It was past 10 p.m. and we were on the verge of wilting. The person in charge at the processing unit diffidently offered us grilled cheese sandwiches from the roadside dhaba below. As Anuradha, Neeru and I finally looked up from our intense scrutiny of the first cut of the pages, the art director called. With an impossible request. ‘Can you reduce the cover sentences to just single words?’ I had spent weeks, nay months, buffing the cover lines till they glittered: seductive phrases that would lure the reader towards a brand new publication that would tell her what ‘the spirit of today’s woman’ was all about. ‘When you see the picture, you’ll understand,’ she continued kindly. It was the easiest edit I have done and the most painful. At the launch party of Verve, cover girl Melody DeCunha couldn’t recognise herself! Shot by Tejal Patni, this has been one of the most iconic covers of Verve to date.

The enchanted evening, strung together by fairy lights and live jazz on velvet lawns saw a crush of Bollywood royalty, cricket stars, society divas and boardroom bosses. Special guest India Hicks, international model with an India connection, flown in especially from New York, spoke warmly of the country and grandfather Lord Mountbatten. Actor Kiron Kher, back under the strobe lights with the dramatic Saalgirah, was spotted excitedly showing her Rafique Sayed-clicked pictures to husband Anupam Kher; and Karen Lunel, the original Liril nymph, ferreted out by Verve, came to the party looking lime fresh as ever.

Since its inception 13 years ago, Verve, the first Indian luxury magazine that took fashion and lifestyle beyond its existing borders, also discovered – and nurtured – emerging talent. Among them, were young photographers who flirted with black and white, and Verve, stoking their passion for experimentation with their Nikons and Canons, helped them capture for ever some evergreen moments.

There was Shah Rukh Khan, chased by Meenal Agarwal to a Hyderabad film set, where as she kept requesting him to not fidget for 10 seconds, Bollywood’s prize diamond revealed some intriguing facets about himself, one of them being, ‘I’m really very shy.’ Some years later, Sachin Tendulkar, darling of the pitch, confessed to photographer Colston Julian that he’s a reserved kind of guy. Miss World Diana Hayden, dressed in a one-shoulder gown in chamois satin by Manish Malhotra spelt elegance and simplicity while another beauty queen, Sushmita Sen, in one of her best interviews ever, shared a rare momentary feeling of helplessness: when a man loves a woman more than she loves him.

And how can we forget those who went the extra mile for that special shot. Anil Kapoor lay down in a bathtub; Leander Paes held a metal chain between his teeth; Rohit Bal ambled down rain-washed Marine Drive in a dhoti; Rahul Bose took off his socks; Rajmata Gayatri Devi stepped out of her regal cocoon....

Verve’s landmark issues were always causes for hedonistic celebration, in its pages and off it. The millennium issue with a dazzling Raveena Tandon on the cover, highlighted the special bond of two: twins, partners, sisters, siblings, couples. Tarun and Tina. Ila and Srila. Ratna and Supriya. Tapur and Tupur. The 20th issue featured model Yana Gupta on a champagne cruise in the South China seas; while the 25th with Aishwarya (she was still Rai) draped in Ralph Lauren and Chopard on Cannes’ famed La Croisette, saw us flaunting the milestone at a huge bash at The Leela’s nightclub where some of our favourite A-listers (who will not be named) lost their stilettos and their balance. The 10th anniversary at The Trident (then Oberoi) witnessed cover girl Liz Hurley gathering up her blue Versace and bolting from preying paparazzi, Arun Nayar in tow, leaving our team to release the issue ourselves. Barkha Dutt, cover girl of our 50th issue, veteran of war coverage and monkey attacks thanked me profusely post shoot for rescuing her from the horror of wearing mascara and diamond danglers! And there was our ‘in memoriam’ anniversary issue this year, a collective outpouring of emotion for lives lost in a mindless terror attack.

Thirteen years. Seventy-five issues. From a quarterly to a bimonthly to a monthly. Transition and transformation. A milestone achieved. An end of an era, and the beginning of another....

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