Verve Magazine - April - May 2019

In this issue

In our latest issue, we examine the efforts of people at the forefront of the sustainability movement, striving to reclaim Earth and its resources from the clutches of extinction. Cover personality and environmentalist Gaytri Bhatia, who left a job in the US to take care of the lush Vrindavan Farm and her growing bank of rare seeds, is proof that it’s possible to reorient our outlooks and modern consumerist lifestyles permanently. Inside the issue, we learn from individuals like Goa-based Clinton Vaz, who through vRecycle, has been recalibrating the state’s waste-management system since his twenties; Arshiya Bose, who has designed Black Baza Coffee's supply chain to support the coffee-growing Adivasi communities around Bengaluru and Arati Kumar Rao, an environmental writer and photographer, who is spreading awareness about the human-inflicted ‘slow violence’ on South Asian ecosystems through her images and words. We also zoom in on clothing labels like Sui by Sue Mue, Ayurganic by Lecoanet Hemant, and Upasana that are experimenting with all-natural and organic Ayurvedic garments, infused with soothing herbs.

Girl On An Island

Her voice, rippling with an otherworldly timbre, swirls around dreamy guitar chords, and it leaves listeners imagining her floating away to some cosmic nightscape at the end of a song. But Ditty (aka Aditi Veena) has her feet firmly planted on Earth, and the Goa-based musician and urban ecologist taps into the synergy between these two fields while living in tune with this planet’s rhythm. Verve has a heart to heart with the singer of ‘earthsongs’….

5 mins

Walk On The Wild Side

The rugged topography of central India’s Chambal valley is expertly navigated by cinematographer Anuj Rakesh Dhawan’s lens in the Hindi movie Sonchiriya. Shreya Dasgupta plays guide for Verve as her well-trained eye tracks the sinuous camerawork, zeroing in on the specific terrains, vegetation and wildlife that get screen time.

8 mins

Putting Down Roots

Trees have played a significant role in all civilisations, states Madhu Jain, who nurtured a rather large one of her own in her New Delhi garden .

3 mins

Moral Fibre

Founded by Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith C. Suseelan from Slovakia and India respectively, Malai Biomaterials Design is a Kerala-based research, development and design studio.

1 min

(Un)Familiar Territory

As redevelopment and construction projects cast a dusty haze over an already unrecognisable Mumbai, Simin Patel, founder of walking tours company Bombaywalla, and photographer Hashim Badani are determined not to lose sight of the sometimes-overlooked spaces that gave Mumbai its original, distinct character. Sadaf Shaikh joins them on a customised expedition and is reminded why she shouldn’t take the uniqueness of her hometown for granted.

10+ mins

Dirty Work

Goan resident Clinton Vaz has been working hard for two decades to instil a sense of civic responsibility in the community, having caught the attention of the local government when he was in his early twenties. Joanna Lobo converses with the hands-on eco-warrior, who is tackling the mounting garbage problem in India’s favourite holiday destination by changing its system of waste management

7 mins

Gaytri Bhatia - One Seed At A Time

Gaytri Bhatia left a corporate job in America to take over Vrindavan Farm on the outskirts of Mumbai, transforming it into a fully-sustainable, organic venture…. See how the former city dweller has adapted her daily routine for this life-changing transition.

7 mins

Honey-Based Products To Add To Your Wellness Routine

Ethical apiculture not only helps conserve bees, but it has also gifted us with an array of organic, honey-based products for our skin and overall health, says Rushmika Banerjee, as she lists five formulations to round out your beauty and wellness routines....

3 mins

Read all stories from Verve

Verve Magazine Description:

Going towards its 26th year now, Verve has been at the vanguard of the lifestyle industry in India since its inception. Being India's first fashion and luxury monthly and targeted as the spirit of today’s woman, it celebrates the interests of the multifaceted contemporary global Indian, including fashion,beauty and style, glamour, arts and culture, travel and wellness. The editor and publisher, Anuradha Mahindra, has received top billing in Avenue Asia's list of Indians involved in the media.

More than just a magazine that reports and interprets, Verve is a catalyst for conversations around contemporary Indian culture in the world, and these conversations take place between the pages of the magazine, on the internet as well as through several Verve-organized offline event initiatives:

Verve is a magazine about the international Indian woman who rubs shoulders with the world with confidence and élan. She belongs to a high-income group and is well aware of the latest trends and styles, be it in fashion, the arts, cuisine or world events. Verve appeals to the intelligent, urbane, educated and affluent woman. She would be 25 years of age and above. She is likely to be an independent entrepreneur or a corporate professional or a socialite. She is well-travelled, fashion conscious and appreciates luxury with a side to her that is culturally sensitive with aesthetic sensibilities. Overall a multi-faceted, stylish and glamorous woman. All in all, the Verve reader looks upon the magazine as an invaluable lifestyle resource for the best in contemporary urban Indian living.