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.