Another year, nothing more, nothing less...

As I stared into the midnight sky lit with the crackers from New Year's Eve, I couldn't help suppressing a chuckle. People making merry, watching popular actors dance and crack jokes in the idiot box, drinking and passing out in shabby hostels... celebrating is a diverse exercise indeed. What would remain unchanged on the very same day after a year is the desperate attempt to leave the failures of the past year behind and pretend, even if for a few days that everything would be all right in the coming year.

I, for one, belong to a different school. The burden of things that should have been completed in the year gone by weighs me down every time. The oh-so-familiar sensing of mistakes that would be repeated once more scares me. And the sheer boredom of the year ahead tires me even before the year has actually begun. And, just like my all time favourite poet Plath, I too keep wondering then,"is there no way out of the mind?"

Kurta - Colaba Causeway, ripped denims - Jabong(and DIYed by my love Debi), rings and earrings - New Market, silver kolhapuri - Shreeram Arcade, bindi - mom's, lipstick - Wicked by Colorbar

On a more cheerful note, I turned 26 and realised that I quite like the idea of slowly turning into a lonely old lady with an opinion. In order to celebrate ageing, I chose to go ethnic with this kurta I had bought during one of my random Colaba trips and never wore later. With age, the effort associated with accessorising is also proving to be tiresome. Hence, I go minimal on most of the occasions these days. Having no winter here in Mumbai doesn't help the layering lover in me though.

How did you usher in 2016? Lonely and unceremonious like me or grand and blurry?

Saree Saga '14- Part-III

And finally, with the festivities over and the damp, cold emptiness taking over all us Calcuttans(even though I'm not going to be one for long), all we are left with are memories. Happy memories, crazy memories, blurry memories...memories are aplenty. And it feels like this annoying hangover that doesn't encompass all your senses but stops you from focusing on anything else. Every time you look at a picture from those few days, you are filled with this bitter feeling of disappointment. You're mad that it got over so soon(but that's a complaint that Calcuttans always have, don't they?) and you're mad that you can't move on. The city is preparing itself for another set of festivities but by then, I'd be sitting in a distant city near Malwa plateau- missing the nip in the air in my favourite city, the monkey caps, the lazy sun, the family picnics, the lights in Park Street and the indomitable spirit of the city that just never, never dies.
                                                     Anyway, the Saree series comes to an end with this post. I'll leave you with the pictures while I prepare myself for the journey towards uncertainty.

Saree- mom's,blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, cuff- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring-B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline 

Picture Courtesy - Pooja

Saree, blouse- Howrah Bridge, earring, ring- New Market, bindi- local shop, chappal(not seen in the picture)- B.K.Market, lipstick- Orange Punch by Colorbar

Saree Saga '14- Part-II

The number of hits on the first saree post of this Pujo was motivation enough to write down the second post so soon. Since I'm done lecturing(and boring) you on the hollow side of our Pujo celebration these days(I'm pretty sure I pissed off quite a few in the process), I decided to make it up to those angry souls in this post and talk about the not-so-shallow side of those very means of celebration.
                 First comes the attire. Yes, no one would penalize you for roaming around in your pajamas during Pujo but draping the beautiful nine yard puts you in the right mood like nothing else. Like they say, one has to look the part before trying to act it. Besides, it's one of the best ways to get to know the rich heritage of our country. There are so many beautiful varieties hiding in quaint little villages in every state and the story behind each Fulia taant or Murshidabad silk saree is fascinating, to say the least!
       And then comes the food. Kolkata is a city well known for its roadside delicacies but the frenzy over every jhaal muri-bhelpuri-phuchka-egg roll-biryani-candy floss stall during these four days is unbelievable! And from Ichaapur to Italy, nothing brings a family together like sharing good food. I never watch what I eat during Pujo but if you are even more health-conscious than I'm, worry not. There's something or the other for everyone in the grand Pujo feast. There are a lot of healthy options too like ghugni, bhelpuri, the Ashtami bhog khichudi and labra, to name a few.
                                                                                                                            And now the famous pandal hopping that we Kolkatans can't seem to imagine life without and people from other cities find difficult to understand. It's beyond the understanding of all my friends from other cities what pleasure one can get out of walking for miles and sweating while wearing heavy make-up and gaudy clothes. Well, for starters, it burns at least half of the extra calories that you have gained, thanks to all the eating! And Kolkata is the only city where you get to see everyone from a CEO to a domestic help dressing up in their best attire and walking down the same street to visit the same pandals. Ever seen a more natural example of equality?

Panchami
Saree- mom's, blouse- bought from local shop due to emergency, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline

Saptami

Saree- mom's, blouse-Howrah Bridge, rings- New Market, chappal- Shreeram Arcade, earring- B.K.Market, bindi- local shop, lipstick- MAT4 Bold Matte by Maybelline

Coming to the outfits, since I had no time to shop this Pujo, I had to wear mostly my mom's sarees. I'm not much of a taant person and find it difficult to manage but surprisingly, I was very comfortable wearing them this year. Guess age is catching up after all. Also,  if you drape it well, it's pretty flattering for almost all body types.
    One more saree post and then I'd move on to the most eventful trip of my entire life! Till then, take care and keep it stylish.

Being truly independent...

Independence is easily one of the most abused words in today's world. We use it to justify literally everything we do(or don't)in our daily lives. While saying hurtful things to others, hurting someone else's sentiments, harming animals or nature aren't things that we should do just because we are capable of doing them, everyone should know what being independent means for them. As a woman, the only aspect of independence that had been emphasized to me throughout my life was financial independence. Coming from a family where most of the women had to ask for money from their husbands even if they wanted to buy their children a candy, the women in our family, specially my mother, always wanted to make sure that I don't commit the same mistake that they had, years back. I've a job today that pays enough to cover my expenses and maybe a little luxury every once in a while but am I independent? Definitely not. I still freak out if I have to book my tickets, go to the bank, talk to the bored and hostile officials sitting at various Government offices,kill cockroaches and spiders, move my furniture around and so on and so forth. There are a hundred tasks required in our daily lives that I'm not good at. Therefore, I depend on my near and dear ones to do these for me. So, despite being financially independent, I'm definitely not independent in its true sense. Also, should we call someone independent if they have a job but only because others forced them into it and given a choice, they'd rather pursue their hobbies that didn't pay? This is an issue that one of my all time favourite bloggers Tanvii brought to my notice for the first time. Pursuing or not pursuing a so called career should be a conscious choice for all of us. And the decision to take care of the household instead of sitting at a cubicle in front of a computer deserves an equal amount of respect because we should have the freedom to choose whether we want to be employed or not. Ever since I started looking at things this way, my approach towards the so called housewives has changed drastically.
                                                    There's another aspect to independence that we often choose not to explore. Being a citizen of a free country means we have the right to take personal decisions until and unless our decisions go against the law of the land. Yet, how many of us are brave enough to embrace our true sexuality? How many of us are comfortable talking about their curiosity towards everything sexual during our adolescent years? Our body is a mystery on its own and not acknowledging its complex behaviours only shows our desperation to run away from the truth and nothing else. Calling a broom anything other than a broom won't change its true identity. Likewise, if parents choose to have an open discussion about the sexual curiosity accompanied with adolescence, many of the unhealthy sexual habits people grow as teenagers can be prevented. Topics like masturbation, unprotected sex, sodomy, homosexuality, incest, erotic fetishes and BDSM(to name a few) should be clearly discussed with teenagers instead of leaving it to their imagination. And who can be a better teacher for a child than his/her parents? I, for one, was always very clear and vocal about my body and its desires and considered myself sexually independent. However, despite my best attempts, any discussion with the elders regarding this always ended in a fight. I used to take things personally even five years back. These days, I'm wise enough to come out of the discussion after giving them the required information instead of turning it into a nasty fight. But the scores of homosexuals trapped in heterosexual marriages or forced to live a life of tired loneliness tell a different story.
                                                              So, this independence day, instead of hoisting another national flag and singing the national anthem once more, think about what true independence means to you. List down ten things you'd have done had there been no societal rules and no inhibitions. Then ask yourself why you aren't doing those. I'm pretty sure there'd be at least five things that you can do any day if you stop being so afraid. And if all of us end up doing five such things every year, we'd know that we are heading towards a truly independent country.

And now, say 'hi' to one of the most independent girls I've ever known! If you have been following ze blog for a while,Anu is no stranger to you. She happens to be the best and most inspiring fashion designer, a surprisingly observant amateur photographer, a celeb content writer, the most dedicated fashion blogger and my greatest source of inspiration. She has always lived life on her own terms. She has never done one of those so called rebellious things, true but she has broken almost every rule our society tries to impose on women in her own way. Studying Fashion Designing despite being a Science student(I'm sure the prospective doctors and engineers spared her no sneer), quitting her job to start her own brand, not succumbing to peer pressure, continuing with equal jest even when her dreams didn't exactly find wings to fly...I can talk about how she inspires me all day long! So, what better time to show you how she breaks the myth of not being able to be cool in ethnic wear? She rocks it and how!

Tunic- Max, leggings- Shoppers Stop, chappals- Linking Road, Bandra, watch- Dresslily, ring-Dilli Haat, neckpiece- New Market