NATH

BENGALURU

RUNNING

RUNNERS HIGH: When did running become so

sexy? Sometime in the last decade wed say, and now
everyones doing it. Writers think its dope, as do celebs
and business tycoons. Even your college buddy who
used to smoke and drink like a sh on Saturday nights
now goes home early because he has to wake up at 5am
for my run, man.
BUT YOURE PROBABLY DOING IT WRONG: Running
isnt as natural as we think it is, says Ashok Nath, a
veteran marathon runner whos won top spots at the
Boston, Mumbai and South Africa marathons. Theres
a proper technique to it, which involves not just your
legs, but your whole body your legs, arms, your core
muscles, all working in sync. When youre doing it
properly, theres a uency and grace to the movement.
It ceases to be hard work. You dont push yourself to run;
you run to relax.
DO: His two-day course, in which hell shoot a video of
how you run and then point out how you can improve
your form and where youre going wrong. You can also
sign up for longer-term workouts and track classes, held
across the city.
PERKS: Ask Nath for help in investing in good running
gear thats suited to you. If youre interested in sprinting,
you need lighter shoes with less cushioning. Ditto if
youre lighter. If youre on the heavier side, and running
longer races, shoes with extra padding will help.
FURTHER READING: Nath reads books on running like
the rest of us breathe. His top three reads: Chi Running
by Danny Dreyer; Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald and
The Sports Gene by David Epstein.
CONTACT: catalystsports.in

174

JANUARY 2015

TOP 3 INDIAN
MARATHONS TO RUN
1. Standard Chartered
Mumbai Marathon
2. Airtel Delhi Half Marathon
3. Auroville Marathon

PHOTO: VIVEK MUTHURAMALINGAM

BECAUSE YOU AND MURAKAMI?

YOU GUYS HAVE SIMILAR TASTES

MENTAL FITNESS

Gr omng

Because
Everyones

Mental
Health
Could Use a
Trainer
Your brain needs as much upkeep as the
body youll be honing all year.
And just as you wouldnt ask your poker
buddy to be your CrossFit coach, you need
an impartial pro to help keep you sane.
Heres how to find yourself a therapist and
then make every single session count

FIRST OFF, DO A LITTLE PROFILING

As you prepare to tell a stranger all your secrets, ask yourself what
kind of person youll be most comfortable talking to. Do you want an
experienced sage whos seen it all or someone closer to your age?
Would you rather open up to a man or to a woman?
Unlike in the US, where you have access to a centralized database
of certified therapists, your best bet here is to ask family and friends to
recommend a good one (see sidebar). You can also try practo.com, a
website that lists doctors according to location and specialization and
in some cases lets you book an appointment online.
LEARN THREE IMPORTANT LITTLE LETTERS
An approach known as cognitive behavioural therapy is the
modern way to play the game. CBT supposes that the way you feel
is inuenced by what you think control the latter and you can
improve the former.
To do this, CBT distills so-called automatic thoughts Im a
failure, Ill be alone forever, into their founding beliefs. Once
you identify whats triggering these self-defeating ideas, you can
disarm them through good old rational thinking.
DONT CONFUSE THERAPIST WITH PHARMACIST
If youre one of those men who still think therapy is too slow and too
invasive, you may show up to your rst begrudging appointment with
an attitude of just give me some fucking Prozac already!
Heres the thing: Studies have shown that psychotherapy is just
as effective as medication in reducing symptoms of depression and
anxiety in the short term, and it produces better results in the long term.

178

JANUARY 2015

COMPLEMENT YOUR THERAPY WITH EXERCISE

It releases endorphins that will make you feel better. If you enjoy
playing a sport, even better. Positive social interaction is key to lifting
your mood.
REMEMBER, THERAPY IS NOT LIKE DATING
Youre not trying to find a keeper to love and cherish forever. Seeing
a therapist is more like hiring a contractor: Hes there to do a repair
job, and youre gonna let him onto your private property, but when
its over you never want to see him again. Having said that, relapses
are common and early on, you and your therapist should discuss a
timeframe for progress. If you blow that deadline and still feel like hell,
make a plan to correct course. Ask what your therapist thinks of the
progress youve made and whats coming up next. When you start to
feel like you might not need therapy anymore, bring that up with your
therapist. Reect on what brought you there in the rst place, and
note the difference between how you feel now compared with then.
When your sex drive returns, when food tastes good again, when
The Big Bang Theory makes you not weep but laugh hysterically, as it
should Youre done.

SPEED DIAL Dont bring out the tissues and the ice-cream just yet
DELHI: Divya Jain, CBT Therapist, Fortis Healthcare, Gurgaon,
Divya.jain1@fortishealthcare.com; 98730 21585
MUMBAI: Nivedita Rawal, Psychotherapist, niveditarawal.com;
Pervin Dadanchanji, Pyschiatrist, 022-23521068
BENGALURU: Priya Pothan, Clinical Psychologist, 98860 60118
CHENNAI: Vijay Nagaswami, Psychiatrist, Couples Therapy, 044-6518 8866
THE ALTERNATIVE THERAPIST TO TRY: Dr Neha Kothari for physiotherapy and
Craniosacral Therapy, which involves listening with the ngers to the
bodys natural rhythms to bring it back into balance. It may sound like
hokey pokey, but trust us, it works.Theseventhsense.in (Mumbai)

WORDS: MITCH MOXLEY; ILLUSTRATION: RAMI NIEMI

or a lot of guys, the word therapy evokes images of a bearded

Freudian codger probing your childhood memories and
responding to your every revelation, week after week, with a
resounding And how do you feel about that? Fortunately,
this tedious breed of perpetual talk therapy has fallen out of
favour. Modern therapists have begun focusing on short-term goals
and measurable progress. In other words, results. The only catch is that
you have to work harder on your end to see improvement. But thats
better than spending the rest of your life on the couch.

HOLD UP YOUR END OF THE BARGAIN

Some therapists (especially those who practise CBT) assign
homework if youre working on anxiety, for instance, you
might be asked to make a note whenever you feel palm-sweating
dread. Do it. And then youll use your next appointment to talk
about what set you off and how you addressed each incident.
(Curled up into a ball is not the ideal response, but be honest if
thats what happened.)

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THE MERCHANDISE FEATURED EDITORIALLY HAS
BEEN ORDERED FROM THE FOLLOWING STORES. SOME
SHOPS MAY CARRY A SELECTION ONLY. PRICES AND
AVAILABILITY WERE CHECKED AT THE TIME OF GOING
TO PRESS, BUT WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT PRICES
WILL NOT CHANGE, OR THAT SPECIFIC ITEMS WILL BE
IN STOCK WHEN THE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED. WE
SUGGEST THAT, BEFORE VISITING A STORE, YOU CALL
TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE YOUR SIZE

Herms Mumbai, 022-2271

7400; Delhi, 011-4360 7780
Hugo Boss Mumbai, 022-2665
5560; Delhi, DLF Emporio,
011-4604 0773; Bengaluru,
080-2520 7200

Forum, 080-2206 7673

Polo Ralph Lauren

See The Collective

Rajputana Customs
(rajputanacustoms.com)

Richard James

Jack & Jones Mumbai,

022-3057 2603; Delhi,
Ambience Mall, 011-4087 0007;
Bengaluru, Lido, 080-2208 6513
Jaguar India Mumbai,
022-6747 8080; Delhi,
011-4692 2222; Bengaluru,
080-4309 9999
Jimmy Choo Mumbai,
022-3027 7070; Delhi,
DLF Emporio, 011-4660 9069

John Varvatos
See The Collective

Jonathan Simkhai
(jonathansimkhai.com)

Kenneth Cole Mumbai,

Palladium, 022-4009 8685;
Delhi, Ambience Mall,
011-4606 0999

Kent & Curwen

See The Collective

Rolex Mumbai, 022-6625 3600;
Delhi, 011-4699 0000; Bengaluru,
080-2211 3976

Salvatore Ferragamo
Mumbai, 022-3062 1018; Delhi,
DLF Emporio, 011-4660 9084;
Bengaluru, 080-3004 1854
SS Homme Mumbai,
022-2651 1738
S.T. Dupont Mumbai, 022-2898
0507; Delhi, Ambience Mall,
85888 51010
Steve Madden Mumbai,
Palladium, 022-6634 5014;
Delhi, 011-4058 7013
Study by Janak Delhi,
011-4556 7717/8
Sunil Mehra Delhi,
011-2923 1155

(kentandcurwen.co.uk)

Kiki de Montparnasse
SUIT BY BURBERRY.
SHIRT BY ERMENEGILDO
ZEGNA. TIE BY GIORGIO
ARMANI. LAPEL BROOCH
BY DIOR HOMME.
POCKET SQUARE BY
TOM FORD. TIE BAR
BY SS HOMME. WATCH
BY ROLEX. BOOTS BY
OLIVER SWEENEY
A

adidas Originals Mumbai,

99300 79114; Delhi, Pacic Mall,
011-4573 4261; Bengaluru,
080-4091 5678

Agent Provocateur

Delhi, Ethos Summit, 011-4058

(breakbounce.com)

8700; Bengaluru, Ethos Summit,

Ermenegildo Zegna

Breitling Mumbai, Times of

080-4099 9621

Mumbai, 022-2285 7000;

Lord, 022-2369 5254; Delhi,

Delhi, 011-4606 0999

Kapoor Watch Co, 011-4653

Carrera (carreraworld.com)
Carven Homme

Etro Mumbai, Palladium,

6667; Bengaluru, Rodeo Drive,

(carven.com)

022-4341 2294; Bengaluru,

080-2227 1977

UB City, 080-4131 6924

Fort Collins (myntra.com)

Fi Chachnil (chachnil.com)

(www.agentprovocateur.com)
A. Lange & Shne Mumbai,
Time Avenue, 022-2651 5757;
Delhi, Johnson Watch Co,
011-2464 2299

Brown Boy (brownboy.in)

Brooks Brothers Mumbai,

Cerruti (cerruti.com)
Cosabella (cosabella.com)
Chopard Mumbai, DiA,

022-2265 9950; Delhi,

022-2288 4757; Delhi, Johnson

Alberto Torresi

Ambience Mall, 011-4087 0786

Watch Co, 011-4151 3121;

(albertotorresi.com)

Bulgari Mumbai, Time Avenue,

Bengaluru, Rodeo Drive,

Alexander McQueen

022-2651 5757; Delhi, 011-4053

080-4124 8471

See The Collective

Arrow Mumbai, High Street
Phoenix, 022-4333 9999; Delhi,
City Centre, 011-2793 3183
Audemars Piguet Mumbai,
Time Avenue, 022-2651 5858;
Delhi, Kapoor Watch Co,
011-4134 5678

8623; Bengaluru, Zimson Swiss

Christian Louboutin

Gant Rugger Mumbai,

Watch, 080-4098 2100

Mumbai, 022-4347 1787;

Palladium, 98925 49736; Delhi,

Burberry Mumbai, Palladium,

Delhi, 011-4101 7111

011-4053 4565

022-4080 1990; Delhi,

DLF Emporio, 011-4652 9850;

Churchs (church-footwear.com)
Clarks Mumbai, High Street

Delhi, 011-4051 2669

Bengaluru, UB City,

Phoenix, 022-6749 5061; Delhi

Giorgio Armani Delhi,

080-4173 8825

DLF Promenade, 011-4650 8023;

DLF Emporio, 011-4606 0948

Bengaluru, Phoenix Market City,

Bata Mumbai, High Street

PHOTO: ERRIKOS ANDREOU

Breakbounce

Phoenix, 99200 53406; Delhi,

011-2467 2097; Bengaluru,
080-4208 5985

BCBGeneration
(bcbgeneration.com)
Bodybinds (bodybinds.com)
Borsalino (borsalino.com)
Bottega Veneta Mumbai,
The Galleria, 022-3027 7090;
Delhi, DLF Emporio, 011-4609
8272; Bengaluru, UB City,
080-4173 8931

Gas Mumbai, 022-2600 0008;

080-6726 6052

Givenchy (givenchy.com)
Gucci Mumbai, 022-3027 7060;

Candid Art

Corneliani Mumbai, 022-6631

Delhi, 011-4647 1111

(candidartaccessories.com)

1303/4; Delhi, 011-4604 0722;

Calvin Klein Jeans

Bengaluru, 080-4173 8170

Hackett London Mumbai,

Mumbai, 022-2648 4794;

Delhi, 011-4059 7502;

Palladium, 022-4347 2888;

Bengaluru, 080-4098 6229

Diesel Mumbai, Palladium,

Delhi, 011-4108 7388; Bengaluru,

Canali Mumbai, Palladium,

022-4004 6050; Delhi, DLF

UB City, 080-4149 0999

022-4009 8685; Delhi,

Emporio, 011-4052 3915;

Happy Socks

DLF Emporio, 011-4604

Bengaluru, 080-4173 8004

0731; Bengaluru, UB City,

Dior Homme Delhi, DLF

See The Collective

Heel & Buckle Mumbai,
Palladium, 022-4022 3354;
Delhi, Ambience Mall,
011-4087 0599

080-4173 8997

Emporio, 011-4600 5900

Carl F. Bucherer Mumbai,

Dolce & Gabbana

Ethos Summit, 022-6615 0351;

(dolcegabbana.com)

(kikidm.com)
Koovs (koovs.com)

The Bro Code (thebrocode.in)

The Collective Mumbai,
022-4343 8888; Delhi, 011-4087

Lagent by Agent
Provocateur (lagentbyap.com)
Levis Mumbai, 022-2648
1101; Delhi, 011-4151 3345;
Bengaluru, 080-3251 4943
Louis Philippe Mumbai,
022-6703 3649; Delhi,
011-2302 3035; Bengaluru,
080-6649 2499
Louis Vuitton Mumbai,
022-6664 4134; Delhi, DLF
Emporio, 011-4669 0000;
Bengaluru, UB City,
080-4246 0000

8888; Bengaluru, 080-6767 8888

The Invictus Loom

(myntra.com)

Thomas Pink Mumbai,

Palladium, 022-4023 6090;
Delhi, Ambience Mall,
011-4087 0783

Tie Rack London Mumbai,

Palladium, 022-4004 6759;
Delhi, DLF Promenade, 011-4615
2725; Bengaluru, 080-2266 7201

TJ Moto Delhi, 97113 96749

T.M. Lewin Delhi, Ambience
Mall, 011-4087 0734

Tom Ford Delhi, 011-4103 3059

Tommy Hilger Mumbai,

Marc by Marc Jacobs

022-6610 8880; Delhi, 99116

(marcjacobs.com)
Marni (marni.com)
Max & Co. (maxandco.com)
Mr. Hare (mrhare.com)

Tumi Mumbai, Palladium,

97222; Bengaluru,
080-2268 2091
022-6615 2295; Delhi, DLF
Emporio, 011-4058 2318;

Bengaluru, 080-4173 8948

Old Delhi Motorcycles Delhi,

99997 19002

Oliver Sweeney

U.S. Polo Assn. Mumbai,

(oliversweeney.com)
Omega Mumbai, 022-6655
0351; Delhi, 011-4151 3255;
Bengaluru, 080-4098 2106

022-4295 9518; Delhi, 011-4108

0026; Bengaluru, 080-2206 7663

Van Heusen Mumbai,

P

Pachacuti (pachacuti.co.uk)
Panerai Mumbai, DiA,
022-2204 2299; Delhi, Johnson
Watch Co, 011-4151 3121
Paul Smith Mumbai,
Palladium, 022-6658 9960;
Delhi, DLF Emporio, 011-4604
0744; Bengaluru, UB City,
080-4173 8882/3
Peter England Mumbai, 0223340 1418; Delhi, City Centre,
011-2793 3368; Bengaluru,

022-2605 4841; Delhi, 011-4265

8322; Bengaluru, 080-4162 7077

Vardenchi Motorcycle
Mumbai, 98190 61455
Versace Delhi, DLF Emporio,
011-4660 9064

Zara Mumbai, Palladium,

022-4347 3850; Delhi, DLF
Promenade, 011-4168 0853;
Bengaluru, Phoenix Market City,
080-6726 6121

JANUARY 2015

181

ALL THINGS NICE TO COVET THIS NEW YEAR, THE LIST IS OUT!

Best shoe forward

First chair

The perfect man chair is here. The iconic

Stressless recliner is designed to adapt
to your movements effortlessly, offering
optimal support no matter how you sit.
Whats more, the patented mechanism
works solely on your body weight byebye buttons and levers! All you need to do
is sit back and relax. With fine, European
leather, it makes a pretty cool style
statement too!

Dressy or casual, finishing off any look with a pair of shoes

from Fortune by Liberty is a smart move. The fashion-forward
footwear includes everything from high ankle and perforated
styles to knitted and neon-soled designs. Fortune Perforated
offers maximum comfort, while Fortune Twist the modern
moccasin is a winner in the formals category. The bold hunk
of the collection though, is Fortune Neon available in orange,
green, red and blue.
Priced at `2,499 onwards

Scent of a man

Emblem by Montblanc is a fragrance to

covet. Classic in composition, the fresh,
woody aromatic scent bursts open with
bitter grapefruit, icy cardamom and clary
sage leaf, warmed by black peppercorns.
The craftsmanship of Montblanc pens
is echoed in every aspect from the
masculine fragrance to the packaging
recalling the Montblanc emblem. It is not
just a fragrance, but an identity.

For more information, visit stressless.in

Priced at `5,500 for 100ml. Available at select

department stores across the country and
Parcos

The luxe tux

Get framed

Want to get noticed instantly? Put on a pair

of frames from Maybach icons of luxury.
Combining traditional craftsmanship with
modern design, the eyewear is made using
the finest of materials like natural horn,
exotic woods, carbon, titanium and leather.
For something truly unique, browse through
the brands exclusive range of limited edition
frames with diamond settings and solid white,
yellow or rose gold varieties.
Available at leading Opticians across India

182

JANUARY 2015

At Studio Firang youll find a handsome

variety of tuxes that boasts of intricate
design, bespoke tailoring and the finest
fabrics. Not to mention all the tuxappropriate accessories like bow ties
and cummerbunds to go along. From
100 per cent silk jackets to cloth by
Scabal, cotton fabric shirts by Thomas
Mason and trousers from Ermenegildo
Zegna, the fact is, youll never look
better or more gentlemanly than in a
tuxedo from the Studio Firang atelier,
of course.
Price on request. Available at Studio Firang,
Rajouri Garden

Picture perfect

Always a cut above the rest, Vu

launches its 50 and 55inch UHD
TVs. But size isnt all that matters
with these gizmos. They boast
amazing picture quality, a titanic
4K ultra HD range (3840 x 2160
resolution), quad core graphics, a
Dolby Digital audio system and
seamless connectivity options to
boot! Heres a TV thats equal parts
tech-chic and sculpturally droolworthy. Did we mention its an
absolute steal?
Priced at `89,900 for Vu 50K310 and
`1,19,000 for Vu 55XT780

Take three

All good things come in threes.

And rightly so, ASUS introduces
three new (awesome) additions to
its Transformer Series. Theres a
stylish 15.6 Flip Book which can
literally flip from a neat laptop to
a cool tablet in seconds thanks to
its innovative 360-degree rotating
touchscreen. The ASUS Transformer
T200 is a cutting-edge 2-in-1 that
offers an ultraportable laptop
with an 11.6 tablet. And the ASUS
Transformer Pad TF103 is a tablet
with style that makes working on
the go a breeze.

Seams to fit

When it comes to shirts, Van

Heusen promises customization
for every body type from the
athletic to the plus-sized. With
MY FIT by Van Heusen you can
design the perfect shirt without
compromising on style or
comfort. Apart from Regular and
Slim, the brand offers four fits
across 13 sizes. Then theres over
a hundred fabric options, sleeve
and cuff variations as well as
different collars to choose from
its all here, all under one roof.

For more information visit asus.com

For more information visit, trendin.

com/myfit

Made for you

Luxury on your feet

Defined by classic style and easy

sophistication, footwear brand
Heel & Buckle introduces the
iconic English brand Churchs a
leader in mens handmade luxury
footwear. On offer are some of the
most well-crafted, stylish shoes
in the business, all which exude a
sophisticated elegance that men will
love. From hand-cut patterns and
the best quality leather to supreme
comfort sink your feet into pure
luxury.
For more information, visit heelandbuckle.
com or facebook.com/heelandbuckle

The perfect suit is

now possible thanks
to Raymond Made
to Measure. From an
unparalleled range of
choices to a special
dedicated style team at
your service the entire
experience is designed
to make sure your attire
is impeccably you. From
choosing the perfect fabric
to zeroing in on the perfect
cut and selecting all the
cuffs, collars and trims of
your discerning choice
even your own monogram
can be personalized to
ensure your suit is utterly
unique.
For more information, visit
raymondindia.com/mtm

JANUARY 2015

183

CEO of Uber,

nowhere-butpany was going so totally

Not so long ago your com
atmobile, just
r-B
Ube
an
out
roll
n
d soo
up-up-up, we thought you
youd do,
g
thin
of
d
e thats the kin
because you could. Becaus
weve come to
re
mo
the
and
e
om
bec
because the bigger youve
ve revealed
alpha-pony show-off you
know you, the more of an
yourself to be.
laining how
-buzzing giddiness of exp
Who else would, in the nut re the head of a company last
you
easy it is to get laid when
ale curation
a GQ writer that the fem
tell
,
ion
bill
.2
$18
at
ed
valuat
d of
kin
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Its
?
er
t of as Boobprocess could be though
the gusto to blow
and
,
hill
the
up
you
pel
bravado that might pro
you off the cliff.
iness
l? Ubers senior VP of bus
And your man Emil Michae g Buzzfeeds Ben Smith? He
kin
said what at a party to fuc
dia
dollars to smite certain me what,
wanted to spend a million
y? And
abl
our
fav
s
guy
you
on
personalites not reporting
at a party,
nt think what Emil said
the Buzzfeed journalist did
o to feel
wh
e
sur
t
the record? No
at a non-interview, was off
guy, or
ed
zfe
Buz
the
ge,
ima
rs
sorry for there, chaps Ube
journalism itself.
w.
of months, Travis. We kno
Its been a tough couple
de of Paris since the French
rica
bar
lass
g-c
Holland
rkin
wo
Inciting the first
rest of France as well as
st UberPop banned in the
be. We get that. And you
rdro
wa
ate
gotta
por
cor
r
Revolution, having low-co
you
e time to think in between:
k you wanted hanging in
long so you could have som of a pant-hooting frat-douche.
line
and Germany; it isnt a loo
gle
sin
a
h
eac
,
ets
ething
ies of twe
ple might think youre som
apologized for Emil in a ser
lled correctly, otherwise peo
make sure everythings spe
rd about your company, we
v. Even when we first hea
Tra
,
you
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trus
t
uncreative words
don
GQ
reasons we at
otherwise overused and
But its not even for these
fixing ber to whatever
t is the most
pre
lau
s
um
kid
an
ng
h
aki
wit
spe
er
n
lett
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any
that outside German,
w
were already sick of non-Ge
because theyre
kno
nt,
do
wa
y
You
s.
the
gob
ver
d
ene
hashtagge
and then not use it wh
t,
lau
um
were seeping out of their
the
use
can
Only Motrhead
ion only.
foreboding a letter can be? ke the umlaut cool. This exception, and this except
ma
y
the
y
onl
and
,
ead
trh
Mo
thinking of the name
venties auteur period, and
-Se
late
s
ood
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Ho
atchers of films from
We are also inveterate rew xi Driver kind of gives us the heebie-jeebies.
Ta
a
r
nea
ere
wh
any
s
Travi
And, broseph. Delhi.

through something like

really didnt. Women going And since your Asia
We
.
ries
sto
e
rap
hi
Del
ther one of those
than devastating.
whatever
We in India didnt need ano from somewhere to home is never anything less
accountability relating to
get
any
to
n
ng
tha
tryi
re
mo
ply
ed,
sim
ect
ile
iness
exp
as
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that wh
t
ed
ges
ow
big
foll
the
eds
of
opthe slurry of
fuck-up cost you one
this
lize
rea
you
bro apologized, and since
do
:
this
e, wed rather ask you
social ills already exist her
tinent?
con
sub
the
on
es
niti
opportu
women. That providing
w it was not a safe city for
kne
you
hi
Del
richer, but
in
ng
rati
would make you not only
t before Uber began ope
fortable in a public vehicle , in turn, would mean youd have
com
Wed like to presume tha
y
abl
tion
ues
unq
felt
women
ry. Which
a transport service where
but still ramshackle indust ssman in modern times. You could drop
of an already competitive
busine
one
any
n
tha
city
a
might raise the standards
of
et
e been fucking Batman.
lic safety in that dusty toil
ple of Delhi, you would hav
peo
contributed more to pub
ful
law
the
to
e
aus
obile, bec
the idea of that Uber-Batm
e appealed to you.

We know that would hav

Next time Bruce,

184

JANUARY 2015

WORDS: DAVE BESSELING; GETTY IMAGES

Dear Travis Kalanick,