Come away with me.
To a land filled with art from the forest of honey and visuals that conjure up Indian-ness with a touch of modernity.
Presenting to you Dvara.
A first of it's kind visual Indian fusion coffee table magazine.
A quarterly magazine, which aims to bridge the generational gap between the ancient art forms, culture and traditions from India and today's youth interested in fashion, cinema, music, colour and flare.
Dvara, means doorway.
It opens its doors to a picturesque world of different facets of Indian culture which transcends across time and across generations. It offers a glimpse into the old way of life with a modern twist. The goal of the magazine is to inspire people to adapt these old traditions seamlessly into modern everyday life.
Dvara is the brainchild of two Chicago based creative entrepreneurs, Karthika Gupta and Jayashree Rao, who are passionate about India and her stories. Dvara is their platform to showcase all things beautiful and unique about India ~ her art, culture, people, places and food in a way that is aesthetically appealing and visually captivating.
Karthika Gupta is the photographer and owner of Memorable Jaunts, an on-location photo studio specializing in weddings and family portraiture. She mentions that her style of photography is clean, crisp, organic and fresh.
Jayashree Rao is an ex-visual merchandising head at Ann Taylor, is also the blogger behind the very stylish blog Sage & Slingback, a space that predominantly showcases Indian fashion and art. She is a self-taught Madhubani artist who currently teaches this form of art.
Jayashree recalls how the two ladies met.
"We were introduced to each other through a common friend. Karthika came into my life as my Madhubani art student.
During one of our casual conversations at class, I came to know that she was a professional photographer. That intrigued me and I started following her work and vice versa. Though we are completely opposite in our personalities we soon realized that we both share the common love for all things unusual and uncommon….
Jayashree (Left) Karthika (Right) against the vibrant backdrop of Madhubani art painted by Jayashree...
Karthika had this idea of starting a unique Indian Fusion coffee table magazine for the longest time. Again out of the blue, one day at a YMCA parking lot, she asked me if I wanted to be a part of this initiative and within no time, I said yes. I knew I wanted to do something different, something that would encompass my love for Indian fashion, food, travel, art. Dvara happened at the right time and was just the right thing that I was looking for."
Celebrating Dvara with a scrumptious cake!
The ‘d’ in the logo is the lovely lady Dvara, standing tall and proud, ready to face the world. The two concentric circles signify endless possibilities with Dvara.
They state if Karthika loves her chai, Jayashree enjoys her countless cups of coffee. If one finds solace in tents and mountains, the other finds comfort in beaches and cabanas. Being complete opposites in their personalities and though it's a lens versus lipstick, hiking shoes versus stilettos kind of scenario between them, they still share the same passion and vision for their magazine.
Some visuals from events organised by them to introduce Dvara Magazine to the world. The fusion is definitely visible.
Karthika and Jayashree are also the photographer and stylist behind the magazine.
Speaking about their aspirations for the magazine~
"Our sincere hope is for Dvara to become a platform to showcase artists, artisans, independent designers and other creatives. We are working on a submissions mechanism for Dvara and will launch that in the coming months."
According to them, Dvara's audience is anyone and everyone who loves all things eclectic, beautiful, culturally rich and Indian. You don’t have to be an Indian to enjoy and appreciate her. As long as you have a love for anything related to Indian art, travel, lifestyle, food and fashion you will find inspiration in her pages and stories.
Rang Decor wishes the creative duo great success for their fusion magazine Dvara which launches on 21st April, 2015
Now for the most exciting part of the post. Dvara is having a giveaway exclusively for Rang Decor readers. The first of it's kind for Rang Decor.
The giveaway is the Inaugural issue of Dvara Magazine.
Here is what you need to do, answer the question below and click 'like' on Dvara Magazine and Rang Decor's Facebook pages & Instagram profiles to keep updated on the latest.
Now, how simple is that?:-)
1. Dvara is a doorway, a portal that provides a glimpse into various facets of India through it's visual stories. Please tell us in a couple of sentences what draws you to India, Indian culture and how do you assimilate that into your everyday?
The contest opens right now and ends on April 29rd, 2015. So get the answers ready.
The winner will be decided based on the best entry by the Dvara Team.
