Five years ago, Nivedita Ganeshram launched Madras Finds as a platform to celebrate Chennai’s homegrown artists, chefs, and makers. To commemorate Madras Day 2025, the digital strategist is hosting Vizha, a two-day pop-up this weekend. “Vizha was born from a deeply personal place,” says Nivedita
A product by Puzzlist
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Special Arrangement
“Growing up in Chennai, I was constantly surrounded by the richness of South Indian culture. That early influence shaped a strong appreciation for the beauty, craft, and rhythm of the region,” she says, “I always felt that Chennai deserved more spaces where like-minded people could come together to celebrate our heritage in a contemporary, inclusive way. With this year marking the 385th Madras Day, it felt like the perfect moment for a heartfelt celebration of the city, one that goes beyond nostalgia and explores Madras through a more layered, creative, and community-driven lens.”
A davara by Studio Madras Finds
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Special Arrangement
Bringing together over 45 homegrown brands across fashion, food, home, art, and lifestyle, the event is a “street-style thiruvizha with a contemporary twist”. Featured brands include Ink by Prashantini, Citta, and more in the art category, hand-knotted koodais by Knots Bags, Rein Studio Madras’ jewellery, apparel by labels like Arohaa, Thogai, etc, perfumes by Idham Nature, Ensens Perfumery, and nostalgic treats by Madras Munch and Hot Pupps.
Studio Ūda’s notebooks inspired by Madras checks
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Special Arrangement
Riya Rajiv of Studio Ūda, a homegrown design studio from the city, will be bringing her collection of undated planners, notebooks inspired by Madras checks, sun-catcher bookmarks, Chettinad tile keychains, and more to the event. “Each product has been created with the idea of encouraging slow living such as the habits of reading, writing, and colouring which take you away from our fast-paced digital world,” says Riya, a social media strategist-turned-artist who launched the brand last year.
Jewellery by NO NA MÉ
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If you are looking to gear up for the upcoming festive season, Tirunelveli-based gender neutral jewellery brand NO NA MÉ will also be at the pop-up. Founder Smruti Mathisekaran, who draws inspiration from architecture and clean geometric forms, will be bringing a mix of her bestsellers, and pieces from her new 8-Bit Love collection that is inspired by retro video games and pixel art. “Some of our popular pieces include earrings that can be styled in multiple ways, bold neckpieces crafted from metal and leather, and festive animal-inspired designs like our Totem ring-necklace, which is modular and interchangeable,” says Smruti who is now working on her next collection, The Countdown, “where each design takes inspiration from a number between 0 and 5”.
Artwork by Studio Ūda
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Special Arrangement
Prernna Gupta, a revenue operations professional, will bring her Madras-themed puzzles to Vizha. A passion project launched earlier this year, at The Puzzlist, Prernna works with Indian artists to create jigsaw puzzles. “We currently have eight designs which we will be bringing to the event, including our bestselling Chennai in the Clouds and Madras Mess Mornings.”
A puzzle by Puzzlist
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Special Arrangement
Also debuting at Vizha is Studio Madras Finds, Nivedita’s design-led initiative wherein South Indian culture is redefined through a contemporary lens. “We’re deeply inspired by Tamil aesthetics, but with a modern lifestyle in mind. From brass davara sets to hand-illustrated playing cards, our objects are meant for collectors who view products as cultural signifiers,” says Nivedita, who is launching filter kaapi dark chocolate at the event. As for Vizha’s line-up, she is particularly excited about Picky Artz’ custom miniature peg dolls, native snacks by Madras Munch, and Milli Mitra’s vegan cheese. “My long-term vision is to grow Vizha into a platform of its own, one that travels to different cities, carrying the culture and makers of Madras with it,” she concludes.
On August 9 and 10 at My Bungalow, No 40, Eldams Road, Teynampet. From 11am to 8pm.
Published – August 05, 2025 11:24 am IST
