Tracking the undercurrents of change beyond the world of cinema led us specifically to the food and fashion industries, literature, and the arena of mental health. For our November-December issue, we picked five other people, along with our cover star Neena Gupta, who have made huge strides in refocusing the lens through which their chosen professions are typically viewed. This issue is packed with people and stories that will encourage you to reflect anew. We felt a frisson of excitement putting it all together; it’s time for a fresh and recalibrated outlook, and Verve is ready to lead the way.

In the cover feature of Verve’s Environment Issue, Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, quotes the 19th century Native American leader, Chief Seattle: “Man didn’t weave this web of life. He is merely a strand of it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” We at Verve couldn’t agree more. A call to arms is what is required at this time, and we move beyond documenting concerns about the environment to covering those who actually live the sustainable dream.

In this issue, we take a deep dive into mushroom farming — which has a smaller environmental footprint than other farms — with Mumbai’s own mushroom provider, Rohhaan Gawde of The Mushroom Company, who enlightens us on the health benefits of mushroom coffee and tea and the vegan benefits of using mushroom leather.

Navigating the country’s streets in a car is hard enough, but we look at what it is like to be a woman riding a bicycle. Five urban women talk to Shreya Dasgupta about this more affordable means of transport that does not burn fuel (only calories) or emit noxious fumes, despite the sometimes unwanted attention and catcalls.

In these days of lockdown, award-winning journalist Shalini Singh, who has broken stories on climate change and its effects on the environment, reminisces in words and pictures, about her most challenging travel assignments, in the bargain discovering that being out in the field is actually a journey within. While a different kind of inner journey leads to sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra discovering their personal style in second-hand clothing and thrift stores, as they eschew pollution-producing fast clothing and brands. And finally design must bend to the requirements of green living as well. We speak to nine design entrepreneurs who are making it convenient for us to upgrade the quality of our lives with arresting designs for their sustainable products.

‘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.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) was passed while we were well into conceptualising this issue. And, in the wake of the national rebellion fomented by this political act, the paradox of thinking about ambition, motivation and being inspired became penetratingly obvious. It turned into a lesson in overcoming hopelessness, in retaining faith about the future as we encountered stories of incredibly resilient, strong-willed and innovative people who have forged new paths in their various pursuits and chosen to be driven by optimism.

While still working at venture capital firm Sequoia, cover personality Ankiti Bose co-founded the start-up Zilingo, a digital fashion marketplace that will soon place her in the exclusive list of female Indian entrepreneurs heading a unicorn. We pair her with Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of biopharmaceutical company Biocon, role model for young women entering the business world and a leader who is synonymous with self-empowerment. Our latest issue also features former film producer Nikhil Taneja whose digital content platform Yuvaa seeks to erase the stigma that surrounds the notion of asking for/getting help regarding one's mental health, the inspiring journeys of mountaineer Priyanka Mohite, triathlete Solonie Singh Pathania and ultrarunner Anjali Saraogi who have managed to sustain careers and excel in extreme outdoor sports, and dance reality show veteran Alisha Singh trying on the latest Indian streetwear trends. On stands now.

As the festive season calls for indulgence, we say indulge the things that you’re expected to suppress: your high-reaching hopes, your idiosyncrasies, your non-conforming opinions, your vulnerabilities and even your fears. In this issue, we consider the benefits of looking inward and reflect on the relevance of social norms that dictate the length of a woman’s hair through a pixie cut-sporting Mallika Chandra's experiences and discover the motivations behind six people learning new and unfamiliar languages. Sukhada Tatke shares her life-altering experience of swimming in the outdoors for the first time and writers Rana Safvi, Priya Malik, K.R. Meera and Nadika Nadjaq create exclusive works of microfiction in Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil to highlight India's diversity of mother tongues.

Spotlighting the modern-day approach to marriage and weddings, we also put together a special section that examines the mindset of women who are breaking with convention like the resilient Asha Parekh, who determinedly shunned matrimony in an era when getting married was the ultimate dream of many women and a queer, kinky, non-monogamous Jaya Sharma, who is still stirred by dreams of a traditional wedding.

Now on the cusp of a new decade, make the resolution to allow your focus to shift to your internal sphere so that, eventually, you can find meaningful joy in the world around you. Celebrate yourself with our latest issue, now on stands.

Entertainment is no longer confined to movie nights with the extended family or patiently waiting until 8 p.m. to catch your favourite soap opera. TV, movies, fashion, art, music or even the news — the ways that we consume culture and use our free time has radically altered. In our latest issue, Made in Heaven actor, the web’s current It girl and our cover star Sobhita Dhulipala gets introspective with Richa Kaul Padte about being a celebrity in the age of the internet. Despite growing up disconnected in Visakhapatnam, the 27-year-old’s pithy Instagram captions prove that an aptitude for social media was simply lying dormant in her DNA, as was her star quality. Flip through our pages to find Nagma Mirajkar, whose 9 million-plus followers on Tik Tok are proof of the India 2.0 we are in, followed by our fashion team's modernistic spin on home-grown textiles. Vivek Tejuja, in the introductory piece for his column, Me, My Shelf & I, breaks down the available modern platforms for consuming books, while actor Puja Sarup and photographer Pulkit Mogha come together to discuss the queen-dominated drag culture in India and their own representations of queerness through art. Discover the individuals who are riding the crest of content’s new wave in our Entertainment issue, now on stands.

In our new Design Issue, we focus on how citizens function within or are inspired by the jigsaw of man-made and natural elements that make up their metropolises. Cover personality Kavi Ahuja Motlz, one half of the duo behind cult fragrance label D. S. & Durga, talks to us about how her creative spark is ignited by everything she encounters; from her Brooklyn neighbourhood of Bed-Stuy, Russian literature and Indian mythology to goth fashion and Stevie Nicks. As you flip through the pages, you will also come across tales of a studio that is revolutionising outdoor recreation for children in Indian cities, a photoseries that captures the architectural idiosyncrasies of the conflicting parts of Berlin and the queer aesthetic of a boundary-pushing Ahmedabad-based zine. Traverse the unique pathways of Indian and global design in our latest issue, now on stands.

In our latest issue, we examine the efforts of people at the forefront of the sustainability movement, striving to reclaim Earth and its resources from the clutches of extinction. Cover personality and environmentalist Gaytri Bhatia, who left a job in the US to take care of the lush Vrindavan Farm and her growing bank of rare seeds, is proof that it’s possible to reorient our outlooks and modern consumerist lifestyles permanently. Inside the issue, we learn from individuals like Goa-based Clinton Vaz, who through vRecycle, has been recalibrating the state’s waste-management system since his twenties; Arshiya Bose, who has designed Black Baza Coffee's supply chain to support the coffee-growing Adivasi communities around Bengaluru and Arati Kumar Rao, an environmental writer and photographer, who is spreading awareness about the human-inflicted ‘slow violence’ on South Asian ecosystems through her images and words. We also zoom in on clothing labels like Sui by Sue Mue, Ayurganic by Lecoanet Hemant, and Upasana that are experimenting with all-natural and organic Ayurvedic garments, infused with soothing herbs.

There do exist, commonly accepted ‘icons’ — both universal and those that are unique to their parts of the world. India’s could range from say, the enigmatic Rekha to the vast ruins of Hampi, with numerous other people, places and works of art that have gone down in the annals of our cultural history. For this issue, we take a slightly different route in our search for these representative figures. We pivot the spotlight onto those that we feel are as influential, but exist in the shadows of their larger-than-life contemporaries or predecessors, or are simply awaiting the passage of time to acquire the patina of age and experience that is generally required to achieve iconic status. We also attempt to pay closer attention to the things that might be colloquially referred to as iconic due to their ubiquity, but remain unexamined below the surface — like the omnipresent bindi or souvenir photographers at the Gateway of India. Also featuring Jacques Cousteau’s adventurous granddaughter Celine Cousteau, a death metal band from Shillong Plague Throat, new-age mehndi designs, India’s first birth photographer Urshita Saini, an ex-Noma chef and more...

It’s been 24 years since Verve was launched, and here we are now, looking back at the decade of the ’90s through the sepia lens of nostalgia. Featuring people who were trailblazers in film, fashion, advertising or art, we documented and, in some ways, created the legacy that would be inherited by the 30-somethings in 2019, for whom a Baba Sehgal, Aishwarya Rai or a television VJ had been a go-to role model. In this issue of Verve, we have captured all that was already hip, that changed our lives, our thinking and the way we looked at ourselves. And who better to embody it than ’90s superstar Raveena Tandon? With her bindass GIF-worthy moves on the silver screen with the then-ubiquitous screen star Govinda, she shed inhibitions in the ’90s and continues to do so, not through the freedom of baring skin, but by simply being herself.

Six years ago, Twinkle Khanna rose unexpectedly from the ashes of a terminated acting career and has since successfully forced her critics into silence. Fresh off the release of another best-seller 'Pyjamas are Forgiving', our cover personality proves that she is in control of the narrative – pen in hand and tongue in cheek.

Often society and various forms of media promote the belief that ending up in a happily-ever-after scenario should be one of life’s most important goals, especially for women. And so, we felt the need to re-examine this idea in our September issue. And who better than cover personality and single lady extraordinaire, Tabu, to front it. After embarking on a journey of introspection and what makes her content — family, friends and the consistent satisfaction that she gets from her work — she tells us, “I had to experience this world on my own…. People may not have thought it important, but for me, my emotional freedom meant everything.” With a focus on relationships that lie outside the spectrum of romantic love, our latest issue is one you don't want to miss!

Our annual Art issue, takes a look at the changing face of art — focusing on artists under the age of 40 and exploring the different ways in which their work impacts our sensibilities. Our cover girl Rithika Merchant is the poster girl for the new generation of Indian artists who effortlessly transcend creative or geographical boundaries, catering instead to a global audience.

For this Power issue, we acknowledge the inspiring women who have empowered others by battling systemic misogyny and the targeted discrimination against those who don’t play by society’s rules. Our cover girl Faye D'Souza has been working tirelessly to restore the balance in national news coverage. Whether it’s confronting toxic masculinity on live television, or changing the discourse around women’s rights, she has dignifiedly risen through the ranks of the media to become a feminist hero. She sits in conversation with Sunny Leone — another example of self-made success and beating the odds — who has also refused to buckle under the weight of the country’s hypocritical gender dynamics. Curated and written by an all-women team featuring the most inspiring women in the country, this issue is now available on stands.

Our May issue, dedicated to the newly updated Indian design aesthetic, features Mumbai-based artist Sabeena Karnik who innovatively creates a variety of shapes through quilling. You may recall her work for Google Doodle on the occasion of Independence Day last year where she intricately quilled the Parliament House in saffron, India’s national birds and the Ashoka Chakra, flanked by two peacocks, in shades of blue and green. Using only paper to create this issue’s masthead, Sabeena hopes for quilling to become a popular art form. “Quilling is something that you learn in a hobby class; no one, in my sphere of knowledge, really thought of taking it to the next level. I wanted to break that barrier.”

When we began ideating for our annual fashion issue we decided to focus on the many factors that influence the industry, such as art, commerce, and the evolving identity of the consumer -- and how they play an important role in shaping the collective aesthetic that eventually defines eras.

Our cover girl, the newly-turned platinum Lisa Haydon — supermodel and silver screen scene-stealer — who plays her part on the national and global stage, gave us insights on how she reinvents herself in a changing world to stay ahead of the curve. Her effortless style, sassy spontaneity, and fearless opinions, seen so effectively on social media platforms, go a long way into keeping her brand viable, even after motherhood.

In today’s digital world, as stamp-sized landscapes beckon from Instagram and social media pathways lay out views of enticing urban and rural panoramas at the point of a mouse, we dedicate our March issue to a true lust for travel that involves actual, flesh-and-blood journeying to the ends of the universe. 

We are speaking of taking that old-fashioned break from our dreary routines and making off to lands unknown. We are speaking of weekend getaways and solo travel and getting out with your band of close girlfriends or with your mom. We are speaking of human contact, the experience that that affords, the laughter, the excitement, the pain, the homesickness, even. All this, and much more, awaits you in our March issue, now on stands!

Our cover girl, multi-lingual actor, Tamannaah, and celebrity stylist, Sanjana Batra, reinforce the spirit of friendship as they wander through the mall, with a keen eye for the stylish and the trendy. ‘Twinning it’ in their looks, they spend hours examining what catches their attention — and time seems to fly by in the whiff of an instant.

In this surprisingly cool month of February in Mumbai, we bring to you the ever-cool, petite actor, Aditi Rao Hydari in a surprising new avatar, styled to personify our theme of 'purification' to perfection. Her vulnerability is palpable in that perfect turn of head, the length of neck, the sweep of eyelash, the gentle swell of the back — we dare say that we have created a silhouette that is almost Audrey Hepburn-esque in its appeal.

Having turned the last page of the calendar and welcomed 2018, we now embark on personal journeys of discovery and apply valuable lessons from the year gone by into the contexts waiting to unfold. Making an appearance on our cover for the first time is experimental actor Bhumi Pednekar followed by 23 young dynamos who dare to follow their dreams as part of our Fresh List on the inside pages.

Over two centuries ago, Abraham-Louis Breguet launched the House of Haute Horology and, through his imagination and foresight, set his indelible imprint on the world of time. For even in the late 18th century the watchmaker had impressed — and gained the loyalty — of royalty and nobility, setting new standards in the world of Fine Watchmaking.

This month, as Verve celebrates the completion of 22 trend-setting years, with this edition, we take a gentle walk back through the corridors of time and raise a toast to the mind and vision of the genius who spearheaded hallmarks in timekeeping.

Introducing our December Issue with our cover star Swara Bhaskar. With our lens ​on India (as it has been for the last 22 years),​ ​we focus on what’s dominating many a​ ​conversation at the moment. From sustainability​ ​to politics, the search for identity in a digital​ ​world, and how millenials are dealing with it, this anniversary issue is all about NOW.

As we deliberated upon on our theme for the November issue, the conversation turned to the notion of luxury as being something that is essentially unattainable, thus making it a relative concept. If one were to ask Arianna Huffington, sleep would be one, if not the greatest, luxury a person can have in today’s world. Time is possibly the most elusive extravagance, topped only by our desperation to stop it. This month, we take a closer look at the art of bespoke luxury an arena where consumerism is given a millennial twist.

This year, we looked at the elusive quality of innate and one-of-a-kind chicness as we drew up our annual Best Dressed List. As India’s premier fashion and lifestyle magazine, we constantly seek out those who have mastered the power of dressing as a form of self-expression. These discerning style-makers throw together garments and accessories that mix and match high fashion with low; delve into their mothers’ and grandmothers’ closets to dust off vintage gems and don them with contemporary air; and their comfort in accessorising with even the most daring pieces is peerless — just look at our October cover star Sridevi Kapoor. These original women are comfortable in their own skin, and have no problem shucking trends and breaking the rules. As designers and the industry as a whole have begun to realise the importance of addressing the obvious reality that women come in all shapes, sizes, ages and colours, we at Verve also strive to empower our readers by providing a broader world view on what it means to be stylish, and above all, what it means to be an Indian woman today. 

The ‘offbeat’ wedding is the latest trend, in which tradition is eschewed for alternative or even subversive celebrations. The new-age urban dulhan refuses to hide under yards of zari, her head weighed down by bejewelled maang tikkas. Our cover girl Athiya Shetty questions the anxious rush to get married before 30 and speaks of her desire for an ‘imperfect wedding’, echoing the now-common opinion among many career-oriented women.
With this issue, we delve into the smaller and more intimate ceremonies that have been gaining in popularity, perhaps a consequence of the increase in the average age of marrying couples. Grab a copy of our September bridal issue and use it as a rulebook for how to be the coolest bride ever.

Indians and the South Asian diaspora have found a firm foothold in the uneven terrain of the internet and, byte by byte, have generated an alternative celebrity bubble. Hero or villain, there’s room for everyone in this virtual reality. Judging by actor-comedian Mallika Dua's meteoric rise into a household name thanks to hilarious Snapchat videos; artist Maria Qamar of Hatecopy's use of Instagram as her personal art gallery; or comedy group All India Bakchod's catalytic YouTube video with Alia Bhatt; one could say that the internet has essentially become the world’s busiest and most approachable PR agent. 
As the internet continues to make the planet appear more navigable from the comfort of a living room sofa, we hope to use it to make more of an impact and to continue to tell the important stories of the hyper-connected global village that is the world today.

While putting together our art issue featuring cover girl Ileana D'Cruz, we armed ourselves with a fresh perspective and sought out the people reinvigorating the Indian art scene today — the champions of emerging talent who create platforms for visibility. We rounded up an inspiring group of adventurous collectors, dynamic curators and pioneering gallerists that is challenging not only the perception of art but the very notion of the ‘artist’. If the answer to ‘What is art?’ was an easy one, we probably would not have to put out an issue every year! It is a personal and individual journey and we are not here to dictate what you should like, or consider, as art. We are simply setting up the annual blank canvas and laying out the tools, hoping that inspiration strikes.

This month, our annual power list celebrates feisty achievers who have pushed the envelope and excelled in sporting arenas — be it race tracks, badminton and tennis courts, mountain slopes or cricket fields. All these achievers have dominated news cycles and media in spaces usually reserved for men and have over time redefined the way India looks at sports and sportswomen.

Verve presents its first ever issue dedicated to Indian design with cover girl Smita Khanna. While putting together features and stories, we discovered that design is a language that helps us make sense of the world and what ties it all is 'Indian ingenuity' and 'innovation'. As we embrace the wealth of homegrown creativity, we delve into studios. creative workspaces, villages, homes and the minds of those who are shaping the future of design in India.

Explore the hottest silhouettes and designers of the season as Verve’s style experts analyse the latest trends straight from the runways. Pune girl and medical technology graduate Rasika Navare makes a splash on our cover and in the fashion pages as she takes on the full brunt of summer.

Troy Costa’s creations have worked their way into the wardrobes of some of the most influential gentleman in the country. In an exclusive tete a tete, he reveals what it’s like to be ‘tailor’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Plan your summer vacations to exciting locales and faraway destinations with the help of our Scapes section, take a bit out of some of the most imaginative plates or discover the hidden secrets of a familiar city through the intrepid eye of a travel blogger. Look forward to all this and more in the April issue of Verve.

April - May 2020

February - March 2020

December 2019 - January 2020

October - November 2019

August - September 2019

June - July 2019

April - May 2019

March 2019

January-February 2019

November-December 2018

October 2018

September 2018

July-August 2018

June 2018

May 2018

April 2018

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.

Verve Man 2019

Verve Palladium Supplement October 2018

Verve Palladium Supplement March 2018

Verve High Street Phoenix Supplement January 2018

Verve Man November 2017

Palladium Supplement

Verve Supplement September 2017

High Street Phoenix 2017

Verve Palladium Supplement March 2017

Verve Phoenix Marketcity Supplement 2017

Verve High Street Phoenix Supplement 2017

Verve Man 2016

Phoenix Market City

Verve Palladium Supplement 2016

March 2016 Palladium Supplement issue

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Verve - November-December 2018

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