Author: RA

अम्मा // माँ > जाड़ा > धूप > झूला > बग़ीचा > किताब > कहानी  > पढ़ना > बेसुध > थोड़ी देर में चाय 

Somewhere between a dream and the distant past this face has lived for ever and came back each time I picked up a fairytale. I have reminisced it each time I heard or recalled the story The Elves and the Shoemaker (Grimm brothers). Yesterday, when I saw and met Riaasat Ali for the first time in the Imperial Hotel my first question to myself was ‘Is he for real?’ For the fear of losing him soon I wanted to make a wish. I so very much wanted him to fulfill that wish. Facing him I quickly thought of a wish and said it whispering it to his sparkling eyes. I wanted to see him swirl up and rise like a jinn, glide over my head and land lightly on my shoulder. I dabbed my right shoulder flattening it so he may land comfortably. I wanted to feel him, smell him and hear him say in Sindarin “I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favourite”(remember Buddy said it in the film ‘Elf’). I had to pinch myself to make sure that I was not hallucinating, that I was not walking in sleep, that this man sawing a plank of wood was for real. It took me back to my childhood to my story books, to the elf whom I wished to complete my homework. Riaasat Ali slogged the whole night to make ready an exhibition arena for a public health organisation that was to set the tone for ‘how to deal with the next crisis’. In the melee of workers in that plush Ballroom with crystal chandeliers hanging from high ceilings I looked for another elf, a group of elves who would smile and know I had recognised their ilk. With early dawn my elf Riaasat disappeared without a trace in the misty outdoors of that ‘hotel from the Raj’. Does this face remind you of a fairy character? But before he disappeared he shook hands with me, smiled and permitted me to take a picture. Thank you ‘Elf Riaasat’.

On the night of 30 January 2023 at Hotel Imperial, Janpath, Delhi  

The one and only Tennis Yearbook in India and possibly the only exclusive tennis magazine in the country. This magazine has been regularly published with amazing commitment and dedication for over 25 years now. Other than the unfortunate  pandemic years, Priya Nanki Singh, its publisher-owner, has brought out the magazine year-after-year with no support from anyone, holding forth a crusade for promotion of tennis in the country. Profusely illustrated, “Advantage Tennis” yearbook/magazine carries well-researched & commissioned articles, interviews, game history and analysis of the previous year, player rankings and tournament schedules for all major tournaments across the world and within India. A center-spread pinup poster is an added attraction. We at ISHTIHAAR are proud to have been associated with the magazine since its inception. Ishtihaar has designed and printed all 23 issues till date with as much dedication and love. 

ISHTIHAAR, design studio and advertising agency, offers its services to you also in case you wish to design and print a book, magazine, annual report, catalogue, calendar or any other illustrated document. Leave us a message here or write to rajinder@ishtihaar.com 

Have you ever seen Mars rise over the northern hemisphere of earth? No? Even I haven’t. This is the sunrise over Lake Ontario from Toronto. Picture by my brother JR.

Reminds me of ‘Rhythm Divine’. Though still, the sky still has a few musical notes fluttering in it left by a singing Loon; the aura around the sun starts an Aalaap from the southern flank of the lake and dips it in the northern waters giving a gentle push to the ripples which culminates in the ultimate divine symphony playing out for us, the lesser mortals.

The last of the calendars has finally been delivered to the client. Though a little late in the month, yet, for some clients the love of a Table or Wall Calendar pushes them to produce and distribute it as part of the yearly branding exercise. Looking at the calendar as a promotion tool is no longer what it used to be a decade or more back. From the 1980s till about the first decade of the 21st Century there was keen interest in calendars and clients would set aside a decent chunk of budget for it. Marketing Managers pitched it to the management and worked hard on choosing an attractive concept and theme. Agencies had to come up with their creative best to bag the project. For PSUs, pharma and infrastructure companies, a calendar was a big-ticket item. In 2023 a printed Calendar is a rarity and only the connoisseurs dare to step in proving true to a long standing conviction. Trust us, no one says no to a calendar as a gift and those that are well designed are also well accepted and find a place of pride on a wall or on a desk. This one is for our renowned client SISCO, a infrastructure speciality steel manufacturer with one of the largest capacity steel plants in India.