One-third of the trio that made Goonga Pehelwan and won the national award for it, Vivek Chaudhary is now flying solo and working on two parallel documentaries on opium economy which are already drawing eyeballs. Read about his dramatic journey…

From being scared of dogs to becoming a den mother to more than a 100 Freagles, Richa Choudhuri has become a one-woman army on a mission to find good homes for these cute canines. We have all seen posts about…

Imagine living inside a museum with more than 9000 antiques, collectables and artworks. That’s the life of Dr Tejus Naik, an established surgeon of Ahmedabad and grandson of Gulzarilal Nanda. Soon into my interview with Dr Tejus Naik, a well-known…

A professor in Strategic Marketing, fashion blogger, perfect poser and advocate for self-love, Falguni Vasavada-Oza is breaking stereotypes of gender and body type by declaring plus-size to be beautiful on social media. खुद से जीतने की जिद है मुझे खुद…

Ahmedabad-based advocate AC Damani is a man of many hats. Besides travelling to villages to solve revenue disputes of farmers, he has also published six books in Gujarati. Here, he talks about how the demise of his mother awakened the…

In an exclusive interview in 1994, on location at the Gufa in Ahmedabad, the celebrated artist MF Husain shared his memories of growing up in Gujarat. His famous paintings of horses were inspired by the Kala Ghoda statue in Baroda:…

In this piece 64 year old Dr Yatin Desai, shares with CY his inspiring story of how to scale towering mountains with utmost ease and how this life adventure activity can shape human character and health. Chances are high that…

Spoken word poet Diksha Bijlani doesn’t write her poems down till they’ve gestated in her mind for months. Find out why the poet behind the viral poem ‘Dear Ekta Kapoor’ follows this process, and how she sees the future of…

What prompted Netflix to adapt ‘The Rise of Sivagami’ into a web series? Why does writer Anand Neelakantan often choose to write from the perspective of the ‘evil’ party, like the Kauravas and Ravana? When were the seeds of mythology…

Dhadaam te Dhadoom! From a child who drew flipbooks under the table to heading one of India’s top infotainment television channel – Discovery Kids, Uttam Pal Singh Chawla is the famed creative person who gave us insanely quirky Santa Banta…

Maed in India is a unique podcast, an on-demand episode-ized radio show, where Mae Thomas scours the earth for Indian indie musicians and gets them talking about their lives and music. Between interesting banter and stories of life on the…

Esteemed Indian designer, scenographer and art curator Rajeev Sethi has been serving marginalised as well as urbanised sector with his innovative designs for decades. During his lecture at India Design Confluence, he addressed budding designers & artists and explained on how…

Do you silently hate braving small talk at every social event? Meet Ashley Kirsner whose events at a Boston bar make it possible to have meaningful conversations with absolute strangers. For Ashley, it’s all about practising vulnerability.  Do you silently…

Padma Shri artist Manu Parekh is the first Gujarati artist to have a retrospective at the prestigious National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi. CreativeYatra.com engages in a warm conversation with the master artist. Not every day does one have the…

The recent uprising of Hindi Cinema that saw realism entering into the mainstream narratives, has gifted us some solid actors. Today in our Get Candid episode we meet one such incredible talent Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub. Acclaimed for his memorable performances…

With a newfound vivacity brimming since half a decade in Gujarati cinema, the invigorated essences are coming out on the screens because of the prodigy recitalists who are making the industry a popular medium in the Gujarati Language. Among them,…

We rendezvous with one of the foremost creative families in the city to find out what inspires a father and his sons to pursue their distinctive art and design. Mr Amit Ambalal, the patriarch of the renowned Ambalal family, is…

National award winning painter Paresh Maity is thrusting contemporary art forward with his enormous creations. We met the affable artist at Art E’ Fair 2017 and talked with him about his work, his thoughts and his upcoming solo exhibition in Ahmedabad…

Be it conservation of a natural species leaping towards extinction or a journey of the amalgamation of Caribbean Reggae music in Indian taste of melodies the realist documentary maker, Surabhi Sharma has made the audience visualise factuality with utmost creativity…

Pioneers of the contemporary art scenario in Ahmedabad, the father-son duo of Anil and Manan Relia share intimate anecdotes about their art collection and vision for Archer Art Gallery, in an exclusive tête-à-tête with Creative Yatra. Entering the foyer of Archer…

He belongs to a community stigmatised with wronged identity – Dakxin Bajrange aka Chhara – through his life and work merges creativity with activism and challenges the socio-political bias that is the root of the unseen discrimination faced by many.…

Born in the Gujarati Sugam Sangeet legacy, Parth Oza, today wears many hats. Having played the lead in two Gujarati Feature films, having done a couple of music videos, having been featured in a web short – Parth, who is…

With feet firmly grounded in the Indian classical music ethos – Parthiv Gohil – is a brilliant showcase of versatility. From playback singing to folk and fusion his live acts are energetic displays of his powerhouse talent. Among the torch…

A musician whose songs are hummed by fans belonging to varying generations and whose career graph is a rare example of every endeavour turning into a trend – Lesle Lewis has given new paradigms to Indian music scene on a…

Be it Carnatic singers humming to Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You or Sia’s Cheap Thrills, IndianRaga has found a novel way to integrate classical genres with contemporary styles. After stupendous response in the US, RagaLab in Mumbai is set to…

20th March 2017 is World Sparrow Day, a day that brings to light how ethically appalling the near-extinction of these joyous creatures is. To know how we can make things positive for sparrows and the environment, Creative Yatra correspondent, Himanshu…

The acclaimed screenwriter speaks about his raison d’etre for writing.  “The three commandments of Ingmar Bergman: Entertainment is your responsibility and priority because the audience is not coming for a sociological treatise. Do not sell your soul while entertaining, like…

Dhruvin Shah’s ‘Superstar’, irrespective of its public acceptance, highlights the upsurge of Gujarati Cinema for attracting globally exposed minds to the regional fraternity. As we sat down at the Bistro, the mise-en-scene seemed ready for a candid conversation. And Dhruvin’s…

How two NID alumni are shattering menstruation myths and creating a period-positive culture Tuhin Paul was a student of engineering when he made a trip to the coastal city of Diu with his friends. One of the boys had injured…

In conversation with one of India’s pioneers in sustainable and handcrafted fashion – about blending the traditional with the new, contesting homogeneity and re-purposing crafts. Exquisite fabrics are tastefully arranged in an elegantly designed room. Wherever the eye looks, it…

In a world where people are busy trying to increase only their database of contacts, it is refreshing to meet and know someone who prides herself as a people collector. Entrepreneur and speaker Lakshmi Pratury, founder and CEO of INK,…

A recipient of numerous state awards, veteran artist Bhanwar Singh Panwar – here in Ahmedabad for an exhibition on ‘Roop’, i.e. forms and images – speaks about the influence of other artists in his life, and about why art is…

That she is a beautiful Indian classical vocalist, we know. That she is a crowd-puller and a leading one at that, we know too. But, not all of us know what goes in retaining that amazing voice or the focus…

As January approaches, the thought of Saptak Classical Music Festival hits the right note in our heads. The wait is steady, and with passing days, the resolve firmer. January evenings are booked even before the month arrives. And so, when…

Somehow, one of the first things I want to tell actor-poet-lyricist-singer Piyush Mishra as we sit down for a relaxed evening chat is that verses written by him carry enough punch, loads of meaning and plenty of weight. And all…

Her Crraft of Art initiatives have been responsible in creating memories that are not only exclusive but also off the beaten track. The Sufi Festival at Sarkhej Roza, Water Festival at Patan Rani ki vav, Bhadra Festival at Teen Darwaza,…

A landmark with a fantastic address. House of MG, opposite Sidi Sayyed mosque, has bustling energy in its surroundings, offering a glimpse of everyday life, albeit at the comfortable distance. It is tough to stay away from its inviting ambience…

Every year art enthusiasts gear up for a festival like no other – the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival in Mumbai. Earlier this year, the event held 600 programmes across 12 days and drew over 1.5 lakh people. The best thing…

If at some point, you have sat inside Ahmedabad’s Patang revolving restaurant and pictured yourself enjoying a stroll at the Sabarmati Riverfront promenade, there’s a traffic of thoughts that confront you. You want to know the brains that created these…

If photographers today wish to cover an age-old festival popular in a remote village, all they need to do is google for details. Date, place, time, schedule, it’s all listed on the well-designed website. Camera bag and lens in order,…

It is tough to believe him when he says ‘I have been in and out of many schools due to my menacing behaviour’ or ‘I was a goon doing goondagardi’. And so, I check if I got that right. Filmmaker…

There’s a very large number of people who envy his work profile. Ironically, there are just as many who’d like to shred his opinion to pieces. As one of the popular film critics, Rajeev Masand is a man many in…

At a time when children were busy chasing either playgrounds or PlayStation, this girl was playing ‘music-music’. She was pursuing melodies and immersing herself in riyaaz. Morning, evening and night. But, when I ask Aishwarya Majmudar, 22, her age when…

Nature has inspired many an artist but not everyone knits stories from life around. Not every artist weaves a tale from happenings that involve him. And surely, not everyone paints a canvas where you may want to hop in and…

Before I set out to meet the two young and pretty actors, I know a fair bit about both. That they are 23, raring to go, and love the stage. Lipi Goyal and Netri Trivedi have, interestingly, life stories that…

  In a world that accuses the youth of being too full of themselves, of being emotionally distant or even an impulsive lot, it is refreshing to meet a 23-year-old who is keen to know others’ life-stories, is sensitive to…

It is always interesting to meet someone who is passionate about a concept and believes it will earn its share of likes. Even better if you met the person soon after the concept hit the start button and with time,…

Read Part 1 here When he finally decided to come to Ahmedabad in 1994, Yogesh Gadhvi had Rs 800 in his pocket. “On coming here, I realised real estate was doing good and I got working on it. I earned…

  It is thrilling to think, that soon Ahmedabad is going to host the Ahmedabad Literature Festival (ALF) on 12th & 13th November, 2016, with Ahmedabad Management Association as the venue. Writers, poets, readers and literary enthusiasts are expected to…

His is truly a case of landing up where his heart wanted him to be. And so, while we may want to imagine that to be Chairman of Gujarat Rajya Sangeet Natak Academy, Yogesh Gadhvi’s life would have been all…

Before we begin our talk on music, composing and all that goes into making tunes sense-clinging, Parth and I first listen to Mangamtu in the car’s stereo. I have told him it is one of those first Gujarati songs that…

It is 15 years today since iconic Hindi film Lagaan released. Yet, wherever Aditya Lakhia goes, there are whispers of ‘Look…  Kachra’. Film Lagaan’s character Kachra, that Aditya played in the rustic tale of oppressed villagers taking on uptight British…

Every time I heard promos on radio with her voiceover, I conjured up an image of a woman who loves to listen, one who enjoys stories of different lives, one who always has something to offer, no matter what. For…

We have seen these two artistes rock the stage and dance into people’s hearts. Time and again, one after another. Individually they have livened up the stage, one with her dances, the other with her songs. Together, danseuse Sanjukta Sinha,…

If he has returned to direct a film after 37 years, two things are clear: The Gujarati film industry holds promise, and, heavy traffic of recent releases spell the audience’s readiness to accept more. Acknowledged better as theatre veteran, 59-year-old…

He designs homes like a poet writes poetry. With a tinge of romance, a stream of thought and enough meaning to enable delightful acceptance. Architect Hiren Patel won’t use too many words, he’ll let the wall speak, make the garden…

It’s not every day that you come across someone who unhesitatingly admits he’s obese, that he doesn’t have a fancy crop, that he isn’t your typically smart or handsome rockstar. But, is a head turner still. Singer Arvind Vegda manages…

For those enjoying the better part of the 30s and beyond, Draupadi is a woman wronged. The television series of Mahabharat made us familiar with its various characters, the stronger ones ensuring swifter recall. And, Draupadi is one such. A woman…