Homegrown has its sibling rivalry/cavalry/camaraderie down. Not everyone knows it but 2/3rds of our core team (co-founder Varun Patra and Business & Strategy Head, Varsha Patra) just happen to share the same parents, upbringing and well, a bordering-on-psychotic hyperactivity trait. This means that serious brainstorming sessions often devolve into what a bar fight would look like if punches were substituted with jabs about childhood embarrassments and other such intimate insults. They’re probably going to throw me into that mix for writing this though, so I will be quick to admit that they also make the most amazing team ever. The force is strong with a brother-sister combination that’s come together to accomplish any kind of goal and since we already had a firsthand glimpse of it, we decided to look a little further in honour of Raksha Bandhan National Siblings Day. Yeah, yeah. You caught us red-handed. We originally created this article for Raksha Bandhan however, this new-fangled day that seems to have popped up seemed just as worthy an occasion to get it out there once again. It’s also the reason our choice in sibling seems a little one-dimensional but hey, the sibling spirit’s still strong with this one.
Homegrown caught up with a series of Brother-sister duos across the country who have created something special together and asked them to rat each other out. Here’s what we found out:
I. Tanya & Karan Nambiar
The dynamic brother sister duo that are taking over the karaoke scene in Delhi NCR, Tanya & Karan jointly run a company called The Soundshop that does voice-overs and music production. They host karaoke nights together and have been doing so for 4 years now. They were awarded the Best Karaoke Host at Provogue Nightlife Awards and it was a shared love for music got them to work together. Apart from hosting karaoke nights, they both are also musicians and have their respective bands. While Karan is the lead vocalist for a progessive metal band called Guillotine, Tanya is the lead vocalist for the indie band Gravy Train.
3 things that inspire you about each other?
Tanya: He’s very positive and has a lot more belief in things than I do. We connect very well musically so his opinion is highly trusted in whatever I do. And I love how honest he is. He doesn’t butter things up just for the sake of it. I live the fact that he will always speak his mind no matter what the situation.
Karan:
Go-Getter - If there’s something to be got she’s probably already gotten it. Very inspiring for somebody as lazy as me!
The Talker - She has her way with words and people, I’m more on the introvert-ish side and new people make me uncomfortable so when yapper Tanya walks in, everything’s taken care of.
Fitness Freak - The world takes a backseat when it comes to her workout and I’m usually on that backseat with a double cheese and a six pack. Her will power really shines through here.
2 things you would change about each other?
Tanya: He should get an award for losing things! He’s seriously the most irresponsible and forgetful person in the world he’s already lost 20 car/bike keys/ 35 debit cards and 25 wallets. These numbers will increase by the time this article is out.
He’s also Mr. Lazy. I think he secretly wishes he had a remote for everything so he wouldn’t have to move his butt.
Karan: Tanya’s ability to grasp numbers - ironically, s0. Chimpanzees have shown better mathematical skills than her.
Her temper. Tick her off the wrong way and you’re dead meat, punk!
1 line that contextualises your entire relationship?
We get knocked down, but we get up again, you’re never gonna keep us down!
II. Shefali & Hershey Desai
Based out of Mumbai, Shefali & Hershey Desai run their own design studio in Khar West. At Base 501, Design is in their heart and they believe that good design is the key to making the clients stand apart in the market today. With seven years of combined past experience consulting clients and agencies on the importance of quality design solutions, they apply this knowledge every day in their work; listening & guiding them to build meaningful brand executions. Shefali is responsible for the overall design direction and client satisfaction while Hershey currently manages the tasks of defining and implementing strategic business initiatives as well as company-wide design excellence.
3 things that inspire you about each other?
Shefali: He is good at identifying the details that matter most, ones that affect people’s experiences with our design.
He is tenacious and almost always finds a solution when things go awry sometimes. He quickly adapts to changing circumstances.
His strive for perfection in work, no matter how big or small the assignment may be.
Hershey: She has natural artistic talent. It’s amazing to see her designing her doodles.
She is passionate about her work. That’s the main driving force behind creativity. You have to love what you do in order to do it well.
She is good at striking a balance between having fun and being professional.
2 things you would change about each other?
Shefali: He can be impatient. For him it is like, “Rome wasn’t built in a day….but it should have been.”
His addiction to technology. In the last 2 years I can’t recall seeing him without his laptop/phone/ipad always in his hand.
Hershey: Her overuse of hashtags in posts. It aggravates me to no end to see her status updates!
She can be obstinate sometimes.
1 line that contextualises your entire relationship?
“My model for business is The Beatles. They were four guys who kept each other’s kind of negative tendencies in check. They balanced each other and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.” That’s how it is with us, we balance each other and make a wonderful team.
III. Aditi, Rohit & Akshay Mokashi
These 3 literally sent us the most organised excel sheet we’ve ever seen which quickly catapulted them to cult favourite status. The brothers-sister duo run a small, Mumbai-based restaurant called EatOut At Wadala. Why the name? To merge two creative aspects of Mumbai, Food and the Bhai-girl lingo (which is super creative and supremely funny). Broadly, they serve Burgers, sandwiches, wraps and Fusion meals and can vouch for the fact that the taste and creativity they offer isn’t available elsewhere.
3 things that inspire you about each other?
Akshay: She’s hardworking, a super ninja who manages so much work and then goes and runs marathons. She’s also ALWAYS smiling, it’s almost creepy but she spreads positivity for sure.
Rohit: Saves my ass when I have to make Thai curry. Basically, she is everywhere. If we were a football team, she would be our striker and we would be the wingers. Plans most of our work and is extremely motivating.
Aditi on Akshay: Dependable don. Gets. Shit. Done.
He never says no to work.
Calm as a cucumber even in the most frustrating situations.
Aditi on Rohit: He’s an amazing chef. Really creative.
Loves what he does and was definitely born to do this.
His fitness regime is inspiring & motivating too.
2 things you would change about each other?
Akshay: I wish she would remember things! She’s too absent-minded
Rohit: Her forgetfulness. And she can get mean when we fight but that’s a sibling thing.
Aditi on Akshay: Forgets to keep accounts and ignores his health because of work.
Aditi on Rohit: Could be more disciplined and very short-tempered, loses his cool in critical situations.
1 line that contextualises your entire relationship?
Khaaneka, peeneka, marneka, jeeneka, chalneka, phirneka, utneka, girneka, tension nai leneka, bhai se poochneka, kasa kal, bara hal, we are mumbhais.
IV. Gulnar & Yuvraj Virk:
Together, Gulnar & Yuvraj Virk run Hashtag marketing, an integrated marketing communications company with a mission to create and maintain a prominent position for your business in the right target markets at the right time. In today’s competitive jungle, with digital weapons and instinctual strategies, they provide the sharpened tools and tailored tactics to transform your cub into a king and lead you to the helm of affairs.
3 things that inspire you about each other?
Gulnar: Yuvraj’s ability to stay calm in any and every situation, maturity to handle different tasks and excellence in creativity is what I find the most inspiring.
Yuvraj: Her ability to get things done, determination to always take on the most challenging tasks and her positivity are a few traits that I find most inspiring. She makes sure there is never a dull moment at work.
2 things you would change about each other?
Gulnar: His calmness, during events especially, and his ability to prioritise.
Yuvraj: Would definitely love some stillness. It is because she is always on the move that I find it difficult to sit her down sometimes and have a conversation at length over work topics. She also tends to get stressed at times when I need her to be calm and collected.
1 line that contextualises your entire relationship?
We often find ourselves telling each other - ‘We’re in this together. Where we go and what we do lies solely in our hands’.
V. Akanksha & Ashmeet Kapoor
Akanksha (Marketing manager) & Ashmeet (Founder & CEO) run the Delhi-based ‘I Say Organic,’ that believes in giving people the option of eating safe food and supporting farmers who grow this food. It is the beginning of a movement towards sustainable production & responsible consumption. Under the surface, our vision is to make sustainable production a reality and to have a world full of happy and fulfilled people.They launched in 2012, and it didn’t take long to establish the reputation of serving Delhi-NCR with the best quality farm-fresh produce, being the most convenient service for authentic organic produce, and becoming the biggest organic fresh produce player. I Say Organic, home delivers organic fruits, veggies and other organic groceries across Delhi/NCR 7-days a week.
3 things that inspire you about each other?
Akanksha: His passion about what he does and how he is so strong and positive about his beliefs.
He is true to his principles.
His ability to be a great listener and ability to give a straight forward opinion and at the same time be an amazing friend.
Focus.
Ashmeet:
2 things you would change about each other?
Akanksha:
• stubbornness• the fact that he trusts people easily
Ashmeet:
• Short temper
• Taking feedback better/more constructively
1 line that contextualises your entire relationship?
Lean, Mean, Crazy Sibling Machine (courtesy- Delhi Secret Supper Club) Also -Critically analysing every person, and giving them made up adjectives like choochaleetas.
VI. Shikhar & Anushka Manchanda
Shikhar & Anushka Manchanda started experimenting with each other’s projects and found that we wanted a very similar sound. They’re currently working on improving their skill set and will work on more music together once they’re back in Bombay.
3 traits in each other that inspire you?
Anushka:
- Shikhar is great at DIY. Whether it’s soundproofing or building a vocal booth, hooking up some lights in his room, or creating a poster of the universe for his ceiling... he will do his research and hook it up.
- He’s a big guy with a soft centre. He’s respectful and thoughtful. He’s the guy who will hold the door for you or offer to carry your bags. He’s all heart. He raises the bar for the men in my life.
- The music he writes is unpredictable. There’s changes in time signatures and patterns when you least expect them. There’s a raw aggression in his production. He’s very connected to the earth and he is very real. You can hear that in the material he writes.
Shikhar:
She has always supported me and whatever I have chosen to do. From buying me gear and equipment to clothes and shoes..she spoils me. There are a lot of traits that I adore in her. Can’t really jot down only 3 but at the top of my list would be-
1. She is carefree and does what she wants. She doesn’t think about being judged. She has an ease about herself and can talk to anybody.
2. She takes care of the people she loves and she is very protective of her family.
3. I love the musical concepts and ideas that she has. I am always excited to work on a project that she has started.
2 things you would change in the other?
Anushka :
- I’d love for him to have more patience.
- He blows up real quick. He cools down in a flash but you don’t want to be in his line of fire when he gets mad.
Shikhar:
1. She trusts people too easily.
2. She wants to help everyone and often forgets about herself. She needs to start thinking more about herself.
1 line that contextualises your relationship best
‘We can make the world spin however we want. It’s all on us.’ - Equals by Mutemath
VII. Zainali J. & Azra J. - Alpha Cube
Zainali J. and Azra J. believe that colour and art is for everyone. With that in mind, they started Alpha Cube to make lives a little more funky! So what is Alpha Cube all about? It’s actually all about you. It’s a way to express who you really are, stand out in the crowd, basically - really wear your personality. Our custom hand painted shoes, apparel & sunglasses let you do just that. Every Alpha Cube product is one of a kind. Their most recent venture is into painting wall murals under the name ZAY along with a friend. We have just completed murals in Fat Man’s Cafe and Brick House Cafe among other projects.Lots more Good Stuff coming soon!
3 traits in each other that inspire you?
Zainali J.:1 Patience2. Dedication to her art.3. Her zest for travel and adventure.
Azra J.
1.Kindness2.Confidence to do things3.To be a good driver
2 things you would change in the other?
Zainali J.
1. His unpunctuality.2. His incapability to take short showers. (Hence read no. 1)
Azra J.
1. Her inability to hear her phone/alarm/anything ring2. Never picks up the cat litter
One line that contextualises your relationship?
Chocolate isn’t chocolate if it doesn’t shrink your clothes!