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From
network to networth One for
the house PACESETTER Atul
Pratap Singh
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From network to networth In
the current times when every aspect of our lives is being techno-touched, the inherent need of people to connect and engage with others has likewise taken a tech incarnation too. The internet and cell phones have been the prime facilitators in making this transformation happen. Though social media sites are often abhorred by some as a major source of distraction among youngsters, no one can deny the power that these sites grant to people who have learnt to tame them for their benefit.
Advantages of using social media
Extensive reach An online social networking site is a place where users can easily create their profiles and start sharing their views, pictures, videos and much more with a selected set of other users. It is amazing to see how an activity which started as an amateur project has matured remarkably to become a global phenomenon with millions of users interacting through these sites. These channels have successfully cut across all boundaries of geography, religion, culture, language, race or faith. The trick is to pick the right sites that meets one’s needs and fancies. If you want to get connected to others through your professional skills only — LinkedIn is the answer. If you are a photographer and want to share your photos with other co-photographers and want to see their creations — hop on to flickr, tumblr or 500px. If you are a book lover — head on to GoodReads, LibraryThings. For general networking, sharing, staying in touch — Facebook, Twitter, Google+ are some of the good stops. It is amazing how these sites have been able to generate a community feeling among like-minded people, immaterial of their geographical locations. Business in front Chirag Yadav, the brain behind Chaipatty (a favourite tea spot come activity hub in Bangalore), feels, “People need to understand the power of social media sites first. These sites give the users a safe place to informally put the thoughts and essence of what one plans to do. Focus should be on how to use social media intelligently. The key is to strike a right balance to stay in the memories of users while not overdoing it.” He further shares that he would credit his social presence for almost 10-20 per cent of his overall revenue generation. Shashank Shekhar, a co-owner of a fledgling company Antezen feels, “The main pull of social networking sites is that your satisfied customers can become a free and an effective marketing channel for the company. Everybody knows word-of-mouth referrals is the most effective (in terms of conversion rates) marketing channel. Social media sites allow you to bring scale to this channel which otherwise would not have been possible. Secondly, it allows a company to be in touch with their customers, which is beneficial in a couple of ways: One, they get more feedback about their existing product and that helps them make the product better and two, they can utilise the social media sites to even engineer more effective futuristic products.’ Ravi Venugopal, an author and an entrepreneur says, “Social media has given us a vast audience in the form of potential customers and a way to make it viral across geographies. Personal and organisational brand credibility can be gained as there is an active engagement with our audience. One of the most important uses I have had is to find referral contacts for much of my work. Social media for us, is the future of business and communication.” Rekha and Maya, founders of Earthy Hues — a small entrepreneurship, rely heavily on word-of-mouth publicity. “A page on Facebook by the same name has helped us create visibility in the social media. Around 40 per cent of our total sales is through Facebook, these include bulk and retail sales,” they share. An accomplished photographer and a creative person shares, “Sites like Facebook, tumblr, flickr etc. offer a great platform to showcase your work out there. Getting an instant feedback from your readers is extremely exhilarating.” The benefits are not limited to individual setups or small-scale enterprises only. Companies like Amway are making use of social media as an integral part of their business model and their success story is for everybody to see. A study shows that as many as 90 per cent of the top 100 fortune companies are using at least one social media profile to engage with their customers. Business blogs are becoming highly prominent low-cost means to maintain web presence. Many companies are sharing their philosophy, building web traffic and connecting with existing and potential customers through blogs now. Business at the back Social media works in a unique way. We, as end users, see only one side of the social media sites. There are many companies which actually use the data that we provide through the same sites. The status messages, comments, uploads, likes and preferences that are posted on the sites are eventually sliced, diced and then sold to companies working in the sectors of product and service industry. They use the information to plan and position their future products or services in compliance with users’ preferences and demands. In light of this, the true definition of users for social media channels keeps changing depending on who is using which part of the media sites and for which purpose. The users could be an individual end user, the marketing department of a company, people working for social media channels and so on. Social awareness Spreading social awareness is another constructive trend that is tapping the potential of far and wide reach of social networking sites. A worth mentioning example is CSAA (Child Sexual Abuse Awareness). It began as a small initiative by a group of bloggers and has now become an annual affair. The month of April is declared as a CSAA month. During this month, people proactively share educational links, encouraging stories, incidents, safety measures against the menace of child sexual abuse on sites like Facebook. Recently, the cause of rehabilitating the family of 5-year old girl, who was brutally abused in Delhi, was also taken up by philanthropists on these channels and many people joined in that drive. Undoubtedly, social networking is a powerful medium and can work wonders in forming progressive mass movements when it comes to many social subjects. Though online world has its own set of challenges in the form of copyright violations, trolls and hackers; social networking has taken a regal entry on the timeline of human development. This concept is only going to get more intelligent and refined with time.
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One for the house A beautiful house without a bar is like a pretty woman in boring clothes. Though he displayed his liquor bottles and stemware on a sideboard but that wasn’t the same as having a home bar. The blank corner of the drawing room was inviting enough for him to start thinking. He called in an interior designer who showed him a coffee table book displaying various designs for bars. Each one a standout piece of craftsmanship — some brassy and dazzling, others woody and subtle. “A bar in the drawing room should be subtle and sophisticated,” explained the designer. “It should draw attention for its delicate style and not for its garishness. It should give a “homely” feeling where the host and guests can truly enjoy and relax.” Conversation piece Like Sidharth, a number of people are seeking the help of specialists to liven up their drawing rooms with a home bar that not just reflects class but also becomes an instant conversation piece. According to designers, the first thing to decide is the kind of home bar that suits your style. There are the elaborate ones that replicate hotel bars complete with a wash basin, a refrigerator and a wine cooler. Apart from a display of fine liquor bottles, such a bar would also have heirloom decanters, glasses, cocktail shakers, storage cabinets, and even some funky lights. But such bars are generally not very suitable for the house as these are usually big, and too commercially detailed for aesthetics. Says interior designer Jose Menon, “A home bar should be elegant and enhance the décor of the drawing room. Invest in basic equipment, stock up on essential liquors, and you can have a spread that will impress your friends and family.” Types of home bars There are several types of home bars to suit all tastes and styles. The simplest one is a rolling cart that can be placed or rolled to any part of the drawing room. It holds a few bottles of liquor, some cocktail glasses and an ice bucket. Then, there is the stationary bar with a flat serving area where the host or bartender stands on one side while the guests stand on the other. It is around three feet high and has drawers and space for bottles. It can be designed like a sideboard or come in a semi-circular shape. There are home bars with backs mounted on the wall fitted with a mirror and a decorative shelf for the display of bottles and stemware. Some are simple but elegant bars with their back to the wall. These serve as storage shelves with a working area on top. The 1920s liquor cabinets, too, are back in vogue in a big way and now come in various shapes and sizes complete with bar stools and built-in fridge or chiller. And finally, there are the huge trunk bars or folding bars, which can be closed like a trunk when not in use. Essential liquors Once you have selected the style you want, the next essential part is the liquor and there are some must-haves here. Apart from the versatile variations of basic whiskey, vodka, rum and gin, you must show your style with a single malt, a classy bourbon and a bottle each of red and white wines. If you are expecting more wine drinkers, keep a variety of wines and champagnes. If you like cocktails, you must also have tequila, cointreau, vermouth and sweet brandy. Glass & stemware The next important part of the bar is the stemware and glasses. Glasses do matter when it comes to wine. You must stock your bar with tulip glasses, flute glasses, martini glasses and a host of others that are suited for different kinds of liquors, wines and cocktails. These glasses bring out the best qualities in drinks. Remember to offer your guests their choice of drink in the right glass shows your knowledge and panache. Wine essentials When you stock up wine, can accessories be far behind? That’s because the true flavour of fine wine will froth over only if it is served in style. And that is possible with special accessories like a good quality corkscrew to open wine, a foil cutter, drip collar, aerator, pourer, decanter, cork trivet kit, bottle stoppers, bottle tags and the two most vital accessories — a wine rack and a wine chiller. Other bar accessories Once you have your liquor, glassware and wine essentials in place, you would still need many more accessories for a complete bar. For one, you would require a good shaker for cocktails, an ice bucket and a steady supply of tonic water, sodas, colas and a variety of juices to make drinks like bloody mary and cocktails like Singapore sling, screwdriver and mai tai. When you have all essential stuff in place, you will finally have a home bar that will be warm and inviting and associate you with style panache and
sophistication.
Globe bar A very popular western design for a home bar, this 16th century Italian globe bar with designs of nautical maps from the National Museum of Science, Florence, it opens up from the middle to show hand-painted interiors, which have secure places for bottles and glasses. Price: Starts from
Rs 10,500
Wine rack For wine lovers, there can be nothing more pleasing to the eye than a display of their collection of wines of different vintages. Wine racks come in different shapes and sizes. However, these two wine rack ideas go to prove that simplicity has its own appeal and attractiveness. Price: around
Rs 5,000
Retro Champage cooler Though there are modern-day chillers that do the job but a good, old-fashioned way of chilling Champagne and wine is both romantic and harks back to the unhurried pace of life in the heady 1950s. Add some retro charm to your bar with a fine quality crushed ice cooler. Price:
Rs 4,000 onwards
Classic home bar The classic home bar style has never gone out of fashion ever since it first made its appearance at the turn of the last century. Over a century later, it is one of the most preferred styles and clocks brisk sales. Besides looking great, it has ample space for bottles, glasses and other bar accessories. Price:
Rs 15,000 onwards
Wine chiller Wines are known to develop
their full flavour when these are at the right temperature for drinking. One of the most important and stylish bar accessories for people who love their bubbly is the wine chiller, which is essential to maintain the right temperature of wine bottles. Price: between
Rs 20,000 and Rs 100,000
Home bar essentials Apart from a well-stocked bar, you would require the basic tools that show your style. Consider gadgets like a jigger for measurements, a cocktail shaker and mixing glass for shaking and stirring, corkscrew, strainer, channel, reamer, bar spoon, knife, jigger and a muddler for crushing. Price: Rs 2,000 onwards
A very attractive bar, it comes in the shape of a foldable trunk with a wine rack, and ample space for bottles and stemware. There’s a workstation to make drinks, mix cocktails and lace the ice bucket and mixers and shakers. It can be folded and locked when not in use. Price:
Rs 25,000 onwards
Festive spirits Price:
Rs 2,500 onwards
Basic home bar The design of a basic home bar can be quite eye-catching if it is done with a bit of imagination. It can be straight, semi-circular with space for wine and other liquor and glasses and stemware. The top can Price:
Rs 12,000 onwards
Back to the wall bar Though this is a simple design for a bar but the end result is stunning. The elegant bar that is pushed back to the wall has ample space for bottles, glasses and other paraphernalia. It is not just a bar but also a decorative piece of furniture that enhances the look of the drawing room. Price:
Rs 8,000 onwards
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PACESETTER Atul Pratap Singh When Atul Pratap Singh decided to become a wedding photographer from a hotel management trainee, it was a leap of faith Mriganka Dadwal Atul Pratap
Singh, a much-in-demand wedding photographer, gets around 3,000 queries annually. He shoots not more than 18-20 weddings a year. Who could have predicted that the young hotel management trainee waiting tables at the Olive Bar and Kitchen in Delhi would one day be capturing the most lavish weddings, not just in India but offshore as well. He remembers he had “borrowed money from five people” to buy his first camera. From regal palace weddings to exuberant beach weddings, Singh has captured them all. His travel diary is dotted with destination weddings at Bali, Dubai, Thailand, Udaipur, Goa, Kerala, Coorg — sounds almost like a never-ending holiday. Says Atul. “One has to be quick on the feet and mentally. You have to promptly anticipate the next snapshot as the moment will be lost in a blink.” He aska a lot of questions from his clients. Who would be wearing what. Not just the bride and the groom but people close to them as well? What are the ambience colours going to be like? What will be the predominant element in the décor theme? Initially, the clients get edgy when he asks so many questions but this homework pays off. His signature style, he says, is “very simple, beautiful, journalistic pictures”. The ambience is grand so he keeps his pictures simple and captures emotions. Says Atul, “I shoot the wedding as an insider, not an outsider. I always shoot from the bride's perspective. I just observe and become a part of the celebration. I observe the look in the bride's eye, the pride in the eye's of her mother. There is no hurry to click. When I start clicking them, they don't even look into the lens.” He believes good photography is not about having the best camera or the perfect lens; it is about finding that comfort level with your clients. All his projects came through word-of-mouth publicity. As he explains, “My pictures are all about love, joy and vibrancy. When asked about his favourite amongst weddings, he says it was the royal wedding of the heir of Chanod Palace. The regalia, the persona of the guests apart, he can't forget how much respect he got from those people. It sounds like a dream-come-true when he explains that people of seven villages had collected to welcome the royal couple. “They were showering flowers at the royal convoy and I loved every minute of it.” Commercial photographer Sanjay Ramchandra taught him all about camera and lighting. His ancestral house in Bijnaur, UP, made of Lahauri red bricks, was aesthetic and beauty always inspired him. He sums up, “I knew I could not be a poet or a painter. I had to be a photographer.”
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Bling it on
It was created at a time when robots were found in the fantasy world of science fiction writers. Built in 1957, by Dr. Ing Fiorito, an aeromodeller from Turin, Italy, the Cygan Robot is an imposing eight-feet tall and weighs over 450 kilogrammes. Though incapacitated now, in its prime it could cover ten feet in a minute, walking forwards or backwards and also responding to some basic voice commands. Now auction house Christie’s has dusted out the robot which is among the 150 items in the ‘Out of the Ordinary’ auction that starts August 5, 2013. If you are a science and technology aficionado, make a bid for this ‘out of the world’ retro robot. price: Expected to fetch between
Rs 4.95 lakh & Rs 6.60 lakh ($9,000 & $12,000)
TAKE TO THE SKIES So, when was the last time you took off in your car? The answer is ‘Never’! You drive a car, not ‘take off’ in it. But now you may be able to do just that in the near future. Spanish aeronautical
price:
Yet to be announced
Over the years, the collaboration between Italian fashion house Versace and American homeware brand Rosenthal has resulted in extravagant collection of vases, bowls, candleholders and other stunning decoratives. The latest is the Nymph collection, which is an exclusive, limited edition range of three vases. Etched in gold, the vases have the classic Versace Greek border pattern accentuating the shine of their white porcelain bodies. The upper half of these vases is finished with bright gold. If you like exclusive collectibles, you better hurry. Only 99 copies of each vase are available worldwide with a stamp of Versace and Rosenthal. price:
Between Rs 39,050
and Rs 84,700 ($710 to $1,540)
THESE SHOES ARE MADE FOR DRIVING price:
Rs 25,025 ($455)
POWER NAP PAD price:
Rs 8.80 lakh ($16,000)
Christian Dior never fails to impress with its bags and totes. Its new Le Trente Drawstring Bag is a head-turner. It is slouchy, it is ruffly and it has chain handles with a magnetic snap top. The lambskin is hand-piped to reproduce Dior's iconic cannage-stitched handbag in soft purple patent leather. It has silver hardware and is super soft and touchable. It’s roomy enough to hold a girl's daily essentials, yet folds and drapes to elegant proportions on the arm. Truly feminine with an urban attitude. A must-have bag for the modern diva. price:
Rs 1.50 lakh
Over the years, Ralph Lauren has come to signify luxury, exquisiteness, styling and tradition. All this is reflected in its new RL 867 Diamond timepiece named after the company’s historic store at 867 Madison Avenue, in New York. Depicting the elegance of the 1920s, it is studded with baguette- and round-cut diamonds which are carried on halfway down the superb black suede strapping and all along the 18-carat gold clasps. The dial further shows an opaline appearance and includes black Arabic and Roman numerals. If you like the bling from the eclectic Art Deco era then this rock-encrusted timepiece is just for you. price:
Upon request
WATCH THAT DOESN’T TELL THE TIME The Swiss company MB&F is known to make some of the most luxurious time pieces which many watch aficionados call the “kinetic sculptures of time.” Such is the quality of its watches price:
Rs 7,24,625 ($13,175)
DRIVE TO THE PAST Is it a Dinky Car? Is it a table decoration? No, it’s a external hard drive. The DeLorean external hard by American company Flash Rods is a 1:18 replica of the iconic DeLorean time machine automobile from the Hollywood superhit trilogy Back to the Future. Packed inside the chassis of this car is a 500GB Seagate hard drive with a high-speed, USB 2.0 connectivity. The shell is made from stainless steel and the doors and hood swing open for realism. When you buy this car, you will not just be taking home an external hard drive but will own a part Hollywood history. price:
Rs 18,700 onwards ($340)
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I
When
Atul Pratap Singh decided to become a wedding photographer from a
hotel management trainee, it was a leap of faith
Besides being a platform for keeping people connected, the medium is being used by many to give a fillip to their careers and businesses. Autonomous writers, artists, cooks, bakers, musicians, dress designers, potters, or owner of any sort of worthwhile content can upload, share, exhibit, advertise and sell their skills online. Users and buyers are equally getting benefited as they can easily access, get the feedback of other users and eventually take an informed decision of making the purchase at the click of a button. Who does not know what live-action YouTube video on the Shiva Trilogy did for Amish Tripathi? 
T
Foldable trunk bar
A bar signifies celebration and good times. Stock it up with spirits that are associated with festivity. The first one that comes to the mind is a bottle of Champagne, besides
white, red and sparkling wine. Be sure to have a knowledge of terms like aging, aroma, in-mouth sensation and aftertaste of the bubbly.
be made of marble and can be used as the working area.
ROBOT WITH A PAST
designer Hector del Amo has created the Zero helicopter that could be the personal transportation system for the future. Though the flying car is near its completion stage, the simplicity and compact look of the Zero Helicopter is simply amazing. And best of all, one doesn’t need any complicated skills to take off and land. Though still in the prototype stage, the designer is determined to make it a reality in around an year’s time.
VASES OF DESIRE
When two luxury companies come together, the result can be magic. This is exactly what happened when Prada collaborated with Lamborghini for its 50th Anniversary and came up with the exclusive Car Shoe Moccasin Collection. The shoes are made entirely by hand in Italy with "Toro" calf leather and have a rubber-studded outsole for added grip when putting the pedal to the floor. They have a metal medallion on the heel showing the iconic Lamborghini logo. The shoes come in orange, blue or black — all reminiscent of classic Lamborghini tones. And like all things exclusive, they are in a limited edition.
Research by NASA shows that a short 20-minute power nap improves concentration by 34 per cent. If you subscribe to that research, then this Nap Pod marketed by the online retailer Hammacher Schlemmacher is just what the doctor ordered. The pod's contoured, cushioned bed provides optimal ergonomics for napping by elevating feet, relaxing the lower back and slightly bending the knees, all of which promote blood circulation. Its spherical dome provides privacy. The controls at the armrest have a built-in timer set to a pre-programmed 20-minute nap, but can be set to any preferred nap time. Soothing music plays through the built-in 200-watt Bose speakers to eliminate surrounding distractions. The pod gently wakes nappers with a slowly brightening light and vibration, minimising grogginess and guaranteeing a real power nap. 
BAG FOR THE GIRL ON THE GO
FORTUNE ON YOUR WRIST
that it is hard to say which is better than the other. But its recently released MusicMachine box-style desk piece is in a class of its own. Simply because it does everything except tell the time! Produced in partnership with Reuge, the renowned Swiss music box company, the MusicMachine isn't a watch but looks more like a space ship which belts out high-quality music. Limited to only 66 pieces, the collection sold out the day it hit the markets early in May.