Page 14 - MASALA Magazine Vol.15 Issue 6 | August - September 2024

EDITORIAL NOTE

ON THE C OVER
Looking back on the progress of the
Indian community over the last
15 years.

Turn and Face the Strange

Change is something that everyone understands, but is hard to define – sometimes, it’s a
sudden metamorphosis into a different person, as after a life-changing event. Other times, Ram Sachdev
Chairman
it’s gradual growth, such as when we grow into a position when we learn more; or even the
steady development of the city around us, turning the once-familiar into the eventually- Raghav Sachdev
Raksha Sachdev
unrecognisable. Regardless of how we define change, we’re often wary of it, choosing to Publisher
stay firmly in our comfort zones. However, from the individual to the communal, change Aiden Jewelle Gonzales
is what helps us evolve and progress – and the Thai-Indian community is no exception. Associate Editor
On the advent of Masala Magazine’s 15th Anniversary, which began life on 15 August Mahmood Hossain
2009, we’ve looked back on the ways that the community has changed over those 15 years Senior Writer
– the good, the surprising, and the inspirational, in a special Cover feature (page 50). In Ayush Madan
Grace Clarke
the feature, community members chime in on the changes they’ve lived through, while in Junior Writers
our ‘Community’ story, they talk about the ways that they’re lucky to be Thai-Indian; the
Jan Lorenz
perfect blend of the two cultures they hold so dear to their hearts (page 68). Art Director
Another person who can attest to the power of change, this time in his career, is Puneet Alend Razavi
Dhawan, who talks about his vision for transformation now that he’s recently taken the Senior Graphic Designer
mantle of Head of Asia for the renowned Minor Hotels hospitality group in our ‘People’ Watchara Teeracharuwan
story (page 46). Meanwhile, our It Person, Zenita Pakhrin, inspires us with their confident Graphic Designer
approach to self-expression and how that allows them to showcase their changing identity Thananat Thanaphirat
without labels (page 90). However, sometimes not all change is welcome – some of us who Photographer and Videographer
have experienced the debilitating pain of loss know that our lives will never be the same Jinn Thapsakul
afterwards. In our ‘Health’ feature, we talk to counselling psychotherapist Harjinder Kour Webmaster
who talks about the transformative power of grief counselling to help us through these Gurdev Singh
times of upheaval (page 82). Business Development Manager
Elamarie Carmel Dante Mission
In our other features, we talk about people who have visions of change for their industry Social Media Manager
and the country as a whole, such as Prom Sirisant, the Thailand Country Manager at
Geetan Kanwar
American Express, who wants to transform the payment space into one that is beyond just Masala Presenter
transactions, focused on a culture of care (page 74); and Kevin Gambhir, the CEO of
Nikki Kumar
Euro Creations, who has turned his company into an all-inclusive destination for luxury Project Coordinator
home furnishings (page 42).
Venesa Daswani
As always, we have plenty more in store between these pages, spanning the best in food, Niranjana Mittal
fashion, travel, and more. We hope that it inspires you to look forward to another 15 years Interns
of change and progress. In the words of David Bowie, when it comes to change, it’s time Amornrat Sidhu
Dolly Koghar
to “turn and face the strange.” Ruby Sirinarang
Nimarta Narang
Contributors
The Editorial Team

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