GOOD EARTH ANNUAL SALE

Illankai Bed Story

The Good Earth Annual Sale is fast becoming a calender highlight. Nobody knows it better than the folks at Good Earth how much shoppers love the tone of "50 PERCENT OFF"

Palmereie Dinner Set

Starting from 23-25th February, Good Earth is offering discounts upto 50 % on just about everything you would ever want in your home – handcrafted bedding & apparels, giant silk pillows, glowing lanterns, eclectic accent

84-YEAR-OLD MAN CALLED 'BABY' WHO RUNS A CATERING BUSINESS WITH NO NAME, WHICH THE LOCALS SWEAR BY

 

Baby Narayana Iyer (84) Photo: Nila Tamaraa

He is 83-years-old. But to the people living in and around Ulsoor, Bangalore, he will always be — Baby Iyer.

Narayana Iyer, originally from Palakad in Kerala, was born and brought up in Bangalore. Iyer Sr always fondly called his first born "Baby" and the "pet name stuck".

I met Baby Iyer on one of my walkabouts in Ulsoor. Clad in a not-so-white dhoti and half-sleeved white shirt, the octogenarian was frail looking ("But I have no diabetes, cholestrol or any other diseases," he tells me) even as he leaned, for support, on the iron gate of an old-fashioned, old-looking, yellowed with age house. On one side of the gate was tied a poster that announced the availability of Home made products….Catering undertaken for all small functions.

There is something utterly delightful about striking up a conversation with an absolute stranger. And if the stranger happens to be someone like Baby Iyer — a man full of stories — the joy is doubled. So, there I stood — on the narrow road with just a few houses on either side and a 3000-year-old temple at one end — chatting with a man who seemed like he welcomed a ‘willing ear’. We stood there exchanging stories — with no agenda. Bliss!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND — A BOX OF MAPS

I got  my hands on Locus City Cards — Bangalore Edition. Swell! These are a set of pocket-sized maps/city-guides packed in a simple, but arty, well-crafted brown box with interesting illustrations, and it is brought out by Locus Infotainment Pvt.Ltd.



The Bangalore Edition consists of:

1. City map
2. Map of MG Road
3. Map of 'in & around Koramangala'
4. Bangalore heritage & sightseeing
5. Bangalore cuisines
6. Bangalore 'in & around' Lavelle Road
7. Bangalore 'in & around' Whitefield
8. Bangalore essentials — population, climate, getting around...those kinda essential guide-book-variety info
9. Bangalore bazaar
10. Banglaore 'in & around' Indiranagar
11. Bangalore art and culture
12. A card introducing Locus.

Likey....

ECO-FRIENDLY MODERN PRODUCTS MADE OUT OF AN ANCIENT CRAFT

Varnam store

Traditional Indian craft given a contemporary twist. That’s the hallmark of Varnam — a store that I highly recommend for any traveller coming to Bangalore and wanting to take home a piece of Indian craft. 

Varnam is a small haven for the age-old Channapatna craft (more about it later). There is space under its roof for a select other traditional crafts too. But the allure of Varnam is the Channapatna craft — lacquered products made out of hale wood. They are  100% natural; use natural colours. And the craft — ancient. But the designs and ideas are CONTEMPORARY — crafted by artisans from the village of Channapatna, who for generations have been practicing the craft.

SHOP: THE ORANGE BICYCLE, BANGALORE

Photo: The Orange Bicycle FB page

When I asked people to point me to one-must-visit quaint shop in Bangalore that tells Indian stories, there was one name that popped up again and again — The Orange Bicycle. (TOB) Quaint, it definitely  is.

Photo: The Orange Bicycle FB page

Situated in a posh residential locality in upscale Indiranagar, TOB is a house-converted-into-a-boutique. The entire family of rainbow colour welcomes you when you step into the shop. The store is filled with colourful, unique, eclectic mix of art, bags, pottery, home décor items, bags, shoes, jewelry, garments…you get the drift. QUIRKY is what they all are. And they plaster a smile on your face —  from the moment you enter the shop till you leave with a bag of products, which you might not need, but  end up buying because you ‘must-absolutely-have-them’; because you might not find the same anywhere else and because it is oh-so-cute-and-charming. You just don’t want to miss the chance of having an old-traditional-milk cans that's used in rural South India, painted and turned into an art-décor piece, which would fit right in that corner of your living room; or a one-foot pink bucket-candle or the yellow leather handbag dotted with autos, the ubiquitous Indian vehicle that’s actually a killing machine let loose on the road —it is a miracle how those things ply on Indian roads.

Pink leather passport hold. I had to have this :)

Back to TOB — there are just two staff members and one sits at the counter, making it a wonderful experience to browse and shop without having sales people breathing down your neck, which is one thing that I find annoyingly common in this beautiful city of Bangalore. I was told by the friendly sale girl that TOB opened four years ago and it was started by two friends, Gunjan Khaitan and Leena Raizada, along with two other partners. They have around 90 vendors across India who supply them with exceptionally creative one-of-a-kind products. The vendors include homemakers, artisans and even brands that produce quirky distinctive products. That’s why no two products are the same; it is kitschy, trendy, edgy and would definitely attract eyeballs wherever you go. They even have small rocks which you might find in your garden, painted with beautiful butterflies and turned into paperweights or just a piece of art. Given that the products are unique one shouldn’t expect them to be cheap. However, I did find them to be reasonably priced.

That's a palm-sized paint bucket. How cute is that!

Oh yeah, I did pick up a beautiful pink leather passport holder with dancing girls, a brightly coloured mouse pad with a motif of an Indian woman with a big bindi and nose ring, cute-paint buckets in horizontal stripes that is currently sitting on my table as a flower-vase, tomorrow I think I shall turn it into a pen-holder and day-after-tomorrw…well, who knows! J

I was disappointed with the clothes available though. Not with the design or print or style. They are trendy, alright. But with the sizes. Forget about XXL, it would be hard to find even a proper L. I would still rate the other products available in the shop higher than the garment selection.

And outside the door, in the portico is another shop called Garden essence from where you can pick up anything garden-related — from bonsais to painted buckets. On my table now I have a bonsai too, sitting pretty. If you are in the vicinity, try TOB. If not to buy, at least to browse. It will make you smile.

The Orange Bicycle

House No. 3353, 5th Cross,

12th A Main, HAL II Stage, Bangalore, India 560038

PH: 080 4125 5242

TO REACH:  From 100 feet road indiranagar, enter 12th Main from the Sony Centre/Body shop side. Keep looking for Au bon Pain on your Left. Take the lane right next to it.

PRICE RANGE: Rs.250 onward

Check out their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Orange-Bicycle/144423098936342?id=144423098936342&sk=info

More photos

Milk cans converted into beautiful work of art
Photo: The Orange Bicycle FB Page

Cushion cover - beautiful
Photo: Orange Bicycle FB page

Painted stool
Photo: Orange Bicycle FB Page