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It’s the year of coming of age. interest in the environment and with my wife, Leela, at my side, We, at The Leela, turn 25, and are celebrating this youthfulness have personally supervised the landscaping of each of the group’s with a certain joie di vivre. Reflecting our energy and celebratory hotels, selecting each sapling, planting it in a hand-picked place mood is the absolutely new design and feel of The Leela magazine. systematically, and turning barren and swamp lands into verdant and Change, they say, is the only constant thing. We, at The Leela, lush green zones. have been constantly implementing new changes; be it the opening In our endeavour to take The Leela to yet another level of of new properties, setting new benchmarks in the hospitality industry, innovation, we have embraced modern day technologies. Our adopting international standards in terms of service or drawing from forward-thinking attitude finds itself mirrored in the new look of our inner reserves to reach new milestones. our website (theleela.com). It also reflects in the accolades we Our 25 years is one such landmark. It also marks the launch have received. Robb Report, USA, has just named The Leela Palace of The Leela Palace Chennai. In keeping with the signature look New Delhi amongst the finest hotels around the world in the luxury of all our other hotel properties, The Leela Palace Chennai has hospitality industry. architecture inspired by traditional Chettinad architecture, beautiful As India witnesses a transformation, we, at The Leela, are all set surroundings, and overlooks the lovely Bay of Bengal coastline. to be part of the change, too. I believe that man must restore to nature all the greenery he has CAPTAIN C. P. KRISHNAN NAIR deprived her of, in his mad race for urbanisation, commercialisation CHAIRMAN and what he considers as civilisation. I have always had a keen The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts 2 3 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 T H E L E E L A M A G A Z I N E — M O N S O O N 2 0 1 2 16 12 16 24 30 Eco Effect Indulge Design Gourmet Carefully selected eco-friendly Rishikesh, hamams, exotic Green buildings spruce up the Wellness food brings health and products just for you treatments... take your pick urban landscape goodness back to life 36 42 46 70 Heritage Viewfinder Travel Insider’s Guide Bhau Daji Lad Museum opens up View the beauty of the Western A road trip to north India Dilip Kapur tells you the best spots its space to contemporary art Ghats after the first splash of rain unfolds its myriad charms to hang out in Pondicherry 7 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 T H E L E E L A M A G A Z I N E — M O N S O O N 2 0 1 2 COVER CREDITS The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts. Photograph: Rohit Chawla 52 57 58 THE LEELA Spa Talk Jet Set Go Launch Pad PUBLISHER — Amruda Nair EDITOR-IN-CHIEF — Lakshmi Nair Spa indulgences within the Guerlain’s Laurent Boillot talks Take a sneak peek into the CPROONDTUENCTTI OANND D DIRIESTCRTIOBRU T—IO SNh —ob hPari yPaantekla Paul confines of The Leela about his maiden trip to India The Leela Palace Chennai PRODUCTION — Prakash Bachche MEDIASCOPE PUBLICITAS EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF — Deepali Nandwani 62 64 71 ECDLIIETNOTR S—ER SVuICjaEt aM DAuNgAaGrER — Reshma Malvankar Accolades Events Perspective ART CREATIVE DIRECTOR — Muhammad Jaan Faruqui Awards galore for Celebrating the life Travel writer Fiona Caulfield ART DIRECTOR — Sanjay Rane The Leela Palace New Delhi and times of two legends shares her connect with India SIMEANGIOER E DDEITSOIGRN —ER M —ru Snhaalim Gkuajanrta Mthoire PRODUCTION MANAGER — Elidio Fernandes ADVERTISING SALES MUMBAI (022-22850188 / 61377200) Vice President — Monica Chopra Lamont Dias, Mallika Jamsandekar, Gokul Dharan, Shruti Baghel DELHI (011-23730873/74) — Asha Augustine, Nikhil Mehrotra BANGALORE (080-25592714/82514) — Yogeesha A LUCKNOW (0522-2780560/754) — P P S Marwa PUNE (09850086865) — Shailesh Amonkar KOLKATA (09831131395) — Subrata Mazumder CHENNAI (09841091288) — J V Naveen KERALA (0484-2354867/2381417) — Hari M Das JAIPUR (09828150706) — Peeush Gupta AHMEDABAD (09898002522) — Madan Menon SECUNDERABAD (08978866599) — Sheetal Petkar AD SALES - INTERNATIONAL HONG KONG (+852-2516 1003) — Winky Wong MALAYSIA (+60-3-7729 6923) — Shallie Cheng SINGAPORE (+65 6735 8681) — Joui Ong DUBAI (+9714 3913360) — Sunil Kanchan MARKETING MANAGER MARKETING SERVICES — Salim B. MANAGER — Ritcha Verma ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT SR. MANAGER - ACCOUNTS & ADMIN. “PnTvehtc.ie sLs TsMDaa.r gi(ly“aM zrieSnflPee” i)cs to pnthu bebe loihspahilenf dioo fnb asyn odHf o uLtneedel elLare aoegrla roevfee nmMtSuePnre.t s wE Lditimiht oLitreeiaedll, a (.r“ eOLpepreoinladi”ou)nc sati noednx p porerf osadsreutidcc elhedes rbaeynin dM a aeredd vioaefsr tcthiosepin Aeg u Petuhnboqrluisci riatienassd s(dIhono dnuioald)t —ACDCRE LCEGHDOirIIU TiAsN hCST SOSSTNh .E aTMXrRmAEOCNaLUALTGEIREV RE— —- AG CAirCsishOhwU JiNnoT sMSh ai&k AwDaMnaIN. be addressed to The Leela Magazine, Mediascope Publicitas (India) Private Ltd, 51 Doli Chamber, Arthur Bunder Road, — Raj Bhushan Singh Colaba, Mumbai 400 005, India. Email: [email protected] Material in this publication may not be reproduced, whether in part or in whole, without the consent of the publisher. Leela CORPORATE or MSP do not assume any responsibility or endorse any claim made by the advertiser herein” CEO & MANAGING DIRECTOR — Marzban Patel Printed at Parksons Graphics, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400053. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR — Anita Patel CFO — Manish Mehta This magazine is printed on environment-friendly, wood-free paper. COO — Indu Joshi 9 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 Slug Here 36 37 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 ECO EFFECT Presidents Tea Invigorate your senses with the soothing aroma of the Presidents Tea. A rare blend and limited edition tea, it is made from one of the purest and superior quality Darjeeling tea. Selected from the best gardens of Darjeeling by tea experts of the Aap Ki Pasand Tea Company, it is also known as real first flush tea and has a fresh character and a flowery bouquet. The tea, which costs `16,000 per kg, is available in a 100gms black velvet bag with zardozi embroidery. TO BUY, VISIT: Sterling House, 15 Netaji Subhash Marg, Daryaganj, Nature’s own New Delhi, Contact: 91 11 2326 0373, 2325 9373 or 2328 7775. aapkipasandtea.com Forest Essentials Pamper your skin with soft and creamy luxury butter soaps from Forest Some thoughtful, eco-friendly products Essentials. Made from highly organic and 100 per cent natural sources, such that say ‘we care’. as fresh cow’s milk infused with saffron and organic honey, vetiver with cold pressed oils and Ayurvedic herbs, these BY ANKIT GUPTA soaps will leave you with a smooth, satin-scented skin. They cost `395 for a 125 gram pack. TO BUY, VISIT: 4/1, Lavelle Junction Building, Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore, Contact: 91 80 4211 0481; Express Avenue Mall, S-11 (GF), Whites Road, Chennai, Contact: 91 44 2846 4136; 11, Foreshore Apartments, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai, Contact: 91 22 6522 4480. forestessentialsindia.com Lecoanet Hemant Allow your skin to breathe in Delhi-based designer duo Lecoanet Hemant’s Ayurganic, a wellness and fashion collection for men and women. Their range of clothing is free of synthetic chemicals and toxic irritants. It stimulates the body to release negative toxins, thereby enhancing metabolism. Price available on request. TO BUY, VISIT: The Gallery, 13 M.G. Road, New Delhi, Contact: 91 11 4680 2289. lhcares.com 12 13 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 ECO EFFECT White Champa Feel at ease in the 7/8 length trousers made in a stretch cotton poplin from White Champa. A convenient back slit at the hem, drawstring waist and pleating at the knee-level ensures you’re comfortable in every yogic posture. Complement this with a little wrap jacket made of pure cotton and embellished with delicate hand embroidery. Check out the Lladró Babul Yoga Trousers with Imli Wrap Lladró’s latest offering is an Arion on Jacket and Amla Top (seen in the a Sea Horse, an impressive sculpture, picture). Price available on request. inspired by the work of the French Bespoke services are also provided by painter, William Adolphe Bouguereau. the brand. Lladró porcelain figurines add an TO BUY, VISIT: White Champa, 125B, element of grace and elegance to any Shahpur Jat, New Delhi, home. Each such limited edition (only Contact: 91 11 4102 3460. 500 pieces) piece costs `12,70,000. facebook.com/whitechampa TO BUY, VISIT: Lladró, Atria Millennium Mall, Worli, Mumbai, Contact: 91 22 2481 3341/ 42; 270/2 TTK Road, Haathi Chaap Chennai, Contact: 91 44 4312 9440/ 43; Choose from a range of organic, recycled Select Citywalk Mall, G-08B, New Delhi, and environment-friendly bags, photo Contact: 91 11 4186 4400 / 11; frames, photo albums, notebooks and other UB City, Bangalore, stationery items from Haathi Chaap. Made Contact: 91 80 4098 5215/ 16. of elephant poo and dyed in bright colours, lladro.com you can buy these quirky products and do your bit for the environment. Souvenirs like a BlackBerry® Porsche bookmark or a set of coasters (seen in the picture) cost `75 for a set of four. Design P’9981 TO BUY, VISIT: Design Studio, Shop No.1, The smartphone is designed for those Mansarovar Bldg, New Delhi, Contact: 91 11 want to give their power – style. The 4161 8630; Tappu Ki Dukaan, 27A, Kermani BlackBerry® Porsche Design P’9981 Building, Sir PM Road, Fort, Mumbai, has a forged stainless steel frame, Contact: 91 22 2204 3716. an exclusive Porsche Design UI and elephantpoopaper.com a bespoke Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app experience. A sculpted QWERTY keyboard and a L’Occitane crystal clear touch display further add to L’Occitane en Provence’s new Immortelle its appeal. Price available on request. Brightening Collection combines the TO BUY, VISIT: The BlackBerry Premium power of flowers like Bellis perennis, and BlackBerry Exclusive stores in India. l’Immortelle from Corsica and the SMS ‘Porsche’ to 575758. Garden Nasturtium to impart a in.blackberry.com/P9981 youthful glow to the skin. The brightening moisture cream (seen in the picture) costs `3,290 and the brightening water is priced at `1,475. TO BUY, VISIT: DLF Promenade Mall, Shop no. 130 A, ground floor, New Delhi, Contact: 91 11 4104 2450; Palladium Mall, F-9B, 1st floor, Phoenix Mills Compound, Mumbai, Contact: 91 22 4004 3884. loccitane.com 14 15 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012 THE LEELA MAGAZINE – MONSOON 2012