Jacqueline Kapur paints tables and rides horses with equal ease. The equestrian and businesswoman says she can now create the in-trend distressed look on furniture. “You need to apply a layer of wax before painting the surface,” she laughs, “I learnt it on Pinterest.”
Launching PY Café, her solo venture last May, post her divorce with Dilip Kapur (owner of Hidesign), taught her to build everything from scratch. “I was involved with each aspect — from finding the space and sourcing furniture and décor to designing the menu. Since I like upcycling, I bought most of the chairs from a dealer on ECR. It took my team and me six months to put together the café. It’s my baby,” she says and after a pause asks, “What’s the fun in getting someone else to do the whole thing?”
With the Puducherry cafe, Jacqueline says she wants to create a space that is safe for women. With a laidback vibe through the day, PY turns into a party zone on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with DJs belting out music. The decor is quirky, and includes a wall with 30 antique clocks. There is rooftop seating, which features a much-photographed light installation that reads “LOVE.”
When Jacqueline first identified the place, she says took a friend along, who took one look and staggered backwards. It was a dark, mouldy, grimy hole.
Today, the 10-month old café is bathed in coats of pastel — primarily soft pink and soothing greens. It’s a contrast from Jacqueline’s love for all things black.
Which is probably why charcoal-activated dishes like burgers and lassi s feaure on the menu, along with Asian and Mediterranean thali s. “Most of my things are black, be it clothes or The Black Box Guesthouse that I started two years back,” she says.
The Black Box is a result of her fascination with containers. Two 20 foot containers and a 40 foot one together form The Black Box, a chic two-bedroomed accommodation spread across two floors, open to guests. (You can book it for about ₹5,200 a night on AirBnb.)
Nestled within The Red Earth Riding School — it may be a little away from the main road and the bustle of central Auroville and Puducherry, but offers grand views of horses and foals ambling along. Other than equestrians, it’s also popular among families, group of friends or couples looking for a quick getaway.
“I like taking things out of their original context and doing something totally different with them,” says Jacqueline discussing the container accommodation. The interiors are steampunk-inspired and furniture for the guest house is sourced from an old factory in Bengaluru.
She says she has one more container and is thinking of ways to utilise it. Another café or bar perhaps? “Let’s see. I have a lot going on. I am also handling Ayesha Accessories and take care of it’s designing as well. My daughter Ayesha is studying in Columbia University and keeps sending me pictures of interesting things she sees,” says Jacqueline. “Have you seen our Project Girl Power line? It’s got trendy notebooks, earrings, rings, bags, pouches with self-affirming, confidence-inducing messages.” There is another line, titled JQ, that includes handcrafted accessories inspired by Indian elements, to be launched shortly.
An eternal love
The Red Earth Riding School, which she calls her eternal love, takes up a lot of her time. The annual Puducherry Equestrian Challenge that she started in 2001 has participants from Pune, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Tiruppur, Pollachi... “It had 60 participants this year. In the beginning, I would say ‘never again’ after each year’s edition, as it is a logistical nightmare,” she laughs.
Horseriding enthusiasts and learners come to RERS from far-flung countries such as Japan, Spain, Ukraine and Russia, and from Auroville as well. There are different coaches for jumping and dressage. And if there is a student who is really interested but doesn’t have the means to take up horse riding, she sponsors them.
“As a young girl back in Germany, I used to clean windows to earn money so I could get to ride horses,” says Jacqueline. “There is something about horses. They are like chips. You can’t have just one,” she laughs.
