In this issue

‘Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.'

For our Food issue, we at Verve took inspiration from the widely known quote by French lawyer and author Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and first considered how eating and the habits around it are attached to the act of sustaining not just the body but a way of life as well. We were then able to explore stories about the more profound symbolic value of food and its role in defining communal and individual identities.

Chef and author Diya Sethi, in the cover story, rightly tells psychologist Tanya Vasunia that “the second brain of the body is the gut” and that her battle with anorexia-bulimia was followed by an immersion in culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu.

Flip through the pages to find actor Pihu Sand who was made to gain 20 kgs without any nutritional or psychological guidance for her role in Fanney Khan while cinephile Sohini Chattopadhyay questions why, in Hindi cinema, the female characters’ enjoyment of a meal is usually linked to a pregnancy or a pathological condition. In the style pages, blogger and caterer Rhea Mitra-Dalal reveals the philosophy behind how she eats dresses and lives while she serves up some striking silhouettes. Also discover the stories of Rachael Krishna, an Indo-Burmese Brit in London, Sri Lankan artist Firi Rahman in Colombo and Swiss-Spanish urbanologist Echanove Matias of Urbz Mumbai who each diversely exemplify how personal adaptations of inherited food traditions become anchors that create a sense of belonging and, in more ways than one, a means of self-expression. On stands now.

FROM THE MOSH PIT INTO THE FRYING PAN

When metal musician Sahil Makhija launched his YouTube cooking channel, Headbanger’s Kitchen, he was resolutely carving out a new identity for himself. Akhil Sood gets Demonic Resurrection’s frontman and now cookbook author to open up about the move that helped his career and life do a one-eighty

7 mins

GUILTY PLEASURES

Female characters in Hindi cinema cook for and feed others but rarely themselves. Sohini Chattopadhyay sifts through a few recent films for the on-screen quirk that fetishises the act of women eating

6 mins

Coming back for more

When it’s got to do with eating out, the emotional link with certain experiences has turned Kamakshi Ayyar into a creature of habit. She recounts three anecdotes about the places where she can call herself a regular

4 mins

Culinary Histories

The origins of recipes, some of them accidental, fascinate Madhu Jain who travels back in time to her grandmother’s rich, layered paranthas

4 mins

Clarified Living

Embracing beauty and skincare as part of a healthy lifestyle while creating and using natural products is what brothers Gopesh and Gopal Sutariya hope to enable through the family business, Suryan Organic. Their daily routine is just as holistic and gives Shirin Mehta an alternative perspective

4 mins

Menu à la Mode

The opening of Louis Vuitton’s first-ever cafe, Le Café V, and restaurant, Sugalabo V, atop the newly inaugurated Louis Vuitton Maison Osaka Midosuji, has created a flutter of excitement in the circles of fashion and haute cuisine…

2 mins

Diamonds are Forever

Breguet’s watches, the masters in timekeeping, can be proudly shown off during any elegant occasion. Verve presents two shining examples — the Reine de Naples 8958 and the Classique 9065

2 mins

BARE ESSENTIALS

Displaying intricate detailing and fine structures, these skeletal timepieces offer a mesmerising peek into the complicated inner workings of their movements. Verve presents a hand-picked selection

2 mins

The Second Brain Of The Body Is The Gut

Neither the body nor the mind are monolithic entities. And chef Diya Sethi exemplifies that. The global citizen and author, who spoke out on her recovery from anorexia-bulimia, reflects on how a metamorphosis of food culture and women’s changing social roles have transformed urban India’s eating habits. In a wide-ranging dialogue with her, psychologist Tanya Vasunia says in order to eat healthy, we must first understand our mental framework

10+ mins

Wishful Shrinking

Pihu Sand made her acting debut as Lata Sharma, a plus-sized singer with stars in her eyes, in Fanney Khan(2018). The 22-year-old gives an honest account of how she was made to gain 20 kgs for the role and then pressured into taking it all off to sustain her relevance in an industry with demanding beauty ideals. Sadaf Shaikh, who continues to struggle with her fitness targets, weighs in...

10+ mins

Read all stories from Verve

Verve Magazine Description:

Going towards its 26th year now, Verve has been at the vanguard of the lifestyle industry in India since its inception. Being India's first fashion and luxury monthly and targeted as the spirit of today’s woman, it celebrates the interests of the multifaceted contemporary global Indian, including fashion,beauty and style, glamour, arts and culture, travel and wellness. The editor and publisher, Anuradha Mahindra, has received top billing in Avenue Asia's list of Indians involved in the media.

More than just a magazine that reports and interprets, Verve is a catalyst for conversations around contemporary Indian culture in the world, and these conversations take place between the pages of the magazine, on the internet as well as through several Verve-organized offline event initiatives:

Verve is a magazine about the international Indian woman who rubs shoulders with the world with confidence and élan. She belongs to a high-income group and is well aware of the latest trends and styles, be it in fashion, the arts, cuisine or world events. Verve appeals to the intelligent, urbane, educated and affluent woman. She would be 25 years of age and above. She is likely to be an independent entrepreneur or a corporate professional or a socialite. She is well-travelled, fashion conscious and appreciates luxury with a side to her that is culturally sensitive with aesthetic sensibilities. Overall a multi-faceted, stylish and glamorous woman. All in all, the Verve reader looks upon the magazine as an invaluable lifestyle resource for the best in contemporary urban Indian living.