Virtuous Retail creates magnificent Kandeel Art to launch Dilwaali Diwali

VIRTUOUS RETAIL CREATES MAGNIFICENT KANDEEL ART TO LAUNCH ‘DILWAALI DIWALI’

Unveils India’s largest Kandeel installation 'Irony in Balance' made of over 200 lanterns

As part of ‘Dilwaali Diwali’ campaign, VR Surat to contribute to charity

Mumbai, October 29, 2013: As a testament of Virtuous Retail’s commitment to public art and celebration, VR Surat, Gujarat’s only community centric world class lifestyle destination, today unveiled the country’s largest Kandeel art piece - ‘Irony in Balance,’ which is installed at the Runway. The concept, which is inspired by the kinetic work of the legendary artiste Alexander Calder, comprises more than 200 specially- customised lanterns of varying sizes with striking Ikat prints balanced in an asymmetrical pattern and the entire installation moving in a rotational manner.

Commenting on the installation, Anupam Yog, Director, Marketing, Virtuous Retail, said, “Public art can not only enhance and transform a space but can also bring people together to fulfill a social and educational purpose. At Virtuous Retail, it’s a tradition to celebrate festivities in style. We are committed to using public art to engage, sensitize, and bring a community together to celebrate festivals differently.”

'Irony in Balance' has been created by Virtuous Retail in collaboration with Transhuman Collective and a team of over 82 student artistes from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, School of Architecture and Fine Arts, Surat and Faculty of Fine Arts Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda. They collectively put in over 200 hours in making 200 handmade Kandeel’s for this project while a team of 50 including artistes, student artistes, technicians and labourers were involved in creating the installation at The Runway.

This festive season, VR Surat launches the ‘Dilwaali Diwali” campaign to encourage Surtis to ‘shop from their heart’ (giving equal importance to ‘Dil’) while taking advantage of the attractive deals being offered by the premium lifestyle brands at the Community Center. Part of the proceedswill be given away by VR Surat to the identified charities that support underprivileged children and education-related causes.

Packed with unique outdoor and indoor experiences, VR Surat is anchored by Zara, Marks & Spencer, Shoppers Stop, Westside and INOX, and will open in 3 phases. VR Surat's Phase I and Phase II opening saw the launch of over 100 brands, many of which have debuted in Surat and Gujarat.

Alongside its Phase-II retail launch during the festive season, VR Surat with its retail partners showcases the best of Indian and international
premium brands such as Zara (to launch in November), Marks & Spencer (to launch in October), Zodiac, Peter England, Clarks, Helios, SVM Bowling & Gaming, Being Human, MAC, Sisley, Monte Carlo, Jade Blue, Ethos, Clinique, Nautica, GANT, BIBA, Pizza Hut, Subway, McDonalds, Punjab Street, and Wok on Fire, among others.

About Virtuous Retail

Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail (VR) is an institutionally owned developer-operator of community-oriented premium lifestyle shopping centres in India’s top cities. Virtuous Retail’s pan-India portfolio includes prime city centre locations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Kolkata, making it the leading platform of quality real estate retail in one of the world’s most attractive consumer markets for organized retail.

Virtuous Retail combines global expertise and local knowledge to create high performance retail environments with strong urban connections. The
company’s long term vision is to create new social hubs for the urban Indian consumer. It does this through "Connecting Communities™" – a
platform for cultural festivals, public-private partnerships and cross-border collaborations that encourage civic pride, strengthen the local
economy and enhance the city’s brand image. Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc., a leading emerging markets investment firm,
which has committed US$ 600 MM in equity to the platform.