FIRST WORD

TO LAUNCH THE INDIAN EDITION OF A magazine, whose founder was the legendary newspaperman Harold Evans, meant the bar was very high.

- Alex Kuruvilla

He had broken some of the most sensational stories in the history of journalism, including Kim Philby, the Kremlin’s agent inside British intelligence.

We were basking in the successful launches of Vogue and GQ, and my boss at that time, Nicholas Coleridge, and I, were excited to lead the next one out of Condé Nast’s storied stable: Condé Nast Traveller’s UK and US editions had a huge fan following in India, and it helped that the hotel and travel industries were also big admirers, having witnessed its influence on high-end travellers. With both readers and advertisers accounted for, it seemed like a no-brainer. Now all we needed was an Editor. We had our eye on the Features Editor of Vogue. She had a great writing style, was well travelled, and knew her Tanzania from her Tasmania. We looked at a few external candidates but sometimes what you need is right in front of you. In this case, a couple of desks away. Divia Thani was to be the Launch Editor.