Love Letters

After terror struck Mumbai on November 26 last year,three friends in New York designer Waris Ahluwalia and fashion executives Tina Bhojwani,and Mortimer Singer got together and wondered how they could reach out to the burning city and India.

After terror struck Mumbai on November 26 last year,three friends in New York designer Waris Ahluwalia and fashion executives Tina Bhojwani,and Mortimer Singer got together and wondered how they could reach out to the burning city and India. The result is To India With Love,a beautifully designed book,which was launched at the Taj Mahal Hotel,Mumbai,on Monday night.

It is a collection of memories essays,impressions and snapshots of people around the globe,who are passionate about India. While one page has filmmaker James Ivory writing about how India and its people made him the man he is today,on another page is a photograph of Elizabeth Hurley posing Dovima-like with elephants. On other pages are personal pictures shared by Adrian Brody and Natalie Portman. The scrapbook look was deliberate, says Singer,We wanted it to be quite erratic,a little disorderly and diverse. A bit like Mumbai and India.

The list of contributors is a whos who of influential people from all walks of life. They range from Mukesh Ambani to Zubin Mehta,from Wes Anderson to Diane von Furstenberg. Morty,Waris and I just contacted all the people we knew who had been to India and asked them if they would like to contribute, says Bhojwani,Barring a few,everyone was enthusiastic. The reason for this,Ahluwalia feels,is that India is unlike other places,a country that one develops a relationship with. Its not like when you go to Paris and say its so beautiful. This is not a place you just visit once and forget about India endures in your memories,and people who visit once,feel compelled to come back.

The book,which took just six months to collate and edit and which has been published by Assouline,will be widely available in the country and the proceeds from its sales will go to the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust,which provides financial,medical and educational support to those affected by 26/11.

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Love Letters

After terror struck Mumbai on November 26 last year,three friends in New York  designer Waris Ahluwalia and fashion executives Tina Bhojwani,and Mortimer Singer  got together and wondered how they could reach out to the burning city and India.

After terror struck Mumbai on November 26 last year,three friends in New York designer Waris Ahluwalia and fashion executives Tina Bhojwani,and Mortimer Singer got together and wondered how they could reach out to the burning city and India.