Gauri and Nainika Karan

Gauri and Nainika Karan, the vivacious sibling duo, have already created a lot of ripples in the Indian fashion Industry with their high fashion garments and young & hip label – Magnetic Raga. A regular participant at the fashion-vistas of LIFW, these young lassies are going great professionally … and at home they are simply rocking, when two more fun freaks – Fatty and Iris – join the fun gang. D&P discovers more about their immortal love for canine companions.

The young graduates of The National Institute of Fashion Technology, Gauri and Nainika Karan, besides being ace fashion designers, are also big time animal lovers. They have fond memories of childhood, when they used to pester their mom a lot to get a pet. Their father Raja Vijay Karan, a retired CBI director, always had a great rapport with pets but mom Pratibha Karan, a former IAS officer was bit apprehensive about having pets at home. As Gauri narrates, “We always wanted a dog… though our father is a great dog lover, our mother was strongly against the idea. We tried to persuade her for years but finally when we were teenagers, she succumbed to the pressure. And Pedro (Collie) our first pet came into our lives. Then came Iris, also a Collie. And when they had pups, we kept one of them and named her Fatty… so we have been blessed with three furry friends till now.”

Any thing ‘first’ in life always remain more close to our heart… so does Pedro…their first and most loved pooch, and they remember his fond memories, “Being our first pet and the only one, he was very special. He was loving, highly sensitive, beautiful and brilliant. We used to call him Santa Pedro because he was like a saint, there are so many special incidents with Pedro that we can never forget. Once he broke an antique vase because a stray had entered the house and they were chasing each other all over the drawing room. My parents got very angry and scolded him. Since he was such a well-behaved dog, he never gave anyone an opportunity to get angry with him. That had a big impact on him that he never entered the drawing room again.”

With his sweet antics, he became everybody’s sweetheart in no time. This cute kid added more life to Karan household. “Every morning at the breakfast table, Pedro would grab my dad by the cuff and drag him outside to play with the ball. He also did this thing with his front legs when he was excited and wanted attention. Every evening he would come and cuddle with one of us, mostly my father and place his long snout on our lap,” Nainika recollects with a twinkle in her eyes.
Once a dog lover, always a dog lover…and today they have two pets – Fatty and Iris. This close-knit family of six, share their joys and happiness together. As Gauri elaborates, “Our pets share room with my parents. Every evening we all hang out with our mum and dad in their room to relax and unwind and someone or the other is always playing, cuddling or teasing the lil fellows.”
At home, Iris and Fatty are more pampered kids duo and are well-cared by Mr & Mrs Karan. “Every morning our pets go for walk with my Dad, they run and walk with him. Our dogs eagerly wait for it every morning! My mother ensures that they are fed well. And my father always painstakingly attends to their meals every evening. I think dogs are like babies who never grow up. They always expect love and pampering from us,” tells Gauri.

So, what about their eating habits…do they give tough time to mum… ‘YES’ comes the instant reply, “They are very fussy eaters. What they love, unfortunately we cannot give them. They love liver, cheese, sardines … and want that always. They are always given the most delicious non-vegetarian food but sometimes they do get really large bones to chew on. But they are excited only when my father is mixing his own food to give them. They take food for granted, most of the time.”

Nainika adds, “Fatty is so perceptive, that if anyone is slightly upset she can sense it and immediately starts pouring love and affection… they are just so loving and loyal. We love everything about them…the way they smile when they are happy, the sad expression on their face when we leave the house.” So its all good ‘n’ nice with them… but there must be some not-so-cute antic as well, so here Gauri shares one annoying habit, “When anyone comes home, they bark incessantly…it can be earth shattering.” Woof! These barking beauties surely give a warm welcome to the visitors.
When one brings showbiz and stardom at home, it’s quite obvious that others also get some rub-off. So, do these canines. As per Nainika, “Sometimes we keep talking to them lovingly and call them but they don’t even look at us, like we’re just not there. It’s really strange and funny… they take us for granted. Also, very often our dog Iris looks at us and keeps whining with this really funny expression on her face. It’s so cute and comical.”
Having a pet is a great feeling…and no words can explain that wonderful feeling. On a conducting note, the siblings share their views on responsible pet parenting, “Dogs need a lot of love, attention and care. If people are too busy to spend time with their dogs, they should not have them. They should be brushed everyday, given tasty and healthy food, which they enjoy eating, made to exercise everyday and most importantly given time and loads of love…he is a living being and has feelings too,” concludes Gauri and Nainika.