Fashion designerAnita Dongre.

Saturday, April 30, 2016 DECCAN HERALD 3

Living Fashion, food, ‘n’ fun SPOT THE DIFFERENCEUntil the early 20th century, it was commonfor little boys to wear dresses or skirts tillthey turned 5 or 6 years of age. Whoeversaid androgynous fashion was a new thing!

PLAN B If sour curds are your nightmare during summers, Radha Prathi has some wonderful news.They have quite a few delicious and versatile uses

Andsour tastes the curdCome summer, curds have a tendency

to turn sour, much to our chagrin. Ifone forgets to store them in the

refrigerator, even for a few hours, curdsgo sour, ruining our meals. But there’s anupside to this. Sour curds are the perfectingredient for raitas, lassis and chaas. Andwho can resist spiced buttermilk (neermajjige) in this intense weather? Whenchurnedtogetherwithcurry leaves,gingerand seasoned with salt, asafoetida, curdscan become a meal in themselves.

If you take the trouble to turn your sourcurd into spiced buttermilk of variousflavours, it can make your summer into ahumble, healthy, and hydrated season.Let’s start with the basics. To make spicedbuttermilk, churn the curd well with allkinds of flavouring substances. Though itis not wrong to add finely cut or choppedingredients, it can be a good idea to grindall of them into a fine paste. This will helpthe ingredients to blend well in the fluidand reach your system effectively and willalso enhance the taste, leaving very littleresidue. Before adding water (boiled andcooled to avoid possible water-borneinfections), add salt and a pinch of sugarto the churned mixture.

Wondering what are the flavours youcan try with the healthy drink? Well, greenchillies and curry leaves are mandatory.All the other ingredients you can combinein varying measures to create a new

SHOWCASE

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extensive range of themewardrobes with popularcartoon characters, or indulgethem by creating an activityzone with an exciting selectionin bean bags, rock chairs, walldecals and wall-mounted bookshelves that are both safe andvibrant.

You can further spoil them forchoice by choosing from anamazing range of digital printcurtains, floor mats, lightingsand animal-shaped clocks, etc.At www.pepperfry.com you cangiving form to your child’sdream space.

The average Indianwho is now exposedto experimentalfashion is bolderand ready to setfoot into newer ar-eas. Bollywood hasalways influencedfashion in our coun-try, but I see morenumber of peopleopting for versatili-ty in their fashionchoices. I believethat one should al-ways dress in a waythat allows theirpersonality and in-dividual style toshine through,instead of blindlycopying runway orceleb styles.

The changing faceof bridal attires...My bridaltrousseaus aredesigned keeping inmind what the mod-ern Indian womanseeks — elegance, style and comfort. Shewants an ensemble that allows her toenjoy her own wedding as much aseveryone else. All my bridal wear is light-weight while also being versatileenough to be worn on numerous otheroccasions. It doesn’t have to getstashed away after one use.

The role of fashion in the age ofsustainability...The role of fashion is to lead andnot follow the consumer, and sus-tainable brands will create themarket for it, as we go along withfashionable ensembles that havean Indian soul.

We have already seen the excite-ment with consumers and areconfident that the enlightened,evolved and global woman oftoday feels the need to notjust own a garment, but seeit as an act of wearing thecountry’s craft and help-ing the cause of talentedartisans in India.

Can we save thetraditionalcrafts of

India fromobscurity?The craft industry is dying every

WhenCatherine, theDuchessof Cambridge, recentlywore an Anita Dongre-designed dress duringher India tour, the dress

became the talk of town. Eventually, thedesigner’s website crashed, unable tohandle the flood of orders. The fact is thather designs aren’t just popular with theroyals, the Mumbai-based fashiondesigner is loved by almost all Bollywoodcelebrities, sportspersons, businessmenand even politicians. Who doesn’t want toflaunt an AND (Anita Dongre’s label)attire! Known for her work with grassrootcraftspeople and her passion for organicand vegan fashion, the fashionista hasbeen bestowed with many awards, includ-ing ‘Excellence in Fashion Designing’ bythe Federation of India Chambersof Com-merce and Industry Ladies Organisation,Bombay Chapter. In fact, she was alsolisted amongst the 50 most powerfulwomen in business in India. In a free-wheeling chat, Anita touches upon every-thing that makes fashion tick. Excerpts:

At a time when fashion designingwas an alien concept, you decidedto jump into it...Back then, ‘fashion design’ wasn’tconsidered a serious profession,and I faced a fair share of oppo-sition from my family members.But I was determined, and start-ed a small workshop in my bed-room balcony with support frommy sister. I started designingfor friends and supplying toboutiques. Seeing my unrelent-ing passion, my father gave in,and offered me a loan (to bepaid back with interest) tostart a small factory of myown and ever since, therehas been no looking back.

Do you believe Indiandesigns are finallygetting their shareof attention?Indian designs aregetting popularworld over.Coping upwith trends,everydesignershouldhave theirown designaesthetic thatmakes themstand out. I love allthings Indian, and being

day and some of our bestartisans and craftsmenwho have been weavingmagic are giving up ontheir craft.

The sorry fact is thatthis is a tradition, whichlives by passing on itslegacy and wisdom fromfathers and mothers tosons and daughters,down generations. Today,children are not takingup the tradition as theydo not see any monetary

value in this art form, andare switching to morerewarding professions incomputers, BPOs, etc.

The need of the hour isto have fashion housespartner with the artisansand craftsmen and helpsustain their longstand-ing work.

Fashion houses need toback them with a designplatform to showcasetheir work, thereby en-suring it is a win-win part-

nership for both. My jew-ellery line ‘Pink City’, made of exquisitegold, jadau collection, is all about revisit-ing traditional crafts of Rajasthan and

celebrating it with the vibrancy ofcurrent trends. This helps the

karigars there.

On donning many hats andwinning several acco-

lades...It always feels good to becomplimented or ap-preciated for yourwork. To be a greatfashion designer, oneneeds to have astrong business acu-men. These acco-

lades only makeme want to workharder, and con-tinue to deliveron the brand’s

promise of quality,craftsmanship and

supreme design aes-thetic, whilst being able tocater to the ever-evolvingneeds of our customers.

flavour every time. Asafoetida, ginger,mint, dill, garlic cloves, the wet insides ofa cucumber, sauteed onions or even apinchofgarammasalacanbeusedtospiceyour buttermilk. Although it is customaryto season neer majjige with mustard seedsand asafoetida, people who are reluctantto use oil can do away with the tradition.The variationswill taste goodwithor with-out the seasoning.

Interestingly, sour curds can be put todifferent uses depending on its quantity:

nLacing the freshly ground dosa batterwith a cup of sour curds can enhance thetaste and crispiness.nThe dough used to make chapatis, akkiroti and besan roti will yield softer andtastier breads when sour curds is addedwhile kneading the dough, with a pinchof salt.nRava dosas and idlis will turn out betterwhen soaked in a combination of water,freshly set curds and sour curds, for atleast an hour before they are prepared.

inspired by Rajasthan, I use of lots ofIndian weaves and techniques, with gota-patti being a signature element in mydesigns. My dream has always been toenable access to the modern Indianwoman with Indian aesthetics and atouch of tradition.

The Internet has revolutionised thefashion industry in more ways than one.Retailing internationally isn’t as chal-lenging as it used to be. E-commercewebsites have been a godsend, helping usdesigners design for a wider internation-al audience. And that’s why every design-er tries to create an innovative product,which while appealing to a global audi-ence, remains true to its traditionalroots. Juxtaposing western trends and

Indian outfits is catching onand this is especially

fascinating as it bringstogether the best ofboth worlds.

How helpful are fash-ion weeks for design-

ers as well asthe masses?The recently-concluded

Lakme FashionWeek was a great

platform fordesigners all overthe country as ithelped reach out

to a wide audi-ence all over

the world.

nWhile making upma, thick set curd canbe added to the seasoned water when ithas reached a boiling point, beforeadding the rava in it.n If you happen to be making fryums athome, add a small bowl full of sour curdsto about half a kg of the batter or doughto improve its flavour and colour.n If you have found the choicest chilliesin the market, buy half a kg. Wash dryand slit them at the tail end. Take abouttwo litre of sour curds, salt it a trifleexcessively and churn it well. Toss in thechillies, mix it well and keep the mixturein a closed container for a day and night.Spread out the ingredients on a try anddry them in the sun for a couple of daysbefore storing them. The marinatedchillies can be deep fried and used inplace of store-bought pickles.n If the curd has soured way too much, itmay not be feasible to use it in yourcooking. However, you can use it to washyour hair, especially if you want to get ridof dandruff. Or, it can be poured intoyour garden soil or in the potted plants.If you do not have soil around yourhome, pour the curd around the emptysink, spreading it evenly around. Whenyou scrub the sink after half an hour, youwill be surprised to find it refreshinglyclean. So, do not fret the next time yourcurd turns sour. Now you know how toput it to good use!

Bringing together thebestofbothworlds

Colourful rugs

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of the oldest hand woven rugcompanies in the world, unveilsits Lhasa collection. Thiscollection is a moderninterpretation of universallyappreciatedTibetianpaintings —renowned forits textureand patterns.Thecollection is avisual treatas it blends acontemporary look with anextensive use of traditional andsaturated colours. Crafted fromhandspun premium wool, thepatterns are embossed that helpsthem stand out.

The rugs under this collectionundergo a special multi-stepwashing process and handfinished to add a smooth lustre.Thus, rolling out this artwork onground will surely liven up spacesgiving your interiors a contempo-rary update. Lhasa collectiondesigns add lasting style to yourdecor. Bring in these timelesspieces and celebrate tale of oldand new trends apt for your homefurnishing.

FOOD FIX

Summer sundowners

Summer is beating downharshly upon us. Markedwith rising temperatures

and intense heat, this season isthe perfect time for fresh juices.Has the sun got your tempersflaring? Then, it’s time youcooled down with some refresh-ing drinks. But before you pickup that carbonated drink, justknow that there are healthieroptions that you could createright in the confines of yourkitchen. Raid that refrigeratorfor some fresh veggies and youare good to go. To help you getstarted, here are some quick andsimple recipes.

Carrot crushIngredients: 4 cupsgrated carrot, 4 tbspjaggery syrup, 1/8 tspcardamom powder(optional), 4 tsplemon juice.Method: Grind carrotgratings to a smoothpaste and add 4 cupsof water to it. Mix itwell and then strain.Add the rest of theingredients and servechilled or with icecubes.

For a variation, addsalt, pepper instead ofjaggery, and servewith lime juice.

Sesame sipIngredients: 4 glass-es chilled buttermilk,4 tsp sesame seeds(toasted and crushed), fewcoriander leaves (chopped), apinch of asafoetida, salt to taste.Method: Add salt and asafoeti-da to buttermilk and mix well.Stir in a tsp of sesame seeds ineach glass and serve garnishedwith coriander leaves.

Dry fruit lassiIngredients: 4 glasses thickchilled curd, sugar or jaggerysyrup to taste, a pinch of salt, 8tbsp or 1 cup chopped mixed dryfruits like almonds, cashew nuts,pista, raisins, wet dates.Method: Soak the dry fruits in

just enough warm water for anhour so that they soften. Whiskthe curds well with sugar or jag-gery syrup till smooth & fluffy.In a tall glass, put 2 tbsp of dryfruits, some ice cubes, and thenpour the lassi over it. Stir onceand enjoy.

Fresh fruit lassiIngredients: 4 glasses thickchilled curds, sugar or jaggerysyrup to taste, 8 tbsp or 1 cupfinely chopped fresh fruits likebanana, orange segments,sapota, apple, grapes.Method: Blend the fruit mixfirst and then add curds and afew ice cubes and serve.

Minty ragi relishIngredients: 4 tbsp ragi flour, 4glasses buttermilk, salt to taste.For the paste: 1 tbsp grated co-conut, 1 tbsp chopped mintleaves, a small green chilli, ¼ tspcumin seeds.Method: Make a smooth pastewith the flour and water. Addthe ground paste to this mixtureand mix well. Stir in buttermilk,salt and blend well in a mixer.Serve chilled. Note that frozencubes of coriander juice can alsobe added to this drink to make ithealthier.Rama Gokul

who is now exposed

fashion in our coun-

day and some of our bestartisans and craftsmenwho have been weavingmagic are giving up ontheir craft.

this is a tradition, whichlives by passing on itslegacy and wisdom fromfathers and mothers tosons and daughters,down generations. Today,children are not takingup the tradition as theydo not see any monetary

value in this art form, and

designed keeping inmind what the mod-

value in this art form, andare switching to more rewarding professions incomputers, BPOs, etc.

to have fashion housespartner with the artisansand craftsmen and helpsustain their longstand-ing work.

back them with a designplatform to showcasetheir work, thereby en-suring it is a win-win part-

nership for both. My jew-

value in this art form, and

Grind carrot

salt, pepper instead of

DESI TOUCH In a chat with Surekha Kadapa-Bose, fashion designer Anita Dongre spillsthe beans on her tryst with fashion, love for traditional crafts and sustainability