Anokhi Fashion Lifestyle Entertaiment

ANOKHI TEAM MEMBER PROFILES

MEET THE ANOKHI TEAM
Like the diverse and rich South Asian female market ANOKHI Magazine serves, the ANOKHI Team consistently strives to be the best they can be by providing you with the best damned women’s magazine on the planet.

The ANOKHI Team is dedicated to bringing you the very best in fashion and beauty, the latest on health and wellness, information and advice on romance and relationships, plus the latest in popular culture and entertainment - from Bollywood to Hollywood - and just about anything else contemporary South Asian women desire to know and read about.

ANOKHI Magazine's
Publisher/Editorial Director
Raj Girn

Raj's vision for ANOKHI extends far beyond the publishing of a quality and diverse magazine. For her it is more of a movement, a vehicle to promote and celebrate both the similarities and differences that make up today's and tomorrow's world — a world that recognizes the importance of individualism and the emancipation of women and men without gender, social, economic, political or cultural barriers — a magazine of true relevance within a culture of globalization. With this clear in her mind, she set out to bring on board the very best in diverse skill coupled with an authentic belief system in the ANOKHI vision. In doing so, ANOKHI has developed into a publication with great editorial diversity, probing subject matter and a platform for celebrating all things South Asian in Western society, be they South Asian success stories or Western interest in modern South Asian culture.

Each issue's cover story revolves around Raj's unique trademark interview, Open Chest With Raj Girn where she has interviewed major personalities such as Aishwarya Rai, Lisa Ray, Deepa Mehta, Kal Penn, and Nelly Furtado to name a few.

Under her direction, ANOKHI has garnered a respectable circulation that spans Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, which lead to ANOKHI receiving multi-national advertising support  from the likes of (in alphabetical order) Jeep, L'Oreal, Procter & Gamble, Rogers, Roots and Telus.  ANOKHI was also voted Magazine of the Year at the SAMA Awards in New York City in 2005.

On a personal front, Raj was the recipient of the SASA Outstanding Achievement In Journalism Award in Houston, Texas in 2004 and was selected as one of the World's 50 Coolest South Asians in 2005 by DesiClub.com, as well as being named as one of Toronto's South Asians to watch out for by Canada's National Post newspaper.

Aside from ANOKHI, Raj was recently selected by the NetIP North America Executive Committee in 2008 to serve as the Chair of Marketing and Communications for the 18th Annual NetIP NA Annual Conference to be held in Toronto, Labour Day weekend, 2009. She is a sincere and effective supporter of global South Asian initiatives.
raj.girn@anokhimagazine.com

Gerald Laing - Vice President

Marketing & Sales:
Vice President of Marketing & Sales
Gerald Laing

Gerald is responsible for the corporate marketing and sales areas of the ANOKHI Brand and he brings to the company an extensive background in broadcasting and print media, advertising, promotions and marketing
totalling almost 38 years. He has served on-air, in programming, sales/promotions and marketing, and in executive management capacities for a number of independent and corporate radio and television companies in Canada, the United States and Great Britain.

His media and marketing experience gives him a unique understanding of the three critical markets targeted by the ANOKHI Brand and his vocational background, dedication to and his thorough understanding of the South Asian and Mainstream markets in North America and the United Kingdom is both unique and greatly beneficial to marketing and creating a solid awareness of the South Asian community in Western society and around the world.
gerald.laing@anokhimagazine.com

Editorial:
Editor-In-Chief
Hina P. Ansari

Hina comes with an extensive background in mainstream publishing including an 11-year tenure at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1992 and started off by assisting editors before moving up the ranks from editorial assistant, editorial coordinator, assistant editor, and entertainment and photo editor. After 11 years at FLARE Magazine, Hina decided to flex her muscles yet again as the Director of Photography for Weekly Scoop Magazine, Canada's first national celebrity weekly. It was an exciting and invigorating next step for her multi-faceted career.

Hina brings a wealth of experience in publishing and with her passion for South Asian culture, she's the perfect Editor-In-Chief for ANOKHI Magazine.
hina.ansari@anokhimagazine.com

Layout & Design
Art Director
Ajay Lad

Ajay possesses that inimitable talent that makes each page sing. Fearless in using different techniques, styles and ideas, this artist at heart inherently knows what works and from cover to cover. His innovative layout and design talents make ANOKHI stand out on the newsstands among the plethora of magazines. It is he who gives ANOKHI its visual brand.
ajay.lad@anokhimagazine.com

Style Editor
Monika Bhondy

Monika is a self professed style junkie, constantly analyzing the trends from the world's runways to the best buys on the street. She recognizes what is hot and has no problem sharing this in pages and pages filled with great eye candy which encompass a milieu of snazzy products, accessories and apparel for every budget.
monika.bhondy@anokhimagazine.com

Beauty Editor
Denise Wild

Denise is often knee-deep in the latest lotions and potions, but it's all in the name of hard work (she swears)! Denise knows it's what's inside that counts, but wrapping that in the best packaging possible never hurts. With an extensive repertoire of experience committed to filling ANOKHI readers in on the latest note-worthy beauty trends, new in-salon and at-home treatments and the products you just can't pass up, she is the one to listen to, so check out her beauty must-haves - they work.
denise.wild@anokhimagazine.com

Associate Beauty Editor
Shobana Lakkavally

Shobana has a multi-faceted beauty background rooted in her beauty marketing and makeup artistry careers. Having grabbed the top spot in Dior and Holt Renfrew's Makeup Artist Casting Call as the top makeup artist in Eastern Canada, she brings to ANOKHI a unique blend of knowledge and expertise. She brings to you the latest trends, products and beauty knowledge, as well as sharing with you her dreamiest creative in the beauty spread. Look out for her 'Beauty Bits' page for the au courant news from the most obscure to the daringness cutting edge!
shobana.lakkavally@anokhimagazine.com

GPS Editor
Chandrika Mathur

Chandrika is responsible for monitoring who is throwing what soiree and in what part of the world. She is in constant contact with photographers, party planners, and event producers compiling photos and captions, as well as ensuring the event is translated well into print and online which is part of the parcel of making GPS shine ANOKHI style! She also writes 'On The Shelf' where you will find the must-reads that should be on your bookshelf. So whether your fete is in Toronto, Paris, London, New York, Mumbai or anywhere else in the world. Email Chandrika the details, so you can be sure it's on our GPS radar.
chandrika.mathur@anokhimagazine.com

Beauty Clinic
Vaidehie Mistry

Vaidehie is a leading expert in the skin care world. With the science of beauty at her fingertips, she takes a deeper look in the dos and don'ts of proper skin care. She regularly contributes to CBC's lifestyle chat show, Steven & Chris which airs across North America. 
vaidehie.mistry@anokhimagazine.com

Fitness
Nitin Chhoda

Nitin is a New Jersey based published author having written a book called Total Activation. He is also a renowned speaker and celebrity physical therapist as well as a fitness professional.
nitin.chhoda@anokhimagazine.com

Get The Dish

Neera Chaudhary

Neera Chaudhary (MHSc, PhD (c) RD) is a registered dietician, foodie, culinary goddess and has an all-around fabulous wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything and everything associated with what we should and should not eat.
neera.chaudhary@anokhimagazine.com

Dr. Monica V's Relationship Chat
Dr. Monica Vermani

Monica is a Clinical Psychologist (Supervised Practice) at the Stress, Trauma, Anxiety, Rehabilitation, Treatment (S.T.A.R.T.) Clinic for Mood & Anxiety Disorders. She specializes in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy to treat depression, anxiety and abuse/traumas. Concurrently, she is a professor teaching at Humber College, Toronto in the Forensic and Social Services Counselling Department, and she also teaches at Canada's Lakehead University in the Psychology Department.
monica.vermani@anokhimagazine.com

Rebecca's Hot & Heavy Sex Tips
Rebecca Rosenblat

Rebecca Rosenblat (aka Dr. Date) is a nationally renowned certified relationship and sexuality expert. She has written books, hosted radio call-in shows and is currently hosting a popular weekly call-in television show, Sex @11 on ROGERS Cable. Her column in ANOKHI is not for the faint at heart, but for those of you who really want to know about sex!
rebecca.rosenblat@anokhimagazine.com

To learn about the history of ANOKHI Magazine please visit our About Us page.