The Jaguar & RITZ Magazine Excellence Awards Coimbatore Edition | Narain Karthikeyan, G V Prakash Kumar

The Jaguar and RITZ Magazine Excellence Awards Coimbatore edition were presented at a glittering, star studded evening in Coimbatore. An evening where the suave, the successful, the idealistic and the brilliant were celebrated. The Jaguar and RITZ Excellence Awards are given only to those select few who are truly a class apart. They are the ones who redefine success, commitment to their chosen purpose, dedication and willpower. They are who everyone wants to be, but often cannot.

The Jaguar RITZ Excellence Awards are instituted by RITZ, South India’s largest lifestyle magazine spearheaded by the dynamic Aruna R Krishnan who has driven the success of Ritz with her unwavering focus on offering readers refined style and class in each of its pages month after month.

Bharathi Raviprakash designs ravishing jewellery for the stars and many of the most high profile, and sought after women in the country. Her Chennai-based brand Studio Tara’s designs are unlike any other. Distinct, striking, with a personality all their own, Studio Tara is in a league of it own. And then again, so is its owner, the gorgeous Bharathi Raviprakash. The two sequences of the fashion show showcased jewellery from Studio Tara specially designed by Bharathi Raviprakash.

This petite and ever-smiling lady is involved in the Development of High end designer homes. ‘The White House, Coimbatore, is the first and only designer project of Coimbatore as on date, designed and curated by the international design architect Ms. Sussanne Khan.

She is also involved in the creation of ‘Lifestyle Affordable Homes’. The project is in Madurai christened as ‘VNCT Square’ stands testimony to this concept. She has business interests in varied industries such as Automotive, Cinema and Investments and Automated Training Technology in the Education sector.

Geetha Nagu of VNCT is the daughter in law of the illustrious and the eminent personality of Tamil Nadu, Mr.VN. Chidambaram Chettiar, who was the chairman of Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai, and the founder of the renowned Kamala Cinemas, Chennai. A legacy that she cherishes and is proud of.

The highlight of the evening was a special unveiling of the Jaguar XF an enchanting, pulsating car, by the fastest Indian in the world Narain Karthikeyan and a true blue Jaguar Land Rover aficionado Sanjeev Subramanian. “Jaguar XF is known for its dynamic design, impeccable performance, refined drive and effortless power. The unique design enhancements on XF Aero-sport will further endear the hugely popular model to our young and sophisticated customers looking to own an exclusive Jaguar luxury, sports saloon.”

In addition to features like the Touch-screen, Navigation system, Front Seat Away, Full Size Spare Wheel and Sunroof, Jaguar XF 2.2 Litre Diesel Aero-sport comes equipped with sporty exterior features such as: Rear spoiler, ‘R’ style side sills, a sport-style front bumper and a Black Grille with Chrome Surround. With interiors of perfectly tailored supple leather, contemporary aluminium surfaces and elegant real wood veneers, the XF Aero-sport will be available in Polaris White, Ultimate Black, Sapphire Blue and Odyssey Red exterior colours. The 2.2 Litre Diesel engine with a maximum power output of 140 kW @ 3500 rpm and maximum torque of 450 Nm @ 2000 rpm, delivers performance without compromising on efficiency.

An evening of celebration is best showcased by a beautiful fashion presentation by Vrisa

[Show slideshow]

◄12

Vrisa, by Jaipur-based designers Rahul and Shikha, presents ‘Samarkhand”, a collection inspired by the Silk Route Era and the city in Uzbekistan that played a vital role in the exchange of art, culture and textiles during the period. Suzanis, from the Persian suzan for needle, were traditionally decorative textiles made by brides as part of their dowries in several Central Asian countries. Using these as their inspiration, the designers have created a range of clothing that fuses Indian tradition with international culture. The sun and moon, flowers, birds, fruits, leaves and vines appear as colourful motifs in exquisite embroidery and prints on kurtis,jackets, maxis and anarkalis, paired with cotton palazzos and flared skirts. The designer duo is known for their love of reviving old culture and art forms in their designs, adapting them for modern times.

Vrissa retails out of Amethyst the popular Chennai store that is soon making a debut in Coimbatore. Featuring jewellery by Studio Tara.

The Ritz magazine was unveiled by the stunning and spectacular businesswoman Rajshree Pathy and the racing sensation Narain Karthikeyan. Also onn stage were Aruna R Krishnan, Editor and publisher of the magazine, actor and music director GV Prakash and Sanjeev Subramanian of VST Grandeur and Jaguar Land Rover, Shri Vikku Vinayakram, Bharathi Raviprakash of Studio Tara, Geetha Nagu, Ananthi Periasamy of Le Meridien and M Srinivasan of Fuji Film.

The Awardees:

Anusha Ravi presented by Rohit Rajendran

She wears many hats. She is the CEO of the Park Group of Institutions in Coimbatore and Chennai. She is also an engineer, philanthropist, humanist and environmentalist, all rolled into one.

N Chandran presented by Bharti Raviprakash

Another story of an inspirational businessman who rose form modest beginnings to one of the pioneers of exports. Starting out in 1975 as a fabric dyer, N Chandran’s Eastman Exports Global Clothing today has revenues of more than 275 million dollars (more than 1500 crores).

Shankar Vanavarayar presented by Geeta Nagu and Rohit Rajendran

Shankar Vanavarayar is a business and organisation leader, entrepreneur and a dynamic educationist.

Vanitha Mohan presented by Viku Vinayakram

She exudes warmth, humility and simplicity. Being in a position of power and respect, these are truly endearing qualities to have. OIn fact, for someone who always wondered how we can sustain the resources we have, the incredibly large-hearted and spirited Vice-Chairperson of Pricol and the Managing Trustee of Siruthuli,

Narain Karthikeyan presented by Aruna Krishnan and the Jaguar Team.

At the F1 in the 2005 Grand Prix, a journalist asked racing legend Michael Schumacher what he thought of a young Indian rookie who was just making his F1 debut with the Jordan team. Pat came the reply from the man who is venerated by racing fans across the world: “Well, he is doing a great job for them” The rookie was none other than the son of the soil, the pride of this city and the country, our very own Narain Karthikeyan, the fastest Indian in the world.

Anavila Fashion show sequence

A summer resort collection in fine handwoven linens , a summer stroll is an expression of the balance that we are seeking in our modern city lives. Geometrics play with soft florals to create imagery of our everyday life. Craft techniques like hand batik , Jaamdani , khatwa, sujni lend a special texture to the ensembles. Monochrome tones coupled with soft and chalky pastels make for a perfect summer palette. Anavila featuring Jewellery by Bharati Raviprakash

Soundarajan B presented by Sivaramakrishnan ( UCAL)

His is the quintessential rags to riches story. His saga of success is truly inspiring. His parents were both teachers. As a young boy who had just finished studying, his chief aim was to secure a government job. His father had different plans for him. He urged the son to be his own master. From there started a journey where B Soundararajan ventured into the poultry business by revolutionizing supply chain management. His company if the largest producer of meat in the country and thus has risen to a stage where he plays an important role in the food security of the country.

J Anand presented by Vikku Vinayakram

This prodigious businessman’s racing career started when he was merely in 9th grade, where he raced a diesel powered Fiat against petrol powered Sipani Dolphins and Fiats. He entered the famous Sholavaram races in the mid-1980s as a racing prodigy with his race-tuned Maruti 800. By the time he was in college, he built and developed his own twin-cam 16-valve turbo-charged high performance petrol engine. Anand’s sheer dominance in motorsport in late 80s got him noticed by Team MRF, where he quickly became its number one driver.

GV Prakash Kumar presented by Aruna

He may be the nephew of AR Rahman, but GV Prakash never let it get to his head or show in his unique brand of music. Today he is one of the most successful music directors in South India, having won numerous Filmfare Awards, Vijay Awards and MTV Awards.

Rajshree Pathy presented by Vikku Vinayakram and Sanjeev
An industrialist businesswoman, art connoisseur and most importantly, the very epitome of charisma, elegance and that elusive quality of free-spiritedness – Rajshree Pathy is a woman like no other. If her commitments with CII take up her time, her dedication to art has indeed infused new energy into the art scenario. Having both discovered and nurtured several top artists, Vikku Vikku Vinayakram presented by Rajshree Pathy

Padma Bhushan Vikku Vinayakram was only 13 when his concert career started. Today he is credited with having popularized the ghatam all over the country and indeed around the world. It is not an easy instrument to play ladies and gentlemen. You need nimble fingers, and solid core strength to control the mouth of the pot. Shri Vikku Vinayakram was presented with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship and was also conferred the Hafiz Ali Khan Award for “unmatched contribution in the field of music”. He is also the first South Indian musician to be awarded the coveted Grammy for Best World Music Album for his participation in Mickey Hart’s Planet Drum, in which he played ghatam and morsing. So large-hearted is this respected musician that he donated all the proceeds from the award to a charity organization in south India.

His dedication to his craft is unparalleled and it is because of musicians like him that our ancient art and culture of this country continues to thrive. Ladies and gentlemen please out your hands together for a resounding ovation for the eminent musician Padma Bhushan Vikku Vinayakram.

The evening ended with a Standing ovation after his performance.