Oh India!

I have a thing for maps. The thing being that I love them. Political maps, physical maps, road maps, city maps, tourist maps, hand sketched ones, vintage ones - I love them all. And you do know that I have a thing for India. I adore this colorful, eclectic, passionate, maddening country of mine. Today, inspired by both my loves, I put together some visual boards, celebrating maps, colors, India and all her eccentricities. Take a look! 

Putting this post together has put me in the mood for road trips across the length and breadth of the country! I am glad that I have some coming up in the next few weeks to take care of the itchy feet. Make sure you are following me on Instagram as I share tidbits from my travels and life in Goa.
And You, my lovelies, let me know what is it that's inspiring you these days :)

[Credits: Visual Mood Boards by An Indian Summer. Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18]

All that is beautiful and original

With Craftisan

When I first saw Craftisan, I was drawn in by their collection of beautiful textiles and crafts from different regions of India. I was happy to see that they are not only bringing one-of-its kind products from established craft NGOs like Dastkari Haat Samiti, The Rehwa Society, Kilmora to name a few, but also helping eliminate the middleman, and providing a platform for e-commerce to the craftspeople directly. Hearing the team behind Craftisan talk about their passion and the vision with which they have started this online venture, I knew that I had to share Craftisan with you! 

Craftisan recognizes and celebrates the existential philosophy behind crafts. It acknowledges the need for beauty and creativity that urges human society to create, and also recognizes the value of the act of creating craft as an utilitarian task, that reflects the way and means of a particular region, society or a certain social environment. Craft is utility, decoration, ornamentation, meditation and aesthetics all rolled into a single product. 

Craftisan aims to offer an ethical architecture for India's creative manufacturing sector and be a curated art and craft collective for connoisseurs of original, hand crafted products. Replicating a traditional 'haat' (marketplace) online, Craftisan will bring to us handpicked products straight from individual craftspeople, various craft clusters and also craft ngos. Having a positive impact on the livelihoods of craft communities, as well as supporting preservation and promotion of dying crafts are Craftisan's driving values. 

 

Apart from the lovely products on show on Craftisan's site, do not miss the specially commissioned and curated exhibition and sale by Dastkari Haat Samiti, called Akshara. Akshara (crafting Indian scripts) encompasses the attempt to combine literacy, artistic sensibilities and marketable museum quality crafts so that the craftspeople value education as a necessary part for their economic and social uplift. The initiative has produced some beautiful works of art - on textiles, pottery, wood, paper and metal. Craftisan plans to bring more such specially created collections in the coming months.

Buy from Craftisan right here. Register on the site and instantly get credit worth INR 1000/$20!
Remain updated with their latest offerings by connecting on facebook.

  Happy Shopping, folks!
Have a great weekend
I'll see you all next week!

[All images: Craftisan. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

Travel with me!

Yes!

You and I 

Will travel together!

I couldn't have found a better way to kickstart the new year. A journey designed and created, especially for An Indian Summer and my readers! Do you remember the fabulous trip I had with Pugdundee Safaris last Oct? I had such a great experience overall - the beautiful long drive between the two forest reserves, the stunning luxury lodges, wildlife safaris, photography, village walks and interaction with craftsmen, shopping at local bazaars, discovering tribal art and craft at the lodges and the stories behind their origin, excellent food and service, and the many brilliant conversations. And now, I have the opportunity to experience all of this and more, with you! 

You are invited to join me on a journey of discovery, adventure and luxury, to Satpura National Park and Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Designed to include many interesting experiences, beyond just wildlife safaris, it's the perfect itinerary for you and me. Click on the image below to get an overview of this upcoming journey:   

You can find the details of the itinerary right here

The good folks at Pugdundee Safaris will be able to assist you in whatever way you desire to help you plan and book your trip

Write to them if you have any questions or need any support with the logistics

And drop in an email to me if you would like to chat with me about this trip :)

Do decide quickly though

To keep the entire experience memorable, the group size will be quite small

Make sure you are not late in joining me on this incredible journey!
Book here!

[All images: An Indian Summer. See more pictures from my last trip here]

Gaatha, a tale.

Gaatha, a sanskrit word meaning 'a great story' or 'a legend', is an initiative launched in 2009 by group of students and alumni at National Institute of Design [NID]. What started as a project to research and document the unfortunate erosion of Indian crafts clusters and heritage, has now evolved into a online repository of stories, folklore and myths associated with these crafts and their creators. Gatha has also launched an online store, aimed at helping these craftsmen reach a wider market and earn sustenance. 

Gaatha's blog is a lovely read, where the reader not only gets to know how each of these beautiful products is created, but we also get to 'meet' the skilled women and men behind the various crafts. 

Beautifully photographed, the products are a visual delight! Gaatha's online store is filled with handcrafted unique pieces for personal use and for home.

Visit Gaatha's online shop here, and immerse yourself in the enriching tales of craft, right here.

How have you been, my dear readers?

I am back after a break for Diwali and post Diwali recuperation

See you this friday, with a lovely giveaway!

[All images: Gaatha. Creative Storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

This Diwali..

Get inspired 

By

What is inspiring me these days

Stunning moodboards

To inspire creativity 

And a love for all things beautiful and festive

From me to you

[click to enlarge the pics]

 Love the contemporary twist to the saree/dhoti. Complemented by Lakshmi Ganesh in Madhubani, and a Kutch woman decorating her home

The elegance of subtlety

 Ah! The visual delight of this mood board! Peacock and it's hues in gorgeous forms

The eternal painting by Raja Ravi Varma of Goddess Laxmi, and Hamsa from Morocco, interpreted as the Indian sign of 'blessing' in this mood board. On the left, fresco from Rajasthan with mughal motifs

Rich and edgy textile and fashion, goes well with the simplicity of a traditional puja thaali

Jewel tones, with the woman balancing it out with a simple chiffon saree and silver adornments
[The central image is from The Unreal Bride]

Colors and textures that spell festivity!

 Warm tones of mustard and orange, and the love of Radha and Krishna in this miniature painting

The brilliance of her native jewelry and the twinkle of fairy lights. Diwali is upon us, folks :)

Do tell me how you like the visual inpsiration

And what it inspired you to create :)

Oh, and do grab the Femina Issue for Oct 30th, 2013. I have a two page spread on creative ways to do up your home on Diwali. More ideas for Diwali, people! 

[Images from: 1, 2, 3 and Pinterest]

The cat that launched a post

I chanced upon the above pic on facebook, and couldn't get my laptop's mouse to move forward. While the mouse was transfixed by that fur ball, I ooh-aahed over the pretty little setup. I knew I HAD to see more of that cat, as well as more of this home. I dashed off an email to the mistress of both, Chondamma Cariappa, the uber creative brain behind Sole Sisters, and over a couple of weeks, as we exchanged cat stories and pictures, she put together a tour of her lovely eclectic pad for us.

Chondamma is  a Creative Director with Bates Advertising in Bombay. Originally from Coorg, she has travelled all over India along with her dad who was in the army. She is now a resident of Bombay since the last eight years.

~ Chondamma on The Sole Sisters ~

"The Sole Sisters was inspired by an album I have on facebook called 'fetish'. Each time I travelled, I put up pictures of shoes I bought from various parts of the world. This led to discussions and comments from friends, and I decided to create a larger platform - The Sole Sisters, a blog dedicated to women who love shoes!"

~ Chondamma on her style and home space ~

" My style is constantly changing and evolving. But, more often than not, Pop Art is something I draw my inspiration from. I absolutely love bright colors and graphics. And I have been tripping on print on print/mixed patterns for a while now.

When I sat down to design the current space, one things was pre-decided. Limited budget. I reused and reupholstered old furniture in interesting paints and fabrics. And threw in more colors and patterns in the form of cushions. Random patterns and colors came in together and started co-existing nicely. All things random is what I would like to call it."

And finally, the cats!

" Bubbu, the fur ball was abandoned a few years back. I was looking to adopt a cat around that time, and that's how Bubbu came into my life. He is one of the best things that has happened to me. He is gentle, never complains and is the most easy going baby. Recently I got him a live toy. His baby sister is Kikki, and she bullies him crazy!"

Hello Kikki! And, this is how your brother Bubbu launched a post :)

Thanks C, for sharing your warm casa and your purr babies with us!

Oh, before you folks leave,  a quick announcement

I dillied and then dallied some more

But finally, I am on twitter! 

Still figuring out how the tweet world works

But I am there, peeps!

Go join me, follow me, and such

Say hello too, pretty please

I plan to share goodies from the blog 

And a whole lot of things that I like, there

Here, click here

And follow @_AnIndianSummer

See you!

[All pics: Chondamma, Meera and Purvi. Sole Sisters on facebook. Creative story boarding: An Indian Summer]

A home in Calcutta

In Elle Decor

While browsing through my favorite decor sites, I was pleasantly surprised to see a feature on Surajit 'Bomti' Iyengar's Calcutta apartment, on Elle Decor. I remember seeing it in the Indian edition of Elle Decor sometime back, and now couldn't resist the temptation of sharing the online pics with you. Surajit's home has such an old world charm to it - the faded walls, colonial furniture, ceramics that seem to have been passed down from generations, rich fabrics, art work from local artists, Burma teak floors - the home is truly a treasure cave for a collector!

I like how various disparate elements like the heirloom clock, old photographs, ceramic plates and the art work, all just come together in this room to give it a distinct character.

The Burma teak floors are covered in hand knotted Kashmiri carpets

Paintings by various young Bengal artists above the writing table

 Period Bengal furniture made from mahogany and rose wood

Read more about this charming apartment right here

And of course, as it happens (to the best of us), there were a few more pretty rooms that caught my eye, and I just had to share these with you as well. A room here and a room there from the fabulous home tours on Elle Decor...

Love the beaten copper ceiling fixture!

Inspiring example of salvaged furniture - the distressed cupboard at the back is a must have!

 

A room from Peacock Pavilions - Maryam's fabulous place-to-be-in Marrakesh

 

Another brilliantly put together room in Peacock Pavilions

 And finally, a bright cheery room with lovely block print furnishing

[All images: Elle Decor]

P.S: Have you entered this and this one too giveaways yet? If not, make sure you do! We announce the winner tomorrow!