The celebrity jewellery designer on her brand’s foray into lifestyle and gifting products, how travel inspires her and the best gifts this season.
Jewellery to lifestyle products, how did this new venture come about?
I’ve always enjoyed lifestyle products, be it beautiful crockery or accessories, and wanted to extend my aesthetics in this area. It was also a way to make my brand accessible to a wider audience. Beautiful things don’t have to be expensive.
How does travel inspire the collection?
I travel a lot and many of my designs are based on it. The crockery collection L’Affaire Jodhpur, for instance, is inspired by my childhood in Rajasthan where my father (the actor Sanjay Khan) would shoot his movies and TV serials. We spent a lot of time in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur and I was captivated by the colour blue.
Are there any other memories behind these designs?
I also wanted to make crockery because I have grown up in a family where food played a big role. My grandparents had liveried butlers and beautiful crockery and napkins at home.
The collection also includes scarves.
I love scarves and wear them often. Our scarf clips are also a big hit—they can be used to wear the scarf as a headband or on your wrist.
What is the importance of gifting?
Gifting is a part of Indian culture. People often prefer international designers for their finish and packaging. I wanted to create products made in India that would be durable, fabulously finished and affordable for anyone with good taste.
What would you recommend as great gifts this season?
I recommend our scented candles and incense stick holders. For corporate gifting, try our personalized stationery. — SD
Available in Farah Khan Ali’s flagship store in Mumbai, and on Farahkhanworld.com; prices starting from ₹1,600 for crockery and ₹1,800 for accessories
State of the art
Bengaluru-based multimedia and aural artist Navin Thomas, who won the Skoda Prize for Contemporary Art in 2011, has his first solo exhibition in Delhi. The centrepiece of Out Here In The Exosphere is a sound installation, The Phantom Orchestra , which seats an ensemble of musical instruments on a circular wooden platform. An eccentric contraption, the orchestra plays a version of the weather report. It features some of Thomas’ peculiarly contoured, yet sophisticated electro-acoustic sculptures and artworks.— RI
The exhibition is on view at Galleryske, Delhi, till 24 November . For more details visit Galleryske.com
Page-turner
The Reckoning by John Grisham
(Hachette India, ₹399)
Few writers can make you hold your breath as the master of suspense, John Grisham, does. In his new novel, The Reckoning , he tells the story of a World War II veteran’s sudden fall from grace. From being a decorated soldier, a man beloved in his community, Pete Banning turns into a criminal overnight as he drives into town one fine day and shoots Reverend Dexter Bell. Worse, Banning doesn’t want to reveal any motive behind his hideous action. Using the finest weapons in his arsenal, Grisham reconstructs a psychological drama that is at once gripping and profound—one that doesn’t hesitate to ask big questions. — SG
On the platter
Pork belly, slow-cooked for eight hours till it is buttery and falling off the bone, served with spinach, egg, scallions, seaweed and daikon in a hoisin lamb broth over soba noodles could be just the bowl you are craving as winter starts setting in Delhi. The Ramen festival, on till Sunday at The Grand, is serving the Pork Belly Tonkotsu Ramen and several other dishes from Japan, Singapore, Thailand and other parts of Asia in a special curated menu by executive chef Anuj Kapoor. — PKS
The Ramen festival at WokTok, The Grand, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, is on till 18 November. For lunch and dinner reservations,
Curated by Pradip Kumar Saha, Sohini Dey, Vatsala Chhibber, Radhika Iyengar and Somak Ghoshal
Wow very nice
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