Moroccan Nostalgia

I vividly remember the first brush with the arid and fragrant winds of this unique nation. Upon stepping out of the plane,  the heat, the smells and even the air infused my senses and left me intoxicated with the excitement of new horizons to explore and the promise of exotic wonders. I smiled, and thought to myself "This is it, the place I've always been looking for". Strangely (or not so strangely), having traveled extensively this was the most unusual feeling. While traveling I've always felt like I was passing by, yet while arriving in Morocco I truly felt I had reached my final destination. Many years since having spent that magical week where everything about this country fascinated and enticed me, I still have fond recollections and a greater desire to return. From its extremely generous inhabitants, to the spectacular architecture, the colorful and never-ending souks (markets), the nourishing cuisine and overall magical atmosphere, every single moment was an eye opener. I left with deep sadness and a sense of melancholy... and a promise to return! :)

De Paix Yatra

After a sunny outdoor shoot in the premises of an eclectic design store, I caught up with the man of the hour and photographer Nitesh N Nitesh (Nitesh Square) who had previously enlightened me about his upcoming cross nation journey in favor of peace. Let me fill you in on the details:

What & Why

De Paix Yatra is a motorbike journey from India to England to promote the message of Swami Vivekananda, Indian Wisdom and Global Peace. This journey has been supported by more than 19 organizations like United Nations India, Indo British Trade Council, Ministry of Youth Affairs, PETA India, ASSOCHAM, US Consulate General, GCCI, FICCI, INSAF etc. It's a mission to unite 8 nations with an ideology of peace, non-violence and kindness and to get connected with the doers, change-makers and revolutionaries of 8 nations of the world through collecting of stories and experiences.

How

• De Paix Yatra will be the unique bike journey that will travel 8 nations, 50+ cities and will connect more than 300 million youth to spread the message of oneness, unity, love, peace and justice.

• De Paix Yatra will be flagged off from Mumbai in April and will travel on decided route for 65 days and will finish at London in June’12.
• This Yatra will have team of 4 people (2 Riders, 1 anchor, 1 Peace & youth Consultant) who will be taking the message of Swami Vivekananda and India to the world.
• De Paix Yatra will travel 50+ cities and will organize peace talks, kindness shows, Free Hugs campaigns, Music show and Youth Exhibitions in schools, colleges and universities of respective cities, states and nation.
• The entire Yatra will be documented via collecting unheard stories, photographs and documentaries.

Material

A book of all collected stories will be published.
• The journey and experiences will be documented in form of short film.
• Extraordinary efforts to connect 8 nations with Peace, Kindness, and nonviolence to be made via music shows, organizing Peace talks and kindness shows. http://www.depaixyatra.org/
• Unique initiative- Letters of love will be launched with this Yatra.

With such a positive and creative initiative involving traveling and connecting with people, I can only say how wonderful it would be to take part in this journey. Perhaps  this is only the beginning and such peace movements will be further developed worldwide to strengthen overall understanding and communication.  In the meantime, here in stationary Mumbai we can support the cause. Post shoot, I happily posed away showing support and enthusiasm for the same!

Wishing Nitesh and the team a wonderful and exciting journey! J

For more info:

http://www.depaixyatra.org/

http://www.facebook.com/DePaixYatra/info

Funky Kitchen Utensils Design

Another day, another post on one of my many passions....design and decor!

Birthday Party Themes

Right, it is that time of the year all over again when birthdays and of course, parties start pouring in...For some reason, a lot of people I know were born in May (including myself) and it's an overall hectic month. Personally, from a very young age, birthday parties used to be the highlight of the year! I remember fondly when my family would hire a DJ, book a club in a hotel, have great food brought in, and the shower of presents! Not to forget the customized birthday cake...ranging from having a barbie doll inside (maybe 10 years old?!) to a Mario Brothers cake (a homage to my addiction to the game...ah, the nineties!) and so forth. Over the years, the parties have grown smaller and more boozy. My 16th birthday party was appropriately themed : "Pimps and Hoes" mostly for the outrageous effect it would have on the actual adults at the time :) Outrageously so, my father and I went together to the mall to shop for the "appropriate" outfit for the night!  The earlier year was a complete disaster party-wise. Had invited 70 people from school, and ordered food accordingly...only 3 showed up! Needless to say, nothing makes you feel like the biggest  and loneliest loser (as a teenager) than that! Things have surely changed and improved over the years :)

This year, I want to do a theme party in Mumbai. The only problem is that theme parties aren't really big here. Most people would really not make an effort (I write from experience). So one has to be smart, and come up with something not too laborious but also fun. Any suggestions?

Here's a few ideas:

Arabian nights
Dress as your favorite superhero
Secret Agents & their bombshells
Dress in your most clashing and ridiculous clothes
Pajama party
Gladiator Evening
Make and wear your own Roman Toga party
Mobster party
Wear your underwear on top of your clothes party (hahaha)
Bring out your inner junglee party
Gypsies, tramps and thieves theme party
Geek party
Dress as your favorite common man party
Gender bending party- women dressed as men, and men dressed as women

Indoor bathtubs- bedroom and living room bliss

When I get to build my dream house, one thing I know for sure would be on my priority list is an indoor bathtub...in either the bedroom or living room. The notion and commonly accepted home design idea is to have separate divisions for various activities. I would however; love to have a big open room in which I could have a bathtub, a TV, bookshelves and so forth. This would mainly work if you live alone, or solely with your partner...you wouldn't want to have a bath while a huge number of family members roam about ;) On that note, I've uncovered some of the most desirable and aesthetically pleasing spaces which follow this design philosophy.

Enjoy another sublime collection!

My creative makeup/hair work

Today, I'm sorting out a few makeup & hair image references for a meeting I have with a photographer in a few hours. This made me realize, I haven't yet posted any of my makeup work pics! So here they go :)

More to come soon...a sublime collection :) 

Nature Inspired Design

After having had quite an inspired morning conversation with a friend who is also a lover of aesthetics and design, I thought this post would be ideal to start the day with. Nature has been a source of inspiration for centuries, and mankind draws energy and peace of mind from such surroundings. No wonder that being Eco-friendly and a nature lover is never out of fashion! 

A sublime collection :)