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]

And then, we were in the jungle

Sigh!

While I sigh

You will very soon have a reason to get all chirpy and travel happy

When you come across the great offer at the end of this post

So read on :)

 

Looking in from the deck at Tree House Hideaway

 What do you say or do when a brilliant vacation comes to an end?

 One, you sigh. A lot.

Second, you long to go back. Quite fervently.

And third, you look at the pictures. And then sigh. Again.

I am just glad that atleast I could pass off my looking at pictures again and again as 'work'

For today, I'll share with you

My experience with Pugdundee Safaris

At their gorgeous lodges at Bandhavgarh and Kanha

Warm inviting interiors

The cottage at Kanha Earth Lodge

The good folks at Pugdundee Safaris had invited me to experience their lodges in the forest reserves at Bandhavgarh and Kanha. After a round of efficient communication to and fro with their reservation office in Gurgaon, the logistics and dates were fixed - we arrived at Bandhavgarh's Tree House Hideaway, just a day before the Tiger Reserve opens, after closing down for the monsoon season. A beautifully done up tree cottage, all in wood, with a large deck looking out to the forest, was all that was needed after the night journey. The interiors were all very tastefully done up - local Gond art, tribal masks and furniture made from logs, with the jungle right outside the glass doors. Our next stop was at Pugdundee Safari's Kanha Earth Lodge, where the eco conscious architecture, local building techniques and subtle yet colorful interior styling, made me exclaim with delight at every few steps.

The view while lounging on the bed, at Bandhavgarh Tree House Hideaway

The many handpicked artifacts at Kanha Earth Lodge. I loved the wooden statuette (center above)! 

We did not spot any tigers during our safaris at Bandhavgarh and Kanha, and dubious sources might claim that it was because of my recurrent exclaiming in delight. Kindly don't pay attention to such dubious sources. Tigers are best sighted during March-April and the summers, though within a fortnight of the reserve's opening, tigers become a lot more sociable and circulate around, meeting and greeting and eating. While I was looking forward to saying hello to a tiger or two, given my natural affinity to the feline species, I thoroughly enjoyed the glorious forests. A photographer's delight, these forests are teeming with wild life of all sorts and have such beautiful vistas that you start again. Sighing i.e. Pugdundee Safaris has a handpicked staff, and the safaris and dinner conversations were made all the more interesting because of the resident managers and the naturalists at both properties. They regaled us with stories and anecdotes of the wild, and their passion for the jungle, wildlife, flora and fauna was infectious.

 Snippets from Bandhagarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve. Go there just to experience the jungle, if not the tigers

When we were not bumping around in the open jeeps (which I also drove, quite skillfully, if I may modestly add), we were being served the most delicious food by their courteous staff. Pugdundee Safaris has a Masterchef India finalist on it's Chef's panel, so you can imagine how each meal was an experience in itself. The pleasure of getting back to a luxury accommodation and fine cuisine, after roughing it out in the wild (yes, open jeeps means roughing it out. thank you), was blissful.

Dining at Kanha Earth Lodge, and, dining wares at the local bazaar

And and, how can I forget shopping! Yes, I got the inside scoop on the fabulous old brass utensils on display around the lodges, and found out that they have been sourced from the local weekly bazaar. With the additional information that old silver jewelry could also be found in the bazaar, I enlisted an obliging and uber helpful staff member to take me there; and not only came back with goodies, but also had a lovely time meeting local villagers in their homes.

Pick of brass and kansa old utensils and old tribal silver jewelry

Sigh

Now you know why more than a few sighs are so relevant for this post

Which reminds me

How about that offer that will make you all chirpy and travel happy?

Well, to all readers of An Indian Summer

Pugdundee Safari would like to offer

A Village Walk and a Bush Dinner

At any of their lodges

Free of cost!

Just mention your favorite blog

An Indian Summer

At the time of making the reservation

I cannot recommend Pugdundee Safaris high enough
I am very picky and particular about where I travel and where I stay
And Pugdundee lodges exceeded my expectations

 I am going to go back soon

Hope to meet you there! :)

Coming up tomorrow: More images from the lodges and forests on facebook! Be sure to check. I got to show my vacation pics on facebook, my peeps! It's THE thing to do. Plus the pictures are pretteh. So do go and check, tomorrow :)

On another note: If you own/run a unique property, and would like An Indian Summer to visit you:

a) You lucky bird, you!

b) Write to me! An Indian Summer is not only happy but extremely travel happy!

[All images: Mine. Ok, ours. An Indian Summer's and Bhavna Bhatnagar's. Sheesh. My blog is a bully. Don't mess with him and use the images without credits. Ok?]

A gift from Coppre

Do you feel it?

That vibe

That sparkle

That excitement

That festive spirit

I do

And so does Coppre!

I blogged about Coppre last Diwali, and the lovely team behind Coppre is back on An Indian Summer, with another fabulous giveaway this Diwali. Coppre works with metal craftspeople, bringing dignity, efficiency and a contemporary sensibility to this ancient craft,by linking talented designers to craftspeople. Coppre is supported by INTACH and Forbes Marshall in this intiative.

~ The GiveAway ~

This festive season, Coppre would like to giveaway a beautiful fish platter from their new collection called 'Vintage Inspirations'. Rashmi Ranade, the founder of Coppre and the designer for this series, draws from the influence of a trunkful of antique brass/copper utensils, puja (worship) accessories brought to India by her friend's grandmother, from erstwhile Pakistan during partition and other objects of yore.

This fish platter can be yours, this Diwali! All you need to do:

1. Think of a creative name for this lovely platter. And leave the name as a comment right here on facebook

2. Comment on this post too with the name to double your chances

3. Cross your fingers :)

4. And the result will be announced on Monday, Oct 28th, with the winning name!

[Images: Coppre. Creative storyboarding: An Indian Summer]

P.S: Yes, I am back after a super holiday with Pugdundee Safaris. Like any self respecting vacationer with a camera, I shall share pictures from my holiday, and my experiences with you, tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Call of the wild

After a relatively calm, stay-at-home month of September

I have extended a gleeful welcome to the travel bug

To bite me again!

I just came back from a lovely road trip

And am off again

This time at the invitation of Pugdundee Safaris

To experience their beautiful jungle lodges at Bandhavgarh and Kanha

 

I'll be back with you next week

With stories and pictures, 

Of the wild.

 

Au revoir!

 

 

[Image: An Indian Summer. Clicked by moi on my trip last week]

 

Have you seen these?

I am reviving my tumblr blog again

And thought that you might like to see a glimpse of the room eye candy I share there

These, and lot more of what I like beyond interiors and decor

Right here!

[All images from An Indian Summer Likes. Source links below each image on the blog]

Autumnal Hues

It's October already, my dearest readers. I know, I know...as each month passes in a year, I (and I am sure most of you) get this feeling - Just how quickly days, weeks and months pass! Autumn is my second favorite season, after spring. I love how the light changes, the ever so tender nip in the air, the anticipation for festivals and holidays, the change in wardrobe, and the cozy-ing up of homes. Rugs, throws, quilts, warmer shades of pillows and cushions, the careful selection of woody incense oils rather than the flowery summer ones - Ah! I do like autumn :)

And I do like these lovely rooms and vignettes, to go with my current autumnal mood..

[All pics from this lovely tumblr blog]

I am travelling again and will see you later next week. Take care!

It's 10.10pm in Australia right now

No particular reason for me to share the time, except that today's haul of room eye candy is from Australia! And when you are at a loss of words, you talk about the weather, or check the time. I mean, before smart phones were invented. Now, you just look at your smart phone and check facebook or twitter.  See, how smartly I plugged in An Indian Summer's facebook and twitter links? ;-)

Well, here are some lovely rooms from Insider, the home magazine of the homeware sales site - The Home

And, in the same magazine, I chanced upon the work of interior design Bonnie Masefrau. My favorites...

 

And, it is 10.30pm in Australia now.

I thought you might like to know

Good night to all who are in Australia and that side of the world

Good morning to others

And a happy late afternoon/evening to the rest

We cover all time zones

My blog and I

We do :)

[All images: Insider. Creative storyboarding: An Indian Summer]