Furniture festival

Designer Concepts at Aundh sells furniture with innovative design Rasik Shah and Viral Vira have been in the furniture trade for 11 years. They shifted from Mumbai to Pune in 2003 and joined Tangent Furniture Mall. Their know-how enables the duo to understand their customers’ needs and design furniture according to individual tastes. But despite all their success Shah and Vira were not entirely happy. They realised that they needed a outlet to bring out every aspect of their creative abilities. To achieve this they opened their Designers Concepts furniture store at Aundh in April 2014. To ensure exclusivity, they have collaborations with select furniture makers. Tangent, Space Wood and Bluebell are the brands they deal in. What makes the store stand apart from the other furniture stores in the city are their unique designs and innovative ideas in furniture. Designer Concepts has tied up with manufacturers who exclusively design for them Shah says, “The products of our store are meant for upper middle class and middle class segments as well as for the lower income group. A customer can buy furniture for the entire home, including bedroom concepts, children furniture wardrobes, study table, chairs and so on.” The store is set up over four levels. While sofas are displayed on the first floor, the second floor features a range of dining tables, chairs and bar counters. Office furniture takes up the third floor while the fourth floor showcases bedroom furniture and artefacts. The store also sells cane and garden furniture, coffee tables etc. The furniture displays are arty and tasteful and the decor on the walls adds an even more artistic ambience. Vira says,“The furniture for children’s bedrooms is imported from Malaysia and China. The pure leather sofas are imported from Italy, Germany and Denmark. the composite and artificial leather sofas are sourced locally and also imported from China and Malaysia. The furniture can be customised. Locally made furniture can be delivered in 15-20 days, while imports take longer, about 90 days. Our local manufacturing units are at Thane and Daman.” Designers Concepts also have exchange schemes and also offer attractive discounts on larger orders. Finance options are available as well. The store has been attracting a steady stream of customers owing to its innovative designs and wide variety of furniture. And a sizeable section of the customers opt for custom designs. With changing lifestyles the urban clientele is now very selective and want the furniture in their homes to reflect tastes and style. And Designers Concepts’ Shah and Vira have the abilities and the desire to cater to demands of customers from all walks of life.

‘Travelling and exploring new places has great benefits in terms of life experience’

Vishwas Kelkar, president, Travel Agents Association, Pune addresses colleagues on the occasion of ‘World Tourism Day’ Travel Agents Association (Pune) president Vishwas Kelkar, 55, has been at the helm of affairs for two years. Around 80-Pune based agents are members of the association. The World Tourism Day (WTD) is celebrated every year on September 27. “Tourism brings everyone together. One should explore new places and get acquainted with new culture, traditions and local customs. It will help us to come together and bond well,” Kelkar said. He urges the beginners in this industry to follow the laid down guidelines and business ethics. Reminiscing about how he started his travel agency in the city in 1984, he said, “The focus of Sahyadri Institute of Mountaineering Adventure Sports (Simas) Travel agency was adventure sports. There were not many agencies in the city that organised trips catering to this particular sector. Activities were limited and were not explored commercially. That’s when the idea cropped up to set up this agency.” The travel agency became a pioneer in trekking, snow skiing, jungle safaris and white water rafting. In 1994, scuba diving was also included in the packages. Trips were organised from Pune to all over Maharashtra. Gradually, people from various parts of the state who were interested to participate in these trips got in touch with Kelkar. After 1995, Kelkar entered into leisure tourism. Explaining the concept of leisure tourism, Kelkar said, “Leisure tours are comfortable tours where adventure is limited. It is a holiday package for families. Adventure activities can be included as per clients’ demand. In this package, safety always comes first.” Holiday packages were specially tailor-made for families and included skiing camp at Shimla, snorkelling and kayaking at Lakshadweep, scuba diving and glass bottom rides in Andaman Islands. To make the trips more interesting, Kelkar tied up with 12 state tourism departments like Garwal, Kumaon, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep and Goa. Before coming up with packages for these particular places, Kelkar visited these sites to get a first-hand experience. He went to the remote areas and interior villages. He believes that every destination has lots to offer, besides the popular holiday sites. With offices at Sadashiv Peth and Laxmi Road, Simas Travels is known for its holiday packages. According to him, the concept of tourism has changed in the last 25 years. There are different age group of travellers — those between 30 and 40 years and the youngsters are always interested in something new. They are keen on exploring new places and adventure sports. On the other hand, senior citizens need well organised tours. “The three most important things that any traveller looks for are good food, comfortable stay and a vehicle at their disposal so that one can explore the destination according to convenience,” he said. Kelkar’s sons Aniket and Chetan assist him in his travel business. His travel agency’s third branch at Sadashiv Peth deals with corporate clients. The latest office has fund transfer, online booking and international ticketing facilities.

Celeb Chat

Name: Tushar Ramanan, fitness professional Three words to describe me: SportY, extrovert and independent I love my job because: My passion has turned into my profession Best advice I’ve received: Become the Joe Weider (father of bodybuilding) of India When buying something, the first thing that catches my eye is: Utility What’s your inner animal? Rabbit with a lion’s outlook The first thing you notice about an attractive person: The energy The perfect start to a day is: Music and a cup of hot green tea Your current four-wheeler: Innova Your fitness regimen: Train smart, not hard Your food indulgence: Street food Books by your bedside: Arnold’s encyclopedia and The Secret The first site you visit when you fire up your comp: Facebook Your favourite city: Pune Ideal holiday: A walk on the beach and lounging (As told to Barnalee Handique)

Train your Brain

One-to-one training for children to improve their learning skills Avinash Bartakke is the founder-director of Neural Space, the only cognitive skill training centre in the country. Launched in 2011, the centre provides customised BrainRx programmes, with a license from LearningRx, a reputed brain training institute in the US. The LearningRx brain development programmes have been developed by Dr Ken Gibson. Based on over 30 years of research and clinical trials, they identify weak cognitive skills and correct them be means of intensive one-on-one game-like exercise. BrainRx can help in diagnosing and treating reading and learning difficulties, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), memory problems, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), learning difficulties in maths (dysalculia) and problems caused by Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Bartakke says, “Training is my core competency. Having worked for 17 years with ICICI Prudential in the field of training and development, the scope of application of Brain Training, extends from children to senior citizens.” He tied up with LearningRx, the only organisation in the world with a specific procedure for one-to-one training. We think playing and solving puzzles are ways to measure the cognitive skills in a person. However, it is not so. Everyone is equipped with 70 mental tools, out of which only seven are most important, like attention, processing speed, working memory, logical reasoning, visual processing and auditory processing. Moreover the sensory motor development is important for a child’s growth. There is a tendency to equate academic achievements with cognitive skills, such as visual and auditory processing, logical reasoning and memory. Unless children are approached with a view to first training their cognitive skills, academics won’t improve. Besides cognitive training, environment and adequate training also plays a role. “Our trainers work on the core competency of the child, which he will never forget in his life. The centre believes in imparting one-to one training with the child so that he can improve his core learning skills. Therefore, early detection can help a child to harness these qualities and which will make the child perform better in academics and in his life,” explains Bartakke. Bringing this out in a child will help him focus in his academics and life in a more positive way. The ability to focus continuously and paying attention plays a key role in a student’s life. In case of adults also, the use of mental abilities is important because after the age of 35, the decline of cognitive skills begin. BrainRx specialises in making kids and adults smarter through research based programs. These help in better absorption, retention and recall of inputs which has a direct affect in efficiency. The USP of the program is that it is result focused with a highly committed personal training. The focus is also on learning while you play method. It helps a child to develop his or her cognitive skills. Neural Space holds workshops in schools for teachers and students free of cost. There are 24 training procedures which take place in 72 hours. There are seven trainers trained by Bartakke himself. During the workshops, 30 students undergo training for one hour, six days a week.

Happy holidays

BYOND Journeys and VCONNECT Holidays take the travel experience to happier levels for their clients Rajnikant Sinojiya and Bhushan Rathod launched VCONNECT in 2008. The concept aimed at making travel hassle-free and convenient for their clients. Sinojiya’s personal experience was that when he wanted to set off on a long travel vacation, he was unable to find a travel agency that could undertake all the tasks and formalities, like tickets and such. He was forced to do everything on his own and it proved to be quite time-consuming and complicated. This experience spurred Sinojiya to conceive of VCONNECT in which he roped in his friend and colleague Rathod. Dealing with the entire range of travel formalities such as passport, visa, tickets etc, the vconnect travel services, ensured a complete package for its clients. However Sinojiya decided to focus on holidays after some time. BYOND Journeys was the new venture that the duo launched with its focus on India, Nepal and Bhutan. Meanwhile, VCONNECT Travel and Holidays was devoted to customised international travel. The distribution of tasks has enabled the organisation to provide efficiency of service. Rathod manages VCONNECT while Rishikesh Shah takes care of finance and special interest tours. The twin enterprise emply 20 staffers and they can attend to the needs of around 3,000 clients. The use of softwares for every aspect of operation is a unique feature VCONNECT & BYOND journeys. They employ an enterprise resource planning system that keeps tracks of everything from he beginning of a tour to its completion. This immaculate attention to every details and their ability to plan and organise tours in clockwork fashion has proved to be a great success, both for the organisation and more importantly for the customers. BYOND Journeys offers special interest tours, leisure tours, premium tours, short break tours and getaways. The special interest tours include a road-trip in Ladakh that provide for leisurely sight-seeing. Also on offer are motorcycle rides to Numra valley. A holiday package includes rafting, camping at Pangong lake and more. The Rajasthan holiday package involves bicycle tours, taking in the Aravalli region and lodging at palace hotels and such. The packages for senior citizens cater to their special needs and involve a more easy-going and leisurely schedule. Even children are catered for with visits to recreational spots and centres Leisurely holidays run over from five-10 days and nights. Premium holidays provide5-star facilities and travel. The short trips and getaways cover 20 destinations, that are within easy access to airports. BYOND Journey and VCONNECT offer their customers hassle-free experience by taking care of all the traveller needs from lodging to pick-up facility. What’s more every tour is accompanied by a tour director to ensure that everything runs smoothly and any individual needs or concerns are addressed immediately or efficiently. Happy holidays are the rule at VCONNECT and byond journeys.

From the Horse’s mouth

Ever wondered where thoroughbreds go after retirement? Or why jockeys are weighed before and after a race? Barnalee Handique has the answers Horse racing is an industry. There is a whole community of professionals involved in the enterprise, including jockeys, trainers and track commentators. And like any industry, it has its share of quirks, subtleties and nuances that are not evident to outsiders. We bring you a behind the scenes perspective on the sport of horse racing. Q How do commentators identify jockeys? “Every owner has a colour that is registered in the office. If the owner has two or three horses, then all the jockeys will wear the colour, but the colour of the helmets will be different,” says 57-year-old commentator Deepak Rajpal. The commentators know from the colour who the is. The commentators also use a reference sheet. “From my school days I was interested in cricket commentary,” says Deepak Rajapal. “One day, I visited the racecourse in Bangalore with my father. I was fascinated by the sport, especially the track commentator. I felt it was amazing how the commentator could remember the names of the horses, the owners and jockeys, as well as their numbers. In 1985 I applied for a track commentator’s job in Bangalore, and I got it. In 1987, I came to Pune and racing became an integral part of my life.” Like Rajapal, 55-year-old Mahendra Mallaya is also a track commentator at RWITC, Pune. In 1989, he started his career in Bangalore. He too wanted to be a cricket commentator. One day since it was raining and cricket was called off he and his friends went to the racecourse. Mallaya fell in love with the horses and the art of commentating. He decided he wanted to do it. Mallaya says, “Every race is a challenge; you don’t get a second chance. The Indian Derby is a prestigious race and there are spectators from all around the world, so for me it is a very special occasion.” Q Where do thoroughbreds go after retirement? Thoroughbred horses are very well cared for. But what happens to them after they are too old to race? Some are sold off or even given away. Others are used in the game of polo or show jumping. “Some are sent to riding schools or army riding clubs. Most are sent to Mysore, to an old age home for horses. There they are taken care of till they pass away,” says 45-year-old Jehan Satarawalla. Horses with outstanding track records are sent to stud farms, for their use in breeding. Q How are horses named? Horses are named after their thoroughbred parents. “For instance, Blue Ace was sired by Ace and Blue, the mare. Dancing Phoenix, was sired by Phoenix Star and All Dancing was the mare,” says 55-year-old Munchi Shroff, who owns 17 horses. Jehan Satarwalla who runs Jaws Events says, “A horse was unsold at the auction yard and my friend suggested I take a look at him. I fell in love with him and he was my first horse. My friend Nicole suggested calling him ‘Catalyst’,” reveals Satarwalla. One of his favourite horses is named ‘Lancelot’, as he was sired by Royal Knight and Scenic Royale. So Satarwalla named him after one of the knights from Miguel Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote. Q Why do trainers talk to horses? “Horses are very sensitive, moody and emotional creatures. If one is upset or in pain, you have to talk to him and soothe his nerves,” explains trainer Nina Lalvani. She and Nazak Chenoy are the only female trainers on the Mumbai-Pune circuit. “I am at the tracks at 4 am to train the horses,” says 41-year-old Lalvani. Lalvani joined a riding school when she was six years old. Initially I wanted to become a jockey,” she says. She has 19 horses in her stables at Empress garden. Thirty-one-year-old Nazak trained under her father Bejan Chenoy. “I grew up with horses,” she says, “My father was a well-known trainer in Mumbai. So grooming horses came naturally to me.” Chenoy has 42 horses in her stables. To be a trainer, one has to apprentice under a reputed get are issued a licence by the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC). Q Why is the jockey weighed twice? The jockeys are weighed along with his paraphernalia. “There are two kinds of races — sweepstakes and handicaps. According to the merit of the horse, the handicapper analyses and gives the weight. New jockeys are given allowances up to 4, 3 and 1 kg. “A strong horse can carry more weight, like an extra whip,” explains 31-year-old J Pradeep Jethwa, who has been a jockey since he was 17. A jockey should weigh between 45 and 47 kg. “A weak horse can carry less weight,” he continues. “A jockey is weighed with all his paraphernalia before the race and after the race to detect if he has discarded any gear during the race. If the digits don’t match, he is disqualified.”

Jewellery business with a personal touch

Sarang Lagu, director of jewellery chain Lagu Bandhu, tells us about his passionate business plans After being involved in the running of the business for 16 years, it has now become an integral part of Sarang Lagu’s life. The director of the jewellery chain, Lagu Bandhu, Sarang joined the family business in 1998 when he was only 22 years old. Sarang says, “I always had the vision of taking his family business forward. After completing my MCom, I did a diploma in gemmology and diamonds. These courses helped me understand the intricacies of the business better.” Lagu Bandhu has been a household name for generations. The enterprise specialises in traditional Maharashtrian designs in pearls gold and diamond jewellery. “The gold jewellery business was set up by my grandfather, Sitaram Lagu, in Mumbai, in 1936,” says Lagu. “My father took over the mantle from my grandfather, and I from my father. My cousins and I are the third generation of the Lagus, in this business.” The speciality of the brand has been designs featuring cultured pearls. That’s how the name Lagu Bandhu Motiwale emerged. Now, it is known as Lagu Bandhu, and was set up in Pune, in 1995. After surveying the market here, Lagu realised that Pune was not known as a jewellery hub. City jewellers were churning out mass produced jewellery in gold and silver. That’s when the thought of expanding from cultured pearls into a full scale jewellery business. Today, Lagu Bandhu is known as specialists in studded jewellery made from finest diamonds, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones. It has manufacturing units in Mumbai and Pune. There are four retail stores in Mumbai, two in Pune and one each in Thane, Dombivli and Panaji. They also have an exhibition centre in the US. Their customers in the country and abroad are devoted to the brand. During festive and wedding seasons, the stores are flooded with customers. Lagu, his mother Anjali and wife Neha, attend to each customer personally. “We do our best to make the shopping experience enjoyable so that our customers can pick the jewellery they like,” he says. Readymade jewellery such as bangles, bracelets, rings, necklaces, pendants and earring sets are available in traditional, contemporary and fusion designs. There is also a range of jewellery for working women. The designs are created by their team in Mumbai. Patrons can also order customised jewellery. “Customisation helps us to know exactly what the patron wants. It helps us to understand how to serve the customer better,” says Lagu. It takes between one week and two months to design custom jewellery. He has plans for a couple of stores in the US. Lagu is currently doing a survey of the US market. Also in the pipeline are 20 exhibitions across the US this year. “Customisation helps us to know exactly what the patron wants. It helps us to understand the serve the customer in a better way,” explains Lagu. Once the order is placed it takes about 1 week to 2 months to manufacture the jewellery.