At a time when gold prices are escalating, Oh My Gold ’s season two with all those lovely jewels might seem like a bit of a tease. “That’s what I was thinking too,” laughs Nikita Anand, the new host for this season. “I was wondering who would go all out and buy gold now, but when I started doing this show, I was proved wrong. People, especially in South India, love their gold and are oblivious to gold prices.” Apart from the Southern cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai, Nikita also travels to Pune and Kolkata in her quest for all things that glitter. “Gold is often perceived to be mere ornamentation. But, as the shooting for the show progressed, I learnt there’s more to gold than meets the eye. It also has a lot of religious and cultural significance,” says the former Miss India.
Of all the four cities, Chennai seems to have impressed her the most. Other than the stunning range of temple jewellery, what amazed her were Tanjore paintings. “People there love gold so much that it’s around them in the form of painting and food as well. I ate gold food… I could never have imagined eating 24-carat gold in my food,” says the excited host.
Game for experiments
According to her, the city is also experimenting a lot with jewellery. For those looking to incorporate their own patterns in ornaments, Nikita even discovered a bespoke jewellery store where one can spend hours and even days giving shape to their dream designs. The host also stumbled upon terracotta jewellery in Chennai. Talking of trends, she says she noticed the use of gold and mythological figures in terracotta pieces. “They play around with colours; they are so different that I picked up a piece for myself,” she says. In Kolkata, it’s the animal motifs that are in vogue while in Pune, coloured stones and rubies are all the rage. Bags, shoes, clothes or jewellery, what’s her thing? “If you’d asked me this question before, I may have had a different answer. But now it has to be jewellery because there’s so much I have explored while shooting for Oh My Gold ,” she says.
After weeks of discovering the best in the world of the bling and the beautiful, her personal favourite is a big chunky necklace with two-inch emeralds studded with diamonds. That’s something she’s been eyeing.
Is there anything for the men to look forward to, apart from the beautiful host? “Hopefully, it’ll be my discovery of gold!” she signs off with a smile. ( Oh My Gold season two premieres on October 22 on TLC, and will air every Monday at 9 p.m.)
