Bodhi Toys

This might just be the cutest find ever. Bodhi Toys makes chew toys, sqeaky toys & balls for our canine friends to play with. They've come out with an India inspired range with names like Om ball & Mehndi Mango Squeaky . Check out more here.

Ram says hi, oh & he's playing with a Shanti Stick.

Lokesh Karekar

I love how unique these photo manipulations by Graphic Artist Lokesh Karekar are and I really love the cool octopus illustration on the Umbrella. Check out more of his work here. Gotta love the Shaktiman woodcut.

You Make My Day

I've been tagged by the articulate Nonsense on Stilletos & talented ceramist Bibbi Forsman with the You make my day award.I have to say it was the sweetest thing and came completely unexpectedly because I'm definitely not on top of what memes are doing the round these days. So now it's my turn to pick 10 blogs, here goes:


Start drawing : This site is full of amazing art by Asian artists from around the world. It's very addictive & they have some really cool, avant garde albeit provocative stuff.They've been nominated fo the 2008 Bloggies, Do vote for them here under 'The Best Asian Blog' category . Good luck guys !

Ultrabrown : The mecca for South Asian pop culture. Very interesting, very relevant.It's got some great writers on board.

Doing Jalsa and Showing Jilpa: This is SUCH a hilarious blog. It's got very random ramblings often with stellar illustration. Probably not as funny if you're not desi or don't have a good understanding of Tamil.

Go Fug Yourself: This is just such a funny blog, being bitchy was never so much fun, I wonder if theres a desi version of this floating around the web?

Artnlight: a very nice design /decor blog that features a lot of local architecture. Author Vineeta has a great personality which makes the blog more interesting.

Rangdecor: Another really great decor blog. I love author Arch's personal posts so much more because of her photography. She takes very warm & fuzzy feel good images.

Fashion Rookies : I like this blog because of author Nidhi's really original illustrations and also to see what cool and unusual outfits she is wearing for the day. A great place if you want to peek into the life of a fashion designer.

Nonsense on stilletos : The author has impeccable taste and she makes picking the right lipstick sound like an adventure and I can tell you I was in her world , feeling her joy at having found the elusive perfect shade ! I don't know what she does for a living but I think she should just become a fashion writer.

Salt & Schizophrenia : A spectacularly well written blog. A great place to find random desi sites as well. I just wish Author Headmistress would update more often :)

Bibbi Forsman : The latest in what I suspect will be a daily read for me. Bibbi is a ceramist from Goteburg,Sweden . She blogs about her life which is pretty interesting because it's very art filled. And I love blogs which sort of document everyday in images, so this has been a real treat.


Phew! I'm done. I hope that gave everyone who reads this blog a chance to visit some really cool blogs.

Nimita Rathod

This is the second time the very talented Nimita Rathod has been featured in MASALA CHAI . She sent in some truly beautiful work from her Spring Summer '08 collection. I love how some of her pieces make me want to eat pistachio ice cream ! Check out her very delicious clothes at Melange, Zoya & Aza in Mumbai ; Anonym in Hyderabad

Manjunath Kamath

"Usually I start my painting with one element, a small one that traces your mind. Sometimes it goes to childhood and takes elements from there as well. I keep on adding and eliminating these and ultimately the painting happens. For me the process is more important than the work. Often I work with an illusionist space and even an ordinary element sometimes becomes a fantasy for me. In my paintings, I try to portray emptiness."

Tommy

My friend Vindy (who is a regular reader of this blog, thanks!) was the one who told me of Tommy's mad photography skills.I have the pleasure of knowing both these very talented/interesting people but it's not often you know your friends have all these tricks up their sleeves !

When Tommy sent me the pictures from his trip to Rajasthan , I was spoilt for choice. I had no idea how I would only pick 4 , but it had to be done. Tommy is a Nordic lad whiling away his time in a Graphics Design course in Singapore. He'd much rather travel the world , taking pictures that document the evidence of human existence. He's interested in the whole sensory experience but believes taking pictures is the closest he can come to remembering the moment . He also has a penchant for world cinema and the most insanely spicy food there is.

Hopefully this post will give Tommy the good sense to start his own blog / website where we can all live vicariously through his many adventures.

Kavitha Balakrishnan

I'm completely besotted with Kavitha Balakrishnan's work but she has been extremely elusive in terms of getting in touch . Kavitha Balakrishnan is an artist based out of Thrissur, Kerela.She also writes extensively about art. I have scoured the web far & wide for more of her work and could only come up with this gallery that she had an exhibition at and her website. Do check out her works though, they're so pretty !

Alpana Bawa

Hey guys, back from the tiniest of vacations on account of my turning 24. Got a lovely new lens for my camera, which I will soon be putting to good use. Maybe next year I should wish for something bigger ? Like a job at ELLE Decor / Christian Bale ! :P

Moving on, I would really love a couple of these pillows from Alpana Bawa. Looking at pictures of her store in NYC, make me wish I lived there. I'm one of those people who likes neutral spaces and random bursts of colour by way of accessories . Her pillows seem like the perfect burst-of-colour space filler. Her clothes are pretty interesting too , save for the magenta shirts for men. They retail at Delhi,but I don't live there either ! Take a look here , it's technicoloured heaven.

INTERVIEW : Chris Haughton

Chris Haughton is an absolutely delightful being, but let's get to that part later. As far as credentials go , he is a graphic designer & freelance illustrator whose brilliant & original work earned him a spot on the top 100 designers list compiled by TIME magazine.

Chris Haughton has been involved with fair Trade organisation People Tree , who produce their design oriented goods (t-shirts,stationery, housewares) in developing countries such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia etc. I was hoping to quiz Chris on his Indian connection & it's relevance to the work he does. He was kind enough to indulge me:

MC: Your designs get screen printed onto T-shirts in India, have you ever been here or met the people who make them?

CH:I have actually been to India three times now, I love India! Unfortunately I never made it to meet the actual artisans yet, the first two times I was there I was just backpacking around and I hadn’t started working with People Tree, and the last time it was a bit of a rush.

I have met many of the people who have set up the workshops when they come to London and they have a lot of stories about their projects, they are doing really great work there. It makes all the difference to think you are doing work for projects and companies you really agree with.

MC: Do you take any design influences from Indian culture? what are they?

CH: I really love Indian folk art, Madhubani and Warli paintings and also a lot of the textiles. When I was in 3rd year in college I went backpacking around India for the summer and when I came back I went through a phase of being really crazy about Indian folk art. I bought a lot of books on Indian painting and textiles, it was very fresh and inspiring for me to see that then. I go to the British Museum and the V&A in London when i feel burnt out, they have some really nice work

MC: Who are your favourite artists/illustrators/designers ?

CH: I like a lot of folk art mainly and get a lot of inspiration from visiting museums in London. David Shrigley's work is always outstanding, also I really like Sara Ogilvie, Neal Layton and Tom Gauld. Michel Gondry and Traktor have done some great short films and videos. I worked for a year at a very good London animation studio a few years ago (Studioaka) and was very lucky to meet some really inspiring animators and designers in there. Grant Orchard, Ben Bocquelet and Steve Small are all doing really amazing work.

MC: Do you really , honestly love vegetable fried rice?

CH:Not really actually... I've gone right off it! I was living in Hong Kong when i set up the site(vegetablefriedrice.com) .I was living in a youth hostel and i had no money at all and I'm vegetarian so it was a running joke that the only thing i cooked or was seen to eat was vegetable fried rice.

Javed M

Visual Designer Javed M is based out of New Delhi . His grungy digital art is influenced by his love for world cinema, graffiti, techno music, manga & Indian street art to name a few. Check out his website for more.

Nipa Doshi

Nipa Doshi , one half of Doshi Levien Design Office , runs a multidisciplinary design outfit from the UK. Along with her husband Jonathan Levien, the designer couple have been producing clever, Euro-Indian creations that has garnered them the prestigious wallpaper* award for International design.

Says Nipa of her design influences,"I love everyday objects which have a strong cultural and emotional significance like the lota, the ubiquitous water vessel found in every Indian home. I am inspired by wall paintings owned by no one, created by anonymous street artists. The mythical and magical world of Indian Film; The fantasy in stark contrast to the reality. I love my cheap colourful plastic bangles as much as my beautifully crafted jewellery.”

Anjum Singh

Sometimes Art is hardly about putting a brush to canvas. Sometimes it's the technique, at other times it's conceptual & sometimes the process itself becomes the art. Anjum Singh works in a way that probaby only makes sense to her. She says she starts out by thinking of the colours first & then she likes to layer and make it up as she goes along. But also says she is greatly influenced by Amrita shergill & therefore is drawn to figurative art where there is no narrative & the beauty comes from the fact that it exists for the sake of existing. Alright. I suppose it doesn't matter how she explains it as she is one of the rising stars on the Contemporary scene & she's got a fine lineage from being born to artists Arpita and Paramjit Singh & being trained at Shantiniketan. And , her work is pretty interesting , so I suppose it really doesn't matter how she explains it.

Nidhi Malhotra

Another serendipitous find! Stumbled onto L.A. based designer /illustrator Nidhi Malhotra's blog when I was looking for another designer. She's got some wicked talent. It always excites me to find women in the graphic arts. This lady has a keen aesthetic, check out more for yourself here.

Anupama Dayal

Anupama Dayal , known for her super coloured indo-western ensembles remixes her aesthetic to offer a more delicate, candy coloured line leaning a tad towards the western side. Beautiful floral prints & rich fabrics, absolutely pretty.

Sameer (coolkarnism)

Found this randomly on Deviant Art , check out more of Mumbai based Sameer's art here

Kiran Master

Londoner Kiran Master was born to an Indian Father & English mother. Originally a student of Politics & International relations , Master went on to study Photography & later setting up his own studio in 1992 . Probably one of the most sought after commercial photographers in the UK, Master's images have an amazing chromatic quality about them. His subjects are apathetic disconnects between the urbane & suburban and he makes the monotonous look lush. I would love to hang out in his florid world , except I'll probably get bored too soon.