Goa, a burger restaurant on the beach, a baby named Arya, and hip music festivals - Shveta Salve and Harmeet Sethi on living the life that seems to be an Instagram-dream-come-true
Shveta Salve, Harmeet Sethi, Baby Arya, Mayank Dube
Harmeet Sethi and Shveta Salve
It's because of our baby girl that it's all happened," says Harmeet Sethi, aka Hermit, on the phone from Goa. Hermit (37) and wife Shveta Salve (35), could be accused of living the charmed life. He is one of the original co-founders of Submerge, and hence, the harbinger of electronic music festivals in India, like Sunburn, Supersonic and now Satellite Beachside. She was a model and well-known TV actress who took part in shows such as Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and Khatron Ke Khiladi. They met in 2009 and got married in 2012, and had baby Arya in 2016 (the name is inspired by the formidable Arya Stark of Game Of Thrones which also means noble goddess in Sanskrit, and lioness in Armenian).
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The Burger Factory, Morjim
In the world that we live, where social media reigns high, both have managed to carve a unique identity for themselves. Last year, a photo of them - Salve in a bikini with baby written on her just-about-showing bump and Hermit in shorts and beer written on his belly - went viral, and we were introduced to an 'it' couple of sorts. One that didn't look airbrushed, but wholesome. They have another new baby these days - The Burger Factory - opened with partner Mayank Dube, which has almost overtaken Thalassa as the place to be spotted in Goa this season. It's on the beach at Morjim, and Salve has done the interiors.
Salve hails from Chembur and Sethi is a Khar boy and the couple have now shifted base to the city of susegad for an 'unspecified period of time'. They live in Siolim near Morjim, and divide their days between baby Arya and the restaurant. Sethi has also been busy with festival work as Submerge launched a new property called The Satellite Beachside festival, which showcased indie electronic artists and was held at the iconic Hilltop in Vagator, Goa. "In December, I used to be at the restaurant in the day, and the festival at night!" says Sethi.
Salve, Sethi, baby Arya and their partner Mayank Dube have opened The Burger Factory in Morjim
Ask Salve how they became such an Internet sensation and her answer is an honest one. "I have always loved Instagram, and my profile reflects my life - be it my baby, animals, tattoos. Pictures always speak a thousand words. And since I was in the public eye, I had a certain following. Hermit has always worked behind the scenes, but that changed when I walked into his life," she laughs, and then adds, "And why not. He is so talented. It's time he came into the forefront. He needs his time in the light." Salve also used her stardom to promote a positive body image after she got pregnant. Her posts centered around pregnancy and what a woman can expect when she is pregnant. Her pictures that showed her baby bump in all its glory seemed to speak to women who were worried about what pregnancy entails. "I was talking about body transformations, and giving tips. Every time I met people, they would ask me questions, and that's what I chose to talk about on Instagram too." She describes herself and her husband as a happy-go-lucky couple, living life unpretentiously. "Even the beer-baby picture just happened. We didn't plan it. And once we put it up, it took on a life of itself."
A post that the couple put up last year that went viral
They shifted to Goa in 2016 so that Salve could have a water birth, but pregnancy complications didn't allow that. "But I was sure I wanted to have the baby in a calm and peaceful place, where I could wake up to nature every day. So, Goa it had to be. I even asked my parents to shift and they did. I wanted the baby to be born with my mother around," says Salve.
Right now, they are busy making sure The Burger Factory keeps drawing in the customers. It's hosted a couple of celebrities in the last few months, including actors Esha Deol and Siddharth Malhotra, and models Pia and Binal Trivedi. Instagram is also flooded with Goa lovers posting happy pictures from the stunning property.
Salve, who has done the interiors, decided to go back to nature for her inspiration. "This is my first restaurant. I have done people's homes before, and a store, but this was the most serious. I decided to use all the resources on hand. We have a tree which has hanging lamps made of old books. There is a lot of bunting made of fabric like jute. In the bar, the lights are made of cane tokris. It's all very organic and natural." The raw material used is also recycled or upcylced, and the innovative touches that Salve mentions add charm to this seaside restaurant, which Sethi says was hard to find. "We kept looking for a property for a while. And then one day, we were walking the beach, and found this spot."
But the two aren't yet sure they want to make the sunny state a permanent base. "We are here till we have to be. My mom still lives in Bombay, so in off season, we will go back," says Sethi, as Salve adds, "Goa is a perfect mix of everything. You can chill, but you are also not completely cut off. For us, it's got the best of both worlds."
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