Innholdsfortegnelse for 15-Nov-20 i Business Today

One look at Paya I's exquisite designs and it dawns on you that they are not only an extension of the Indian ethos and artisanry, but also married with her own vibrant, and yet elegant creativity. You probe Paya I about her influences and ii becomes clear that the city of her birth, Varanasi--the life in it and the years spent in this traditional yet high-spirited city-- has left a permanent and welcome imprint on her creative mind. All those years of watching artisans, weaving magic on textiles, from close quarters and an intense desire to take these to the world and beyond with a take of her own, has always inspired Paya I. And the result is that when ii comes to exquisite wedding fashion, Paya I figures in…

Rajkumari Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has been quietly cataloguing artworks, manuscripts, letters, registers, books, and even furniture — all digitally, for posterity, and for scholars of history — at her palace in Bhavnagar. A descendant of Maharaja Raol Thakore Sahib Takhtsinhji Jaswantsinhji Sahib of Bhavnagar, the love for heritage runs in her blood. Maharaja Takhtsinhji was the first to establish a railway line connecting Bhavnagar in southern Gujarat to the rest of British India in the latter part of the 1800s. He was also the first to put up Asia’s largest water filtration plant. A regular visitor at the exhibitions of the Bombay Art Society, Maharaja Takhtsinhji got British artist John Griffiths to come to create a memorial — the Ganga Teri — for his late wife the Maharani, in Bhavnagar.…

One can well imagine the kind of satisfaction experienced by a person who gets relief from a hot sun in the shade of the tree he himself had planted earlier. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath experienced a similar satisfaction when on October 8 he performed virtual inauguration of the State’s biggest oxygen plant at Ghaziabad meant to provide oxygen to Corona-hit patients. Set up at Modinagar in Ghaziabad, this highly advanced ultra-high-purity cryogenic oxygen plant has a capacity to produce 150 metric tonnes of liquid medical oxygen per day. According to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the MoU for setting up this ultrahigh-purity cryogenic oxygen plant was signed with lnox Air Products in February 2018 during the Investment Summit. In the last three years, the State Government has been able to build…

Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet has married luxury and fashion by bringing together its latest Royal Oak Self-winding and Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon models with fashion house Ralph & Russo’s Spring/Summer 2021 Prêt collection. Four models of Audemars Piguet’s 34-mm Royal Oak Self-winding models and two new, frosted gold versions of the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon complement Ralph & Russo’s Spring/Summer 2021 Prêt-à-Porter collection this fall (a tourbillon is an addition to the mechanics of a watch escapement to increase accuracy by negating the impact of gravity). These pairings highlight how the two brands’ latest collections are alike in technical precision, savoir-faire and refinement. “The fun part was when we realised that our watches had already been paired with Ralph & Russo’s designs many times by clients…

On the heels of the Tonda 1950 Rainbow (2019), Val-de-Travers, Switzerland-based Parmigiani Fleurier has launched the 40.2 mm Tonda 1950 Flying Tourbillon Double Rainbow in 18k rose gold. This haute horlogerie timepiece features a double gradient of extraordinary colours and represents Parmigiani Fleurier's skill in marrying watchmaking and jewellery. The dial is set with 572 white diamonds (totalling 1.402 ct), and adorned with a crescent of aventurine, within a gradient of baguette-cut multicoloured stones (32 sapphires). This colour progression is a mirror image of the stones set on the bezel (40 sapphires). In nature (and as seen at Val-de-Travers), a second rainbow featuring the colours in reverse generally accompanies a rainbow, caused by a secondary reflection of the light on water droplets. The selection and setting of these stones evoke…

A casual running session with friends eventually developed into a love of marathons for Samina Hamied, Executive Vice Chairperson, Cipla. Running, she says, refreshes the mind and helps one focus better. “The first half-marathon I participated was in Delhi in November 2015. The most recent one was in January 2020, just days before the world was disrupted by the pandemic,” says Hamied, who has participated in six half-marathons to date. “In order to gear up for marathons, I ensure a regular exercise schedule and running sessions throughout the year. About a month before the marathon I begin rigorous training.” She draws several parallels between running a business and running a marathon. Both, she says, require diligence, commitment and strategy. “"One needs to have discipline and be goaloriented. You set targets.…

Umar Ali Shaikh, CEO, Atos India, never misses an opportunity to watch his favourite football club, Liverpool FC, playing live whenever he is in the UK on a business trip. Back home, he makes sure he watches all the major football tournaments on the TV screen. His biggest learning from football is to never give up, no matter how bad the situation may be. "The most fundamental element of the game is to keep trying till the last whistle is blown. You may fall, but you have to get up and move on," says Shaikh. The sport also teaches the spirit of teamwork. "These are skills every professional needs to build. If something goes horribly wrong in a project that you are doing, you have to have the ability to…

He’s currently busy helping his parents and interacting with guests at their five-suite Shri Joraver Vilas — the royal villa built in 1926, and now a heritage hotel, at Santrampur, Gujarat. Next April, 22-year-old Yuvraj Vrishankaditya Parmar of Santrampur will join the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. “I always wanted to be an actor,” says the shooting champion. “I’ve been in India my whole life, and I want to get out for a bit, to get more exposure. You can do trap shooting even at 60, there’s no age limit — it’s a mentally demanding sport, and there is a physical aspect to it, but I’ve even seen 75-year-olds at the range.” Vrishankaditya has excelled at trap shooting since he was a teen, having been ranked…

High ceilings with wall-to-wall glass panelling, contactless systems controlling every function, an in-house valet service, concierge to cater to your daily needs and best-inclass clubhouses — welcome to uber-luxury housing. Catering to the crème de la crème with price upwards of ₹20-25 crore, such projects are the playground of architects and interior designers. And while the overall real estate market has been sluggish, this segment has been fairly insulated from the effects of Covid-19. However, what have changed are customer preferences. Revenue from this segment forms a sizeable chunk, though the overall development size of these projects may be small compared to the rest in the portfolio. Personalised Offerings: Selling uber-luxury homes is not a regular sales job. Most developers take the ‘by invite only’ approach in this segment. “Uber–luxury…

ULYSSE NARDIN HOURSTRIKER PHANTOM Price: CHF 72,500 France's Devialet, which is revolutionising high-definition audio with oval speakers, has joined hands with legendary watchmaker Ulysse Nardin to create a limited edition of 85 Striking watches, which they describe as enhanced audible experience worn on the wrist. The watch rings on hour and halfhour on command and not only allows a person to see the time but also hear it. Devialet engineers have redefined each step in the chain of audio signals sent from Ulysse Nardin's mechanisms to deliver the best-ever performance on a striking watch, 85 dB to 100mm. The fully polished 43 mm titanium case amplifies the sound and extends its resonance to 85 decibels. CAVIAR IPHONE 12 PRO WARRIOR IMPERATOR Price: $46,640 For its fans, Apple products have always…

Ever since French jewellery and watches maker Maison Cartier discovered the panther in 1914, it has continually reinterpreted the feline over decades, from motifs to materials. This year the artisans at Cartier’s La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture reveal two new “Métiers d’Art” watches, created through exchanges between marquetry craftsmen, jewellers, enamellers, gem-setters, and miniature-painters. The 42-mm Ronde Louis Cartier Straw and Gold Marquetry Watch in 18k white gold with a sapphire cabochon-set crown, uses straw and gold marquetry, creating a work reminiscent of basrelief. To make the décor on the dial, 75 blades of straw in various sizes and shades, have been used, producing 11 colours. The leopard’s head comprises more than 65 satin-finished elements in white, yellow, and pink gold. Yellow gold wires are embedded in the straw elements, adding complexity.…

The Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is introduced with an Oysterflex bracelet. This 18 carat yellow gold version with a bright black, sunray-finish dial offers the high-performance elastomer bracelet with an Oysterclasp and the Rolex Glidelock extension system, which allows fine adjustment of the bracelet for optimal comfort on the wrist. The Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller is equipped with calibre 9001, one of the most complex movements to be developed and manufactured by Rolex. This calibre includes a blue Parachrom hairspring, manufactured by the brand in an exclusive paramagnetic alloy. The author is a Delhi-based writer…

Travelling is a passion, be it for business, or pleasure, for Maneesh Jaikrishna, Vice President, Indian Subcontinent, Dubai, Eastern & Southern Africa, SITA. SITA INDIA helps airports manage air transport communications and information technology. Jaikrishna has been to Europe, Asia, Africa, the US, just to name a few places. Pre-Covid, he would travel at least once a week for work, once in three weeks for an international trip, and once a month for a staycation. “I love road trips. My family, friends and loud music are all I need for the perfect getaway. I get my best thoughts and ideas while driving,” he says. Jaikrishna has explored many countries through road trips. His favourite drives include Inverness, Fort William, via Lockness in Scotland and to Staad in Switzerland. New Zealand…

India is among the largest fuel consumers for its vibrant and growing economy that makes it dependant on imports at exorbitant costs that not only burdens the exchequer, but makes it vulnerable to unstable pricing and foreign exchange erosion. Seized of the delicate situation, the Government of India introduced Biofuel Policy in 2018 with the objective to identify and boost to infrastructure for manufacturing and distribution of clean fuels like Green Diesel, CBG, bio coal etc. CBG is an alternate substitute of imported CNG. According to estimates, India has the potential to produce 62MMT of CBG per annum and to tap this possibility, the Government is offering subsidy of upto Rs4 Crore to entrepreneurs starting CBG Production Units. Government has also given the directive to use bio-coal for co-burning with…

The Bajaj headquarters at Akurdi, Pune, opens into a larger-than-life installation of M.F. Husain. The more than 30-year-old painting depicts the significance of Bajaj’s iconic scooter brand, Chetak, in the life of an average Indian in the early eighties. According to art curators, the painting is insured for multiple crores of rupees. The Bajaj family is known to have a deep understanding of art and has a huge collection. Bajaj is not alone. India has a legacy of strong family-run businesses that have survived the test of time. The country’s richest man and Chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Mukesh Ambani’s home, Antilia, has a spectacular collection of paintings and sculptures from across the world, personally curated by none other than Nita Ambani (Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation). A significant…

REBEL PRINCESS WITH A CAUSE Akshita M. Bhanj Deo Of Mayurbhanj Armed with a degree in Politics and Human Rights from Bard College, working as a consultant with an Artificial Intelligence (AI) non-profit and using her ancestors’ jewellike palace in Mayurbhanj, Odisha, as a springboard of hospitality and creativity impacting lives of marginalised local communities, 27-year-old Princess Akshita M. Bhanj Deo of Mayurbhanj is a role model for her generation of erstwhile royals. She is also doubling up as a Director of Belgadia Palace, her family home in Baripada, Mayurbhanj district. The “Wes Anderson-esque” Palace (picture the candy-coloured palette of his film, The Grand Budapest Hotel), which she describes as perfectly symmetrical and sitting on 20 acres, is done up in sorbet pastel colours, with nostalgic touches and quaint memorabilia.…

Tika Ambikeshwar Katoch of Kangra-Lambagraon is a young man with grand plans. The tall, well-spoken lad who is currently on a forced sabbatical from Loughborough University in the UK where he was supposed to go back for the final year of his degree in Politics and Economics is now hunkered down at home with parents Tika Aishwarya Katoch and Tikarani Shailja Katoch. “I am taking a gap year,” says Ambikeshwar. “I plan to do my Master’s in Politics, MBA in Digital Marketing, and maybe, an MPhil or a PhD in Environmental Governance.” It’s only then that he plans to return to India. “The more I go through life, the more I want to do things,” says Ambikeshwar, who counts The Dalai Lama as one of his biggest inspirations (he was…

Instead of needle-sharp hands or fleeting digital displays, the concept of telling the time with fluid, overcoming gravity, was started by HYT. The HYT manufacture has with its team of 43 experts, since 2012, broken scientific ground to create watches that tell time with fluids. The latest 48.8 mm H0 timepiece by HYT in black monochrome stainless steel provides an enigmatic black canvas to visualise the flow of existence. The borosilicate glass capillary tube of HYT patented micro-fluidic module holds two immiscible liquids, one transparent, the other coloured with a highly resistant black dye, the first documenting the foreseeable future, the latter, the past. HYT challenges the horological convention of affording midnight and midday artificial importance. Instead, the focus on six o’clock encourages alternative turning points in the day. At…

How did you make your way to Savile Row? I am from a humble, poor family in Trinidad. My father did all sorts of odd jobs—a cleaner, gardener, car park attendant. He used to also sell rum illegally to make ends meet. My entrepreneurial trait came from seeing him do different things. I didn't want to go college and I tried hard to fail my exams. It's 53 years since I have been a tailor. When I was about nine-years-old, I cut pillow cases into the shape of a pair of trousers. So, basically, we got a rectangle and I just cut down in the middle. I had always heard of Savile Row. Like a young athlete wants to run in the Olympics, I always wanted to be in the…