KSHA Magazine

Honored And Honored with Aastha Shah

Be Unseen with Santosh Korthiwada

What To Believe with Devdutt Pattanaik

Animated Artists

To Bubby To Apoo And holding on to the past for a greater future

Founder, Editor In Chief (USA) Nivetha Sundar Chief Marketing Officer (India) Atulya Vipin Designers Aastha Shah Risha Unnikrishnan Ujjawal Dubey ° Antar Agni Ragini Ahuja ° IKAI Karishma Shahani Khan ° Ka-Sha Photographers Sai Nikileshwar Derick Pham Kishan Kumar Kannan A.Renton Stylists Mai Welborn Thanks to Devdutt Pattanaik Santosh Korthiwada Riddhi Parekh Ritu Arya ° Razzle Dazzle Pickle Michaela Landis Sailesh Gopalan Lakshman Balaji Cover Credits From Vishnu In Common Places | Photographed by A.Renton | Styled by Mai Welborn With Creative Direction by Nivetha Sundar Modelling by Srikanth Guttikonda

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission from the publisher. All images utilized in this issue belong to it’s rightful owner and have been credited accordingly.

The Dorairajan Family 1959

FOREWORD Vanakkam, ‘Greetings’ in Tamil As a student, I’ve always been interested with aspects of cultural, religious and gender fluidity. Personally, I believe that we are immersed in a world with so many barriers and rules, that we often forget the foundation of our existence as human beings. I’m an avid reader of religious script and contemporary pieces on ancient Indian mythology. In our inaugural issue, you will learn from mythical storyteller Devdutt Pattanaik that religion is indeed based on an account of facts, and that our beliefs stem from something that is very much objective. These are discussions he often engages in and also enjoys the retelling of our folktales, especially in his recent novel The Hanuman Chalisa.

The thing about language and stories is that it can never exist only in written form. We learn from our visual artist, Santosh Korthiwada that his journey into finding photography as a medium of expression, was that of a selfish one. “There’s always a story that needs to be told”, he says. Through his works, namely Dark Lights and Endangered Sapiens, we see a portion of Indian culture that camouflages seamlessly in the myriad of our daily and busy lives. And hopefully, shine a light on the how he visually separates Indian and Western behavior through Mr. Korthiwada’s eyes.

Maybe it’s all in vain, or some may assume; to take cultural issues, we, as minorities in the US, face everyday and call attention to. In our pages, you will also see and understand some issues we face extend beyond just cultural values; that the most feared question is what other people would think of our life choices.

Yet, why does being accepted by general society matter and why must we change

our quality of life because of a few frowning faces? It still needs to be talked about. Here, in KSHA, we do.

KSHA begins as an idea that steps away from what is known of Indian culture, but concentrates on retaining ancient tradition while being in a generation of millennials, where a new wave of South Asian individuals stand. The umbrella of our community covers ethnically/culturally and sexually ambiguous individuals, that are mostly first-generation Americans. KSHA is for the readers who are rooted to their tradition and are still adaptable to the culture that they were brought into. Culture is a conversation that always needs to exist and according to us, it needs to be shared, applauded. A dear friend once told me that I shouldn’t be afraid to start the conversation and if it was an idea that scared me, it was probably a good idea. Thus was the birth of an idea; an idea called KSHA.

Editor-in-Chief | KSHA

CONTRIBUTORS

SAI NIKILESHWAR

RISHA UNNIKRISHNAN

MICHAELA LANDIS

In a word, Nikileshwar is first and foremost, a photographer. He captures anything that is captivating to the Indian eye. Today, our culture has provided a beautiful stage, and to KSHA, he offers a depiction of our lost ancestral beauty though a contemporary lens.

24 years old, a travel bug, stylist by profession and a photographer by heart.

Risha takes a keen interest in capturing the lives of simple minds. She loves art when it’s simple, yet abstract.

“But nothing,” she says.

“- can be compared to the aesthetics of the bygone era.

While working on the graphic evolution of KSHA’s brand, it provided Landis an insightful peek into the unknown hemisphere of Indian culture.

“Creating KSHA’s unique logo, which is eclectic and full of culture, has been every bit as pleasurable for a budding graphic designer”, she says.

A.RENTON

MAI WELBORN

DERICK PHAM

Renton is a photo wizard and even today, believes in the power of film photography.

The innate quality of working with film poses a challenge to photographers that most would avoid. Renton is also a firm believer in quality superceding quantity, of which noone can put a price tag on.

A brilliant student of Fashion Styling, Mai goes beyond the academics, and purely applies herself in every project that she is a part of. Having multiple editorial shoots under her wing, this fashionista also specializes in makeup artistry.

“KSHA was a challenge, but a captivating one.”, she adds.

Derick’s photography will always be done with the intention to enlighten and empower his many viewers, as is our mission at KSHA. Young and bold, Derick’s mesmerizing work has been featured in Bobcut Magazine, in all its pictorial glam and his following has grown rapidly since then.

CONTENTS

FASHION REVIEW The Jacquard Secret....... 16 Rajput Gardens.................. 20 A Drape In Time................. 24

BOOK REVIEW Literally Vulnerable.......... 28 - Milk & Honey - My Hanuman Chalisa - Femme In Public - Noone Can Pronounce - My Name

FASHION FEATURE Indian Pastoralists............ 44 - Antar Agni - IKAI - KA-SHA

ISSUE 01

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Honored and Honored.... 34 Be Unseen............................ 70 Animated Artists............... 94 What To Believe................. 102

EDITORIAL Rebel, Rebel.............................. 12 Cultural Appreciation........... 52 Endangered Sapiens............. 60 Too Close To The Water........ 80 Goddesses.................................. 90 Vishnu In Common Places.. 108 Letters To The Past................. 118

OP-ED Log Kya Kahenge.............. 88

REBEL REBEL

Photographed by Sai Nikileshwar Designed & Styled by Risha Unnikrishnan Model - Lakshmipriya

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ii.

You’ve got your mother in a whirl She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl Hey babe, your hair’s alright Hey babe, let’s go out tonight You like me, and I like it all We like dancing and we look divine You love bands when they’re playing hard You want more and you want it fast They put you down, they say I’m wrong You tacky thing, you put them on Rebel Rebel, you’ve torn your dress Rebel Rebel, your face is a mess Rebel Rebel, how could they know?

Hot tramp, I love you so!

Don’t ya?

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iv.

You’ve torn your dress, your face is a mess You can’t get enough, but enough ain’t the test You’ve got your transmission and your live wire You got your cue line and a handful of ludes You wanna be there when they count up the dudes And I love your dress You’re a juvenile success Because your face is a mess So how could they know?

I said, how could they know?

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So what you wanna know Calamity’s child, Where’d you wanna go?

What can I do for you? Looks like you’ve been there too ‘Cause you’ve torn your dress And your face is a mess Ooo, your face is a mess Ooo, ooo, so how could they know?

Eh, eh, how could they know?

Rebel, Rebel by David Bowie from the album Diamond Dogs

v. vi.

Collection featured - The Luke Side

by Risha Unnikrishnan

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UNDERCOVER S/S 2018

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THE JACQUARD SECRET

LOUIS VUITTON S/S 2018

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LOUIS VUITTON S/S 2018

Let’s face it, Spring/Summer 2018 has been all over the place and the one aspect that we see connecting most shows, is nostalgia. Fashion has now become our gateway to the past and truly, being old fashioned is the new fashion.

Nicolas Ghesquière dug deep into the fashion archives with this royal Spring/Summer collection showcased at Paris Fashion Week; giving everyone mounds and mounds of embroidered #MarieAntoinetteFeels.

“I thought anachronism was interesting.

How can we incorporate what we know as costume pieces into an everyday wardrobe?” asked Ghesquière backstage at his showcase.

Today’s tourist, in fashionable Paris, seems to have instigated the debate and has led the designer to fit his models with athletic footwear and silken shorts, with a contrast of 18th century style frock coats and billowing chiffon bell sleeves.

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But, was Parisian couture the only historical hook?

Cue, magnifying glass. Heavily embellished coats with layers of silken brocade, Ghesquière uses tambour embroidery to give this collection the upper hand over his past collections for Louis Vuitton. For centuries, Indian jacquard style brocades has always been a symbol of royalty and was the main aspects of the burgeoning Rococo Art movement that had been taking place in the late 18th century. Taking a closer look at the collection, we see Indian zardozi appliqué work on one of the model’s leather jackets and if that isn’t the most rebellious fashion statement we’ve seen, then we don’t know what is.

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RAJPUT GARDENS

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN S/S 2018

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ALEXANDER MCQUEEN S/S 2018

Key piece of advice - Never underestimate the artistic minds of the Burtons in the creative industry. McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2018 collective was ethereal and absolutely everything but cliched. Of course, we’re looking at florals for Spring, but it’s the way Sarah Burton pieces everything together that still has leaves us flabbergasted by the overpowering femininity of this collection.

It’s not every day, one would catch some fashionable references to Indian culture on the international platform, but with Burton, there was an obvious yet cheeky Indian nod to our traditional couture, in her Spring showcase.

“- Dressed in weather-beaten waxed jackets, vintage blue denim, oversized sweaters embellished with keepsakes from her grandmother’s jewelery box or in the fragile

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remnants of gowns that resonate with celebratory times past” is the underlying message of this romantic line-up. Burton’s choice of accessorizing is the point of focus here, and the chokers we see the models wearing is identical to antique Rajput style Kemp jewelry. The wet hair look has us spiraling into memories of dramatic Bollywood moments under the rain, and McQueen makes the yearning heart fashionable under the tirade of heartbreak - it’s somber English showers with a touch of Indian class, if you will.

For all we know, this is Umrao Jaan’s Rekha in the eyes of Sarah Burton.

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A DRAPE IN TIME

DRIES VAN NOTEN S/S 2018

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DRIES VAN NOTEN S/S 2018

Dries Van Noten has clearly chosen to not be subtle with their inspiration, this season.

Though this might seem like a bit of a stretch, it’s not that hard to notice with this layered line-up. Dries Van Noten took feminism to a higher level, with this calm yet colorful collection, but what really catches our eye is the uncanny resemblance to Indian saris and Noten’s keen use of off-shoulder drapes.

Again, we find brocades being used and this time, it makes its appearance as footwear.

Noten’s brocaded boots is definitely making us go weak in the knees, indeed.

The best thing about saris or any other fabric drapes is its versatility in shaping the feminine body and this is where Dries Van Noten

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excels in creating an asymmetric silhouette, utilizing scarves in a variety of areas and is making the working woman’s mind run wild.

And do we even need to talk about the prints?

Noten’s use of middle eastern florals, mixed with earthy bohemian colors only adds to the grace of his Spring/Summer collection.

Perhaps, the sari wasn’t the first thing that Noten thought to be inspired by, but it’s certainly something you could wear to work without the hassle of draping the five yard long Indian staple.

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L I T E R A L LY VULNERABLE

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4 wonderfully curated novels that are a must-read for the soul | The purpose of the written word is often to reflect the thoughts of a writer and eventually, must, invoke emotion from its reader. A collection of words that don’t interact with its audience is not what one would expect to find in a book. As repetitive as it may sound, strong stories transport readers and the more they connect to one’s soul, the better it sells. Here, you will find 4 books, authored by 4 successful Indian authors - that purely sync with the South Asian community. Dealing with subjects such as gender, culture, sexuality and religion, these creations should be on your literary radar.

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1

Milk and Honey

by Rupi Kaur

Broken into four major parts, Rupi Kaur shines the light on the world of abuse on women, in the most graceful way possible. This self published poet gingerly tip-toes around her experiences with sexual assault and familial arguments.

Beginning with a rather dark tone, the book slowly inches towards the bittersweet nature of being a woman of color in the millennial age.

Initially hitting the racks in 2014, Milk and Honey recently blew up in sales earlier in March, this year. Could there be a political reasoning behind the book’s sudden growth? *Cough* *Cough* POTUS..All we know is that Milk and Honey is a book every feminist should have on her coffee table and not just on her bookshelf.

Milk and Honey, metaphorical for kindness, doesn’t shy away from being a blatant exposé on the author’s emotions. The book stands as a supportive tool in promoting the empowerment of the femme society and continues to render a sound and uplifting voice. Truly - powerful.

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My Hanuman Chalisa

by Devdutt Pattanaik

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Highly acclaimed mythological story-teller, Devdutt Pattanaik has done it again. With his recent book about one of Hinduism’s most revered invocations, Pattanaik succeeds in penning another novel that has made religion more accessible to the world of contemporary traditions.

Steering into the ancient teaching of Hinduism and also understanding Tulsidas’ intent while creating the prayer (originally in Awadhi almost 400 years ago), it makes for an adventure that is bound to keep a reader completely engaged.

Also, this book creates a great space to understand religion from a modern perspective, and Pattanaik’s approach on dissecting the age old song is simple and uplifting!

My Hanuman Chalisa serves as Pattanaik’s personal voice on the prayer, decoding the meaning of each verse, exploring the reasoning behind the purpose of the song. His reflections combined with his famous illustrations speaks volumes, detailing and discussing the history of the orison at lengths. Definitely, a MUST read!

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3

Femme In Public

by Alok Vaid-Menon

Strict gender boundaries is an unfortunate social evil that still exists in the minds of the conservative Indian community. And being of two different cultures, trans femme performance artist, Alok Vaid-Menon documents their experiences with living amongst a biased society as a non-gender conforming individual - in their poetry chapbook, Femme In Public. This collection of short stories and ballads, Alok enlists their day to day trysts with racism and trans-misogyny. Unlike most poetry books that evoke emotion, Femme In Public goes beyond to primarily educate its readers, through the heart of the affected.

Alok showcases their vulnerability with this explicit recollection of moments of heartbreak and subsequent healing. They share times when strangers take pictures of them, without permission - as well as times, where Alok had been questioned as to why they were wearing a dress. Every exchange tugs the reader’s soul and pushes them to join Alok’s journey of his discussion and debates with gender identity.

Throughout Femme In Public runs the theme of self assurance by way of Alok’s experiences. It’s not book that only empowers, but certainly one to let you know that you’re not alone.

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Noone Can Pronounce My Name

by Rakesh Satyal

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A tale that chronicles the lives of two immigrant Indians, Harit and Ranjana, and divulges into their rather unconventional situations they face in Cleveland, Ohio. “Noone Can Pronounce My Name”, is a book that hits home in a very unique way - carefully involving scenarios that Indian immigrants often find themselves in, whilst shining a light on familial issues that occur in a conservative setting. It’s relatable and shocking, all at once.

Rakesh Satyal exposes the Indian household in a rather dry fashion, and consistently employs a satirical form of writing that entices his readers.

We see Ranjana grow from the bounds of a timid housewife, into a raging writer of supernatural erotica - all under the wraps while she fills the silence of an empty home with her husband having a possible affair and her son in Princeton.

Ranjana soon crosses paths with Harit, another middle aged Indian man, who dons a sari every night and supports his deranged mother to get over the untimely and sudden death of his sister.

“This is an immigration story, a coming-out story and something of an old-school feminist story about a timid woman learning to roar.” writes NPR and it’s what we think you NEED to read.

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Honored and Honored Aastha Shah Designer | Innovator | Dreamer

Photographer - Nick Gutierrez Clothes designed by: Aastha Shah | Textile Design - Peggy Kuo Art Director / Stylist - Jinny Nguyen

A big break is what separates a hustler and successful individual. It’s the work they put in for that one fateful moment that launches them off the path and into the light. For Aastha Shah, that big break was her graduating design collection, My Country; India- and it happened in flying colors literally!

Every year the Council of Fashion Designers of America, known shortly as the CFDA, 36

compiles the CFDA+ Talent Book that features the exemplary work of graduate designers in school all across America. This May, one of those lucky slots was filled by our very own Aastha Shah and the recognition it came with has been a humbling experience.

“When I first found out, I had to read the email more than once to make sure I was reading it correctly! It was a ‘too good to be true’ kind of a feeling that was surreal to pass through”, Shah said.

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I’m just a girl who loves culture and people and has the drive to create visually appealing work to compliment my love for the same.

The whole experience took Shah places, and we’re talking PLACES like good ol’ New York City. Showcasing her work to an audience well seasoned in the fashion world, as a designer fresh out of school, could possibly be equal parts of nerve-wracking anxiety or excitement - or so, one would imagine. “It felt like my hard work was being appreciated”, Aastha said of the CFDA Showcase, which had ultimately left her speechless. “Talking about my country and explaining the concept of my collection was very special to me. My beautiful country made a lot of people eager to visit India and that made me feel very proud to be Indian.”

Made in collaboration with Textile Artist, Peggy Kuo, the collection was that of a literal expression of what India can be condensed into. Shah created a line of clean cute, asymmetric billowing silhouettes that had black and white madhubani prints laid over the body, with splattered accents in bright colors of pink and yellow. When asked why the translation of her theme was so literal, Shah had the perfect response. “My choice in the theme was rather political, than visual. I used 40

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all white cotton fabrics and made it seem like colors and prints were thrown at them.” she said. “Widows in India are expected to wear white clothing and are frowned upon if they go about their living without mourning throughout their lives. I wanted to show my conflicted view and paint the clothes in the name of disagreeing with the practice and in defense of my beliefs.”

The contrast in the aspect of happiness being a colorful term vs. the emptiness of the color white runs parallel to a popular Hindu festival called Holi, where in people wear white and throw colored powders at each other. That, combined with age old Madhubani and Mehndi practices definitely relate to a more significant and visual expression of the Indian sub-continent. “Growing up surrounded by rich cultural settings has uplifted me to be curious and embrace diversity in all its forms.

I guess you could say I’m just a girl who loves culture and people and has the drive to create visually appealing work to compliment my love for the same.” claimed Shah.

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Model - Ashley @Castimages Model Agency

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Importance of designing with construction was the most difficult thing to comprehend but also the most exciting and fun skill I believe I have, now, after years of grilling and fine-tuning.

Hailing from Vadodara, Gujarat - Aastha Shah had always been attracted to San Francisco’s energy. It was the water, the vibe and the people that convinced Shah that this would be one hell of city to be wild! “I just knew I had to live here at some point in my life! Luckily, the Academy of Art University was at the top of my list of schools offering courses in Fashion Design and I thought no further. Not just the west coast. It was always San Francisco.” Shah recalled. “I have grown and grown each semester. My perspective on design and especially construction has become stronger and much clearer than I first started, 4 years ago. Importance of designing with construction was the most difficult thing to comprehend but also the most exciting and fun skill I believe I have, now, after years of grilling and fine-tuning.

With skills attained from living in two completely different cultures and economic backgrounds, it was important for Shah to find the sweet spot in the business of fashion between India and America. “Despite their differences, I think opportunities everywhere are somewhat similar if one knows their audience and their lifestyles. I guess knowing

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your audience is half way to success. Although I believe a sustainable approach and reusing materials along the way is something everyone should look into.” she advised.

Aastha Shah aspires to connect and advance her knowledge in order to create more contemporary and exciting designs.

“Understanding the intensity of ethnic credence makes me feel strong and empathetic towards my designs. One day, I see myself creating beautiful culturally influenced and meaningful designs for my very versatile boutique.” Shah hopes. Her goal is to create a space where people are appreciative of different cultures and also to devise a way to help rural parts of India in giving them labor along the way. Until then, how does Aastha feel about the numerous accolades she has received and the ones to come? “Honored and Honored”, she says.

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Mel by Ka-Sha Photography: Vaishnav Praveen Model: TJ Bhanu

THE INDIAN PASTORALISTS 46

3 Indian Designers. 3 conceptual line-ups. One Inspiration. And that’s what can get you a ticket to London Fashion Week. For a triad of novel fashion brands namely, KA-SHA by Karishma Shahani Khan, IKAI by Ragini Ahuja and Antar-Agni by Ujjawal Dubey, talents were soaring internationally from Amazon India Fashion Week to showcasing their work at the International Fashion Showcase(IFS) 2017 in London, England.

The one thread that held the designers together was their innovative rendition of their contemporary collection based on the theme, “The Indian Pastoralists”.

Indian fashion is a cultural melting pot and by paying homage to the country’s sartorial forefathers, finally shone a light on a variety of Indian tribes, whose clothing made all the creative difference.

India’s tribal community heavily depends on crafting their own livelihood, and as a result are excellent practitioners of recycling fabric. Farmer and nomads alike, treat their clothes in a versatile manner and there can never too many uses for an article of clothing. For one’s turban, could be another child’s cradle.

The South Asian sub-continent never had a Charles Frederick Worth; neither was there ever a Paquin. Indian fashion emerged from these cattle herders, travelers and the like. Couture was simply the way of life; a function - to provide shelter and more. Harnessing this practical nature of our travelers and sewing it (literally) together with a modern twist Khan, Ahuja and Dubey certainly offered the well deserved recognition to India’s primitive fashion. And unto you, they bring, “The Indian Pastoralists”.

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ANTAR- AGNI F/W 2017-18

The Weaves Of The Van Gujjars Ujjawal Dubey is taking Indian Menswear to new heights and with his latest collection for Fall/Winter 2017, he decided to transcend to soaring altitudes. And this time, all too literally. Antar Agni’s collections fits this year’s theme of “The Indian Pastoralists” to a T, attributing the inspiration for his designs being the North Indian tribe of the Van Gujjars.

Dubey strongly believes in keeping the ethos and making an urban statement which is not a difficult task. “Creating highbrow aspiration, turning Indian handlooms, weaves, techniques, etc. into affordable luxury for a varied clientele, fashioning the traditional weave, modernizing the fabric, making design interventions to save weaves from the sea of power-loom fabrics is the prime objective of several designers who have successfully introduced an urban sensitivity to everything that’s Indian. And as designers and creators, it is our duty to interpret and re-invent things that inspire us.” says Dubey.

Echoing with a calm and collected vibe, Dubey’s designs floated along the runway that evening with an ethereal sense of purpose. His layered silhouettes, distinctive of the tribe’s characteristic style blended in seamlessly with the designer’s brand aesthetic of nuanced details, smart cuts and relaxed silhouettes. “Van Gujjars are nomadic water buffalo herders whose lives revolve around caring and finding food for their animals. My collection is all about applying a new-age rendition to their clothing both aesthetically and practically” he explained.

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The audience witnessed the show, that could only be described as a vision of the sun rising above the foothills of the Himalayas, metaphorically the rise of Ujjawal Dubey.

The runway took off with a series of layered kurtas and boxy silhouettes, albeit of a darker palette. Moving slowly into softer pinks and a deep rouge overlay, viewers were left in awe of the smooth transition of colors, backed with the rhythmic beating of tribal style drums.

Antar-Agni’s style is always centered around individuality. His designs are for those who believe in departure from conventional style.

They leave a lasting impact wherever they go and have a strong aura surrounding them.

The exhibit featured the extensive use of heavy cotton fabrics, uneven raw selvage as a prominent element, along with the gesture of layering in the front, that was paired with draped salwars, since they (the tribe) utilize this style of draping. “We used several heavy handwoven fabrics from the Himalayan tribe with a bit of scribble needlework to represent patchwork. We gave everything a modern twist with side slits, high-waist and detailed needlework, which is quite prominent to the tribe,” Dubey described.

Certainly a collection to make one want to escape to the Northern Plateaus of Jammu & Kashmir and sip masala chai in style.

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IKAI S/S 2017

The Silken Paths Of The Himalayan Dropkas Ragini Ahuja has once again, put her own spin on classic Indian textiles and this time, IKAI has implemented their collection as a banner to raise awareness about the need for sustainable fashion. Ahuja carries a very strong belief in the purity of Eco-friendly couture, something that IKAI is widely known for - so it was a perfect marriage of sorts when the designer was given the theme of “The Indian Pastoralists”. It was meant to be.

“The tribe that I had taken inspiration from are called the Drokpas and they’re found on the foothills of the Himalayas.” explained Ahuja. “The Drokpas are a very small tribe — there are only 1,800 of them in total.

However, they are fanatics of the concept of purity, in that they don’t even mingle outside their tribe. They marry among themselves, follow a vegan lifestyle, have a fanatic attachment to the concept of purity and they believe that they are the purest Aryan race on planet Earth.”

IKAI has certainly incorporated elements of the nomadic community, mainly restricting the brand’s inspiration from the ideologies and dressing of the Drokpas. By merging it with the designer’s aesthetic, the resulting collection was a seamless amalgamation of IKAI’s signature anti-fit silhouette and eco-friendly fashion. IKAI’s designs are for the woman who respects the traditional narrative of an Indian garment that is given the familiarity of a global approach. Ahuja respected that approach by leading with a feminine cut throughout her designs with a touch of an edgy altercation. The designer adorned her garments’ sleeves with studded leather belts. It was a fresh finish and balanced well with the graceful nature of the silken

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dresses. Her designs normally set themselves apart from others as a result of her boxy designs with androgynous silhouettes, structured cuts and delicate drapes.

“Their [The Dropkas] attire is entirely constituted of natural flora and fauna, which is why they dress up in beautiful sheepskin capes and adorn their hair with flowers.

My inspiration for this collection stemmed from their fixation with a complete lack of adulteration,” Ahuja described. IKAI’s dresses heavily showcases the use of cotton, silk and Himalayan wool in it’s most raw state. The inner lining of the kurtas employ a keen layering of cotton and silk, that is handwoven and hence falls lightly on the skin. The garments glinted under the hot lights and it only made it clear that the designer had decided to use the quality range of Madhya Pradesh’s Chanderi. Ahuja claimed to have gathered assistance from skilled hand weavers, who helped embroider and bead the garments with flowers and silver pearls.

Ragini Ahuja’s label IKAI which can be translated from Hindi to mean “One” is a brand that introduces traditional Indian skills into a predominantly contemporary collection. She says, “I believe traditional techniques that are interpreted in a contemporary manner produce elegant results. I’ve always used traditional motifs that have been treated with a global ideology.

I did not have to adapt my collection to that aesthetic — it comes across very naturally in most of my designs”, and we can’t disagree.

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KA-SHA F/W 2017-18

The Iridescent Rabari Of Kutch Karishma Shahani Khan, along with her namesake brand KA-SHA, has definitively marked its territory within the realm of Indian contemporary fashion. She along with her other peers who showcased her Fall/Winter 2017/18 collection, called Mel, decided to bring into the light a tribe, that neither Ujjawal or Ragini focused on. The founder of the Pune-based label, points out that her inspiration, the indigenous tribe of Kutch’s Rabari community, of whom are quite the sartorialists. She points out, “ I feel the best highlights of Indian pastoral communities lie in their world-view, which comprises of strict sustainability, co-sharing, co-living, respecting nature and worshiping all elements of Mother Nature. I weaved my entire collection based on the idea of how they live a peaceful life while dealing with issues like deforestation, industrialization, etc. Fashion is all about celebration and I wanted to celebrate their lives.”

Shah admits that while the “crafts intelligentsia” would find an immediate connect with what was displayed at the London Fashion Week, for the rest — the curious or the “mainstream” — it was a reminder about the existential realities of pastoral life.

“Fashion was never a part of the plan” says Karishma, adding, “I am not a fashion designer per se; I am an artist who creates clothes.” Today her understanding of fashion as an art form manifests in her creations. Her reinterpretation of the Rabari tribe of the Kutch region, involved the unapologetic use of bright colors, dupattas with pom-poms, and ensembles that tell a tale of India’s

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rich craft heritage that have subsequently become her signature. Her beautiful cotton separates, comfortable multiple paneled trousers and slouchy shirts might represent a modern facet of her thinking, but in reality, she is a true daughter of the soil, who believes in giving back to nature and her tradition, and retaining its glory.

“Each one of us who is representing India at this installation has chosen a separate nomadic community. I have picked the Rabaris of Gujarat because they were the first community I interacted with when I started working with crafts. When I spoke to a few members, I learned that every item of their clothing has some social relevance to it. You can tell a lot about a Rabari by just looking at his attire, which I found to be a fascinating and pure concept”, Shah explained.

Similar to her peers, Shah heavily focuses on the nature of layering that the Rabari implement in their attire. Capturing the essence of functionality that the tribe uses in their garments, whether it’s using their shoulder cloth to sit on, wipe their head or shield themselves from the sun, KA-SHA brings to life a contemporary form of the tribe, that none have seen before.

Shah pulls out three major points of design, when it comes to her most recent collection.

“It amazes me how they bring forth an entire spectrum of colors in spite of living in a nondescript desert area. Therefore, the keywords for our ode to this community are color, embroidery and functionality.”

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CULTURAL

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APPRECIATION Photographed by Derick Pham Styling and Creative Direction by Nivetha Sundar Model - Michaela Landis

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“What is a bindi?�, she asked. I told her that it was a red dot that Hindu women wore on their forehead.

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She asked if she could wear a bindi. “Why?”, I asked. “Because it’s beautiful and I admire the simplicity of it..”

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“A bindi is sacred,” I warned.

“It’s a symbol of our beliefs; divine and pure.”

She looked at me pensively and with her chin up, she said, “What if I believe in its sanctity too?”

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ENDANGERED SAPIENS 62

Though times have progressed, there are still some professions that only a few continue to follow, in India. These are priests, craftsmen, laborers - professions that involve a human touch to preserve its innate and cultural quality. Today, they are fading into the background.

Endangered Sapiens is a photo journal of these individuals and hopefully, it helps raise awareness to the people of whom Indian tradition holds dear.

Photographs and Words by Santosh Korthiwada 63

“When I was a kid, a funny looking man used to clean the ear wax of my grandfather. He had all sorts of strange looking tools in a wooden box and he used to gossip in a whispering tone. There was a sweet old lady, with all her front teeth missing, who used to sell fresh yogurt in clay cups that my grandmother really loved.�

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“I remember running into the streets to meet an old man who made water filled balloons with an elastic string called ‘gubbare’.

He made many other toys for children right in front of my eyes and it was fascinating to watch him do that. These people disappeared over time and no one knew what happened to them.

They left without a trace and took their traditions, skills and secrets with them. Today, when I look around, I see similar people who are very much alive and part of our life but no one knows when they will disappear.”

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BE UNSEEN

In The Words Of Santosh Korthiwada Photographer | Story-Teller | Father

“Storytelling is much bigger to what a visual is. It is not only something you look at, but it is through which you go beyond the obvious.

Go deeper into it and wonder! Understand why people choose to imagine and not click a button. By choosing that form of art, they are also saying that I chose this out of a billion other things. That is the beginning of a great visual story.�

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Santosh Korthiwada is a national and international award winning fine art photographer and educator with over 10 years of experience in visual storytelling. As an Indian photographer he specializes in thought provoking imagery reflecting symmetry of emotion and intellect; for collections, corporate fine-art, and academia. In his own words, we share with you a soul who finds solace in capturing the fine moments in our busy lives.

Dark Lights photo-series

by Santosh Korthiwada 73

The Journey

Allegiance

“So a photographic journey was never my intention, it was a chance. I happened to see people take pictures with disposable cameras and I thought it would be a fun hobby. It was quite expensive to shoot on film, and it still is, but it taught me discipline. However, over the past 17 years, my thought process changed.

‘This cannot be a hobby’ I thought. With the amount of time and passion I was spending, I converted it to a profession.

“I do not think, although this may sound unpatriotic, I consider myself having allegiance anywhere. I do not know where I am going to settle still and I tend look at art and photography in a very detached way. I behave as such with almost everything, just don’t tell my wife (laughs). Of course, I do enjoy the culture/society/people/food both in India and US; I just don’t find myself as a person of a land.”

Professionally, I enjoy more of not what’s in the photo, but what’s behind; the things that are not seen. What was the photographer thinking when he took the picture? What would be the consequences of taking this picture? What story is he telling? Everything has a story. For anyone, a photograph is a piece of cryptic information. Seldom we think of what comes after clicking a picture, as we are busy wondering about what is happening in that moment.”

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Which country has better stories?

“Oh, both do - in very different ways. In India, I look for stories in a documentary fashion. It could be because it’s the hometown where i grew up. I tend to be more comfortable with the people and the language. Communicating my emotions on a personal level is easy.

In the US, politically, I feel like an alien here.

I don’t really approach people or have these conversations about their life stories so

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quickly. Also, I am alone and away from family.

The separation makes me look at the world with more intensity. I focus on the hardships, the scenes and the colors - you could say it’s more of a ‘fine art’ style or a form of still life photography. I cannot explain how this feeling switches between these two place, but it’s just a change in consciousness. It is natural, and I enjoy both these sides. It helps me grow holistically.”

The Switch “I think it is a cultural thing. By definition, culture is a mix of art, language, tradition, religion and so much more. It is an amalgamation of all these different things. In India, you can feel the impact of the culture every moment you’re there. It’s literally in your face. You could hide in

from loved ones. It’s almost selfish of me to do that, but it comes from a place of love, trust and understanding, yet I digress.”

Critique “As a human being, we show an interest in knowing stories about others. I’m known more for my documentary work - especially stories from India. When I’m in India, it depends on the impact that story makes. How important it is. Historically, people here still look at Indian pictures with an exotic viewpoint. That’s the first point of notice. It’s how exotic it looks and then we focus on the story.

Some people love and some hate my work.

I might be shot or considered as a criminal, in the world of art, if I say that my work does

“ I’m detached from loved ones. It’s almost selfish of me to do that, but it comes from a place of love, trust and understanding” a cave in the Himalayas, and you could still be immersed in an entirely new culture. In the US, not so much - I feel culture here is scattered.

The repercussions of social and cultural issues is very high and have significant impacts in India, so explore human behavior and the issue caused by it.

Western culture or culture, in general, is also very subtle at times. India brings a sense of we and in the west, it’s more of ‘I’’s and ‘me’’s. But things are changing rapidly back home. There is more space between two individuals here, than it is in India.

Even I become my own person when I come back here, and I do enjoy the space. So, when I’m in the US, I’m not thinking of issues caused by human behavior – instead, my work focuses on the cause of that behavior. It’s a simple cause and effect comparison. I’m detached

not make anyone feel anything. We look at things as ‘we’ are. When we react to art, that is in our own consciousness to be triggered by the subject of the art object. In this case, art-object becomes secondary; most artists will disagree due to pride - but that is just not how art works. It’s probably a dangerous thing to say as an emerging artist.”

Dark Lights “Dark Lights project was for VT Seva, a charitable trust. We went to visit a school for visually challenged students in Vizag, India.

I went in without any research. I needed to be open to this concern about visually challenged individuals. I didn’t box myself and it was the most eye-opening project I have been involved with. By the end of that

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experience, I knew I had to be a teacher. The importance of education and teaching people about the things we take for granted.

These students have textbooks made out of old newspaper. For us, we comprehend prints on white paper, but the braille was on a printed newspaper. Lack of finances - they don’t have quality materials. It’s clever and economical, but why should they be treated any differently than we are. When you are triggered by what’s happening in front of you, you photograph that emotion, and it translates to the viewer.”

Endangered Sapiens “In my childhood, there was an old man that used to visit my village to deliver us milk. He would walk in with containers of fresh milk and call out to everyone. This was before milk

M.S. Subbulakshmi mentioned that she loses herself in the devotional songs she sings.

And some photographers have captured that very moment when she loses herself. It is a spiritual phenomenon. I am interested in how that happens, that switch. Not the Agoras, Not Varanasi, Not anything we associate with cliched concepts of devotion. Someday, I will document this.”

Fear “The amount of information our future generations will have in front of them and the amount of cognitive filtering they’ll have to do to find authentic information. Approximately 3.2 billion of photographs are uploaded to the internet every single day, and I’m sure 2.2 billion is of selfies. Now we have artificial intelligence systems that can make realistic imagery of people, things, and places that

“When you are triggered by what’s happening in front of you, you photograph that emotion, and it translates to the viewer.” packets were mainstream. My mother used to have me rush out with steel pots, and the man would even milk his cow for us if need be. It was a process. After a few years of living outside the village, years later, I noticed he had never come by. I was taken aback when I was told that he was the last to bring milk and his children resorted to other jobs. This is generations of a traditional profession that has gone extinct. It is these professions that make me wonder, how my son would know of their existence if things continued to be this way. I think I made this photographic series for my son.”

My Dream “Devotion. Not only when we pray. But it’s how people unconditionally devote themselves to something. It is not necessarily religious.

do not exist at all. Yet, for a person who is looking through social media, even a glance has your subconscious participating in the information gathering. How would you know which is authentic, appropriate? Definitely, our younger generations aren’t prepared for it.

However, I hope for better changes in the future.”

Regrets “I wish i had information about art, enough guidance in my childhood. Would have created more stories and probably learned things earlier in life. Art was always an extra thing. ‘As long as it’s a hobby it’s fine’. I wish I grew up in a society where art was integrated and not separate.”

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White shirt dress from Door of Maai | Slip dress from Aish Life | Layered Choker from Pataaka Store.

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TOO CLOSE TO THE WATER Photographed by Havra Hajoori Creative Direction, Concept, Modelling and Styling by Ritu Arya

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Grey maxi dress from Femella | Shawl jacket from ITR by Khyati Pande | Turquoise earrings from Zariin.

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Top from Anokhi | Glasses from Pataaka | Denim Shorts from Forever 21.

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Top from Anokhi | Dress from Door of Maai | Earrings from Fab India.

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Kurta top from Aish Life | Rock necklace from Zariin.

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Checks Long Shirt from ITR by Khyati Pande | Black n White rings from Zariin | Green ring from Pataaka Store.

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If you haven’t heard your Indian parents quietly mutter the words, “Log Kya Kahenge?” in your lifetime, consider yourself privileged; very privileged. The creative industry has always been a point of conversation for the Indian community, in its tendency to be aloof, economically impractical and hedonistic. And hence, scares our people into opting for more “serious” careers, unless and until an Indian creativist makes a name for themselves in a foreign country. Therein begins the contradiction in South Asian mentality to praise a risk-taker for bringing them fame and recognition; one who had previously been shunned away for the very same reason.

In a society that still thinks single women are out of the ordinary, what Neena did 26 years ago was quite revolutionary for her time. Or any time. Sure, the couple never got married over time, but Masaba was never made to feel like she was “different” or that there was something wrong with her family, or so she told Hindustan Times. Masaba never knew that her way of growing up was what society considered a “dysfunctional” family unit. The designer gracefully shakes off negativity and many a time has stated that she is proud of her label and believes that empowered Indian women need not live under the chains of familial expectations.

For women, the debate changes to one regarding family values. This month, Anita Dongre, a designer born and raised in Mumbai who opened her first store in India nearly two decades ago and has since expanded her fashion house to include five brands — AND, Global Desi, Bridal, Pink City and Grassroot — finally came to America, opening the fifth brick-and-mortar location for Grassroot in SoHo, in Manhattan. “I came from a traditional family where good little girls didn’t work,” Ms. Dongre said. “They studied and got married.

When I chose my career path, it was actually quite shocking to my parents. The only reason they allowed me to learn stitching and embroidery was, they said, ‘Oh, that will be a good attribute when we go to the arranged marriage.’” That line was enough to make me shake my head in despair. For someone who has worn the same shoes as Ms. Dongre, the quote was all too familiar for Indian women.

This isn’t just the case with those residing in India. Famous media personalities such as Hasan Minhaj, Kumail Nanjiani and Mindy Kaling have always discussed on how marriage and family have always been a difficult discussion with their parents, often involving the words, “What will people say?” Not only is this an unfortunate situation that Indian immigrants and first generation Indians face with their elders, but now, they face judgment from the very land they come to.

On a completely unrelated note, it’s comforting to know that Indian designers are successfully reviving our traditional Indian crafts and bringing financial security to our craftsmen - BUT - why must one completely disregard this notion, and choose to focus on boxing strong Indian woman into a corner as a dutiful wife? Recently, Mumbai based designer and daughter of Neena Gupta and Viv Richards, Masaba Gupta, has been under fire for being considered an “illegitimate child”.

Currently, 4 million people of Indian descent reside in the United States and 1.4 million in the United Kingdom. Globalization for India, post-independence in 1947 has led to greater opportunities for our people overseas, in many fields, specifically fashion. The immigration of fashion from countries, not limiting to India, has constantly given ways for designers to open up and experiment with different styles and cultures. It’s time the Indian society changes its notions of cultural growth, but log kya kahenge?

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STS | ANIMATED ARTISTS

Sailesh Gopalan

Lakshman Balaji

Brown Paperbag

Lakshman’s cartoons

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S | ANIMATED ARTISTS | We’ve come a long way from thumbing through the pages of Tinkle, chuckling at Uncle Pai’s quirky comics. In fact, if you just happened to ask your parents what their earliest memory of comic books were, they probably might just mention the abundance of the Archie’s series as well as other notorious comic books such as The Adventures of Tintin and Asterix and Obelix. Not to mention the iconic Indian superhero, Bahadur, of Indrajal Comics and how can we forget the Utterly Butterly delicious Amul girl?

Today, we’re tickling our fancy with a new generation of artists who stray away from trivial bedtime stories and political humor.

With social platforms such as Instagram and

Facebook on the rise, finding an audience and creating a massive following is all but a flick of the wrist, for humorous illustrators, Lakshman Balaji and Sailesh Gopalan. Masterminds behind “Lakshman’s cartoons” and “Brown Paperbag”, respectively, Lakshman and Sailesh are on the right path to creating relatable and light-hearted content.

So, how does one illustrate their way into the limelight? We hopped on a call with these artists, to find out just how they managed to build a comical empire, that is now rapidly evolving as some of South India’s most notable webtoons - and the conversation was nothing short of amusing!

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‘Mera Naam Lakshman Hai” My name is Lakshman Comic spread - Courtesy of Lakshman’s cartoons

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Ep. 11 - Maid ‘Fore Each Other

How did it all begin for the both of you?

Sailesh Gopalan - In June 2016, I started reading this web-comic called Bluechair

by Shen on Webtoons. Being a student, I’ve always started new ventures to try out and explore different kinds of media and content.

Web-comics happened to be one of those, and inspired by Bluechair, I decided to try my hand at making one of my own. Little did I know that the web-comic I was making for fun would end up going viral on the internet and become my first (and only) long running project!

Lakshman Balaji - I remember I started taking Lakshman’s cartoons around August 2015. I’d always been scribbling sketches throughout my life, even sending some spreads out to the local newspaper - but I really didn’t realize I could make a name for myself out of this, until 2 years ago.

It must have been mind-blowing to realize that your web-comics were gaining attention. Pretty fast, as well.

LB - I remember thinking about all the strangers that had started commenting on my posts. It’s a happy feeling. With time, a few unknown subscribers became thousands - and then, it simply became hard to keep count!

SG - I posted four episodes on the first night and the attention I was getting from my Facebook friends was quite decent. I got really excited when I hit a 100 followers and even made a small animation to celebrate it. Next morning, I woke up to nearly 30,000 likes and tons of messages from my friends and family and even strangers who enjoyed the comics. It took some time to process all of that, and I was very confused about what I felt at the moment.

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Ep. 29 - Miss Trust

LB - Of course, it can’t be put into words, about how you feel. One day, you’re drawing for your friends and the next day, people you don’t even know are enjoying your content.

SG - It’s a good feeling to be appreciated, but it’s even better to know that you’ve provided some enjoyment to people and maybe brought a smile to some faces.

How did the name, “Brown Paperbag”, come about?

SG - Brown is a color primarily associated with Indians, and the old cartoon characters would wear a brown paper bag with poked eye-holes over their heads to symbolize shame or embarrassment, which is a predominant element of my comic’s theme. However, that’s just one of the reasons, and I’d prefer to keep it subjective and open to interpretation. The name is anything the reader makes of it!

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But Lakshman, you chose to go with your own name.

LB - Haha! I’ve gotten a lot of flak from my friends about my page’s name! I really didn’t think to name it otherwise. It was simple, self-explanatory and it was literally the first thing that popped up in my head. In fact, many people who follow my work have always asked me to capitalize the “C” in Lakshman’s cartoons, but I guess that way of naming my page was my “artist’s license.”

Sailesh, you utilize common characters in your work, as opposed to Lakshman often illustrating himself into his spread.

We often see Kabir and Ananya as the two main protagonists of Brown Paperbag, along with a few others. Why is that?

SG - Kabir and Ananya, just like all the other characters, are personifications of the stereotypes they represent. It’s the

Ep. 42 - Pryvacy

same reason the mother and father have no names, because as far as their characters are considered, they are the mother and the father.

LB - I draw myself because I’m a savage narcissist..Just kidding! My cartoons are often observations of what I see when I’m out and about. When I draw myself, it feels more like a stand up comedian at a show, and that’s the message I try to use. What Sailesh does with Kabir and Ananya is commitment to endowing characters with personality traits which is amazing!

Sailesh, Brown Paperbag circulates around the general stereotypes of the South Asian community. Any inspired by personal experiences?

SG - The themes are definitely inspired by events or incidents I have experienced, witnessed or heard about. Most from the latter

two. I’d be lying if I said most of the stories aren’t relatable to my life, but the characters are definitely not representations of me or my family. I keep saying this too, if my parents really were the orthodox kind, I wouldn’t be pursuing Animation Design and Brown Paperbag would never have seen the light of day or reached where it is now. It’s all thanks to my family and their support. They love my comics, they’re always the first to message me about it after I post a new episode! That itself is enough to keep me going.

Lakshman, I know you’ve recently moved on from drawing scenes about your family to drawing about the dating life. How is that?

LB - Thankfully, my father and I maintain a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy - and so far, it works well for the both of us! Haha. Jokes aside, it’s true that we comic artists often take situations that we haven’t dealt with 103

face-to-face as a source of inspiration.

I found it very easy to draw about these funny exchanges between my mom and I. It quickly related to my audience, because let’s face it, it’s more personal and yet, similar to what others go through with their moms. As for my new range of cartoons, they’re all just newer experiences.

SG - I think the reason people enjoy our content is because they find it relatable.

Not only does it appeal to their nostalgia, it also relays the message that the experience you’ve had is shared by so many others from so many different places and backgrounds. I believe it brings the world a little closer through the realization of shared experiences.

Wordplay is another trend amongst most digital comic artists. Is politics a thing you’d both want to get into?

SG - Most Indian comics you see, especially newspaper comics, deal with politics. Now it’d be ignorant of me to say that politics isn’t something to be included as part of daily life in India, but I choose to stray as far away from specific political matters as I can to keep the focus of the web-comic on the people of India and not the system we’re part of.

LB - I think Sailesh and I have carved out a niche for ourselves, in terms of comical content. There aren’t many artists like us, in India - who stray away from political matters. I believe it just isn’t necessary for the type of message we put out. Politics is also a very challenging platform to cater to without offending some people, especially in India.

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As far as I’ve seen, I think there are more male artists in this industry than women, contrary to popular belief. How inclusive is this industry and how do you see it growing?

SG - Honestly, It’s hard to say. I haven’t done any research on how the comic industry in India is, or even what parameters need to be adhered to for a comic to be eligible for publication. The platform I chose to use was the Internet, and that is a whole different ball game. However, I do see a lot of young Indian artists getting into web-comics, and I think it’s being recognised as an art form and more and more people are becoming aware of this medium. Naturally, it’s hard to make a living with content you provide to the masses for free, but there’s always a way if you’re willing to embrace the struggle and stick with it.

LB - I agree! 100%! Everything has become digital and it has become so easy to open a page on Facebook and share your content. Even well versed artists such as Balamurugan, who illustrates for Dinamalar, has opted for digital platforms.

He’s someone who has been doing this longer than either of us, starting with freehand illustrations. So technically, the age range isn’t just limited to millennials like us As far as inclusivity goes, it’s just something that people need to be open to. Opportunities are there, you just need a unique voice.

‘Achilles’ Heel” “Kili” in Tamil means Parrot An Illustration - Courtesy of Lakshman’s cartoons

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Devdutt Pattanaik photographed by Anusha Yadav 106

What To Believe In Conversation With Devdutt Pattanaik

by Nivetha Sundar

Do you believe in God? Is that too personal to ask someone?

Religion is an endless conversation and understandably, not the easiest to have over dinner. In addition to the debate of spiritual alliance, one of the world’s largest religions, Hinduism, is an ocean of beliefs and varying viewpoints. When writing about religion or culture, it’s a challenge to get by without expressing unpopular opinions. Devdutt Pattanaik, an Indian writer known for his brilliant retelling of ancient Indian scriptures is one individual who is unafraid of the very discussion on religion. Primarily known as a mythological writer, it were the stories that have been told through the years that instigated Pattanaik to switch tracks from pharmaceuticals to continuing the art of contextualizing ancient Indian texts.

Beginning in 1997, with his first book, Shiva: An Introduction, Devdutt Pattanaik has gone on to creating literary greats including Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana, My Gita and Shikhandi: And Other Tales they Don’t Tell You, in which he explores the existence of non-gender conforming and gender-fluid themes in Hindu Folklore.

Dissecting a religion like Hinduism has been made effortless with Pattanaik’s musings, by constantly ‘utilizing scriptures and vedic knowledge to arrive at wisdom that is both time-worn and refreshingly new’, or so he inspects in Leader : 50 Insights from Mythology on what makes a good leader. This is a man who has retold the entire Mahabharata in just 36 tweets and the Bhagavad Gita in 18. Also, I was curious to understand how and why Pattanaik had chosen this literary path.

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20 years of constructing mythical pieces and creating religious conversations, since Shiva: An Introduction. How has life been so far?

Satisfying.

What is your earliest memory of being introduced to the world of the Indian Gods & Goddesses?

of storytelling. It was pristine and poetic; it was his method in allowing his readers to form their own opinions. It made me wonder if being religiously involved would change one’s perception of Pattanaik’s work.

What does your religion mean to you?

A set of rules imposed by people who legitimize it using supernatural or fantastic narratives.

My mother’s puja room.

Research is key to what you write about.

What is it like to study information based on an ancient belief system, that is often thought to be built on opinions?

All humanities are based on facts and opinions.

So Ramayana has facts – when was the text written, in what language, in which historical context, where, by whom, what is the story, plot, dialogue. Only then comes opinion about what the subtext and metaphor and structure can mean.

What is the fuel to your incredible literary pieces?

The vast volume of unknown knowledge.

Pattanaik explains that mythology is simply the subjective truth that shapes a community communicated through sacred stories, symbols and rituals. It isn’t a biased platform, but is founded on the basis of facts - hence, research is key. The first book I read of Devdutt Pattanaik’s was Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata, and I remember thumbing through each page being pleasantly surprised with Pattanaik’s method

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What do you believe are some common misconceptions that others tend to have about Hinduism?

That Hinduism is a religion. That it has to follow rules that are intrinsic to Islam, Christianity or Judaism. That European and American scholars who write on Hinduism are free of bias. Or their frameworks and methodology are objective. That a Hindu guru actually knows all the Hindu mythologies and can compare and contrast it with other mythologies.

Mythology is often related to ancient lore that has been passed on through word of mouth, whereas Religion relates to a body of subjective beliefs. Is this true? How would you differentiate the two?

There are many cultures with religion. Every religion has a mythology. However, there are many cultures without religion. They also have mythology. In other words, mythology is universal, found in religious and nonreligious secular societies. For every society is based on a set of assumptions revealed through its sacred stories, symbols and rituals. Communism is based on myth but was it religious?

An illustration of Sita from Pattanaik’s book under the same name.

Illustrated by the famed author.

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Liberalism is based on myth but is it religious?

Feminism today has a vast body of mythology.

Human rights, justice, equality are all mythic concepts. We believe in it. They are human assumptions, subjective concepts, not natural phenomenon, hence myths.

Visiting an early point of Hinduism being a religion of different viewpoints, there was always a fascination in the existence of different versions of the same underlying myth. Just like Greek mythology, Hinduism also takes the form of multiple Gods and Goddesses as well as different avatars for each one. It builds modern society and with time it creates rituals and traditions. Devdutt Pattanaik has an immense understanding of how this affects our community today, and our conversation took rather an interesting turn.

India is vast and Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. Do you think society would change fundamentally if Hinduism happened to be Monotheistic in nature?

Hinduism can be polytheistic, monotheistic and agnostic depending on who you are talking to and which period or community you are referring to. It is too dynamic or diverse to be boxed so. Its fluid nature is incompatible with monotheism that tends to make things rigid. But even monotheistic religions end up breaking up into multiple schools and sects that often fight with each other.

How do you succeed in making our ancient traditions/folklore/beliefs relevant in today’s society?

Personally, believing in the existence of God makes me feel safe. Others have different reasons. What is your reason to believe in the possible existence of an omnipotent being?

All living creatures are frightened of death, dying of starvation or dying when consumed by other animals. In humans, these fears are amplified by imagination. We use various mechanisms to cope with this fear.

Mythology of an omnipotent God is one such mechanism; it seeks to explain why something is happening. Science is another; it seeks to explain how things happen. Technology is still another; it seeks to control things around, to create a safe zone.

Do you believe in there being a “good” or “bad” individual in the Devaloka? If so, is there an objective way to identify this?

Good and Bad are points of view. For a predator, prey is food. For a prey, its predator is evil.

Here I was, simply intrigued by the writer’s responses to my doubts and I suddenly felt so small in the face of such diverse knowledge.

I was in awe of what Devdutt Pattanaik was capable of and inspired by this passion for ancient folklore and mythology. Attempting to create a line of work, that filters religious bias and succeeding in doing so has helped the Indian community grow and take a step forward in the right direction. Devdutt Pattanaik not only starts the conversation, but also shares his stories again and again and again.

All traditions/folklore/beliefs are based on human desires and anxieties. To see them as ‘ancient’ is to assume our desires and anxieties are different from that of our ancestors.

They are not.

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VISHNU IN COMMON PLACES Photographed by A.Renton Styling by Mai Welborn Creative Direction by Nivetha Sundar Model - Srikanth Guttikonda

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Om, Let me meditate on Lord Narayana,

Oh, Lord Vasudeva, give me higher intellect,

And let Lord Vishnu illuminate My Mind.

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Dear Amma, I wish I somehow knew what life was like for you. It seemed so exciting back then. A time that wasn’t clouded with the internet or a decent phone connection. Perhaps, I was born too late - you always said I was pretty old-fashioned and maybe you’re right.

My earliest memory of you is when I was about 4 years old. I dreamt of a giant ; a giant with a hand that pierced through the sky trying to grab me. I woke up that night in cold sweat and climbed into bed with you and Appa. I felt protected and you sang to me. You sang to me a song that you heard as a child. I’d be lying if I didn’t sing it to myself at times of stress.

I remember watching you get dressed for the temple, every Saturday. There wasn’t a sari that didn’t look beautiful on you, and you had so many. You’d place me on the bed and let me hold one side of the sari as you wrapped it around yourself. There were days you’d dress me up as well. Your saris were too big, so you used a scarf instead. “Having a daughter is a blessing”, you said. But to me, you are mine.

The ring made of elephant hair; the ring I wear every single day. You gave me that ring when I was 17. You told me your mother gave it to you when you got married, and I should do the same when I have a daughter. This ring; our heirloom - I realize that it has been a witness to our lives, as each generation passes. You mentioned that you were glad to find out that I was obsessed with our history.

I think there was a part of you that was relieved to know that our ancestors would live on through the stories Paati told you and you to me.

I see you’ve gotten tired, Amma. This world has pushed you, and you’ve stood strong against every blow - just like your mother and her mother before her. Every day, you tell me how important it is to stay true to yourself, and how humanity depends on the simplicity of emotions and sentiment.

Through the years, I’ve wondered about the significance of vulnerability, but with time I know that you’ve couldn’t have been more precise. You moved across the ocean with Appa to start a new life in a new country, and a change as big as that definitely must have had a profound impact on you.

I know that now, as I face the very same path. You must have been terrified, as I am now. Yet, you got through it and you brought me into the world. The day my daughter is born, I’ll sing her the same song you once sang to me. I’ll show her all of Paati’s old saris. Most importantly, I’ll tell her to be strong - just like her Paati is.

Love, Kutta

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To Amma and Appa, and lastly, to Mama.

For your strength & support and your patience.

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