We party on!

Friends and clients joined in the fun at our anniversary party at The Chancery Pavilion on December 12.

Yes, there were speeches & presentations – short & sweet – we had to thank so many clients & associates.

Supriya Hoskeri introduces Charles Neil

Guests also got a preview of the Best of Bangalore, our joint venture with Global Village Publishing.

There was music of all hues – serenaders from
Southfire welcomed guests at the entrance.

Ram Nagaraj’s soulful Bollywood numbers got the mood going.

Then it was time to hit the dance floor to swing along with Prithvi & Ree and rock to DJ Praful’s retro hits.

Spirits were high, and a feast was
spread out to fuel the party.

We’ll let the pictures fill you in on the rest!

Pritham Basappa, Natrajan and Allen Mendonca

Sandhya Mendonca, Gitanjali Kirloskar and Jimmy Amrolia

Ritu Mallya with Sandhya Mendonca

Daman Bhatia, Nafees Fazal and Baldev Bhatia

Satya, Dr. Isaac Mathai, Suja Mathai and Manjul Gupta

Sandhya and Allen Mendonca with Dr. Ebenezer







Mahpara Ali, Dominic D'souza and N D Uthappa

Sandhya and Allen Mendonca

We are 4 !

We turned four on December 11, and the fun and games started off with Lalitha, Allen & Sandhya cutting a cake. Making the occasion all the more special were our partners from Global Village Publishing Lisa Durante and Charles Neil who flew in from Dubai to celebrate with us.

Serene Sri Lanka

Want a LUXE HOLIDAY in Sri Lanka? We reveal all - upscale resorts, mist-crowned cascades and colonial villas in the November issue of 080. www.080mag.com

Of Bangalore and Bacchus

Serviced apartments are HOME AWAY FROM HOME, we found, for Bangalore’s growing number of expats. In October’s issue of Exotica, available in premier hotels and newsstands.

Also in Exotica, an intoxicating tour of Bangalore’s vineyards and tete-a-tete with vintners Kapil Grover and Mandala Valley’s Ramesh Rao.

Tips for Bankers

Allen Mendonca, Director, Raintree Media addressed the Public Relations Council of India’s seminar on PR & Communication for Banks, on September 21. A veteran media person, Allen discussed the seamless interface between the branches of the media, and offered workable solutions to help banks get their message across in the rapidly changing contemporary market.

Best of Nigeria launched

The 'Best of' series casts its net wider with the launch of 'The Best of Nigeria'.

Best of Bangalore

A Raintree Media publishing initiative

Brisk sales of ads and advertorials for the Best of Bangalore are keeping us happily busy. Premier companies are vying for prime positions in this prestigious international publication.

The Best of Bangalore is a joint venture between the international publishing chain Global Village Partnerships Ltd (GVP) and Raintree Media.

Mr. Vijay Rekhi, President of UB Spirits looking at the 'Best of' books display

The Best of Bangalore will showcase the icons that shape India’s city of the future to an international community. Some of the companies that have already signed up to be featured in these luxe pages are Ganjam Jewellers, State Bank of India, Angsana Resort & Spa, the Prestige Man Store, The Forum Mall, Sri Sathya Sai, Prestige Constructions, Brigade Group, and many more…..

KV Rao, Citigroup, and Divya Rao discussing the 'Best of' book

Green homes

Want to be an eco-friendly homeowner? We found out how. In Exotica, Aug 2007 - available in premier hotels and news-stands in India.

Taking the exotic route

We travelled all the way to Kanadukathan in Tamil Nadu to visit a truly awesome homestay- Chettinad Mansion.

In Exotica, Aug 2007 - available in premier hotels and news-stands in India.

From the media’s canvas

Shapes and Harmony in the news

Raintree Media’s art and music showcase ‘Shapes and Harmony’ caught the media’s lens, featuring prominently in both print and TV. Headlines Today traced how Dr. Guido’s profession as a plastic surgeon influences his flawless and colourful depictions of the human form, and TV 9 covered the myriad facets of the show, from the paintings and music to the glitterati who attended the event.

Telecast Dates

Headlines Today: Aug 21 & 22

TV 9: Aug 20

Here’s what Bangalore’s leading English dailies had to say:

Deccan Herald Metro Life
August 23, 2007
Colours of art and music

“Raintree Media previewed an art show by three artists and launched a music album at The Park on Monday…Rohini Nilekani launched the album of songs by Ram Nagaraj, commending his talent.”
- Perin Ilavia

Bangalore Mirror
August 28, 2007
Artists Unite

“How often do you see a painter, plastic surgeon, animal lover and singer rub shoulders with each other? Shapes and Harmony, a celebration of art and music, brought them together”
- Vaishalli Chandra

Deccan Herald
August 28, 2007
Random trio

“Soumya Manjunath Chavan’s works are technically consummate and well composed.”
- Marta Jakimowicz

Indian Express
August 27, 2007
Painting ideas

“The paintings showcased the diverse moods of their (the painters’) artistic skills.”
- Yamini P.

Bangalore Times
August 30, 2007
All about music and colour

"...a hit with the arty cognoscenti."

A photo of the event was carried in the Times of India on Aug 20, 2007.

Celebration of Song and Colour

Shapes & Harmony: A Raintree Media Showcase

Celebration of Song and Colour

Raintree Media’s foray into the transcendent world of music and art was the centrepiece of ‘Shapes and Harmony’ at The Park hotel in Bangalore on Aug 19.

The evening celebrated the launch of ‘Ishq ki Lehren’, the golden voiced Ram Nagaraj’s album of romantic Hindi songs by Rohini Nilekani, the Chairperson of Arghyam, Akshara Foundation and Pratham Books. Celebrating the colours of passion was a display of striking paintings of Dr. Norman Guido, Soumya Manjunath Chavan and Kalyan Rathore.

Lemuel Herbert, General Manager of The Park hotel, which has been rated among the 101 best hotels in the world by Tatler magazine’s Travel Guide, played host to the elegant soiree. Sandhya Mendonca, Managing Director of Raintree Media, announced the launch of an international publishing initiative with Global Village Product, the Best of Bangalore.

Nilekani, who’s been a fan of Ram’s for over a decade now, said, “Music is said to bring people together, and this has certainly been true in our case, for it is Ram’s music that has bound our friendship.”

Bangalore’s cognoscenti added glitter to the evening: Mrs. Ritu Mallya, Mr and Mrs. Vijay Rekhi (President & Managing Director of United Spirits Limited), Capt. Gopinath (Managing Director, Air Deccan), Sanchita Ajjampur (fashion designer) and Ramesh Rao (ad honcho and vintner of Mandala Valley wines). The art fraternity of Milind Nayak, Gurudas Shenoy and Chippy Gangjee enjoyed the songs Ram sang from his album while taking in the sweep of myriad colours and interpretations of the paintings.

Dr. Guido, a plastic surgeon, celebrates the grace of the human form in his paintings; Kalyan Rathore, an industrial designer, pays homage to the majesty and spirit of the bull; Dr. Soumya Manjunath Chavan, professional artist, explores the dimensions and meaning of vibrant squares.

The paintings are on show at 100 ft Restaurant, Indiranagar from Aug 22 to 31.

Royal Mist Vikram Phadnis DemiGods Collection

A Raintree Media PR initiative in Bangalore, Delhi & Chandigarh

Royal Mist DemiGods Unveiled

A display of avant garde male fashion and high energy marked The Royal Mist DemiGods fashion show on August 3 at the Grand Ashok in Bangalore. Led by the suave Rajneesh Duggal, six handsome young men showcased twenty four vivid pieces of the designer collection, specially created by Bollywood’s fave designer Vikram Phadnis for Royal Mist Luxury Whisky.

Part of a six city fashion tour, the fabulous Royal Mist DemiGods 2007 Collection was a crisp four sequence display of clothes fashioned expressly for the new age Indian man. Talking about the collection, Mr.Laxmi Narasimhan, Divisional Vice President, Southern Region, USL, said, “We find a remarkable synergy of style and quality between Royal Mist and Vikram Phadnis’ designs. Both appeal to the fashion & style conscious, youthful Indian male. We mirror the same values and are happy to associate with this successful young designer”.

Describing his collection, Vikram Phadnis said, “The Royal Mist man is my ideal customer – young, trendy and confident”. The palette of vibrant colours was eye-catching through the various ranges - from dexterously tailored formal jackets to a quirky and elegant take on the pyjama, as Vikram Phadnis’ DemiGods Collection for Royal Mist captured the essence of the Royal Mist man, both at work and play.

The designer’s Bollywood connection shone through, with striking embellishments on cool cottons and linens and light suedes. Jackets flaunted bright checks, stripes in earthern hues, classic black with a touch of embroidered drama, teamed with black pants and pjyamas in brilliant turquoise and tan.

Adding to the cheers of the receptive audience was fashion guru Prasad Bidapa, who sportingly stepped on stage for a peppy Q&A session with Phadnis. Bidapa exclaimed that the outfits were perfectly suited to the Bangalore weather. Phadnis said, “Bangalore is where my family lives, so this is home”.

There was more good news for the audience when Vikram Phadnis announced that he was soon going to open a store in Bangalore. “There’s a huge demand, and I’m going to provide the supply,” he said, gladdening the hearts of the city’s fashionistas.

Highlights of the Royal Mist DemiGods collection by Vikram Phadnis

Collection 1 Cream linen blazers with large motifs screen printed or block printed on the back, with classic blue jeans.
Collection 2 Assorted jackets, sherwanis, shirts, kurtas, and cocktail wear in black, with muted embroidery.
Collection 3 Shirts, blazers and waistcoats in bright, festive colours teamed with superbly tailored pyjamas.

Collection 4 Tweed jackets with funky inners and jeans.


The tour kicked off in Mumbai on July 25 at the Mumbai Time Café Lounge, and travelled through the most happening nightspots in the country in Delhi (Elevate), Chandigarh (Antidote) and Hyderabad (f bar) before coming to Bangalore (Sutra), and will now move on to Kolkata (Tantra).

From the stable of United Spirits Limited of the UB Group, Royal Mist Luxury Whisky is a uniquely crafted blend made from 100 percent pure, premium grain, selected Indian malt and Scotch spirit of outstanding quality. Deep gold in colour, the taste of Royal Mist is exceptionally smooth and lighter on the body and nose and comes in an extravagantly styled bottle.

High on music and mixology

a Raintree Media Event & PR Initiative

Bangalore’s latest happening lounge Madira opened with a resounding crescendo as the brand new band KARMA6 made its debut to rave reviews on June 30, 2007.

Music and mixology sure does make a heady combination, going by the high praise lavished by Bangalore’s glitterati after the powerhouse performance.

Mentored by star music composer Sandeep Chowta, Karma6 is an assembly of Bangalore’s finest musical talents. Chowta endured a 5-hour-long wait inside the plane on the tarmac of Mumbai airport to reach Bangalore just in time to introduce his band, which has Alwyn Fernandes and Tony Das on guitars, K.N. Prakash on bass, Tillu on the drums, Karan Joseph on keyboards and vocalist Mark Lazaro.

Chowta, who now heads Columbia India, said he returned to Bangalore to put together a band of international calibre because of the talent that abounds in his home town. “I just had to scratch the surface to find these guys. It isn’t hard to spot world class talent in Bangalore; it’s everywhere you look,” he said. He certainly seems to have picked the best that Bangalore has to offer, if Karma6’s performance at the launch was anything to go by.

Even as the rain swirled outside, Karma6's high energy performance had the packed audience foot-tapping and soon breaking out into exuberant dance to classic covers. From Queen’s ‘Too much love will kill you’ and Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ to John Mayer’s ‘Belief’ and Steely Dan’s 'Bodhisattva', Karma6 delighted the audience, which insisted on several encores.

The band couldn’t have picked a better venue for its debut. The guests at the event, which was organised by Raintree Media, included fashion guru Prasad Bidapa, Sandeep and Tanya Khosla, designers Manoviraj Khosla, Raj Shroff, Neetu Gupta and Paresh Lamba, Harish Bijoor, Raghava and Nethra, and a slew of top models and music lovers from across the spectrum of media, entertainment and the corporate sector.

Madira pioneers the concept of mixology in India, where the emphasis is on personalised attention. Says V. Sridhar, M.D. of Rendezvous Restaurants, “We have eight bartenders stationed across Madira’s three levels, mixing drinks according to what the customer likes. At Madira, the bartender comes to you, not the other way around. We’re looking at developing a relationship with customers, so that the next time they come in, we’ll have their favourite drink waiting for them.”