I first started wearing sarees in my early teens. My mother would host a haldi-kumkum function for the ladies of the colony during Navratri. I was deputed to assist her in shopping for, packaging the giveaways, receiving guests and serving them. Over the years, I graduated from pavadai (Southern lehenga)…
My father does it. I remember my cousin doing it from the summer he stayed with us. And now, to my horror and disgust, I find the boy does it too!
A quick post to showcase what I did at the fabric-painting stall I set up recently. Jai was my guardian angel who got there before I did, kept up my morale and let me paint his jeans, his pockets AND his shoes. 🙂 Here’s what we ended up with: And…
There must have been as many women as men in the audience. The television was switched on an hour early, by my mother, not father. On Saturday night, the entire country, gender irrespective, celebrated India’s win of the World Cup 2011. Everyone on my Facebook and Twitter feeds was talking…
Update in 2023: In the mid 2000s, I was an anonymous blogger, soldiering my way through patriarchal India and a newer internet. A lot of people tried to trick me into offering more information about myself, many just demanded it. At that time, one reader sent me an email on…
Colour blocking is a trend that appeals to me on account of its drama. The sheer audacity that lets one pair purple with yellow or green and orange really sings out to the unabashed colour lover. On the other hand, it conflicts with another of my style-tendencies, viz – accessorizing….
You cannot ally with someone who does not believe in alliance.You cannot love people who don’t think they deserve love.You cannot live on somebody else’s island of grief. It certainly is a solitary place, the land of tears. And there’s no following a person who has made it their permanent…
A friend invited me to judge a fashion show at the Gangaur celebrations of her (Marwari) community. I didn’t even know about this festival until she asked me.
Remember this Native American brave? It’s one of my proudest achievements, being able to get this man’s face, older, weather-beaten and macho just right…and without a guiding sketch. The tricky bit has been finding a way to wear it. I love going sleeveless but I’ve somehow never gotten used to the spaghetti…
I’m a woman who struggles with the assumption that I cook. He opposes the idea that as a man he can’t. But family kitchens follow gender stereotypes.