There were stalls after stalls with the same nude, beige, black and white hues so popular in the European design elements. It is a classic case where indigenous design is looked down upon as second grade activity while we celebrate Western sensibilities.Driving through villages in Karnataka the one abiding image that stayed with me was of plastic pitchers in neon green and neon orange. An artist who works on furniture recently approached an architect and was asked as to why does she spend so much on getting furniture made in India? Source it from China and then work on it, she was told! My contention is, what is the point of blocking Ikea to protect our artisans if we can’t even stem the rot right here at the smaller level?Seriously, architects and designers need to make mandatory visits to art shows and art fairs just to see that thinking out of the box is a possibility. How many East European lights can one looks at please? Give our good old Firozabad the right kind of facilities and it is my conviction our artisans will not disappoint.

Admittedly it was a design fair and not and an art fair, the linkages between art and design were simply not explored. After getting clients to spend lakhs if not crores on the homes and office spaces, the entire money crunch is applied on the moveable items like paintings, lighting, furniture and other artifacts.A country that arguably produces the world’s best hand-tufted carpets had a stall with an amazing carpet priced at a mere Rs 3 lakh. It was a microcosm of all that the Indian architects and interior designers are placing in homes.

The government bleats about Made in India, these designers who participated in the fair are in complete contravention of that thought and are doing the exact opposite.I feel design is something that needs to take into account the weather, the lifestyle and the heritage of a people for it touches the life of each and every person, of the geographical space they are placed in. Even quirky options that have captured the imagination of the younger generation of Indians were not seriously explored as a design intervention. Nobody told them that they look fine in that light but look washed out and boring in our light? Talking of lights, there were some interesting light installation options again of Western sensibilities giving Indian design traditional and modern both the go by. Surely someone was underpaid to create the beauty that must have taken at least six months to weave? Assuming there is a market for both modern and traditional design, the same artisans can create so many versions that one can be hard put just to choose.

There was virtually nothing that held the attention as one went through the bland stalls that were all looking westwards. I hate to say this but not only does it need government interventions, it needs pride in things Indian and our heritage too at the private level so as to ensure sustainability of our crafts. Why must art be matched to upholstery and not the other way round? Why can’t indigenous artists be encouraged and supported in these projects – believe you me, the results can be astounding. Give me hard long-lasting Indian marble any day rather than soft Italian marble that cracks even while it is laid as floors and all things Indian – any day, everyday, forever!Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghuvanshiyahoo. The entire fair had only one single painting that too by an unknown artist. I seethe when I see our craftsmen forced to opt for different professions for lack of work and our designers heading to China and Korea to find cheaper options.I have an even greater fear with this overuse of non-Indian stuff – we are tampering with our cultural and artistic heritage. While I loved the pop element of the colours, more intriguing was its design which completely followed the traditional format.The designers’ reference points, inspiration and sensibilities are pointed towards the West as far as mosaic, lights, furniture and even wall art is concerned.

It is my theory that the only reason the design abided was thanks to the perfection attained over centuries. After all, design is something that China cereal container Manufacturers is supposed to make life simpler while keeping aesthetics firmly in place. Obviously their aesthetic bandwidth doesn’t extend to including art in the spaces and designing around it. I assume that the prohibitive cost of the stalls was one reason why the more “Indian” designers were unable to participate. The most loathsome example I can think of are Indian women getting into gowns and giving sarees the go by. The recently-concluded India Design fair was a prime example of all that was not made in India. Can you imagine 50 years from now when people look at Indian homes or images of homes, there will practically be no Indian reference points? It would be such a sad comment on us as a civilisation. But of that another time. Collaborations in terms of sensibilities, colours, aesthetics can be beyond compare. I know it for a fact that after buildings are made, interior designers and architects, when they are not bringing container loads of stuff to populate homes with cheaper versions of Chinese or Korean furniture, are scouring Lajpat Nagar for framed paintings for Rs 2000 to populate homes, hotels and offices! Commissions from vendors and artisans are the norm

This festive season, try these easy-to-make recipes at home, as you celebrate the joyous occasion Apple pie hazelnut modak Ingredients: Ingredients for dough:Multigrain flour 1 cup Olive oil 2 tbsp Pinch of saltWater as requiredFor the stuffing:Red apples, chopped and peeled 4 Rolled oats, lightly toasted cup Honey 1/3 cupHazelnuts, cut into small pieces 1/4 cup Olive oil 2 tbsp Cinnamon powder 1 tsp Method: Make the dough by mixing together flour, oil and a pinch of salt.Roll them one by one with rolling pin to make thin discs.Keep these discs covered with a moist cloth or a moist kitchen paper towel.Let them cool.

Make a well in the rice flour and add some hot ghee in the centre.After every 10 minutes, flip them and bake on the other side. Bake them at 180 C for 20 minutes.Serve hot or cold. Serve along with dry fruit garnish of almond/ cashew/ pista/ raisin. Mix the dough to a crumbled consistency. On a skillet, add chopped apples, hazelnuts, honey and oats. Keep aside to cool down. Put the above made coconut-dry fruit mixture into them. Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder.Add water, a little at a time, till you get the desired consistency.For the modak: First make small balls out of dough.Place the modaks on a baking tray lined with greased aluminium foil.Brush each modak with olive oil to give them a glaze.Add powdered sugar, dry fruits and grated nutmeg to the cooked consistency.

Keep it aside.To make the dough, take rice flour. Add a little water to make the dough soft. Mix it well and roll it into small puris.While it is lukewarm, mould into small palm-sized ladoos. Hold the disk on your left palm in the shape of a bowl and place the filling in the centre of the disk, merge all the sides of the disc to make in the shape of a fresh fig.Place these in the steamer and steam for approximately 15-20 minutes. Recipe courtesy: Chef Ranveer Brar Ukadi che modak (Steamed modak)Ingredients: Rice flour 150 gmCoconut cupJaggery 60 gmDry fruits 40 gmCardamom powder a pinchGhee 20 gmPowdered sugar 50 gmMethod Grate fresh coconut. Recipe courtesy: 29, Restaurant.

Besan 125 gmSuji 60 gmPowdered sugar 120 gmDry fruits 60 gmGhee 80 gm Nutmeg 1/2 pieceMethod:Heat ghee in a saucepan and saute suji rawa and besan together till it cooks. Knead it well and cover with a wet cloth for 10 minutes.Once cool, store them in a airtight container or serve fresh. Add China plastic stool chair for sale shredded dry fruits (almonds, pistas, raisins). Mix properly and add cinnamon powder to make thick stuffing. After 20 minutes, remove and keep on the cooling rack.Recipe courtesy:29, Restaurant, Mumbai. Shape into modaks. The next step is to make the stuffing. Make sure it is the size of a golf ball.The adorable elephant God is here, and so is the excuse to indulge in some delectable modaks and ladoos