How did Bhupender Nath's dream of setting up a restaurant lead to his success in the culinary industry?

Bhupender Nath's dream of owning a restaurant for his father eventually led him to establish seven restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Tresind in Dubai and Mumbai. He skillfully blended traditional Indian flavors with international ingredients and techniques, creating a delightful and unexpected culinary experience.

What are some of the most innovative dishes served at Tresind Studio, the Michelin-starred restaurant?

Tresind Studio is known for its innovative dishes, such as the Khandvi Gelato (a savory frozen dish) and Dhokla Gazpacho (a frothy version of the traditional dish). Chef Himanshu Saini, the Corporate Head Chef of Passion F & B, has created these and many other fusion dishes that challenge the norms of traditional Indian cuisine.

How does Bhupender Nath maintain the uniqueness of each of his seven restaurants under Passion F & B?

Bhupender Nath's main focus for all his restaurants is to offer a unique dining experience that showcases the diversity and creativity of his team. Each restaurant, from Tresind to Aamara, has its own theme and culinary vision, redefining perceptions of Indian cuisine and featuring inventive flavor combinations.

How did Bhupender Nath introduce his innovative concept to the culinary landscape of Dubai and Mumbai?

Bhupender Nath chose to launch Tresind in Dubai first, taking advantage of the city's cosmopolitan atmosphere and openness to culinary exploration. Dubai served as the perfect launchpad for his innovative concept. Later, he expanded to Mumbai, a city known for its vibrant food culture and discerning diners, offering an ideal setting to showcase his creative approach to Indian cuisine.

Who is the mastermind behind the success of Tresind Studio and the other restaurants owned by Bhupender Nath?

The success of Tresind Studio and other restaurants can be attributed to the brilliant Corporate Head Chef of Passion F & B, Himanshu Saini. Nath empowers his team and gives them the freedom to showcase their expertise and creativity, and Chef Saini's culinary talents have played a significant role in creating exceptional dining experiences for the guests.

Gautami Dahiya | Skog | Eco luxury skincare | Global Indian

Global IndianstorySKOG: Eco luxury beauty entrepreneur Gautami Dahiya’s skincare brand is inspired by the forests of Sweden

SKOG: Eco luxury beauty entrepreneur Gautami Dahiya’s skincare brand is inspired by the forests of Sweden

Written by: Darshana Ramdev

(September 3, 2024) Landing in Stockholm for the first time, entrepreneur Gautami Dahiya felt inexplicably at home. She found herself captivated by the Swedish way of life, its festivals and how in tune with nature they were. She founded the eco-luxury beauty brand SKÖG, which means “forest” in Swedish, a vegan luxury skincare brand inspired by their way of life. This resonated with her own philosophy. Today, the eco-luxury beauty entrepreneur uses exotic ingredients like birch sap, cloudberry, bjork, elderflower and petitgrain for its organic products. Available as a niche beauty product across India and other countries, with a focus on Singapore and Hong Kong, plans are afoot to open retail stores as well.

Gautami Dahiya

Growing up with sensitive skin, Gautami learned from her mother to stay away from commercial products. Instead, she became accustomed to natural ingredients – honey, yogurt and almond flour. “After I went abroad, my skincare routine involved going to grocery stores and picking up different ingredients,” she says. “Even if I could find nothing, I would buy an avocado, mash it up and put it in my hair,” the eco-luxury beauty entrepreneur told Global Indian.

Catwalks in the Eiffel tower to high-end art

Gautami left Delhi when she was 18 to study fashion business at the Manchester Metropolitan University, and then to the Istituto Marangoni in Paris. After that, she studied strategic entrepreneurship and innovation at King’s College in London. Although starting her own business had always been at the back of her mind, the organic beauty entrepreneur went on to intern with various fashion brands, and was even part of the first catwalk on the Eiffel Tower. “I tried a lot of things and realised I like business development, and expanding creative businesses,” she says. In Sweden, she began working with Humans Since 1982, a Stockholm-based art studio that creates high-end kinetic art. “When I joined it was a very small team. When I left, it was the largest, most commercially successful artist studio in Europe,” she says.

Selling luxury art, Gautami continued doing what she always did – searching for natural ingredients. She found, to her delight, that Sweden had a wealth to offer. “People there are so in sync with nature, it blew me away,’ says the organic beauty entrepreneur who loved that at the start of spring, the Swedes visit forests to tap the birch trees for sap. The slightly sweet, silky sap has been consumed for centuries and is used in cosmetics and other skincare products. To Gautami, it was a revelation. “I had no idea birch sap was such an ancient ingredient,” she laughs, adding, “I thought I was the first to discover it! I only learned later that the Vikings used it!” She was also fascinated by cloudberry, grown in temperatures as low as -40, and full of vitamins. “Not only does it grow in such extreme conditions but it’s also full of nutrients,” says the eco-luxury beauty entrepreneur.

Barking up the right sap!

Birch sap and cloudberries are the star ingredients in her products – In 2018, Gautami began whipping up recipes from her home kitchen. “I would put the ingredients together and blend them with a hand mixer,” says the organic seeker who began collaborating with a manufacturer, to meet the exacting standards of sanitation and hygiene. The idea was to create a product that truly was all-natural and toxin-free. “I even hand-printed the labels,” recalls the eco luxury beauty entrepreneur.

Finding the right blends, creating the perfect fragrances – these details took months to perfect. “Imagine you wake up at 5 am in a forest or on a mountain top, the coolness you feel, the fragrances that greet you. That’s the sort of essence we’re looking to recreate,” she explains. The products are priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,500, available on e-commerce platforms as well as on the SKOG website.

Rediscovering her roots

The company was eventually registered in India, where Gautami spent the pandemic with family, unable to return to Sweden. The eco luxury beauty entrepreneur who loved growing up in Delhi, remembers telling her sister as a young girl that she wanted to be a businesswoman. “I would dream of seeing my name in the Forbes Under 30 list,” she smiles. With SKÖG, she had a high-end line of products completely natural and certified by PETA. Transparency is also key. The eco luxury beauty entrepreneur believes that this is the future of the beauty industry.

A sustainable future?

“I would also like to collaborate more with the art world because I love art People don’t just want to buy a product, they’re investing in an experience,” explains the eco luxury beauty entrepreneur, adding, “We want the person to open the box and have an experience.”

Finding balance

Not one to shy away from hard work and long hours, balance is key. Gautami grew up watching her parents meditate and learned the importance of it. Today, it’s a non-negotiable part of her day. “I’m not proud of this but I’m a bit of a workaholic. For the past 10 years, I have been meditating 15 minutes a day – it has done wonders to keep my head and emotions in place. I think there is no amount of medicine or any remedy that can do what a few moments of meditation achieve. It keeps my energy levels high and my brain active,” says the eco luxury beauty entrepreneur. Her father and sister are architects and interior designers while her mother teaches meditation and also runs the Spiritual Self Foundation. “I get all my calm, peace and meditation skills from her, really,” Gautami explains. She is married to Harsh Dahiya, an award-winning entrepreneur who founded the Harvesto Group.

Besides, Gautami’s penchant for whipping things up in the kitchen makes her a talented cook. “I love to explore new food. I try to spend as much time as I can with my family. Now, I’m looking at perhaps having two bases, one in India and another in Europe,” the eco luxury beauty entrepreneur concludes.

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Published on 03, Sep 2024

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The Mathemagician: Field’s Medal winner Manjul Bhargava bridges tradition and modernity

(July 6, 2024) In the summer of 1998, Manjul Bhargava's eye caught a mini Rubik's cube sitting in a corner of his room. He began visualising numbers on each of the corners and in his own words, "saw binary quadratic forms coming out, three of them." Bhargava, who was a student at Harvard University then, wrote down the relations between them and realised he had found a description of Gauss' Law (which explains how electric fields behave around charged objects). He linked it to the work of the ancient mathematician Brahmagupta, which he had read in Sanskrit as a child. It was one of Bhargava’s first major breakthroughs, which paved the way for his winning the Fields Medal in 2014. To Bhargava, Math is music, and poetry and patterns – and magic. He brings this playfulness to his lectures at Princeton too, where he became the youngest ever full mathematics professor at the age of 28. In class, he is known to use magic tricks, puzzles, toys, poetry and music, which he believes "should all form a key part of the mathematics classroom. When people see mathematics done as described above, as a playful, creative, interactive subject, they see that

eves "should all form a key part of the mathematics classroom. When people see mathematics done as described above, as a playful, creative, interactive subject, they see that it is not terrifying at all," he gushes. "It is beautiful!" Once, he even used chocolate bars to demonstrate the principles of algebra, cutting and rearranging the pieces to solve equations. This hands-on approach not only demystifies complex concepts but also infuses a sense of play and discovery into the learning process.

[caption id="attachment_48752" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Manjul Bhargava[/caption]

Apart from the Fields Medal, Bhargava's accolades include the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in India, and the Infosys Prize, recognizing his contributions to the mathematical sciences. He has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, an honor reserved for distinguished scholars in recognition of their original research.

Early life

Manjul Bhargava was born on August 8, 1974, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, to a family deeply rooted in academia and the appreciation of classical Indian culture. His mother, Mira Bhargava, who is a Mathematics professor at Hofstra University in New York, told Quanta that his interest in Math became evident when he was a toddler. The only way to make him sit still, she said, was to ask him to add or multiply large numbers, he would do by "flipping his fingers back and forth and then give the right answer. I always wondered how he did it, but he wouldn't tell me," she said.

At the age of eight, he would stack oranges into pyramids before they went into making juice. Several months later he produced an equation to figure out a formula for the number of oranges in a pyramid. By this time, he was also attending his mother's math classes in college, even correcting her if she made an error.

[caption id="attachment_48753" align="aligncenter" width="469"] Photo: Peter Murphy[/caption]

Another big influence in his life came from his occasional trips to Jaipur to see his grandparents. His grandfather was Purushottam Lal Bhargava, a renowned scholar of Sanskrit and head of the Department of at the University of Rajasthan. Learning from his grandfather, Manjul Bhargava fell hopelessly in love with Sanskrit poetry, and found, to his total delight, that they were highly mathematical. "I also learned from my grandfather how much incredible mathematics was discovered in ancient times by scholars who considered themselves not mathematicians but poets. Linguists such as Panini, Pingala, Hemachandra and Narayana discovered some wonderful and deep mathematical concepts while studying poetry."

He found math in music too and learned to play a number of instruments although he had a special love for the tabla. He enjoyed thinking about the mathematics of the complex rhythm structures contained in Hindustani and Carnatic classical music.

University life

In 1991, Manjul Bhargava graduated from Plaineridge High School in North Massapequa, and had already been admitted to Harvard University. That was where he decided on a career in Mathematics - he had toyed with many options, including being a musician and an economist. He graduated in 1996, winning the Morgan Prize for his research. From there, he went to Princeton University with a Hertz Fellowship and worked under Sir Andrew Wiles, a Royal Society Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. By this time, he had a slew of awards to his name, including the Hertz Fellowship, the Hoopes Prize and the Morgan Prize.

In 1991, he graduated from Plaineridge High School in North Massapequa, and had already been admitted to Harvard University. He graduated in 1996, winning the Morgan Prize for his research. From there, he went to Princeton University with a Hertz Fellowship and worked under Sir Andrew Wiles. It was during his time at Princeton as a graduate student that he also solved a 200-year-old math problem.

Solving Gauss' composition law

As a child, Bhargava had read, in one of his grandfather's Sanskrit manuscripts, a theorem developed by the great mathematician, Brahmagupta, which had excited Bhargava very much at the time. Then, during his time at Princeton, he discovered the work of Carl Gauss and his composition law, which is one of the pillars of electromagnetic theory. Was there a simple way to describe Gauss' 20-page law, Bhargava wondered.

He sat with the question and one night, as he sat in his room which was "littered with mathematical toys," he looked at a mini Rubik's Cube. There are three ways to cut a Rubik's Cube in half, and each of the three forms, Bhargava found, add up to zero. He had found an elegant, more minimalist explanation of Gauss' Law, which today is known as Bhargava's Cube. That became the core of his PhD thesis at Princeton, for which he won a five-year Clay Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Making history at Princeton

Bhargava used the funding to stay on at Princeton for another year, as well as at the Institute for Advanced Study, and then moved to Harvard. He was now a very sought after mathematician and at 28, after considering a food of job offers, accepted a position at Princeton University.

In 2014, Manjul Bhargava was awarded the Fields Medal at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Seoul for "developing powerful new methods in the geometry of numbers. He applied these to count rings of small rank and to bound the average rank of elliptic curves. One year later, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. In 2017, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Science and like his mentor, Sir Andrew Wiles, was conferred a Fellowship at the Royal Society in 2019.

Manjul Bhargava’s work has been described as “epoch-making,” and is widely regarded as one of the greatest mathematicians of our time. He also remains a passionate musician and occasionally trains under Ustad Zakir Hussain.

A global engineer: Meet the Gordon Prize winner, Indian-American scholar Dr. Azad Madni

(January 4, 2024) "We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." President John F. Kennedy's words inspired millions of Americans the day he made this speech at Rice University in the September of 1962. But who would have imagined that a young boy sitting by the radio in his house in Bombay, India, would be so inspired by this speech that he would decide to become an aerospace engineer, and go on to win the prestigious Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovation in Engineering and Technology Education - often referred to as the 'Nobel Prize of Engineering Education'. "President Kennedy's speech really fascinated me," shares Dr. Azad Madni, as he connects with Global Indian for an exclusive interview, adding, "I too wanted to contribute something to the aerospace industry, and that's what motivated

"https://www.globalindian.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GP_5874-scaled.jpg" alt="Engineer | Dr. Azad Madni | Global Indian" width="551" height="827" />

"President Kennedy's speech really fascinated me," shares Dr. Azad Madni, as he connects with Global Indian for an exclusive interview, adding, "I too wanted to contribute something to the aerospace industry, and that's what motivated me to pursue a career in this field. I have worked for Rockwell International Space Shuttle, which was NASA's first, manned, re-usable spacecraft. And today, I have several aerospace engineers under my guidance at the University of Southern California."

The flight to the USA

A Bombay lad, Dr. Madni was always fascinated by how things around him worked. But, while he loved to learn, the aerospace engineer's father was more interested in how were things being taught at his school. "My father was very interested in my education, right from the beginning. I remember, he would just show up at my school, St. Mary's High School, and would enquire about how various subjects were being taught to us. He wanted to ensure that I did not just get the knowledge from the books, but also by engaging with the equipments or machines directly," he says, adding that this influenced his life path a lot. "The Gordon Prize is all about education. My father's quest to make sure that I got practical knowledge of things had a big impression on me. Now that I am a teacher, I too ensure that my students get more than what is written in the books," laughs the engineer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i99SqN_G5eY

Playing with his erector set in the backyard, Dr. Madni never thought that one day he would be using his toys to teach several young students. "I used to play a lot with the erector set and build airplanes, buses, and trucks. Back then I did not realise how important that was in developing critical thinking and creative skills that can help you in later life,” Dr Madni says. Now, he encourages hands-on learning his classroom too, using Digital Twins, a “virtual replica of the physical system for people to experiment with, explore, and learn how the system behaves. And that all had its roots in the early hands-on learning that I had with the erector set," shares the engineer.

He was in school when President Kennedy made his famous speech 'We Choose to Go to the Moon', and it was then that he decided that he would move to the United States of America, so after finishing his intermediate. "That was the only goal back then - to study in the USA. So, I moved to the country in 1965. Back then, India and the USA were very different worlds, and not many Indians chose to come to the USA," shares the engineer, who has also authored several books.

[caption id="attachment_47988" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Dr. Azad Madni | Global Indian Dr. Madni with the President of the National Academy of Engineering[/caption]

Pursuing a bachelor's in engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Madni didn't face much problem adjusting after arriving in the US. However, "I couldn't get used to the American food. I missed Indian food so much," he laughs. Dr. Madni went on to pursue a master's and later earned a Ph.D. from UCLA for his work in the fields of engineering systems, computer methodology, and AI.

A scholarly journey

The year that Dr. Madni finished his graduation was the same year that Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar soil. However, as the US rejoiced, Dr. Madni faced new challenges. "Well, the plan was to find a job soon after graduation and start earning. However, it was a challenging period for the country facing an economic downturn. A few of my friends, who studied with me, gave up looking for a job and went into selling real estate or working in restaurants," he shares. Even though things looked bleak, Dr. Madni decided to stay the course. "The thing was, while I was studying, I lost my father and had responsibilities towards my family back in India. I had to earn.” It took him a while but he found his first job as an engineer, starting his career in the USA. “While I was pursuing my doctorate, I was interviewed by Rockwell International and soon started working on NASA's space shuttle programme. So, it was kind of dream-come-true moment for me."

[caption id="attachment_47989" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Dr. Azad Madni | Global Indian Dr. Madni accepting the prestigious Bernard M. Gordon Prize[/caption]

In 1994, the engineer also founded a company - Intelligent Systems Technology, Inc, which is an award-winning hi-tech company specialising in model-based approaches for addressing scientific and societal problems of national and global significance. "The idea is to advance the field of augmented intelligence and human-machine teaming to maximise the joint performance of human-machine teams," he shares.

But then, how does someone with so much industrial experience move to academia? "My company's success was possibly one of the reasons why the University of Southern California approached me to take over one of their flagship programmes, Systems Architecting and Engineering. So, I have been teaching since 2006-07 academic year," he says. Dr. Madni is currently USC's most accomplished multidisciplinary faculty with significant achievements across multiple technical fields. He holds the Northrop Grumman Fred O’Green Chair in Engineering and has received many awards for his contributions. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of IEEE. Dr. Madni has led 97 research projects and received over $100 million in funding from government agencies and companies like NASA, NIST, Boeing, and General Motors.

[caption id="attachment_47990" align="aligncenter" width="550"] Dr. Azad Madni | Global Indian Dr. Madni with his colleagues, Dr. Ram Sriram and Dr. Dereje Agonafer at USC[/caption]

A recipient of over 100 awards, including the most recent 2023 NAE Gordon Prize, the AIAA/ASEE Leland Atwood Award for excellence in engineering education and research, the 2019 ASEE/INCOSE Outstanding Systems Engineering Educator Award, and the 2013 IISE Innovation in Curriculum Development Prize, Dr. Madni shares that he is far from retirement still. "Currently, I am working on several research projects, including autonomous self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, and game-based simulations for STEM education. These researches will take me at least six to eight years and are being funded by both the government and private sector.”

Dr. Azad Madni | Global Indian

But the engineer is not just an academician. Dr. Madni has a rich history of giving back and has been honoured with various awards for his charitable efforts. In 2021, he was presented with the Benefactor Award by the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) in recognition of his many years of philanthropy and mentorship to engineering students worldwide. This marked only the second time in 31 years that INCOSE granted this award. In 2020, he was also honoured with the IEEE-USA Entrepreneurship Achievement Award for his lifetime of contributions to innovation, mentorship, and philanthropy. Additionally, he holds life memberships in the NAE Marie Curie Donor Society and the NAE Albert Einstein Donor Society.

Follow Dr. Azad Madni on LinkedIn and his website

Reading Time: 7 mins

Bhupender Nath: Redefining modernist Indian cuisine through Tresind

A distant dream of setting up a restaurant for his father has led to Bhupender Nath now owning seven restaurants, including one which has won two Michelin stars in Dubai. Under his brand, Passion F&B, Bhupender Nath founded the wildly successful, Michelin-starred Tresind in Dubai and Mumbai in 2014. Global Indian goes behind the scenes with the maverick entrepreneur to deconstruct the workings of Tresind, and its modernist, fusion take on traditional Indian cuisine. (July 30, 2023) Disillusioned by a lack of career prospects in Patna, Bihar where he hails from, Bhupender Nath left for Nigeria to earn a living that would clear his father’s debts. He set up a successful fisheries business in Nigeria eventually, before moving to Dubai. The dream of wanting to someday own a restaurant, in his native Bihar, had him grabbing the opportunity to set up a restaurant in this multi-cultural hotpot when he got the chance. Making Indian food truly modern Nath, in an exclusive with Global Indian, recalls, “We set up Tresind Dubai, in 2014, at the Royal Mirage Hotel. We were presenting modernist Indian cuisine. By skillfully blending traditional Indian flavours with ingredients and techniques from around the world, we created

nherit;">Nath, in an exclusive with Global Indian, recalls, “We set up Tresind Dubai, in 2014, at the Royal Mirage Hotel. We were presenting modernist Indian cuisine. By skillfully blending traditional Indian flavours with ingredients and techniques from around the world, we created a culinary experience that was familiar yet delightfully unexpected.”

[caption id="attachment_42791" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Global Indian | Bhupender Nath Bhupender Nath, founder of 'Passion F&B,' is the brain behind Michelin-starred TresInd, Dubai and TresInd, Mumbai.[/caption]

The restaurant presents Indian which essentially turns the concept of the traditional dish on its head. Khandvi Gelato, a savoury frozen dish and a frothy Dhokla Gazpacho are just some of the truly innovative dishes Chef Himanshu Saini has created.

Seven wonders of Passion F&B

Nath’s main focus, for all the seven restaurants, is “to offer a unique dining experience, showcasing the diversity and creativity of our team.” Tresind was followed by the uber-successful Tresind Studio, nestled within the picturesque gardens of the terrace of the St. Regis Hotel in Palm Jumeirah. Here too, the team challenges the norms and has redefined perceptions of Indian cuisine. Due to its innovative presentations and inventive flavour combinations, Tresind Studio has also won a Michelin Star last year, 2022, and this year, 2023. Its most recent accomplishment is being listed as the 11^th restaurant in the 50 best restaurants of the world.

[caption id="attachment_42798" align="aligncenter" width="701"] Global Indian | Bhupender Nath Bhupender Nath with the team at Tresind Studio that has won a Michelin Star last year, 2022, and this year, 2023.[/caption]

The current dining experience, celebrating India’s 75^th year of Independence has a set menu called Tasting India. Divided into four regions, North, South, East and West, the menu incorporates traditional Indian dishes with cooking techniques from all over the world. It includes shiso leaf papadam, where the leaf is used in salads, and is known as bhanjeera in India; miso and chilli tartlet, persimmon jalebi and a Himalayan pink salt ice cream. An artichoke cafreal, made with duck meat for non-vegetarians, ghee roast crab, tender coconut khimchi, and pickled pepper, and buttermilk curry ice cream are other dishes underlined with a global influence. The ingredients that are not available locally are sourced from other countries and are flown in cold storage to keep them fresh.

[caption id="attachment_42792" align="aligncenter" width="727"] Pickled Pepper, Buttermilk Curry Ice cream.[/caption]

One of the signature dishes that has become popular at Tresind is the 20-ingredient vegetarian khichdi. The age-old comfort food is served with different accompaniments —and is a representation of multiple Indian flavours in one meal. Saffron from Kashmir, papaya sambhariya [the raw papaya gram flour dish usually had with farsan] from Gujarat, ghee from Punjab and other ingredients sourced from a whopping 20 Indian states is served on a plate fashioned after the map of India. For most Indians, this reinvented avatar of a khichdi would make for a delightful experience.

Celebrating India

Other restaurants established by Nath, under the aegis of his company Passion F & B, are Carnival by Tresind, serving contemporary Indian cuisine; Gala is the catering arm of Tresind Studio, A Cappella, an international tapas bar, and the sattvic and vegan Avatara, located on the second floor of Voco Restaurant. It has now come to be known as Dubai's best vegetarian fine dining establishment. “Here, a meticulously curated 16-course meal takes vegetarian cuisine to new heights, showcasing the limitless possibilities and the sophistication of plant-based gastronomy,” reveals Nath. Avatara has also been awarded a Michelin star this year.

[caption id="attachment_42797" align="aligncenter" width="733"] Global Indian | Bhupender Nath Galouti Kofta and Pickled Kohlrabi Quince Curry.[/caption]

Next to come was Aamara, which celebrates the culinary heritage of the Silk Route, embodying the fusion of Indian and Arabic flavours. Here, the food is a blend of the spices that were once traded along this historic route. Nath adds, “The newest addition is Maison De Curry, which offers a medley of spices. This restaurant showcases the diversity and depth of flavours that make Indian cuisine so cherished.” Aamara, less than a year old, has been listed in the Bib Gourmand of the Michelin Guide which lists restaurants that serve food at relatively less than exorbitant prices. A meal for two at Aamara would cost AED 300.

Among all the restaurants owned by Nath, Tresind Studio as a fine dining restaurant is the most exclusive. A meal for two would cost AED 2000, and it is served to a limited number of guests each day.

Through all his restaurants, Indian cuisine predominantly remains the foundation on which creativity and innovation are the twin pillars that the curated menus rest on. Having said that, Nath brings his own global exposure and influences to the menus along with his team. Elsewhere in an interview, he had said that their restaurants don’t serve butter chicken in buckets or have elephants at the entrance. The dishes are innovative all the way. He says, “Our aim is to challenge stereotypes and offer a unique perspective on Indian cuisine that appeals to a global audience. By infusing our menus with international influences, we create a harmonious fusion that celebrates the best of both worlds.”

[caption id="attachment_42799" align="aligncenter" width="737"] Global Indian | Bhupender Nath Puran Poli and Shrimps Sour Lentil Broth.[/caption]

Another feather in Nath’s multi-restaurant cap would have to be the fact that he has launched Tresind in Mumbai to great success. It usually works the other way where a homegrown brand goes overseas after testing the markets in India. He reveals why he went the opposite way. “While many restaurants start in India and expand globally, we saw an opportunity to introduce our innovative concept to Dubai's diverse culinary landscape first. Dubai's cosmopolitan atmosphere and openness to culinary exploration made it the perfect launchpad for Tresind. Then, we felt the time was right to bring our culinary vision to Mumbai. As a city known for its vibrant food culture and discerning diners, Mumbai offered an ideal setting to showcase our creative approach to Indian cuisine.” In fact, Carnival and Avatara too will be launched soon in Mumbai.

Creativity and the chef

Tresind Studio and the other restaurants would not perhaps have been what they are had it not been for their brilliant Corporate Head Chef of Passion F & B, Himanshu Saini. Nath had known him from the time when Chef Saini worked at Masala Library in Mumbai followed by a stint in New York. He says, “One of the management styles that has worked for me is empowering my team and giving them the freedom to showcase their expertise and creativity. By allowing Chef Himanshu Saini and other talented chefs to have a free hand in the kitchen, we have been able to create exceptional culinary experiences. Consistency is also a key factor in our success, and we strive to maintain high standards across all our restaurants. We have a strong focus on training, quality control, and attention to detail to ensure that every guest receives an outstanding dining experience.”

[caption id="attachment_42800" align="aligncenter" width="730"] Global Indian | Bhupender Nath King oyster noodles, bamboo shoots and wild mushroom XO.[/caption]

When asked which of his brands is his personal favourite, he says he chooses to dine based on “my mood and preferences at that moment. If I'm in the mood for vegetarian cuisine, I'll head to Avatara, and if I want to indulge in a fusion of Indian and Arabic flavours, I'll visit Aamara.”

As for the clientele, when the menu lists a khichdi with 20 ingredients or an Indian meal in 18 courses – do these concepts attract as many Indians as they do other nationalities? Nath reiterates that Indians make for a sizeable chunk of their guests. “All this creativity and innovation appeals to Indians and foreigners as well. Specially in the case of Avatara, where we believed the majority of our guests to be of Indian descent. We are seeing more and more of European guests who are into veganism,” he concludes.

Next big food trends:

Eating organically grown food and veganism

Your favourite restaurants for:

Indian fine dining – Tresind Studio
Indian street food – Raju Omlette
Mediterranean/Italian – Nammos
Pan Asian - Zuma

Follow Bhupender Nath on Instagram and LinkedIn

Reading Time: 6 mins

Into the jungles with wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt

(March 30, 2024) In 2023, wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt was named the winner of the People's Vote Award in the wildlife category at the ReFocus Black & White Photo Contest for his image 'The Gentle Giant of Ambroseli', where he went up against entrants from 77 countries around the world. With numerous accolades to his name, and work featured in publications across the globe, the self-taught photographer's journey began at home, listening to his mother's stories of growing up in Mombasa and in his father's darkroom, where he watched films being developed and enlarged. He talks to Global Indian about what inspires him to travel to the world's most remote and challenging terrains to seek out some of the world's most exotic, dangerous and elusive wildlife, as well as toeing the line between respecting an animal in its habitat and getting the perfect shot. [caption id="attachment_50399" align="aligncenter" width="523"] The photo of the polar bear in Svalbard that won Parag Bhatt an honourable mention in 2022[/caption] The formative years Born, raised, and educated in Mumbai, Bhatt’s school days saw him keenly interested in science when he would make models and electrical toys from scratch. That interest saw him pursue electronic engineering.

onourable mention in 2022[/caption]

The formative years

Born, raised, and educated in Mumbai, Bhatt’s school days saw him keenly interested in science when he would make models and electrical toys from scratch. That interest saw him pursue electronic engineering. However, post his graduation, he moved to Powder Metallurgy where he worked on manufacturing diamond tools for the stone cutting industry. He worked in this industry for 40 years at the same time pursuing his hobby. “My father had a deep interest in photography. He had a darkroom at home where he would develop the film and enlarge prints. I used to love the way prints would come alive in a hypo solution in just a few minutes from white light falling on photo paper. So, I used to work with him in the darkroom and occasionally pick up his camera and shoot. That is how my interest was kindled in photography,” he reminisces.

Wild Ways

As far as his interest in wildlife was concerned, the contribution to this came from his mother who was born in Mombasa, Kenya since his grandfather had emigrated to Kenya. “She used to tell us stories of how she frequently encountered wildlife in Kenya when traveling from one place to the other by road or how the animals used to roam freely and were not confined to parks. Such stories brought in a lot of excitement within me as a young boy and ever since then, I wished to visit Kenya to view wildlife. Gladly this dream of mine came to fruition in 1994 when I first visited Kenya. My trip to Kenya plays an integral role in my journey as a wildlife photographer. It was on that trip that I for the very first time in my journey as a wildlife photographer shot wildlife,” he explains.

[caption id="attachment_50397" align="aligncenter" width="466"] Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt[/caption]

Lessons in the Wild

Wildlife behaviour is quite unpredictable, making it challenging to anticipate their actions and movements. Capturing the perfect shot often requires waiting for the right moment, sometimes for hours or even days. “Hence patience and persistence are mandatory qualities for a wildlife photographer. Moreover, many times the weather is not conducive, which can impact the quality of shots. In times like these, the photographer can either wait for the weather to change and become favourable for capturing shots or use the weather to his/her advantage,” he says.

Wildlife photography involves using specialized gear, such as long lenses and sturdy tripods, which can be heavy and cumbersome to carry around. Mastering technical skills like exposure, focus techniques and composition principles are essential for capturing compelling wildlife images. “In wildlife photography, there is something very interesting called a ‘circle of fear’, which if crossed, will result in the animal fleeing." It's a fine line, he admits, between respecting the animal's space and natural habitat while still getting close enough for a good shot. But, he maintains, the well-being of animals is always top priority and disturbing them for the perfect shot is just not done. "Documenting wildlife can also raise awareness about conservation issues, but photographers must be mindful of their impact on fragile ecosystems and endangered species,” he adds.

Being Recognised

Bhatt won two honourable mentions and the People’s Choice Award in 2022 in the ReFocus B&W photo competition, something that has given him satisfaction and happiness. “I remember capturing the polar bear photograph less than two years ago in Svalbard. The whole idea behind capturing this shot was to portray the behaviour of the polar bear." The polar bear, he says, was dipping into the icy water to search for her kill, which had been carried adrift from the shore by the tide. For Bhatt, the challenge was to locate her everytime she surfaced, as she would dive in somewhere and resurface randomly elsewhere after about half a minute. The long and heavy lens, the choppy waters and the bobbing rubber boat only made the task more challenging.

[caption id="attachment_50403" align="aligncenter" width="433"] Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt | Global Indian Photographer by Parag Bhatt[/caption]

Working on Himself

As self-taught wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt commenced his journey in wildlife photography during the days of the film by taking snapshots of animals in their habitat. For the first few years, he pursued this path and started documenting each exposure, trying to improve the next time. “Over the years, I realized that there was much more to it than what I had been doing. Hence, I started my quest to improve my skills. For this, I collected a lot of books on the art and science of photography and slowly learned the ropes of exposure, metering, focus techniques, and mainly the art of composing images,” he says.

In 2003, Bhatt bought his first digital camera which revolutionised the learning process. It shortened the learning curve for photographers everywhere, and Bhatt also began observing and learning from some of the best in the business. Seeing their work inspired him to strive for better photographs. "My journey has been slow and painstaking but I have reached a stage where I have the confidence to exhibit my work at the prestigious Jehangir Art Gallery in Mumbai,” he adds.

Conflict Cues

For a wildlife photographer documenting human wildlife conflict is an interesting yet challenging task. Balance plays a vital role in showcasing the human and the wild stories. “While documenting the human wildlife conflict I ensure I am capturing the beauty of the wildlife showcasing them as at ease in their natural habitat while coexisting with the human. I also try to show the complex relationship between humans and the wild through my photographs. For instance, I captured one such photograph in Masai Mara Kenya. The photograph portrays how the usage of plastic negatively impacts our ecosystem. The photograph showcased a lion cub chewing a plastic bottle while sitting beside its mother. Plastics pose a significant threat to the health and survival of wildlife globally and the photograph tried to get attention to the harmful effects plastic can have on animals. I wanted to convey the message that we should have effective waste management techniques to avoid such incidents and reduce the harmful effects of plastic pollution,” he says.

Wildlife photographer Parag Bhatt | Global Indian

Looking Ahead

Over the years he has learnt several lessons while pursuing his craft of capturing the wild. Patience, persistence and acceptance in nature are key because no matter how well-prepared one might be, nothing goes according to plan in the wild. "Things unfold in their own way," he says. "I have learned to embrace every moment in the wild as it comes. I enjoy being by nature and observing the animals in their natural habitat and there are a plethora of things I have learned while capturing each shot." Over the years, he has learned to understand animal behaviour better, and to approach every encounter with an open mind. "I accept nature’s unpredictability efficiently and always remain patient in the moment,” he says. For someone who always tries to push boundaries to capture amazing shots, he plans to publish a coffee table book soon. “I will also set strategies to mentor budding wildlife photographers by hand holding them and teaching them the techniques of shooting good wildlife images. I will be going to Kenya at the end of this month to shoot wildlife at night and rhinos up close and hopefully come up with some striking images,” he signs off.

Follow Parag Bhatt on Instagram and on his website

Paris Laxmi: Bridging cultures through Bharatanatyam – A French enigma’s dance odyssey

(September 19, 2023) It was written in the stars for artist Paris Laxmi when she first stepped foot in India as a five-year-old. A French girl, who had heard stories of Hindu gods from her mother, grew up on a rich diet of Indian art and culture. The interest soon translated into a love for the country on her first visit. Mesmerized by the Indian dance art forms, she started learning Bharatnatyam at the age of nine, and years later moved to India forever. Here she met her now husband, a Kathak artist with whom she started Kalashakti School of Arts in Kochi. The 32-year-old, who calls herself Indian by heart, has found her home in India. Born in Aix-en-Provence in France in 1991 to a family that has been rooted in art, she found herself surrounded by it in the initial years of her life. "Before my birth, India was already a part of my family as my parents were loving this country, its customs, people, philosophy, arts, and heritage. My father first came to India in 1982, then with my mother some years after; they also decided to name me Myriam Sophia Lakshmi, and my brother Theo Elie

ome years after; they also decided to name me Myriam Sophia Lakshmi, and my brother Theo Elie Narayan. I can say that both India and dance were already a part of me when I was born," she wrote on the KalaShakti website.

[caption id="attachment_29498" align="aligncenter" width="478"] Artist | Paris Laxmi | Global Indian Paris Laxmi is an artist and actor[/caption]

She grew up hearing the stories of Hindu gods like Shiva-Parvati and Radha-Krishna along with stories of Jesus from her sculptor mother. This pulled her to the Indian culture at a tender age, and her first visit to the country at the age of five only added to her love for everything Indian. She soon began visiting India every year with her family and stayed for around two months, where they met the locals and experienced the country firsthand. "The connection my family and I have with India are difficult to explain. It’s like this natural feeling that we are home here. We feel moved by the culture. This is our favourite place,” the artist told The Better India.

Growing up, she was intrigued by the dance forms, and as young as five, began taking dance classes in hip hop, ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. But her trips to India awakened in her a love for Indian dance, and at age nine, she began learning Bharatnatyam from Armelle Choquard, and later Dominique Delorme in France. "Indian classical dance forms are so deep and complex. The dancer needs so many qualities. It’s not only the technical ability but also acting ability, sense of music, and sense of aesthetics. It is a very demanding form," she added. While she continued learning the nuances of Bharatnatyam, she completed her Baccalaureate in French literature and arts. However, many people in France were unable to fathom their love for India. "My relatives could never quite understand it either, and always questioned my father about why we never visited any country except India," she told Little India in an interview. But their heart was already in India, something that not many people understood.

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However, it was the love for dance that brought her to India once again where she trained under Smt Sucheta Chapekar in Pune and later at Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's Nrithyodaya School of Dance in Chennai for a year. "I used 'Laxmi' as my stage name until my brother's guru Kalaimamani Tiruvarur Bakthavathsalam added 'Paris' to it for recognition," she added. Keen to be accepted by Indians, she only performed Bharatnatyam initially. "For a while, I didn’t showcase the other western dance forms that I had trained in. I thought it was important that people identified me as a classical dancer, and as someone who understood and is a part of Indian culture," the artist said in an interview.

Interestingly, it was the dance that drew her to her now husband, Pallipuram Sunil, a famous Kathak artist from Vaikom in Kerala. She was just seven when she first saw him perform at Fort Kochi during one of her visits to India. "A very young artiste was performing for us, with others. Though I was amazed by all of them, he was the one who touched me the most. For nearly two weeks, I continued to watch him in Kochi. I loved the colourful costumes of Kathakali and he used to show them and explain everything that I wished to know about the costumes. It was Sunil….no one could imagine then that he would be my husband 14 years later! He is 13 years older than me!," she had said. She was 16 when she met him again in Kochi and shared her interest in Indian classical dance art forms. Soon they became friends, and she moved to India in 2012 after marriage.

[caption id="attachment_29496" align="aligncenter" width="431"] Artist | Paris Laxmi | Global Indian Paris Laxmi with husband Pallipuram Sunil[/caption]

Now India is her home. While she was already in love with Indian culture, she has now embraced Hinduism after her marriage to Sunil in 2012. The same year, they started Kalashakti School of Arts where they both teach their respective dance forms and organise Art performances and workshops. Over the last few years, 'Sangamam - Krishna Mayam', a classical dance fusion of Kathakali and Bharatanatyam showcasing stories and manifestations of Lord Krishna with compositions has toured all over India, Europe, and Gulf countries. She is on a mission to make more children understand 'the difference between classical dance and what is shown on TV'. "So many people from foreign countries wish to learn Indian classical dance now. It is something very rich and unique that India has. The government and the people of this country should preserve and promote it," she added.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXAglWvdWt0

Being an artist, she wanted to spread her wings and ventured into Malayalam films at the age of 16 when she met a film crew in Kochi and got her first role in Big B. However, it was her role in Bangalore Days that got her attention. Now a known face in the Malayalam film industry, Laxmi is keen to explore challenging roles but more importantly, wants to have a large space to develop her projects. She moved to India for the love of the country and its culture - a place she now calls home. From an outsider to an insider, she has come a long way despite many challenges. "Challenges keep on coming. That’s what keeps me going on. It’s a part of life. My biggest challenge is to be better than I was yesterday, and this never ends!"

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