Panellists at Ritu Beri’s luxury league conference discovered ways of making India a global brand. Mansi Bhansali listens in
Which country could you think of better than India to talk about luxuryIJ Having a heritage associated with maharajas, elephants, forts and jewels, India should be an epitome of luxury. But in aping the Western concept of luxury, quantified by branded extravagance, we have disregarded our monuments, craftsmanship and uniquely Indian experiences.
In order to take into account the broader concept of luxury in India, The luxury league, helmed by designer Ritu Beri, organised a round table to discuss why are we lagging behind in redefining boutique standards despite having all the resources and what could be the possible and practical solutions to opt for. It provided a platform to promote luxury as a powerful agent of change by leveraging India’s art and craft to create global brands. “The luxury league is a labour of the 3Ps- Perseverance, Passion and Pride in my country,” said Beri.
Highlighting the works of the Government in the sphere of art and culture, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Minister of Minority Affairs, said, “I want Ritu Beri to join us in the Make in India programme to further develop the rural artisans of Assam, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh, which present our luxury in the purest and authentic form.”
The essence of luxury lies in our heritage. There is no better way to appreciate India than by celebrating India’s rich cultural legacy. Carrying this notion forward, Rajiv Makhni, tech guru, moderated the discussion on how Indians perceive luxury. For Riva Ganguly Das, Director General, ICCR, the problem that needed to be targeted was the idea of perception. “Why only a particular section talks about everything which thematically comes into the context of luxury and why we don’t associate it with IndiaIJ Take the gem and jewellery sector. Though nine out of 10 diamonds are cut and polished in India, we never associate diamonds with India while we see them in a store. All the sectors need to be branded to change the perception globally,” she said.
Giving an outsider perceptive, Peter D’Ascoli suggested the need of investment either domestically or internationally. He said, “India is known as the land of textiles but there are no luxury brands in the textile sector. For me India is on its way towards luxury but there are challenges which need to be taken up with respect to the quality and manufacturing technique.”
Film is an important source of promoting India’s luxury through art and culture. Muzaffar Ali, fIlmmaker and fashion designer, believes in comparison to the earlier films, nowadays the authenticity within a film is losing out which is further distorting the perception of luxury in India even globally. He said, “luxury is what you create and share. We need to establish ourselves as creators and not as consumers. The important aspect of luxury, tehzeeb i.e. how others perceive us is something we are losing out on.”
Tourism is the most effective and efficient way to express one’s definition of luxury. Abha Narain lambah drew a parallel between the European and Indian sense of luxury and how we are lagging behind. “In our tourism, the inflicted democratisation has undone a lot of access to our cultural assets. luxury for me is search for excellence. The craftsmanship is buried when we buy a chikankari kurta from Sarojini Nagar rather than from a specialist. This is because of our chalta hai sab attitude. Similarly, when a tourist pays Rs 50/- for visiting the Taj Mahal, we can’t even deliver them a clean toilet.” She shared how the Victoria and Albert museum in Europe allowed their visitors to experience it in three different ways, depending on their financial status. “Why can’t we provide an extra penny service to our visitors. For example, one can have a specialised candle-lit path to Fatehpur Sikri post sunset,” she added.
After raising various issues India is facing with respect to luxury, Makhni ensured some solutions came from the panellists. For Ganguly, along with branding, elegance is necessarily required. Ali believed that through film we can create a narrative and perception towards luxury in India. lambah provided a set of measures. She said, “The lowest denominator for working on a monument must be removed. There should be a qualifying criteria and accreditation scheme to preserve craftsmanship. The lowest tender price for projects which involve cultural aspects must be raised.” Ascoli felt that the vibrant consumer market will diminish the perception of taking luxury from foreign countries. “The world is ready to accept India’s luxury because of its heritage and civilisation. India is not only about elephants and maharajas but also modern spa alongside the monuments,” he said.
Coming directly from the Chandigarh, Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, shared his view about luxury. He said, “India is saturated with elegance, beauty and peace which is defined as luxury. It’s just we need to highlight it. I was in doubt whether I’m the right person or not but Ritu convinced me how the aviation industry is showcasing Indian art and culture through airports. This is something worth discussing.” From Ranchi to Guwahati, the ministry is trying to encourage local artisans to produce paintings for our airports as they are the most effective way to present our culture.
Along with exploring numerous aspects of art and culture representing India’s luxury, the luxury league felicitated those who contributed in putting the Modern Design Movement of India on the global map. HH Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, Mridula Sinha, Sanjay K Roy, Advaita Kala, Rajiv Makhni and many more were some of the awardees. Roy, MD, Teamwork Arts said, “Ranging from Ritu’s fancy jacket to Shriji’s traditional jacket, everything defines design. Design is already embedded in us, just an upgradation is required.”
Photos: Pankaj Kumar