Renewed wedding vows, new fashion line: Singh family trip to India is full of surprises
Social Sharing
Season 3 of Bollywed is finally here and this time Singh family has something special for fans: They're taking us to India!
We've been right there with the family as they've greeted customers and planned weddings at their flagship location in Toronto's Little India and as they opened up a new location in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Now, it's time to meet the extended family and explore where the fashion comes from. "That was really special, being able to take the viewers with us to our factory back in India where things are made," says Chandan Singh.
The remarkable thing? This family has never travelled to India together before. So, they're making this trip extra special: Kuki and Sarab will be renewing their wedding vows.
We sat down with the Singhs to find out about more their epic trip.
Note: responses have been editing for clarity.
What's the first thing you do when you arrive in India?
Chandan: First, we embrace the heat. We just stand outside and look up into the sun.
Chandni: The first stop is just any kind of street food. Our favourite as a family is pani puri, these savoury little tarts with water in them. India is just awesome in the way that every corner, you can find some sort of cool thing to try.
Sarab: As soon as we got in the car, we pulled the driver over [for] fresh coconuts. Everyone is having these beautiful green coconuts and we have them cut open and just try lovely, fresh coconut water.
Who watched the store while you were away?
Chandan: I was looking for someone a bit younger, someone who had modern-day analytics that they could put the business. But Dad wanted three things: experience, experience and experience.
So he ended up hiring a friend of his who he was very, very comfortable with. And so, Roger uncle watched the store while we were away, but Dad talked to him multiple times throughout the day to check in at all hours.
Why did you want to renew your vows in India?
Sarab: I'll tell you why it was important. Because when we got married 40 years ago, there was nothing, our wedding was very simple. And, secondly, when we got married here, there were no relatives from his [Kuki's] side.
Roop: They gave us our dream weddings. They were fabulous, larger than life. And now, they got their own.
Chandni: It's never too late for anyone to fulfil their dreams.
Chandan: When you think of renewing your vows, you think of a very simple ceremony. It's very elegant. And it's very intimate.
Roop: But have you guys met our dad? Like, he's going to give our mother an intimate, subtle wedding? There were live animals. And lots and lots of love.
Kuki and Sarab renew their vows on Bollywed, Season 3
1 hour ago
Duration 1:01
Chandni: It's not very common in the South Asian culture to get remarried. It should be a trend to celebrate your marriage. We've heard our mom and dad say, 'you know, I wish I had this at my wedding.' So 40 years later, here we are. I think it's a blessing.
Why did you debut your new fashion collection in Mumbai?
Chandan: We're in Mumbai, the fashion capital of India, and that is the ultimate test because if you can make fashion work in Mumbai, you can make it work anywhere in the world.
We had countless numbers of guests and attendees and influencers come up and be like, 'Wow, that was really amazing. That was really good.'
We not only just created something unique for the local community in Mumbai in India to adore, but also now have the privilege of bringing this collection back to Toronto to see what our Canadian viewers and audience think.
Chandni: Bringing the Indian embroideries, the fabrics to Western silhouettes. It's ever-evolving. We are having so much fun creating this fusion layer and blending the two cultures together.
How to watch Bollywed, Season 3
Bollywed, Season 3 is now streaming on CBC Gem.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
13-05-2025
- Cision Canada
ATN expands largest channel lineup in Western Canada
TORONTO, May 13, 2025 /CNW/ - Asian Television Network International Limited (ATN) (TSXV: SAT), Canada's largest South Asian broadcaster and pioneer broadcaster of cricket is proud to announce the expansion of its channel offerings on ROGERS (formerly Shaw) in Western Canada. Customers in Western Canada now will have access to an even broader range of premium South Asian content, further strengthening ATN's commitment to delivering culturally rich and diverse south Asian programming. The newly launched channels include a mix of general entertainment, movies, music, news, and spiritual programming in multiple South Asian languages such as Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, and Bengali. With this expansion, ATN now has increased the channel count from 12 to 54, reinforcing ATN's position as the largest South Asian broadcaster in North America and enhances accessibility to premium multicultural content for viewers across the country. "I am personally very grateful to the late great Mr. Ted Rogers who encouraged me to launch the first ever South Asian Canadian television series on ROGERS cable in Toronto. At that time ROGERS studio on Adelaide St. in Toronto had no colour cameras. To me he is an exceptional role model and an extraordinary visionary. Our strong association with ROGERS continued when they acquired CFMT channel 47, where we had developed the South Asian Programming. CFMT is now flourishing as Omni. Our congratulations to ROGERS for the bold and successful acquisition of Shaw Cable. We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with ROGERS and bring even more of ATN's award-winning and exclusive content, to a huge South Asian community in Western Canada" said Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, President & CEO of ATN. "This expansion reflects our ongoing mission to serve multicultural audiences with high-quality programming that reflects their languages, cultures, and values" he added. ATN's current 12 channels include ATN Star Plus, ATN Life, ATN Cricket Plus, CBN, ATN Punjabi, ATN PM One, ATN Food Food, ATN Sony, ATN SAB TV, ATN Colors, ATN News (Republic TV) and among the newly added channels in various categories are as follows: Hindi Language – ABP News, ATN &TV, ATN Aastha, ATN B4U Music, ATN B4U Plus, ATN Rishtey, ATN DD Bharati, ATN DD India, ATN DD News, ATN MAX2, ATN Movies (Star Gold), ATN SET MAX, ATN SONY PAL, ATN SONY YAY, ATN Sports, ATN Zoom & MTV India Punjabi Language – ATN Punjabi, ATN Punjabi Plus, ATN ABP Saanjha, ATN Alpha Punjabi, ATN Punjabi News, ATN Punjabi 5 & ATN Zee Punjabi English & Hindi Language – ATN News 18, ATN Times Now & NDTV Good Times Urdu Language – ATN ARY Digital, ARY Musik, ARY QTV, ATN ARY News & ATN Urdu Bengali Language – ATN Bangla, ATN Colors Bangla, ATN Sony Aath & Channel I Bangla Tamil Language – ATN Jaya TV, ATN Vijay TV, ATN Tamil Plus & ATN Vijay Super Gujarati Language – ATN Gujarati Marathi Language – ATN Colors Marathi Telugu Language – SVBC Customers will be able to subscribe to these channels individually or as part of ATN's multicultural packages. This strategic packaging is expected to significantly boost ATN's subscription-based revenue, as it allows for greater market penetration and higher per-household value through bundled offerings. About ATN-Asian Television Network International Limited ATN serves Canada's diverse cultural communities with over 50 specialty television channels. The Company offers its flagship ATN-HD general interest legacy service along with 7 other general interest Hindi channels, 3 sports channels, 7 news channels, 5 Bollywood movie channels and a variety of channels that include music, lifestyle, and several regional language channels that includes Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati & Marathi. ATN has been a pioneer in the production of multicultural television programming in Canada. ATN has programming alliances with leading international broadcasters like Sony Entertainment Television, Disney/Reliance-Star, Viacom/ India Cast, CNN News 18, Zee Network, Doordarshan, Times Television, B4U, NDTV (Good Times), Republic TV, ABP News Network, Jaya TV, ARY, FOOD FOOD Network and many more.. ATN is also a pioneer broadcaster of Cricket in Canada and has exclusive broadcast rights for various International Cricket Boards. ATN was the first to bring the ICC World Cup of Cricket live across Canada in 1987 and since have exclusively broadcast a large number of Test Matches, One Day Internationals, limited over T-20 games including the Premier of IPL & various T-10 leagues. ATN's content is also available on Amazon Prime in USA & UK, ATN has its own state of the art production and digital broadcast facilities which have also been used by various production companies associated with Netflix, CBC and others. We rely on safe harbour provision.
Toronto Star
12-05-2025
- Toronto Star
Designer Prabal Gurung reflects on tough childhood, resilience and runway success in a new memoir
NEW YORK (AP) — Designer Prabal Gurung has always been a storyteller. First, it was through the colorful, Nepal-inspired designs that helped him find early success in the cutthroat fashion world. Now, he's sharing his life story in words with his bold new memoir, 'Walk Like A Girl.' The book, out Tuesday from Penguin Random House, traces his South Asian roots — born in Singapore, he grew up in Nepal and spent time in India — and difficult childhood. He would eventually move to New York to study at the Parsons School of Design, interning for Donna Karan and later working for Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass. He started his own label in 2009, and has dressed celebrities including Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, Zoe Saldaña and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Winnipeg Free Press
12-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Designer Prabal Gurung reflects on tough childhood, resilience and runway success in a new memoir
NEW YORK (AP) — Designer Prabal Gurung has always been a storyteller. First, it was through the colorful, Nepal-inspired designs that helped him find early success in the cutthroat fashion world. Now, he's sharing his life story in words with his bold new memoir, 'Walk Like A Girl.' The book, out Tuesday from Penguin Random House, traces his South Asian roots — born in Singapore, he grew up in Nepal and spent time in India — and difficult childhood. He would eventually move to New York to study at the Parsons School of Design, interning for Donna Karan and later working for Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass. He started his own label in 2009, and has dressed celebrities including Michelle Obama, Kate Middleton, Zoe Saldaña and Sarah Jessica Parker. Gurung, 46, says processing his childhood experiences with an abusive father at home and bullies and predators at school in order to write and record the book was the hardest thing he's ever done. 'I really hadn't told too many people, not even my close friends. To relive that part and to write it down … it was harrowing, I won't lie,' Gurung told The Associated Press. 'It really brought back so many memories and … it's less of an anger. It's more like the injustice of the situation. More than anything else, I just wanted to go back to that kid and like, give him a hug … and just be like, 'You're gonna be OK,'' Gurung said, choking back tears. From Nepal to New York Despite being teased and struggling academically, Gurung always thought he was destined for a bigger life: 'I don't know, I just had it in me. I think it was survival also a lot of times.' One bright light that kept him going was the unwavering love and support of his mother, Durga Rana. She's the hero of the book, encouraging him to follow his passions and find joy wherever possible, even though his interest in fashion and experimentation with makeup and feminine clothing was highly unconventional in Nepal at the time. Surviving a marriage with an unfaithful, abusive husband, she essentially raised three young children on her own. Rana developed several successful businesses and eventually got into politics, telling her kids to use their platforms to make an impact. 'She's a blueprint of my strength. Watching her carry the weight of the world with such elegance, you know, was really inspiring,' Gurung said. 'The way she built the world around us, unbowed, unapologetic, was, I would say, my first lesson in resilience.' A deep love of women The book's title and cover are a purposeful nod to the designer's love of women. 'Walk Like a Girl' was something kids said to tease him at school. 'I just didn't understand it as an insult in the beginning because I think 'Great, I'm like my mother, my sister, all these women.' 'Wonder Woman' was my favorite action hero, and 'Charlie's Angels,'' Gurung said. He decided to reclaim the phrase and chose his strength pose for the cover in honor of Rosie the Riveter and other 'iconic, feminist women.' Cindi Leive, the former editor-in-chief of Glamour and Self magazines, championed Gurung early on because of his authenticity on and off the runway. 'It became clear to me that he was incredibly interested not just in fashion as fashion, but in the women who would wear the clothes,' Leive told the AP. 'I also noticed that every time I would have a conversation with him, he would end up talking about his mom.' Gurung couldn't wait to get to the U.S.; he felt immediately at home in New York, a place he sees as the best culmination of people, cultures and creative freedom, he writes. But he was surprised and disappointed by the general lack of diversity on runways and at social events. 'My recollection is he was one of the first to use models who more closely resembled the diversity of people that you actually see in America … in size, race and everything else,' Leive said. Gurung's runway casting was only part of his commitment to inclusion. Now a Met Gala mainstay, Gurung uses his platform to speak out about injustice and women's rights issues, which, at the beginning of his career was not a popular stance, leaving him feeling 'like a lone ranger.' He recalled the emails and messages he used to get saying, 'Oh, stay in your lane, you're a fashion designer … not a politician.' 'He was very open about his support for issues that mattered to women, long before it was a thing. Eventually, I think, every designer had some, you know, slogan T-shirt proclaiming their support of women's causes. He did it before anybody, but it went way deeper than the T-shirt,' Leive said. 'I'll never forget when Cindi Leive at a dinner said to me — right after George Floyd's murder and all of that stuff that happened, the Black Lives Matter movement,' Gurung said. 'She pulled me aside, she said, 'How does it feel now … to see the world catching up to you? You've been at it for such a long time.' I didn't even think about it.' Authenticity, on and off the runway Part of Gurung's story is being a proud immigrant, and his connection to his Nepali roots come through in his designs. Indian-born American designer Bibhu Mohapatra has been friends with Gurung since they were both starting out, bonding over their South Asian roots. He says Gurung is 'naturally curious' and has always been a great storyteller. 'Whether he's doing a jewelry collection, whether it's a piece of clothing or a whole collection, it's always sort of backed by receipts of his experiences that are his tools of telling a story … whether about craft, whether it's about color, whether it's about his heritage, or simply people in his life, the designer said. 'You believe it because it comes from a very authentic place.' Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Mohapatra also admires Gurung's 'naturally rebellious streak' and his courage to speak out for causes he values. 'He's brave to be the first one or join the force with people who are starting a movement,' the designer said. Mohapatra also suggests Gurung's spiritual side and roots add to his work and his ability to empathize: 'There is an aspect of slowing down, really attention to the core and looking back at the path and … there is a bit more spirituality woven into the daily lives of people of Nepal.' Gurung says he hopes the book resonates with readers and encourages them to share their own stories. 'I want people to really understand that their existence, their story is worthy of being told, that they don't have to hide themselves, they're no longer invisible,' he said. 'I know I'm on the cover, it's my name and my story, but it really is a story about, for, and of so many people.'
