The Indian Standard | Autumnal Equinox 2023

the INDIAN

STANDARD AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2023

BY JANANI

INTERVIEWS & DISCUSSIONS

THE NATURE OF WOMANHOOD, CREATIVITY, & THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY

DEVOTION

IN

THIS

ISSUE

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2023

spoondrift ◦ moonglade ◦ perennial

5 THEME EXPLANATION Devotion

By Janani

9 GANDHARI

Rajamatha, Mother of Kauravas Based on Interview with Mathu Bhaskar & Radha Venkatesan.

Written by Janani K.V. Rajan

21

SHIVANI RANA Author of The One I Want & Conversations with the Moon

87 NEHA KAPIL

Artist & Content Creator

An Interview

105 DUR E AZIZ AMNA Author of American Fever

An Interview

An Interview

53 DRAUPADI

Princess & Wife of the Pandavas Based on Interview with Mathu Bhaskar & Radha Venkatesan.

Written by Kiran Rajan

67 RHEA KHATTOI Founder of Khattoi An Interview

127 KUNTI

Rajamatha, Mother of Karna & the Pandavas Based on Interview with Mathu Bhaskar & Radha Venkatesan.

Written by Janani K.V. Rajan

SPECIAL THANKS 131 Thank you for being here A Statement By Janani

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the INDIAN STANDARD TRIGGER

WARNING

&

DISCLAIMER

This magazine may contain detailed information regarding anxiety, depression and suicide. Please read with caution.

The interviews, stories and entries in this magazine are included with the approval of the respective creators. All correspondence and interaction occurred prior to the publication of this issue.

Some images are generated by AI in this context are purely fictional and created based on patterns and data in the training set. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The AI does not have the ability to intentionally depict specific individuals, and any similarities are a result of the random generation process. This content should be treated as creative and artistic expression, and no connection to actual individuals should be implied.

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THEME

EXPLANATION

DEVOTION Dear Reader, Our history is a tapestry woven together in a pattern upheld by the human experiences that shape the way we see the world today. Each of us is a thread in that tapestry, an infinitely small, yet equally important part of an ever expanding whole. Understanding our history involves more than just an intellectual study, but an empathetic one - a curious, cultural look into the past. To understand our history is to understand the past, present & future. However, times shift, as we grow further away in years from those historic moments, do we render them irrelevant to the normal course of our lives?

Womanhood has changed significantly through the ages, yet even in this era, we still find the same fundamental elements and threads that encompass that identity.

This issue will draw upon the stories of women today and the women of the Mahabharata. Through the women of the Mahabharata we are able to learn valuable lessons surrounding good & evil, the power of devotion and how the debate on men versus women started before this yugam...

We are all born of the same wind, water, earth, fire, and cosmos. The threads that link us with each other are the same that connect us to the world around us, the same that our world is made up of. Through learning about our history from the lens of womanhood we may be able to piece together new perspectives about ourselves and the world. Perhaps we can learn that focusing on our differences is a material-world mentality; our bodies are perishable, our atma is not. Are we able to finally see that our differences exist for a reason and that as human beings, we are not privy to all of life’s mysteries? We must check our ego at the door and remain devotional to the statement that the truth is one, but the wise call it by many names.

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MIND spoondrift

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THEME

EXPLANATION

DEVOTION

spoondrift

(n.) spray blown from waves during a gale at sea; described as a showery sprinkle of seawater swept from the tops of waves, “Just as the ocean remains undisturbed by the incessant flow of waters from rivers merging into it, likewise the sage who is unmoved despite the flow of desirable objects all around him attains peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy desires.” (Bhagavad Gita 2:70)

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GANDHARI

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WOMEN WITH

MATHU

OF

MAHABHARATHAM

BHASKHAR

&

RADHA

VENKATESAN

Gandhari, characterized by unwavering determination, steadfastly stood by her children, even in the face of acknowledging their malevolence. Criticism arises as she refrained from correcting them, a silence that some argue could have altered the course of the entire era had she spoken out. Destiny, as argued by some, played a pivotal role in this narrative.

Reflecting on the consequences, the clarity emerges that Gandhari's choices, particularly her act of binding her eyes, posed significant questions. Had she possessed a voice, there remains uncertainty about its resonance in a patriarchal society dominated by power games and male rulers. Despite this, she held her ground, refusing to bless her own children for victory.

One perspective interprets Gandhari's act of closing her eyes as a refusal to acknowledge the evil within her children. Recognizing the flaw in Gandhari's failure to correct them, emphasis is placed on the complexity of the situation. A nuanced perspective is introduced, noting a Tamil saying, "pathramarindhu," which underscores the importance of knowing when to raise one's voice and when to step away. Gandhari's passive-aggressive protest, symbolized by blindfolding herself, is seen as a cunning, intelligent strategy—a way of being present without fully endorsing the actions. Picking battles wisely aligns with this perspective, recognizing the pragmatic approach that acknowledges one person may not change the entire world.

The discussion dives into the symbolic meaning behind Gandhari's act of closing her eyes. While some interpret it sympathetically, mirroring her husband's blindness, others see it as a deliberate choice to remain blind to unfolding events. The act of prayer during this time adds a layer of spiritual strength to Gandhari's character.

The conversation then explores the episode where Gandhari's closed eyes bestowed power on whatever they gazed upon, leading to Duryodhana's near-invincibility. This narrative highlights the intricate interplay of divinity, strategy, and personal sacrifice within the Mahabharata, offering insights into the complexities of these legendary characters' motivations and actions.

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saree

behind the scenes the interiew 18 | THE INDIAN STANDARD

author - fashion - south asian representation - street wear

family photos

we want womanhood, passion, creativity to flow

cozy, earthy, flowery vibes and creating a feeling of being at home and at peace with your thoughts

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INTRODUCING

SHIVANI RANA

@SHIVANIRANAA

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I was born and raised in America, and we don’t have proper representation here: it's always the stereotypical heavy accent. Even when we do have an American Indian represented, there’s always the white savior complex that follows. Personally, I don’t see myself in any of these characters because I am just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. When I go out, I don't think I portray myself as 'Indian.' I'm just living. So, I feel that's one thing that truly sparked me. Even when we go to the beach and walk the boardwalk, you see the keychains with names. You never see yours because it's so “ethnic”. But there are so many of us here, so why can't we have that as well? I want to create that representation in my work: writing, and in fashion, just by dressing like a normal girl.

I like Indowestern but I don’t feel that it is accurate for everyone because not everyone is going out in Jhumkas 24/7. I feel like it is so saturated in the media now, especially with social media, everyone is wearing Indowestern. During COVID, when it really started getting popular, I even considered dressing/posting like that, but I just didn’t feel like it was authentic to me. There are so many girls like me who just dress in jeans and a top, go out in whatever style they curate, and don't necessarily embrace their “Indianness”. But that doesn't mean I forego the culture because I can go full Indian, and then I can go full American. So, I do like the Indo Western, but I feel like I'm more inclined to being fully traditional or fully American.

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What does writing mean to you?

It's everything to me. It's therapy because I feel so much better afterward when I write. If I'm not writing, I can feel like I'm in the ground. I need to be writing something all the time. Even my phone is filled with poems in my notes app, and I write constantly. My computer is loaded with writing projects. It's a great escape from reality, especially during COVID. I really picked up on it, and it's a safe space for me.

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How has your family's history impacted your work today?

A lot of the reason that writing is my safe place is because of the way that I grew up - I am, of course, inspired by my family because I used and still write in a journal, and I would rant about my family because what else are you going to do when you’re 13? When I started writing, I would look at all my previous journal entries and be like, okay, I want to channel these emotions that I had when I was a kid and put them into the stories I'm writing or poems or whatever. So, a lot of the things that I went through in terms of family is what I write about.

I grew up in a traditional family where the women went into Biology, and the men went into engineering/ Computer Science or IT. I have an older sister who works in the medical field, and we all have a cousin we get compare to who is also in medical school. Basically, I'm the oddball out and have always been.

I used to be into all art forms—drawing, dancing, painting, writing. I was told to hold back because my family would say, “it's not going to get you anywhere. Art is nothing.”

It's just a hobby. Don't focus too much on it. I started doing bio in college and switched out of my biology degree when I was 18. At that point, I felt that I couldn’t do it anymore and that it wasn’t for me. I simply could not deal with the stress it brought - and this is an example of how I bring my life into my books. I write in a way opposite to my experience, so the parents in the novels I write are more open to art. They want their kids to do art.

Things that I wish would have happened for me, I guess.

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What is your mental health journey?

You never really know how bad it is until it becomes so unbearable that you ask yourself, "How did I get here?" Right? I think it was when I first entered college.

Before that, there were some signs of depression and anxiety, but I didn't recognize it as such. I was often labeled as a rebellious kid, and my family doesn't place much belief in mental health, so they would say, "You're just feeling sad, right? Get over it."

I would lash out, not understanding myself until I started college. During my freshman year of college, I went through some of the worst changes. It was incredibly challenging for me because, as I mentioned, I was pursuing a biology degree, and I had met some bad people. I found myself in a situation where I was nearly failing out of college, and I realized “this was not okay”. At home it just felt like there was this big weight on me, and I was like, I need to change something.

But I couldn't do it. I was still struggling. That's when I developed this insane social anxiety as well. I never had social anxiety before. I was the outspoken kid of my family, of my friend groups. So, in college, I was talking to no one. I was just home, and it felt like I couldn't get anywhere. So, then I was like, okay, let me switch out. So, I switched to Psych after my first year. That created a bunch of issues in my family as well. I don't know if it's like this with all brown parents, but my parents are very hands on, so it's like they will always tell me things. I would sit at home, and I would want my own space, but I would never get it. So, my mom would always ask, what are you doing with your life? You're not even doing anything. You sit at home, you go to school, you come home, you sit at home, you go to sleep - do something!!

But I had no energy to do anything at all - I wasn't writing and I wasn't reading. At this point too, I think I wanted to get out of my mentality and get better. I think taking up psychology really helped me because I got to understand that there is something wrong with me. At first, I was like, oh, everyone goes through it, right? I never truly believed that I wasn't normal, so I took psychology. After COVID, I realized that maybe I also have BPD. The way that my family works, we don't believe in therapy, we don't believe in mental health. So, I just sit at home, and write. That's my escape. Even to this day, I think it's still an issue for my family that I'm not in bio because everyone is doing it and I'm the oddball out chasing an art field that is obviously so hard for a South Asian. But I'm going to do it because it's the only thing that got me out of that state.

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f o g n i n ea m e h t n s a a i h s A w o h t h u o S a ? g d e g be in n a h c n a m wo They were just feminine. You look at the Mahabharata. It was like all the women were impactful. I think we've gone so far from that idea. People just expect South Asian women to sit back, listen to their husbands, listen to their families, and be in this shell. We need to break out of it, because at the end of the day, all these South Asian women who are in this shell, are the saddest. They're not following anything. They're not doing anything. All they do is sit home, they listen, and there's no one in their lives. So, I think it changed in a negative way, and we need to bring it back to the positive.

Historically, I think South Asian women were just seen as the pillar of the household, but it wasn't a constraint. The men allowed women to go out. The men allowed women to do what they wanted. Even though you have Ram and Sita. Sita is the one that comes out. You look at Sita more than you look at Ram because she's the one who did all the Agni tests. I think women had such a big power back then and we've lost sight of it. Even though they're gods and goddesses, we shouldn't have lost sight of it, but we did, because of the way that society has progressed.

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the WORD

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DEVOTION WOMANHOOD PANCHA BOOTHAM PEACOCK OCEAN WATER EARTH AIR FIRE

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BLUE BROWN FAMILY HISTORY WRITTEN WRITER GANDHARI KUNTI DRAUPADI

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BODY moonglade

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THEME

EXPLANATION

DEVOTION

moonglade

(n.) The bright reflection of moonlight on a body of water. An illuminating and natural occurrence “A language is not just words. It's a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It's all embodied in a language.”

- Noam Chomsky

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SREYA RAVI

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LOCAL COLOR | VOLUME 4

Convergence From atomic structures to the trillions of cells that compose each one of us, every human being shares a divine connection to the universe. Every element found within the human body originated in stardust.The celestial bodies of our world influence our lives, our interactions with nature, our dispositions.

We evolve—sharing atoms, elements, cells, bodies, emotions, morals, ancestors, traditions.

We witness—endless creation, preservation, and destruction.

Within us all is eternal, infinite masculine and feminine energy.

In my exploration of Hindu stories, history, and teachings, I found this duality’s ceaseless presence. I learned not only of Lord Arjuna’s valor, but his humility. I read about Lord Rama’s prowess as a warrior and his righteousness. I learned of King Krishnadevaraya’s honor and his compassion. I understood Kunti Devi’s selflessness, but also her intelligence. I saw not only Kali Devi’s fierceness, but her maternal love and protection. The stories of Rani of Jhansi highlight both her skill on the battlefield and her compassion as a ruler.

Ardhanarishvara, the dual form of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati Devi, shows us that no creation, preservation, or destruction can occur without the convergence of the divine feminine and masculine energies within us all.

Expansive skies, cleansing fire, and the brilliance of the Sun. The divine masculine reflects the strength, power, and physical ability of the body to take action and to protect. Connection to this energy symbolizes the incredible ability of the mind to solve problems through logical, analytical thinking, and to tie to the physical form.

The divine feminine is empathy, emotional awareness, and intuition. Closely tied to the earth and moon, the feminine spirit is grounding, empowered, and receptive. The heart, the soul, and cycles of life. I was taught as a child that rooted deep in our culture is a deep reverence and awe for the divine feminine energy—shakti.

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LOCAL COLOR | VOLUME 4

The most powerful aspect of divine feminine energy is the ability to create and give life.

Shakti, with the force of a rushing current, is the agent of change, the power innate within women to give life.

My mother (Amma) is the perfect representation of these energies in my life. She filled my childhood with warmth and flowing love. I remember streaming rays of morning light illuminating our bedroom, where my stuffed animal friends and I slept on a mattress right next to hers. She would dutifully hold my small hand until I fell asleep, telling me of Little Krishna’s antics and Lord Shiva’s divine dances. She held me for hours, her arms tired yet strong. She would chase me as a toddler with undying energy to get me to eat, despite a lack of sleep the night prior with my newborn younger sister. With maternal intuition, her physical strength, and love, she was able to protect and nurture my sister and I. As I entered my teenage years, her role of strength continues to be shown as she maintains the traditions she was raised with in our household, despite living in a foreign country with different customs. Born and raised in the USA, I am strongly influenced by American culture, and without my mother there to teach me the ceremonies, rituals, and practice she wanted me to uphold, I would have experienced a strong disconnect in my South Indian identity. This was no small feat—to preserve and maintain duties and tradition requires a great deal of determination and reverence for the spiritual meanings behind them.

She is the divine masculine—strong, intelligent, and enduring. She is the divine feminine— loving, gentle, guided by intuition. She created me through her sacrifices, breathing into me energy and life.

The concept of an overflowing, powerful spiritual energy is overwhelming to comprehend. In our world of materialistic illusions and maya, it is difficult to see the interconnectedness of everything all at once. As humans, we constantly seek to understand. We have an innate curiosity and a burning desire to comprehend how the world works, yet it is extraordinarily difficult to fully grasp the infinite depth of the universe.

But in this swirling unknown, I am slowly learning how to see the divinity in us all.

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DRAUPADI

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WOMEN WITH

MATHU

OF

MAHABHARATHAM

BHASKHAR

&

RADHA

VENKATESAN

When most people who are even remotely familiar with the Mahabharata think of Draupadi, they tend to think about her role in inciting the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas.

When she was disrobed cruelly in front of a court full of men, including her husbands, her anger raged and she swore vengeance upon those who mistreated her. That’s usually how people perceive Draupadi, as a woman who was responsible for starting a war between families.

However, as a woman who was pivotal to the story that unfolds in the Mahabharata, there is so much more to her character that some may fail to see.

Mathu discusses Draupadi’s role as wife to the five Pandavas. On the surface this may seem strange, however Draupadi’s marriage to all of the brothers served a deep and nuanced purpose.

Mathu contends that Draupadi was the force that held the Pandavas together and kept them focused on the looming war with the Kauravas. Her dedication stemmed from how she was brought into this world. Her father Drupad had conducted a Yaagam, a ritual of fire, and prayed to Agni Dev to bestow to him a daughter who would bring about the end of the Kuru clan and their guru Drona.

The flames that brought her into this world had burned within her as she moved through life, keeping the Pandavas as focused on victory as she was. Her immense willpower and devotion also allowed her to acquire various boons that aided the Pandava cause through the course of their journey. She carries with her a strong moral compass in addition to her other virtues.

She frequently provided morally sound advice to the Pandavas, aiding them by ensuring they stayed on the path of Dharma. She had a penchant for standing up to injustice whenever it occurred, and her devotion to Sri Krishna acted as the foundation of this morality. Amma notes how during her disrobing, she called upon Sri Krishna for aid, who protected her by making it so that her saree was infinitely long. Meaning that the Kauravas could pull and pull but never disrobe her. This acts as a testament to her honor and virtuousness. No matter what struggles she faced in life, no matter what adversities pulled and pulled at her, her will to adhere to the path of Dharma was never-ending.

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WOMEN WITH

MATHU

OF

MAHABHARATHAM

BHASKHAR

&

RADHA

VENKATESAN

Draupadi has, despite these admirable qualities, received criticism for her arrogance. Some bring up how when Duryodhana visited the Pandava’s illusory palace, she laughed at him when he frequently fell into false ponds and appeared generally clumsy due to the illusions of the palace. It is worthwhile to note that according to Mathu, the original text of the Mahabharata does not indicate she ever ridiculed Duryodhana. It mentions how a servant girl was actually the one who laughed at him, yet when he reported back to his father Dhritharashtra, Duryodhana accused Draupadi of this instead. As this was what would then lead Duryodhana to seek vengeance on the Pandavas and eventually cause all-out warfare, Draupadi is criticized for her alleged role in the event.

Beyond the criticism she faces and her legacy as a central character in the Mahabharata, Draupadi acts as a guidepost for calling out unfairness and wrongdoing in the world. These qualities embody and reflect the divine flame that acted as her nascent cradle.

Aside from her morality, sense of duty, and dedication to the Pandavas Draupadi is also a forgiving and compassionate person. At the conclusion of the war, her sons are mercilessly slain

by Ashwatthama who had snuck into their camp in a misguided lunge towards victory. Despite suffering immeasurable pain at the loss of her children, she forgave Ashwatthama. She navigated the cruelty of suffering in her life, the barbaric acts committed against her leading up to the war, and the harrowing losses incurred as a result of the war with unyielding grace. Even when losing her children, she understood that a cycle of vengeance and bloodshed would not be beneficial to the future. She chose to forgive Ashwatthama and mourned her losses with dignity.

Draupadi's legacy goes beyond the tumultuous events of the Mahabharata; it transcends the mere act of inciting a war. Her commitment to righteousness, compassion, and duty stands as a profound beacon in the epic, offering timeless lessons on standing up to injustice. Draupadi's unwavering dedication to principles, even in the face of personal suffering, provides a timeless example of moral strength. Draupadi's story is a reminder that the essence of her character lies not just in the battles fought but in the unwavering commitment to principles that echo across ages, inspiring us to be agents of change in our pursuit of a just and compassionate world.

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INTRODUCING

RHEA KHATTOI

@RHEVALUATE

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My background is in fashion; I attended Drexel University, majoring in design and merchandising. Initially, I worked as a buyer and then transitioned into brand marketing and the corporate side of the industry - I had roles at Target and JD Sports. Then, I experienced a career lull. I was planning to return from brand marketing to buying when, during interviews, I identified a white space opportunity in the market. Personally, I found it challenging to shop for sustainable South Asian clothing. So, I decided to interview others to see if they shared the same sentiment. We interviewed 50 women aged 18 to 35 from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds with different Indian heritage, and what I discovered was that I wasn't the only one feeling this way. It was even more challenging for those planning to get married. I didn't want this trend to continue.

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What is a sustainable Indian clothing company?

So, for us, it's a few things. Our long-term vision is to be 100% sustainable, from zero waste emissions to using natural fabrics. It starts with ethical production, which is the base of it, and then minimizing fabric wastage however we can. There's an evolution that you can see with each collection, with each business decision we've made as we get closer and closer to that fully sustainable business model.

A huge part of it was the fact that this is my background. I knew how to create a collection. I was very clear in the fact that I knew who our target customer was, and for us, our target customer was almost like your Zara shopper, but someone who wanted to shop sustainably. From the traditional wear to the Indo Western wear we had, we created the collection with that in mind. Our supply chain, though, was a whole other aspect. When I started the company, I let go of multiple job offers because I wanted to go to India and learn. I knew the business side of things; I didn't know the Indian fabric side. Booked my tickets, and COVID round two hit India, so I obviously couldn't go. I was freelancing at the time as well. I came to New York, I would say, in August of 2021 and was like, “This isn't working.” It was like hitting my head against the pavement because our supplier fell through - I was ready to give up.

What ended up happening was I flew back to Dallas, and before I started the company, I researched fabrics and sustainability to educate myself. One of the girls I spoke to ended up messaging me when I landed and said, “Hey, I know you already have your first vendor for your first collection, but I loved our conversation about sustainability and bringing Indian craft to the Western world. I would love to work with you for your second collection”. I told her, “I have everything done. You have to find the fabrics. Here are my price points”. She took about a day, and then we accidentally created our own individual production house through that.

I ended up not going to India for almost a year and a half until after we started the company. I finally went this May, so a while later. I believe everything very much happens for a reason. So, when I went back, I knew a lot more about what I was looking for, and I think I was more intentional than that initial trip.

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RESEARCH

It starts with going into how fabrics are made - looking at the different fabrics, different crafts, and sustainability. Sustainability in India is created a lot through hand-woven materials, but it also goes into what that supply chain looks like. It’s not a great working environment, which is something that I saw this past time when I was there, and I'm still digesting that workflow and that people are okay with that. So, that's one angle of it. The second angle of it is learning about the different embroideries. Something unique about India that people don't think about is each region has its own style, from embroidery to handlooms. Long term vision is to be able to be a storefront that can educate people and work with different brands.

ETHICAL PRODUCTION. This is coming from someone who used to be the $10 shopper.

When you really look into it, that's not sustainable because if you're paying $10 for a garment, the people who made it get paid literally nothing. Once I started the company, I really started looking at it like, “Okay, for an item to be X amount, this is the amount of labor that went behind it.” The most shocking is the answers I would get from people where I would know someone working, like a full six-figure job, living their best life, $100 bar tab in New York every other weekend, but wouldn't pay $100 for a hand-woven material that someone has spent so much time working on. The main point is, for me, it's like if you can go and argue for yourself to go and get a raise, you can pay $100 for something that is just the bare minimum ethically made.

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PARENTS My parents are very supportive, but I will say there's a little bit of that typical South Asian parent behind it. I am a first-generation entrepreneur, and no one in our family has even dabbled in anything like this. My dad is the one who pushed me to go into fashion in the first place in college. It is such uncharted territory. I don't really have anyone to look up to. I am trying to find mentors and reach out to people, but it's very different from someone who has grown up seeing entrepreneurship from a very close eye.

One challenge I face is that I am a young entrepreneur, and I went from having some disposable income to practically none. I still grapple with this, often wondering if I'm doing everything wrong or if I chose the harder path just for the sake of it. However, when I'm surrounded by other entrepreneurs and likeminded individuals, that's when I'm reminded that it wasn't just about selecting a more difficult path.

There was a deeper purpose and impact behind my choice. When creating something unique, it's important to surround yourself with those people because there are no milestones or clear pathways to follow, especially when you constantly need to change and grow in response to whatever business comes.

HOW HAS YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY IMPACTED YOUR WORK TODAY? I think my family's history inspires me and pushes me to keep going. About two generations ago, on my dad's side, we were still in a little bit of poverty. My family was not educated. My grandfather used to walk for two days to get to college and sleep at people's houses on the way; his brother worked and gave him the money to be able to go to college. After that, he took all his and his brother's kids and educated them. Now, I have the life that I have today. It's a huge sense of responsibility because I have the privilege, and I need to do something with purpose and not only take it further but create those opportunities for others.

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U JO H

MENTA L H EA LT 78 | THE INDIAN STANDARD

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N

E

Y

I always laugh at that question because I feel like it's an obviously ongoing topic. Personally, my mental health has been through a lot, even this past week. I've made many business decisions that I never thought I would in the past year. Changing the business from one direction to the other, having the faith to be able to do that, constantly wondering if I did the right thing by even starting a business at this young age, if I decided to choose the difficult path, etc. It's also something where I feel myself constantly growing. Being at New York Fashion Week this past week, I'm seeing a little bit of what my life would have still been if I hadn’t left the corporate side of the industry. I’m constantly being reminded of “Did I make the right decision? Am I doing the right thing?” Because I am in the same industry, I cannot find a full-time job on the corporate side as it is a conflict of interest.

So, it is definitely very challenging, and I have to put myself out there and look for things like funding or challenge myself to figure out other ways to feed myself, which I wouldn't have had to do if I hadn't decided this. So, it's constantly growing and reflecting. The hardest thing for me as an entrepreneur is remembering you don't have a manager, so you're responsible for checking in on yourself and allowing yourself to think. I did not realize how much thinking time I needed. I like to say being an entrepreneur is either staring at a wall thinking or running around like a headless chicken.

I will say I don't really think mental health was ever a huge focus of mine when I was younger.

When I really think back to it, something that was a huge part of my mental health that I probably glaze over is moving a lot.

We moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Bangalore, India, and back. It was difficult, especially since I was about twelve. I also knew that my mom didn't like it in India because it was a dramatically different lifestyle than what she'd gotten used to in the US. So, while it wasn't a topic when I was younger, as I've gotten older, I've realized there are certain things that I'll do that are attributed to that.

I'm a very adaptable person, which is a great thing. But sometimes, while adapting to certain situations, I forget to make sure I'm expressing my true self too. I was so used to moving around and being adaptable, and I didn't realize that until I was about 25.

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Womanhood It’s interesting that you asked me this question because I haven't thought of it, but there is a stark difference. My female entrepreneur friends, I go for emotional support. But when I'm struggling with a business decision, I've gone to my male entrepreneur friends for advice, and it's a strictly business conversation. Emotions, really, are glossed over. But the female entrepreneurs are there for you on all different rounds versus male entrepreneurs; it's like, kind of a one-track conversation.

As a woman, I think you're not taught to ask for help. Or, if you ask, you look like a damsel in distress, which is something that I've also struggled with. Sometimes, when I ask for help on one specific thing, I get some mansplaining. And I'm like, “No, I understand. I legitimately need help. There's a reason I need this answer. It's not that I don't know anything.”

What does womanhood mean to you?

Womanhood means a lot of different things to me. Womanhood involves a lot of balance, especially as an entrepreneur. It's balancing your work, company, and social life. It's also a lot about balancing your body. So, it's ensuring that balance is there and that you are supported by people who reinforce your main vision of who you want to be and how you want to build something. Something challenging about womanhood is that it often comes with people not wanting to help - there's a bit of cattiness or people feeling threatened. Personally, I really struggle with this because I'd rather collaborate with others if someone has a similar idea. Let's join forces and work together because it's hard!

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It's a tough question to answer because I see it constantly changing - I think there is more competition between us than previously. It's just that that competition has been ingrained in a lot of us since we were kids. Now, changing that is being very intentional. I have seen people trying to make that change. I have seen people come and talk to me and say, I want to purchase something to support another female entrepreneur or champion a female entrepreneur.

We shouldn't have to compete. I've also seen that when someone is nice to me and is established and willing to talk to me, I'm even more happy and elated because I'm a little bit like, oh, my God, you want to talk. Thank you so much for just responding to my email, because I don't expect that because we've been fueled by this competition. We are all realizing, I think, that we can help each other a little bit.

But that also comes with everyone being secure in themselves and realizing we're not out to get each other. We're out to champion each other. We can make each other stronger by doing that. We're on a path to getting there, but I don't necessarily think we're already there.

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Honestly, the divide was self-created. Unfortunately, society became more complicated, and we created a division that didn't need to happen. Now, we're experiencing the repercussions of that division. The division has also become more pronounced recently than people realize. It wasn't always like that. Think about World War II, which was 60 to 70 years ago. Women stepped into the workforce when men went to fight and held down the fort, taking on various responsibilities. However, when the men returned, this was somewhat overlooked. There was still this period of 'no, women are going to work and doing this or that,' but you were expected to go back to normal, so to speak. From there, I think it became a matter of women constantly having to prove themselves. This happened globally to a certain degree, even when you look back at history. Many queens held significant power, and some argue that the queen was the one who influenced the king's decisions and actions.

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INTRODUCING

NEHA KAPIL

@ITSNEHALICIOUS

e h t t e e M

t s i t Ar

NEHA KAPIL

What does your work mean to you? What led you to where you are now?

My work is very much an extension of myself and a platform to share what I know, whether that be my own personal experiences, stories we can learn from, or the emotions and sentiments of navigating life. My work is a way of connecting with people and relating to a sense of empowerment.

Trusting my struggle and placing faith in the belief that creativity is important for society is how i've always manifested growth and gotten to where I am today.

How has your family's history impacted your work today?

We're all a product of our environment and the people we surround ourselves with so the culture and heritage I grew up around was definitely influential in the stories I wanted to portray in my work. Understanding where we come from is always great inspiration in starting any creative project, so the introspection family can provide is always valuable.

What does womanhood mean to you?

Womanhood is very much growing into your own confidence and power. In a world that is constantly placing incredible pressure on women to look, act, and behave a certain way, womanhood is creating your own definition of what the modern day woman should be and learning to be unapologetic in your life decisions. When you learn to accept yourself and become the version of you your younger self would be inspired by, you create space for the next generation of women to thrive.

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What does it mean to be a woman?

Being a woman is being fluid like water and learning to navigate a world that ebbs and flows between ironies, double standards, and patriarchy. Being a woman is finding power in being a double edged sword, who can be multiple version in one while still figuring herself out. A woman can be soft yet commanding, nurturing yet ambitious, kind yet fierce, loving, unapologetic, intelligent and worthy of more than what our mothers were given.

From what we know historically and what we know today, how has the meaning of being a South Asian woman changed?

Each new generation of South Asian women faces a unique relationship to what was passed down to us whether that be generational trauma, cultural/societal expectations, or family dynamics.

But despite what we're given I see South Asian women continuing to be more forward in their pursuit of breaking free from generational cycles. We're learning to tackle stigmas head on, embrace the ups and downs of mental health, and using our voices to be more vocal.

There's a beautiful sense of growth that is being prioritized from within and more camaraderie amongst South Asian women, which will make us an undeniable force as we move forward.

Being a woman is being fluid like water and learning to navigate a world that ebbs and flows between ironies, double standards, and patriarchy.

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SOUL perennial

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THEME

EXPLANATION

DEVOTION

perennial

(adj.) present at all seasons of the year. Describes something that lasts or exists for a long or seemingly infinite amount of time “They are established in perfect knowledge, who subdue their senses and keep their minds ever absorbed in Me.” (Bhagavad Gita 2:61)

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The Indian Standard

T IS

K A T H A I & K A V I T H A I • க தை ம ற் று ம் க வி தை • S T O R Y & P O E M AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

WOMANHOOD AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN,THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD.

FROM WHAT WE KNOW HISTORICALLY AND WHAT WE KNOW TODAY, HOW HAS THE MEANING OF BEING A SOUTH ASIAN WOMAN CHANGED? FROM WHAT WE KNOW HISTORICALLY AND WHAT WE KNOW TODAY, HOW HAS THE M E A N I N G O F B E I N G A S O U T H A S I A N W O M A N C H A N G E D ? F R O M W H A T WS E G ; K N O W H I S T O R I C A L L Y A N D W H A T W E K N O W T O D A Y , H O W H A S T H E FMTEH AINNI N E LG; O L ENVO WA O F B E I N G A S O U T H A S I A N W O M A N C H A N G E D ? F R O M WTHUARTE WOE K S R I A C – Y HISTORICALLY AND WHAT WE KNOW TODAY, HOW C HAALS NTA H E MMI E A N I N GA O R MF O T H LI AY; BEING A SOUTH ASIAN WOMAN CHANGED ?C YFCR O MO N W H TI S W E O TK NYODW O ; AH R S HE CLES A EB E L F HC H I S T O R I C A L L Y A N D W H A T W E K N O W TEO D AT Y , CH E HM A NEIVNEGS EONFS E / Y OW H I TASS T NT AN S IS S P S F N E T T A AG E D S. WH BEING A SOUTH ASIAN WOMR AENP R C H AEN ? A F RAOYM E O KN O SAET LW MW EPE NU MA – T E SEN D REP R TF E W TROYD ARY , O HISTORICALLY AND WHAT WE KN HFO WO H A S ET HBEA TM E A NHIANIG O U A WO V N O H ST = J B E I N G A S O U T H A S I A N W O M A N C HH AIN GLEEDC?T I O L E O F W T Y . · MA

THE INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE & RELIGION DEVOTION THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT BROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US.

YOUR DUTY THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW HOW MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE, AND MOVIES ARE AN EVERYDAY PART OF OUR LIVES AND HOMES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO HAVE A NEUTRAL EXPRESSION AS THEY POSE WITH ITEMS. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVE A VITAL ROLE IN THIS SHOOT. WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE OF IMPORTANCE AS THEY ARE THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF EXPRESSION. ORANGE, SAGE GREEN AND BROWN ARE THE COLORS OF THIS ISSUE. THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET,MYSTERIOUS WORLD.

AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT BROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE.

THE CONCEPT FOR THIS SHOOT IS TO BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF CHAOS. WE WANT TO SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENT ALL THAT EXISTS IN THE KALI YUGAM – LARGE, ORNATE JEWELRY, OVERCROWDED CITIES, VANITY & GREED. THIS IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES THAT ARE IN PRESENT TIMES AND BRING THEM BACK TO THE SCRIPTURES THAT PREDICTED EVERYTHING THAT IS OCCURRING NOW. SOME KEY THEMATIC ELEMENTS – THE COLOR RED, GUNAS REPRESENTED BY THE MODELS ON OCTOBER 7TH MORNING, JEWELRY, ETC. ANOTHER ELEMENT IS THE UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR DHARMA IN THIS ERA IS GOING AWAY. ONE WAY WE CAN SHOW THIS IS BY HAVING TWO MODELS SITTING ON A CHAIR, BUT ONLY ONE LEG IS SHOWING. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WANT TO PORTRAY THE LESSONS OF THE BHAGAVATAM AND THE BHAGAVAD GITA. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE. THIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

THE EFFECTS FURTHERMORE, THE DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES HUMAN FLAWS AND THE GROWING DISCONNECT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS DUE TO EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION AND MATERIALISM. I

AND ALL OF

T SHOWCASES HOW OUR RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF WEALTH AND POSSESSIONS HAS LED TO AN IMBALANCE IN OUR LIVES AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

KALI YUGAM THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

DESTRUCTION THROUGH INTERVIEWS, PERSONAL STORIES, AND STRIKING VISUALS, THIS DOCUMENTARY SEEKS TO PROVIDE A THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND EYE-OPENING PERSPECTIVE ON HOW THE KALI YUGA INFLUENCES OUR MODERN WORLD. IT AIMS TO INSPIRE REFLECTION AND DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE NEED FOR CHANGE AND A RETURN TO MORE BALANCED AND HARMONIOUS VALUES. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW HOW MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE, AND MOVIES ARE AN EVERYDAY PART OF OUR LIVES AND HOMES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO HAVE A NEUTRAL EXPRESSION AS THEY POSE WITH ITEMS. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVE A VITAL ROLE IN THIS SHOOT. WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE OF IMPORTANCE AS THEY ARE THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF EXPRESSION. ORANGE, SAGE GREEN AND BROWN ARE THE COLORS OF THIS ISSUE. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW HOW MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE, AND MOVIES ARE AN EVERYDAY PART OF OUR LIVES AND HOMES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO HAVE A NEUTRAL EXPRESSION AS THEY POSE WITH ITEMS. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVE A VITAL ROLE IN THIS SHOOT. WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE OF IMPORTANCE AS THEY ARE THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF EXPRESSION. ORANGE, SAGE GREEN AND BROWN ARE THE COLORS OF THIS ISSUE. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW HOW MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE, AND MOVIES ARE AN EVERYDAY PART OF OUR LIVES AND HOMES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ASKED TO HAVE A NEUTRAL EXPRESSION AS THEY POSE WITH ITEMS. MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVE A VITAL ROLE IN THIS SHOOT. WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE OF IMPORTANCE AS THEY ARE THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION OF EXPRESSION. ORANGE, SAGE GREEN AND BROWN ARE THE COLORS OF THIS ISSUE.THE CONCEPT FOR THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW HOW MUSIC, ART, LITERATURE, AND MOVIES ARE AN EVERYDAY PART OF OUR LIVES AND HOMES.

THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

UP NEXT AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE

T L HO TOR RA CO BAT ING IS A – N H SEETH ATMA THE OVER C D I M DIS LECTE AN – PARA N – F A E I R SHM SHM LAK ALAK H MA

NEVER FORGET AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT B-ROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO

BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE. THIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS SHOOT IS TO BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF CHAOS. WE WANT TO SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENT ALL THAT EXISTS IN THE KALI YUGAM – LARGE, ORNATE JEWELRY, OVERCROWDED CITIES, VANITY & GREED. THIS IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES THAT ARE IN PRESENT TIMES AND BRING THEM BACK TO THE SCRIPTURES THAT PREDICTED EVERYTHING THAT IS OCCURRING NOW. SOME KEY THEMATIC ELEMENTS – THE COLOR RED, GUNAS REPRESENTED BY THE MODELS ON OCTOBER 7TH MORNING, JEWELRY, ETC. ANOTHER ELEMENT IS THE UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR DHARMA IN THIS ERA IS GOING AWAY. ONE WAY WE CAN SHOW THIS IS BY HAVING TWO MODELS SITTING ON A CHAIR, BUT ONLY ONE LEG IS SHOWING. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WANT TO PORTRAY THE LESSONS OF THE BHAGAVATAM AND THE BHAGAVAD GITA. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE. THIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY

DHARMA THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT BROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES –

THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT B-ROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE.

AUTUMNAL EQUINOC HE PLANET OF LUCK, SPIRITUAL EXPANSION, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND TRADITION. HE REPRESENTS OUR FATHER, OUR GURU. EXPLORE VOLUME 4 FOR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA, INVESTIGATING WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THROUGH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, WHAT HOLDS US UP THROUGH AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, & WHAT DIVIDES US THROUGH THE WINTER SOLSTICE… HE PLANET OF LUCK, SPIRITUAL EXPANSION, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND TRADITION. HE REPRESENTS OUR FATHER, OUR GURU. EXPLORE VOLUME 4 FOR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA, INVESTIGATING WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THROUGH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, WHAT HOLDS US UP THROUGH AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, & WHAT DIVIDES US THROUGH THE WINTER SOLSTICE THE PLANET OF LUCK, SPIRITUAL EXPANSION, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND TRADITION. HE REPRESENTS OUR FATHER, OUR GURU. EXPLORE VOLUME 4 FOR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA, INVESTIGATING WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THROUGH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, WHAT HOLDS US UP THROUGH AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, & WHAT DIVIDES US THROUGH THE WINTER SOLSTICE. HE PLANET OF LUCK, SPIRITUAL EXPANSION, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND TRADITION. HE REPRESENTS OUR FATHER, OUR GURU. EXPLORE VOLUME 4 FOR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA, INVESTIGATING WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THROUGH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, WHAT HOLDS US UP THROUGH AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, & WHAT DIVIDES US THROUGH THE WINTER SOLSTICE. EXPLORE VOLUME 4 FOR THE SOUNDS OF INDIA, INVESTIGATING WHAT BRINGS US TOGETHER THROUGH THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, WHAT HOLDS US UP THROUGH AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, & WHAT DIVIDES US THROUGH THE WINTER SOLSTICE…

WOMANHOOD THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON

DUTY FURTHERMORE, THE DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES HUMAN FLAWS AND THE GROWING DISCONNECT BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS DUE TO EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION AND MATERIALISM.I

DEVOTION T SHOWCASES HOW OUR RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF WEALTH AND POSSESSIONS HAS LED TO AN IMBALANCE IN OUR LIVES AND SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.

DESTRUCTION THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY. AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. WE ALSO SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURES WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

PRESENTING VOLUME FOUR THE INDIAN STANDARD PRESENTS VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 WITH SUMMER SOLSTICE: A PUBLICATION SURROUNDING THE CONCEPT OF DUTY, HOW THIS IDEAL PLAYS A ROLE IN OUR LIVES TODAY & HOW DESIRE FUELS OUR FIRE. THIS ISSUE WORKS TO BREAK DOWN THE TERM DUTY & THE HEAVY CONNOTATION SURROUNDING THIS TERM. WE ROOT IT BACK TO THE BHAGAVAD GITA AND OFFER PERSPECTIVE TO SHOW HOW WE MAY BE MISGUIDED ON WHERE OUR DUTY LIES. WE UNDERSTAND COLLECTIVELY THAT DREAMS AND GOALS ARE IMPORTANT AND THAT STRIVING TO WORK TOWARD THEM AND ULTIMATELY ACHIEVING THEM BRINGS THE UTMOST FULFILLMENT. HOWEVER, IS THIS YOUR DUTY? IS YOUR DUTY AND PURPOSE SO KNOWN TO YOU THAT YOU CAN PACKAGE IT INTO WHATEVER BUSINESS YOU'RE CREATING, WHATEVER INTERESTS YOU ARE PURSUING, THE PATH YOU ARE ON? OR IS YOUR PURPOSE TO SMILE EVERY DAY, FEEL THE SUN WHEN YOU GO ON WALKS, AND HUG YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS CLOSELY? WE MAY BE OVERCOMPLICATING THE CONCEPT OF DUTY AND PERHAPS IT ISN’T OUR PURSUITS WHERE OUR DUTY LIES, BUT RATHER THE JOY WE RECEIVE FROM DOING SUCH ACTIONS. PERHAPS OUR DUTY IS TO BE HAPPY, LOVE OTHERS, AND BE GRATEFUL FOR OUR LIVES. PERHAPS IT'S CHOOSING PEACE, HAPPINESS, AND LOVE WITH AND WITHOUT THE SUCCESS OF OUR EARTHLY GOALS. THIS ISSUE FEATURES VIOLINIST SKANDA SRIGANESH ALONG WITH SHEVYA AWASTHI, RHEA SHETTY, SLESHA PATEL, OUTER VOICE’S JAM & PHILLY, AND MANY MORE. TOGETHER, THEY DISCUSS WHAT THEIR DUTY IS TO THEMSELVES AND SOUTH ASIAN CULTURE - PROVING THE VERY PHENOMENON THAT ANSWERING THE QUESTION, “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?” “WHAT IS MY DUTY?” IS AS DIFFICULT AS “WHO AM I?”

THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES.

THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES.

THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY

THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON THE MORAL AND ETHICAL DECLINE SEEN IN VARIOUS SPHERES OF LIFE, SUCH AS CORRUPTION, DISHONESTY, AND A LACK OF EMPATHY THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES.

BY JANANI THE CONCEPT OF THIS PHOTOSHOOT IS TO SHOW WHAT EVERYDAY LIFE MIGHT HAVE LOOKED LIKE IN HISTORICAL INDIA. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE NATURAL ELEMENTS – EARTH, AIR, FIRE & WATER. I WANT TO DO IN A SYMBOLIC WAY, SO RATHER THAN LIGHTING A FIRE, WE UTILIZE SUNLIGHT PRIMARILY – LIKE RAYS OF LIGHT IN THE PHOTOS. BODIES OF WATER, SHOWING MOMENT TO PORTRAY WIND, AND SHOTS OF THE EARTH, DIRT, MUD, GRASS ARE ALL CRUCIAL TO DEPICTING THE PANCHA BOOTHAM THAT IS WITHIN ALL OF US. SHOTS THAT ARE A BIT MORE MYSTICAL – FOR EXAMPLE, WE PLACE A STOOL IN THE WATER AND HAVE THE MODEL SIT ON IT; THINGS THAT BORDER THE EDGE OF REALITY. WE SEE IN ANCIENT TEXTS, HUMANS ARE ABLE TO PERFORM THE MOST ADVANCED TECHNIQUES – WHETHER IT BE HAVING A CHILD WITHOUT BEARING IT, CREATING SOCIETIES AND STRUCTURE WITHOUT MODERN TECHNOLOGY, SHAPESHIFTING, ETC. THERE IS ANCIENT MYSTICISM AND I WANT TO CREATE A FEELING OF A KNOWN, QUIET, MYSTERIOUS WORLD. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE READER: PAY ATTENTION TO THE WORLD AROUND YOU, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS ALL BEFORE.

JUPITER “WHEREVER I GO, I WANT TO BRING SPARKLE TO THE ROOM. I WANT TO UPLIFT THOSE AROUND ME. I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR STORIES; I WANT TO GET HYPED UP; I WANT TO GET ENERGIZED. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEIR LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THAT ENRICHES ME MORE AND MAKES ME FEEL MORE ALIVE THAN HEARING ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE, WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHAT THEY'RE WANTING TO GO AFTER, WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN. I THINK JUST BRINGING THAT SIDE OF MY PERSONALITY OUT IS REALLY WHAT MY DUTY IS.” “ONE OF MY GOALS IS THAT I WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT SOUTH ASIANS CAN ALSO BE IN THE MEDIA.” “FAITH WAS EVERYTHING, AND FAITH IS EVERYTHING. EVEN TODAY, OUR PARENTS WOULD REMIND US THAT IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NO MATTER WHAT WORLDLY SUCCESS WE ASPIRE TO HAVE.” “IN TERMS OF MY DUTY OVERALL, I WOULD SAY THAT IT’S BALANCING ALL THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MY LIFE BY MAKING SURE THAT I AM TYING EVERYTHING BACK TO MY PARENTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM MAKING THE MOST OF THIS LIFE” “I THINK THE TRUE DUTY WE HAVE IS TO OURSELVES, OUR CULTURE, AND OUR COMMUNITY. AS CLICHE AS IT MIGHT SOUND, THAT MEANS AUTHENTICALLY PURSUING THE THINGS WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT.” “WHEREVER I GO, I WANT TO BRING SPARKLE TO THE ROOM. I WANT TO UPLIFT THOSE AROUND ME. I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR STORIES; I WANT TO GET HYPED UP; I WANT TO GET ENERGIZED. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEIR LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THAT ENRICHES ME MORE AND MAKES ME FEEL MORE ALIVE THAN HEARING ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE, WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHAT THEY'RE WANTING TO GO AFTER, WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN. I THINK JUST BRINGING THAT SIDE OF MY PERSONALITY OUT IS REALLY WHAT MY DUTY IS.” “ONE OF MY GOALS IS THAT I WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT SOUTH ASIANS CAN ALSO BE IN THE MEDIA.” “FAITH WAS EVERYTHING, AND FAITH IS EVERYTHING. EVEN TODAY, OUR PARENTS WOULD REMIND US THAT IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NO MATTER WHAT WORLDLY SUCCESS WE ASPIRE TO HAVE.” “IN TERMS OF MY DUTY OVERALL, I WOULD SAY THAT IT’S BALANCING ALL THESE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF MY LIFE BY MAKING SURE THAT I AM TYING EVERYTHING BACK TO MY PARENTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM MAKING THE MOST OF THIS LIFE” “I THINK THE TRUE DUTY WE HAVE IS TO OURSELVES, OUR CULTURE, AND OUR COMMUNITY. AS CLICHE AS IT MIGHT SOUND, THAT MEANS AUTHENTICALLY PURSUING THE THINGS WE’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT.” “WHEREVER I GO, I WANT TO BRING SPARKLE TO THE ROOM. I WANT TO UPLIFT THOSE AROUND ME. I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR STORIES; I WANT TO GET HYPED UP; I WANT TO GET ENERGIZED. I WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEIR LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING THAT ENRICHES ME MORE AND MAKES ME FEEL MORE ALIVE THAN HEARING ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE, WHAT THEY'RE DOING, WHAT THEY'RE WANTING TO GO AFTER, WHAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN. I THINK JUST BRINGING THAT SIDE OF MY PERSONALITY OUT IS REALLY WHAT MY DUTY IS.” “ONE OF MY GOALS IS THAT I WANT TO SHOW THE WORLD THAT SOUTH ASIANS CAN ALSO BE IN THE MEDIA.” “FAITH WAS EVERYTHING, AND FAITH IS EVERYTHING. EVEN TODAY, OUR PARENTS WOULD REMIND US THAT IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING NO MATTER WHAT WORLDLY SUCCESS WE ASPIRE TO HAVE.”

THIS DOCUMENTARY AIMS TO CAPTURE THE PROFOUND IMPACT OF THE KALI YUGA ON OUR SOCIETY. IT DELVES INTO THE CHAOS THAT PREVAILS IN OUR WORLD TODAY, WITH SOCIETAL UNREST, POLITICAL CONFLICTS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES. IT ALSO SHEDS LIGHT ON

SOUTH ASIANS AT THE CORE, WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEFINE BEING A WOMAN AS THAT DEFINITION HAS CHANGED OVER TIME; WE SEEK TO EXPLORE THE INTRICACIES OF BOTH THEN AND NOW. WE OFTEN HEAR, AS WOMEN, THAT WE ARE THE PILLAR OF A HOUSEHOLD. IN A LOT OF WAYS, THAT CREATES PRESSURE FOR US TO MATURE FASTER, LEARN MORE, AND DO MORE – A SENSE OF PERFECTIONISM ARISES IN US. IN ORDER TO HONOR THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PORTION OF AUTUMNAL EQUINOX, WE NEED TO SEE HOW HUMANS INTERACT WITH THE WORLD. I WANT B-ROLL, SLOW MOTION, AND SHOTS OF NATURE AND ESPECIALLY HOW CANDIDLY WE ALL MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD. I WANT THIS DOCUMENTARY TO FEEL VERY NATURAL. I WANT TO WALK AWAY FEELING LIKE I WANT TO LOVE THIS WORLD MORE – A SENSE OF FAMILIARITY IS A STRONG EMOTION TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO

BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. TO EVOKE, AND I THINK WE CAN DO BY BRINGING RAWNESS, JOY, SADNESS, AND PAIN. THIS ISN’T A SOB STORY – IT’S A STORY ABOUT A LIFE; HOW WE HAVE ALL BEEN HERE IN THIS WORLD MANY TIMES, ACCRUING KARMA, AND THAT OUR CONNECTION TO THE DIVINE IS UP TO US. THE KALI YUGA, OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE AGE OF DARKNESS IN HINDU COSMOLOGY, IS BELIEVED TO BE A TIME CHARACTERIZED BY CHAOS, MORAL DECLINE, HUMAN FLAWS, AND EXCESSIVE MATERIALISM. IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY, ELEMENTS OF THE KALI YUGA ARE PERVASIVE AND EVIDENT IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE. THIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. THE SHOOT NEEDS TO HAVE AN EDGE OF SERIOUSNESS AND ALSO CATER TO EACH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONALITIES. INDIVIDUALITY MEETS COLLECTIVISM; MASCULINE MEETS FEMININE; FIRE AND WATER – THESE ELEMENTS OF DUALITY NEED TO BE SEEN THROUGH FACIAL EXPRESSION, SETTING, & LIGHTING. THE PART THAT IS UNIQUE, IS THAT THE SETS DO NOT NEED TO BE ELABORATE, WE CAN DO A LOT WITH LITTLE, AND I THINK THAT ASPECT WILL BE BENEFICIAL WHEN PORTRAYING THE VIEW GENERAL SOCIETY HAS OF THE PAST: THE NOTION THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF IN THIS TIME RATHER THAN PEOPLE WERE IN THE PAST. THE CONCEPT FOR THIS SHOOT IS TO BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF CHAOS. WE WANT TO SYMBOLICALLY REPRESENT ALL THAT EXISTS IN THE KALI YUGAM – LARGE, ORNATE JEWELRY, OVERCROWDED CITIES, VANITY & GREED. THIS IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES THAT ARE IN PRESENT TIMES AND BRING THEM BACK TO THE SCRIPTURES THAT PREDICTED EVERYTHING THAT IS OCCURRING NOW. SOME KEY THEMATIC ELEMENTS – THE COLOR RED, GUNAS REPRESENTED BY THE MODELS ON OCTOBER 7TH MORNING, JEWELRY, ETC. ANOTHER ELEMENT IS THE UNDERSTANDING THAT OUR DHARMA IN THIS ERA IS GOING AWAY. ONE WAY WE CAN SHOW THIS IS BY HAVING TWO MODELS SITTING ON A CHAIR, BUT ONLY ONE LEG IS SHOWING. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WANT TO PORTRAY THE LESSONS OF THE BHAGAVATAM AND THE BHAGAVAD GITA. THE KALI YUGAM IS 432,000 YEARS LONG. WE ARE 5,124 YEARS INTO THIS YUGAM. AFTER THIS, THE PRALAYA PERIOD WILL COME WHICH IS “PM” FOR BRAHMA. IN OTHER WORDS, ALL OF TIME THAT WE KNOW, EXISTS WITHIN ONE DAY OF LORD BRAHMA. 100 YEARS OF BRAHMA IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE MAHAKALPA WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ONE UNIVERSE. THIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

BY LEARNING OUR SCRIPTURES. HIS KALI YUGAM THAT WE ARE IN IS MERELY PART OF A CYCLE, AND WE CAN LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS PERIOD OF DESTRUCTION

96 | THE INDIAN STANDARD

THE INDIAN STANDARD | 97

“AMERICAN FEVER HAS EARNED ITSELF A PLACE ON MY FUTURE SYLLABI. THIS BOOK ONE OF THE MOST BITINGLY CLEAR, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN STORIES I'VE READ IN A LO READ A LOT OF CRITICISM ABOUT HIRA'S VOICE AND CHARACTER, BUT SO MUC INFORMATION IS BEING CONVEYED THROUGH HER LIFE, ACTIONS, AND WORDS OVERWHELMED WITH THE SHEER HONESTY OF IT ALL.

“IT PAINED ME EACH TIME, BECAUSE “HISTORY IS WHAT HAPPENS IN I NUGG HSTO M EW W E A R E BTE A TH AH T EIRNED ENPEEWN, D E SNPTE C I A L L Y A P L A C E T H A T I S S O G R O U N D E D I N S E L F - L OTHER PLACES. AMERICA DR EA I SETAI C W O M E N IA EL H R TALMEESRSI CWAO IMS ,E C NA ,N AN NODT B E E A S Y F O R A N Y O N E . B E I N G F R O M P A K I S T A N , E S P E C I S ECLELN-D- SI ICTA. N ” 'T EVEN IMAGINE. THANKFULL T H E T I M E P E R I O D T H A T T H I S B O O K I S TS R E TA, NW WHO EVER WANTED THAT IN A AMNA DOES THAT FOR US AND SHE IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY HONEST AND THIS M O T H E RT?HIATN A SO KL FU L FTOHRRIITL.L E D T H E P A R T OF ME THAT WOULD TAKE AFTER HER.”

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK. A MUST-READ FOR EVERY AMERICAN. DON'T PASS THIS ON

“THIS COMING-OF-AGE BOOK IS ONE OF THE FEW DESI BOOKS THAT DOESN'T GLORIFY WORLD WITH OOOHS AND AAHS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT DOES NOT ROMANTICIZE PAK - DUR E AZIZ HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB OF NARRATING A LOT OF HYPOCRISY THAT IS BOTH COUNTRIES. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW IT IS NOT TARGETED TOWARDS T AUDIENCE AND IS WRITTEN FOR DESIS. IT IS REALISTIC IN TERMS OF HIRA'S ERRATIC AN OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR. IT IS DARK, WITTY, AND SAD SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH EASY PROSE. THE WRITING IS POIGNANT AND HAS LOTS OF SENTENCES THAT YOU WANT T AND OVER.”

“THIS BOOK GOES FROM WRY OBSERVATIONAL COMEDY, “EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT A PLACE THAT WOULD UPSELL YOU ON THE THREAD COUNT FOR YOUR DEATHBED.” MADLAD LINES LIKE, “IN TIME, MANY OF US REALIZE HOW LOFTY AN ACCOMPLISHMENT TO BE ONLY AS TERRIBLE AS OUR PARENTS.” GREAT STUFF.”

American Fever

“AS THE CHILD OF IMMIGRANTS, I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY TO OTHERS IN HELP UNDERSTAND THE SITUATIONS THEIR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS EXPERIENCED MO US. I LEARNED OF DUR E AFTER ONE OF HER ARTICLES WENT VIRAL A FEW YEARS A WRITING CONTINUES TO BE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. FURTHERMOE, HER SNARKY H BOOK DEFINITELY MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD A COUPLE TIMES :)”

“ONE OF THE THINGS I MISS LEAST ABOUT

“SOMETIMES... I ADOLESCENCE IS THE STUPEFYING ENTITLEMENT S T U M B L“ AEM D EA R O U N D A R I C A N F E V E R H A S EIATRSNAE N D CITTISO EL NFS .A” P L A C E O N M Y F U T U R E S Y L L A B I . T H I S B O O K O N E O F T H E M O S T B I T I N G L Y C L E A R , B EAUTIFULLY WRITTEN STORIES I'VE READ IN A LO SENTENCE, UNMOORED READ A LOT OF CRITICISM ABOUT HIRA'S VOICE AND CHARACTER, BUT SO MUC

BY LANGUAGE. EVEN INFORMATION IS BEING CONVEYED THROUGH HER LIFE, ACTIONS, AND WORDS AFTER O T VHEER W H E L M E D W I T H T H E S H E E R H O N E S T Y O F I T A L L .

CONVERSATION HAD EING SOMEWHERE NEW, ESPECIALLY A PLACE THAT IS SO GROUNDED IN SELF-L M O V E D BO N, I REMAINED IDEALISTIC AMERICA IS, CANNOT BE EASY FOR ANYONE. BEING FROM PAKISTAN, ESPECI U N S T E ATDHYE , TLI M I KE EP EI RW I OADS T H A T T H I S B O O K I S S E T , W E L L - - I C A N ' T E V E N I M A G I N E . T H A N K F U L L M NBAI KD S ATTH A T F O R U S A N D S H E I S U N A P O L O G E T I C A L L Y H O N E S T A N D T H I S R I D I N GA A EOTE H THANKFUL FOR IT. HAD NARROWLY E S C A P EBDE AAU THIEF UDLGLEY . ”W R I T T E N B O O K . A M U S T - R E A D F O R E V E R Y A M E R I C A N . D O N ' T P A S S T H I S O N

“THIS COMING-OF-AGE BOOK IS ONE OF THE FEW DESI BOOKS THAT DOESN'T GLORIFY WORLD WITH OOOHS AND AAHS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT DOES NOT ROMANTICIZE PAK - DUR E AZIZ HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB OF NARRATING A LOT OF HYPOCRISY THAT IS BOTH COUNTRIES. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW IT IS NOT TARGETED TOWARDS T AUDIENCE AND IS WRITTEN FOR DESIS. IT IS REALISTIC IN TERMS OF HIRA'S ERRATIC AN

“AMERICAN FEVER HAS EARNED ITSELF A PLACE ON MY FUTURE SYLLABI. THIS BOOK WAS, BY FAR, ONE OF THE MOST BITINGLY CLEAR, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN STORIES I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME. I'VE READ A LOT OF CRITICISM ABOUT HIRA'S VOICE AND CHARACTER, BUT SO MUCH CULTURAL INFORMATION IS BEING CONVEYED THROUGH HER LIFE, ACTIONS, AND WORDS THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH THE SHEER HONESTY OF IT ALL. BEING SOMEWHERE NEW, ESPECIALLY A PLACE THAT IS SO GROUNDED IN SELF-LOVE AS THE IDEALISTIC AMERICA IS, CANNOT BE EASY FOR ANYONE. BEING FROM PAKISTAN, ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME PERIOD THAT THIS BOOK IS SET, WELL -- I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE. THANKFULLY, DUR E AZIZ AMNA DOES THAT FOR US AND SHE IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY HONEST AND THIS AMERICAN IS THANKFUL FOR IT. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK. A MUST-READ FOR EVERY AMERICAN. DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP.”

“THIS COMING-OF-AGE BOOK IS ONE OF THE FEW DESI BOOKS THAT DOESN'T GLORIFY THE WESTERN WORLD WITH OOOHS AND AAHS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT DOES NOT ROMANTICIZE PAKISTAN EITHER - DUR E AZIZ HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB OF NARRATING A LOT OF HYPOCRISY THAT IS RAMPANT IN BOTH COUNTRIES. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW IT IS NOT TARGETED TOWARDS THE WESTERN AUDIENCE AND IS WRITTEN FOR DESIS. IT IS REALISTIC IN TERMS OF HIRA'S ERRATIC AND SOMETIMES OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR. IT IS DARK, WITTY, AND SAD SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH EASY, FAST-PACED PROSE. THE WRITING IS POIGNANT AND HAS LOTS OF SENTENCES THAT YOU WANT TO READ OVER AND OVER.”

“THIS BOOK GOES FROM WRY OBSERVATIONAL COMEDY, “EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT AMERICA, THE PLACE THAT WOULD UPSELL YOU ON THE THREAD COUNT FOR YOUR DEATHBED.” TO ABSOLUTE MADLAD LINES LIKE, “IN TIME, MANY OF US REALIZE HOW LOFTY AN ACCOMPLISHMENT IT WOULD BE, TO BE ONLY AS TERRIBLE AS OUR PARENTS.” GREAT STUFF.”

“AS THE CHILD OF IMMIGRANTS, I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ESPECIALLY TO OTHERS IN DIASPORA TO HELP UNDERSTAND THE SITUATIONS THEIR RELATIVES AND FRIENDS EXPERIENCED MOVING TO THE US. I LEARNED OF DUR E AFTER ONE OF HER ARTICLES WENT VIRAL A FEW YEARS AGO AND HER WRITING CONTINUES TO BE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. FURTHERMOE, HER SNARKY HUMOR IN THE BOOK DEFINITELY MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD A COUPLE TIMES :)”

“AMERICAN FEVER HAS EARNED ITSELF A PLACE ON MY FUTURE SYLLABI. THIS BOOK WAS, BY FAR, ONE OF THE MOST BITINGLY CLEAR, BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN STORIES I'VE READ IN A LONG TIME. I'VE READ A LOT OF CRITICISM ABOUT HIRA'S VOICE AND CHARACTER, BUT SO MUCH CULTURAL INFORMATION IS BEING CONVEYED THROUGH HER LIFE, ACTIONS, AND WORDS THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH THE SHEER HONESTY OF IT ALL. BEING SOMEWHERE NEW, ESPECIALLY A PLACE THAT IS SO GROUNDED IN SELF-LOVE AS THE IDEALISTIC AMERICA IS, CANNOT BE EASY FOR ANYONE. BEING FROM PAKISTAN, ESPECIALLY DURING THE TIME PERIOD THAT THIS BOOK IS SET, WELL -- I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE. THANKFULLY, DUR E AZIZ AMNA DOES THAT FOR US AND SHE IS UNAPOLOGETICALLY HONEST AND THIS AMERICAN IS THANKFUL FOR IT. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN BOOK. A MUST-READ FOR EVERY AMERICAN. DON'T PASS THIS ONE UP.”

“THIS COMING-OF-AGE BOOK IS ONE OF THE FEW DESI BOOKS THAT DOESN'T GLORIFY THE WESTERN WORLD WITH OOOHS AND AAHS. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT DOES NOT ROMANTICIZE PAKISTAN EITHER - DUR E AZIZ HAS DONE A BRILLIANT JOB OF NARRATING A LOT OF HYPOCRISY THAT IS RAMPANT IN BOTH COUNTRIES. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HOW IT IS NOT TARGETED TOWARDS THE WESTERN AUDIENCE AND IS WRITTEN FOR DESIS. IT IS REALISTIC IN TERMS OF HIRA'S ERRATIC AND SOMETIMES

girlhood - womanhood-girlhood - womanhood

collaboration

the nature of girlhood is free flowing, its moving like water, it’s as still as a tree, its stable, loving kind and generous

keep faith and love in mind and all will prevail

when one wins we all win

run toward devotion the language of our history - womanhood through the ages

t n a W I e n O The “This book was so good! I’m glad my TikTok algorithm showed me videos about this wonderful book. It was fast paced, an easy read, and I loved everything about Adhira and Jaymin’s story”

“This book was the first romance novel I’ve read in years and it was well worth it. Can’t believe it’s Shivanis debut novel! Beautifully written. The book was so cute, and I loved Jaymin and Adhiras relationship and how they overcame their inner demons to be together.”

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s n o i t a s r e v n n Co o o M e h t h w it

“This book is absolutely amazing. It deals with love, heartbreak, and resilience. The first 3 pages really pulled me in. It made me want the things the author wanted, and I felt every cold touch they felt through their words. For anyone going through a tough time, read this book. It’s so powerful. Congrats to you for writing this.”

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INTRODUCING

DUR E AZIZ AMNA

@DUREAMNA

I've read from very early childhood, and anyone who is a writer most likely has been a voracious reader in their childhood. I remember being specifically just so hungry for books throughout my childhood because they were also a very scarce resource. Now I feel very lucky. I have access to all these public libraries in the US. I can buy any book that I want and whatnot. But at that time, it was very much like you had very few libraries. I remember my mother; we'd go to these old bookstores in the center of town on the weekends, and whatever was there was what you got. I remember this hunger for books that was just constant for my brothers and me. So, we read a ton. Then, when I was in my early teens, I started writing these short letters to the editor, or just, like, what I thought were funny articles for the children's section of the magazines.

f o y e n r u g o j n i t the i r w & g n i d a re I started writing little pieces for youth magazines and newspapers in my early teens. Most of the newspapers will have these little children's sections, so I would send letters to the editor.

When I went to college, I majored in English and took many literature classes. I was still having quite a hard time committing to it because, as is the case with most arts, it's not very lucrative, and it’s a leap of faith. While I always had family support, whether I would allow myself to do this was still a question. Mainly because I was born and raised in Pakistan, came here for college, and had all the classic visa issues. I needed to get a job that was stable and would provide sponsorship.

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Dur E Aziz Amna For the longest time, I was trying to do both. I was working a corporate job and just writing in the evenings and weekends. After a while, I realized that if this was something that I really wanted to commit to, I should find a better way to do it. That’s when I applied for my MFA in creative writing. It gave me the freedom financially and the freedom of time to work on my writing. That's when I finished, edited, and sold this book. American Fever came out last year, and since then, this has been most of what I do now.

THE NOV

Just as with many first novels, this one is heavily rooted in autobiography. American Fever essentially tells the story of a young Pakistani girl who moves from urban Pakistan to rural Oregon in the US for an exchange year.

During her time there, she becomes seriously ill. The story primarily revolves around themes of culture shock, the pressure to assimilate, and the experience of moving away from your family for the first time. It's very much a coming-of-age story, as I also had a similar experience in high school (I participated in a year-long exchange program that also took me to rural Oregon). Everything that happens in the book beyond that initial setup is entirely fictional. So, the characters she meets there and the host parents, all of that is entirely different.

However, the seed for the novel was my own life.

EL

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The disease that Hira, the protagonist, ends up getting – and I don't believe this is a spoiler because it's revealed on the very first page – is tuberculosis. I chose this disease because of its significant historical and cultural relevance. You may be aware that until quite recently, tuberculosis was very prevalent in South Asia, and the region still bears the largest burden of TB cases globally. Thankfully, it's not a major concern in the US. I decided to focus on this disease due to its rich history; it's one of the most ancient diseases known to humankind. In fact, fossils dating back some 10,000 years have revealed the presence of the bacteria responsible for TB. At one point, it claimed the lives of approximately one in eight people throughout history. It had a profound impact on Europe, and there was a strong association between tuberculosis and artists.

So, it was almost thought of as, like, this creative disease, even though I believe that many artists were dying because they were impoverished and lacked access to adequate healthcare resources. Thankfully, a highly effective antibiotic came into use around that time, and since then, tuberculosis has become less of an issue. However, it remains a significant problem in certain parts of the world. I wanted to explore this politically charged disease. One of the main symptoms of the illness, and how you first realize you have it, is a fever that won’t go away. That's one part of it—another part of the novel ties into the theme of growing up. I distinctly remember the concept of "American Fever," which is this obsession with America, the pursuit of the American dream, or a fixation on American culture. It felt like a way to connect these two themes.

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND

American Fever

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I'm aware that it's unfortunately quite common within South Asian families, or at least within South Asian families in the diaspora, that people are encouraged to pursue stable careers rather than the arts. Thankfully, that wasn't the case in my upbringing. Both of my parents, especially my father, were avid readers themselves. I believe my inspiration to read came from watching my father, who was always engrossed in books, sharing anecdotes from the books he was reading. This was something we aspired to, particularly from his influence. My mother played a significant role, which is funny to think about because of the theme of the roles of men and women. She took care of more practical things, ensuring that we had access to books, and taking us to bookstores.

She used to teach at this college, and it had a great library. At that time, it was uncommon to find such a wellsupplied library associated with a school… Hopefully, things have changed since then.

Every weekend, she would ask the library if we could sit for hours, checking out far more books than one library card allowed. My mother, in very practical ways, always encouraged reading. From the very beginning, when I used to write those small pieces for magazines, it was a cause for celebration in our family. My father would have me read them aloud whenever someone visited our house. Just like you recite nursery rhymes, I would be brought in with a piece of paper. I have very good memories of those times, and I think it was important in encouraging me to become a writer. For me, it's challenging to untie my identity as a writer from my identity as an immigrant.

It’s funny because my father's first book came out about four months after mine. There was no way he was going to have the privilege that I do now of just writing for a living. Throughout his life, he held a very stable civil service job, read a lot. He would sometimes write voraciously on the side. Then once he retired, he committed to writing these essays. What's funny about these essays is that they're all written on WhatsApp. So, he will type it out on his phone, and then send them to his friends to check them. Now those WhatsApp essays are compiled in a book form. It came out, and a lot of people really liked it. So, it's been really fun that both our books came out within months of each other.

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What have you learned from your father, in particular, about being a writer?

I came across a quote the other day that said something to the effect that writers are born into families where it's understood that language has power. So, from the very beginning, the way he talked about language, the way he shared poetry, the way he shared anecdotes, the way he told jokes, there was always this sense that when you say something, language means something. It can change you. It can change your perception; it can give you beauty, it can give you meaning. I think the understanding that he gave me from early on was that language has power.

What is the importance of preserving language?

I think about this a lot, and I believe many people, especially those in South Asia and the diaspora, constantly live between two or more languages. It's challenging because, initially, the prevailing thought is that when you move from one place to another, or even for people within South Asia, given the way English encroaches upon every aspect of society, it may seem like we're losing our native languages. There's no doubt that this is happening. At the same time, if we look at history, one language, typically the official language, has consistently been used for communication. During the Mughal period, it was Persian. People still spoke their local languages, but anyone who needed to communicate with the court or hold positions of power had to be proficient in Persian. In many ways, the situation we find ourselves in today is similar. In South Asia, English is used for official communication, while people speak other languages at home.

I think this idea that we should live our entire lives in just one language is unnatural.

How do we pass language on to our children?

It's something I think about way too much. Yes, it's a widespread issue. It's something that's very much on the minds of many South Asians living here as soon as they get married or have children. It's very hard, and hopefully, it's becoming easier than it might have been for individuals from your generation, whose parents came to America during a different time when foreign languages, especially non-European ones, carried a certain stigma. I'm optimistic that today's kids growing up here will have a level of confidence that was missing back then. However, it's still undeniably difficult, not only due to the historical stigma but also for practical reasons. If you're going to school and nobody is speaking the language, or if you turn on the TV and nobody speaks it, there's simply no way around it. A lot of it ends up being specific to the child themselves.

You hear stories all the time of one sibling being fantastic at a language and then the other one barely being able to get any of the grammar right. I'm trying to do the very best that I can. Language is so important to me that I feel the need to be a perfectionist when it comes to that, but I also realize that my children's language will not be as good as I would have hoped, which is because of the practical fact of us living here.

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“WRITERS ARE BORN INTO FAMILIES WHERE IT'S UNDERSTOOD THAT LANGUAGE HAS POWER.”

I feel like, as it's now often discussed, it's very hard to approach the topic of mental health from the perspective of having lived in South Asia. Not because there’s not a conversation there, but because it’s quite different. I recently read an interesting article about women who visit a shrine in southern Punjab, Pakistan and talk to the saints there. What struck me was the symptoms they expressed – symptoms often associated with anxiety or depression, such as nausea. For them, these symptoms may be spirits or be seen as a sign that a saint can provide healing through a particular amulet. I don’t know a lot about mental health or how such things work. I wonder if it's a case of "mind over matter," and if these methods genuinely help these individuals, that’s a different definition of mental health from our Western perspective.

So, for me, it's a world I'm still unfamiliar with, and I'm in the process of learning about it. I find the idea very interesting – what it can mean. I was reading from your previous issue that attending therapy may not always be productive. I've heard numerous South Asians say they find therapy in the United States to be counterproductive, as they often feel misunderstood by their therapists. It's almost as if they've gone backward in their mental health journey. I'm glad to see that we're moving towards a more holistic understanding of what it means to look after your mind.

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Hopefully, I'll do it well. It's very hard for me even to envision that just because, again, it was never talked about. Not like in an “I'm traumatized by it” kind of way. It just wasn't something that was directly verbalized. It's the way that people complain that there's no way to say “I love you” in my language. But no, your parents were probably saying that all the time. They just weren't saying “I love you”. They were probably doing things for you that meant they loved you.

I was taken care of in my childhood, of course, but no one was ever like, oh, “how's your mental health?” So, I don't know what that's going to look like. I'm hoping that we are living in a different world where these things are more approachable. But also, I see what you mean, about the laundry list. It’s interesting because that’s sort of the way I feel about religion. This idea of how important the ritual is. A lot of what you're saying about the journal and the therapy and all of that, that also feels like ritualizing mental health, right?

It's tricky, right? Because I think rituals also give you meaning or purpose, and that's similar to how many people find structure in religion. For instance, what does it mean to believe if you're never praying? Of course, belief encompasses far more than the act of getting down on your knees, or however you pray. But I think that sometimes the ritual itself holds its own significance, as it provides a certain structure. I think a lot about how important the ritual itself is, or if there's a way not to have the ritual and go directly for the thing. But perhaps that's not possible. I don't know.

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HAS RELIGION HELPED YOU LOOK AFTER YOUR MIND? Yes, religion has been extremely important, not just on a spiritual level, but also because culturally in South Asia, as in most parts of the world, I think religion is deeply ingrained into your culture, and you can't separate one from the other. I don't consider myself a very religious person, but what I've realized is that if you're in a setting where your culture is not the dominant one and you're trying to replicate it, most of what that replication looks like is religious. So, it's like Eid or it's Ramadan, or it's fasting, and all of that. It's hard to separate those two. In this book, which is based a lot on autobiography, there’s this part when the girl gets sick.

She's going through this period, which I think is quite common in your teenage years, of doubting religious ideas. Then, she finds herself reaching back towards all those things that she thought she'd given up or no longer believed in.

I’ve had a similar experience of having doubts, but because those things are so deeply ingrained in me, anytime I am in a moment of desperate need, it's almost instinctual to want to open up the prayer mat or have a conversation with God.

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So, what does womanhood mean to you?

It's evolved so much. Going back to childhood for all women, there's like a certain moment in time, perhaps it's when you get your period, when you realize that, okay, there is a divide, there's something that puts you on the other side of the fence from the guys that you've been playing with all your life. Of course, that must happen everywhere. I think perhaps that is exacerbated in societies like Pakistan that are extremely segregated; it is an extremely patriarchal society. I remember for most of my teenage years feeling extremely burdened by the fact that I was a girl that you have a lot more limitations on what you can do and where you can go. My parents had this idea of getting my brothers horse riding classes, which was just very unusual. I don't know if a lot of people in Pakistan do that, but my parents really wanted my brothers to have that opportunity.

I specifically remember that I was not enrolled in them. I'm sure a lot of it was them just being concerned about my safety, that, "Oh, she's going to be with these men alone at the club." So, a lot of it comes from a place of protection. But again, that is also a double-edged sword because you are protecting someone, but you're also making them feel like they constantly need you and not giving them that confidence. It's not that I blame my parents at all, but it's just one example that I can remember of just feeling like, "Okay, this is nothing but a burden. There are only negatives associated with this." A lot of these things carry on from generation to generation, too. I know that my mother once shared with me that when she was growing up, all she wanted was to be a man. That was her sole desire. She tells this story of how in the 70s or something in Pakistan, someone in their class transitioned from being a woman to a man.

I think the entire classroom was all the girls, and they were so envious. Everyone was like, "Oh, my God, how do we do that?" I don't know. It's a very funny story because it's such a different context for that sort of conversation, today. Then I came here, and I think there was definitely a certain freedom that I was able to get here, just being able to walk openly on the street without worrying constantly. I think that some of that burden lessened. Then another huge shift happened when I became a mother because I think that's, again, when I realized that there's a difference. My husband is a fantastic father, but at the end of the day, he's a father.

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d o o h n a m o W les o r e h &t

There are certain things that he cannot do, and there are things he can't do as well as I can. It's just interesting because now I feel like so many people expect that there should be equality. Obviously, it's a great thing to aim for. But either because of the way women are taught growing up or biological factors, there are differences that you can't eradicate.

I remember specifically when I had my first child and going through that process. I was realizing how hard it really was. I distinctly remember being in the hospital room and feeling wave after wave of rage because I was like, oh my God, this is what all these women I know have been through. I've never heard their stories. I'm sure all of them have stories. It's just they didn't feel like it was important enough to be talked about, or it was a little taboo to talk about it, or whatnot. I was like, “it’s crazy to me that everyone who's been born in this world has had a woman behind them who went through this to bring them to life”. That was a very powerful moment of realizing what being a woman can mean.

r e t n u o we enc

I think the process of whether it's childbirth or just the early stages of motherhood, I don't know, it's very hard to describe. I think it's just not something that is very frequently, or at least within my family, it was never talked about. It was something that just happened to a woman, and of course, there's always systems of support.

When my mother had us, my grandmother flew to her, and she was there for months.

So, it's not as if those structures and systems of support don't exist. It's just that there are silences around certain things. It's like a woman's not going to just sit at the family table and share her birthing journey or how it was and how she recovered. That's not talked about. I think that, especially for my mother, she's always been a very professionally minded woman. For her, it was just like, "That's something that I'm just going to forget about and move on and raise my kids and have my job and all of that."

So perhaps it was also not important for her to talk about that, but I think it would have been great to have heard those stories so that I knew that, okay, this is what other people's experiences have been like.

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So how have those roles changed your mindset as time has gone on? Did you feel a shift between each and every one of them?

For sure, I think the expectations of one role changes when you take on another role. For instance, I think my family, like my parents, probably felt more protective of me until I got married. Now there's this idea that, okay, I'm slightly less their responsibility. Not in the sense that they're not still my parents, but the fact that they think that we share this responsibility with someone else now. It's sort of the same way with this idea of being a daughter-in-law. That also changed a lot after I became a mother. Before, I had a very cordial but more casual relationship with my in-laws. After I gave birth, especially when I had two kids and leaned on them so much for childcare and support, that's when you realize how much you need those people around you. At the end of the day, it's tricky because I think you can't ever think of the binary between individualism and having a community. Of course, as I'm sure we can all agree on, the extreme of neither is good.

I think that when I came to the US initially, there's the individualism that this country affords you, which is so different from the very communitarian life back home. After I had my kids and I saw how so much of what I do is made possible through the support and kindness of other people, I've just realized just how important it is to have that community. I think that has definitely made me closer to my in-laws.

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From what we know historically and what we know today, how has the meaning of being a South Asian woman changed?

I think it's so funny because I feel like now a lot of our culture has moved past the trope of the “girl boss”. I have recently learned there's been this group of feminists in the US for a while who've been talking about this idea of wages for housework, which is that basically, instead of trying to get women to do exactly what men do, which of course, if that's what they want to do, they should do it. But they advocate for the idea that we should compensate women for the things that they wish to do. If that does involve taking care of their own children, being at home, or just having that freedom and being compensated for it, like placing value on that role. If you're saying that, okay, if a woman's role is to take care of her kids, then that should also be compensated in the same way as if she were working outside the house.

To me, it's a very revolutionary idea, and it's taught me that there are ways of thinking beyond this binary of a stay-at-home vs. working mom. And I think a lot of that already exists, like the fact that we have any parental leave that compensates people for taking care of their families. So, some of those things already exist. And how do we make that even more of a thing?

A lot of my upbringing was religious, and we were constantly hearing stories of the early days of Islam.

It's fascinating to me because I think so much of the way Islam is practiced in Pakistan today, is highly patriarchal. When we read a lot of the stories in the books, many of them were about women in early Islam. They were about the prophet's wives, or the fact that the very first person to convert to Islam was a woman.

She was a merchant at that time, a divorced woman who had her own business. Then another woman is Zainab, who is the granddaughter of the Prophet. She's considered as this person who sort of stood up against evil. There's a sermon that she specifically gave that is now extremely well known, and she's considered a strong example of a very brave woman in early Islam. I think that dichotomy is so interesting to me because so many of these things are politicized and used by the people who are already in power. So right now, this idea of how Islam is practiced in places like Pakistan feels extremely patriarchal. But a lot of the stories that we heard were very different.

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KUNTI

WOMEN WITH

MATHU

OF

MAHABHARATHAM

BHASKHAR

&

RADHA

VENKATESAN

The mother of the five Pandavas and the mother of Karna.

Kunti, revered as the mother of the five Pandavas and also the mother of Karna, stands as an epitome of strength and resilience in the Mahabharata. Defined as the mother of the kingdom, she assumed the role of a single mother early in life, having lost her husband. Yet, against the backdrop of her personal trials, Kunti emerged as the strongest figure and the most formidable queen in the Mahabharata.

She navigated the challenges of single parenthood, raising five exemplary men who would shape the destiny of India in the Kali Yugam. Her dedication and sacrifices are evident in the legacy she left behind, as the great-grandson of Arjuna, Parikshith Maharaja, played a pivotal role in defining the era. Kunti's regal stature is further magnified by the fact that, despite being a queen, she forwent the privileges of the throne, spending her time in the forest with her children.

128 | THE INDIAN STANDARD

WOMEN WITH

MATHU

OF

MAHABHARATHAM

BHASKHAR

&

RADHA

VENKATESAN

Kunti's life was marked by continuous turmoil, losing not only her husband but also the second wife of her husband, whom she had to raise alongside her own children. Despite the hardships, she never wavered in her duty as a mother to the court, providing unwavering support to her children and ensuring they adhered to their life goals.

The narrative of Kunti's life offers a profound lesson on raising exceptional children amidst adversity. Her example serves as a guiding light for mothers, showcasing how one can fulfill the duties of parenthood with grace and strength.

In addition to her role as a mother, Kunti played a crucial part in keeping the family united. Even in the face of controversy, she urged her five sons to share everything, including their wife, Draupadi. Kunti's strategic vision behind this decision was to forge a united front against Adharma. Draupadi, taking up the mantle after Kunti, continued the duty of preserving family unity and guiding the men on the path of righteousness.

Kunti's life, marked by challenges and sacrifices, remains a powerful testament to the enduring strength of a mother's love and devotion.

THE INDIAN STANDARD | 129

SPECIAL

THANKS

Thank you to God for allowing us to carry out his mission.

Thank you to my parents for patiently teaching me the Bhagavad Gita wherein the lessons inspired this issue.

Thank you to my husband for holding my hand & working hard with me by my side as the Autumnal Equinox issue was created.

Thank you to my crew for bringing this vision to life.

Thank you to the readers: you motivate, inspire & create with me. I will forever be grateful.

the INDIAN STANDARD

credits

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2023

COVER MIND Discussion with Radha & Mathu: Kunti, Gandhari, Draupadi Shivani Rana BODY Local Color: Sreya Ravi Rhea Khattoi SOUL Dur E Aziz Amna BACK COVER

@shivaniranaa @rhevaluate @dureamna @bysahilkumar x @by.janani Radha Venkatesan & Mathu Bhaskar @shivaniranaa @bysahilkumar x @by.janani @_sreyaravi_ @rhevaluate @bysahilkumar x @by.janani @dureamna @shivaniranaa @rhevaluate @dureamna CREW

Founder, Writer, Creative Director, Set Designer, Executive Producer Sound Engineer Photography Videography

@byjanani @thekiranrajan @bysahilkumar @shotbyshake

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the INDIAN STANDARD

the WORD

S E A R C H

answer key

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2023

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THE INDIAN STANDARD | 23

outdoor shoot

film everything - we are looking to create an understanding of the role of women - the everyday woman

use the elements, Pancha Bootham - what is in is out

sarees - flower outfits, 3 participants, exemplifying girlhood

we want womanhood,passion, creativity to flow

indoor interview set

behind the scenes the interiew

With love & gratitude,