In this issue

As the festive season calls for indulgence, we say indulge the things that you’re expected to suppress: your high-reaching hopes, your idiosyncrasies, your non-conforming opinions, your vulnerabilities and even your fears. In this issue, we consider the benefits of looking inward and reflect on the relevance of social norms that dictate the length of a woman’s hair through a pixie cut-sporting Mallika Chandra's experiences and discover the motivations behind six people learning new and unfamiliar languages. Sukhada Tatke shares her life-altering experience of swimming in the outdoors for the first time and writers Rana Safvi, Priya Malik, K.R. Meera and Nadika Nadjaq create exclusive works of microfiction in Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil to highlight India's diversity of mother tongues.

Spotlighting the modern-day approach to marriage and weddings, we also put together a special section that examines the mindset of women who are breaking with convention like the resilient Asha Parekh, who determinedly shunned matrimony in an era when getting married was the ultimate dream of many women and a queer, kinky, non-monogamous Jaya Sharma, who is still stirred by dreams of a traditional wedding.

Now on the cusp of a new decade, make the resolution to allow your focus to shift to your internal sphere so that, eventually, you can find meaningful joy in the world around you. Celebrate yourself with our latest issue, now on stands.

When It Comes To Age, There's No Deadline…

Three authors convince the columnist that when it comes to age, there’s no deadline…

9 mins

5 Contemporary Titles That Lead With The Heart

Leah and Bea Koch, owners of The Ripped Bodice in Los Angeles — the only exclusively romance bookstore in the United States — specially select five contemporary titles that lead with the heart

2 mins

Modern-Day Metallics That Draw Inspiration From Festive Elements

Over-the-top dazzle or a hint of glitter, celebrations in India bring out the shine. Verve spotlights modern-day metallics that draw inspiration from festive elements - sparkles, varq, a kalash, and wedding mandaps - and styles gold, silver, copper and red-and-gold separates on model Sumaya Hazarika as she throws light on her scintillating go-to ensembles for the season...

2 mins

On The Rocks

Turn up the luxury quotient with Breguet’s haute joaillerie timepieces that will make you wish there were more hours in a day to flash them on your wrists. Verve presents four jewel-encrusted showstoppers from the legendary horological house

2 mins

Below The Surface

Five years after learning how to swim, Sukhada Tatke finally tests the waters outdoors and contemplates the existential uncertainties of nature while floating in the rippling Schlachtensee in Berlin

6 mins

Like Father-Unlike Daughter

Creative consultant Ekta Rajani and businessman Suresh Rajani may share the same blood, but their approaches to style are hardly related. The daughter’s downsized and minimalist-yet-original wardrobe has inspired young consumers to re-evaluate their purchasing patterns, while the equally couture-conscious father follows a more outlandish school of fashion. Sadaf Shaikh spends a day observing the pair’s tailor-made modes of self-expression

10+ mins

“We Are Mirror Images Of Each Other, And We Are All Trying To Figure It Out.”

Motivational social media accounts have emerged as an unexpected champion of emotional and mental health, providing a much-needed shot of positivity to those seeking to manage stress, grief and anxiety. Best-selling author, speaker and serial social entrepreneur Neeta Bhushan leads Ranjabati Das down a path of self-introspection

9 mins

Asha Parekh Speaks About The Rule-Breaking Life Choices She Has Made In Her 77 Years

At a time when unmarried women were the exception, ’60s superstar Asha Parekh defied the norm and rejected a long list of suitors. Bollywood history rookie and the soon-to-wed Sadaf Shaikh reconciles her 21st-century feminist ideology with the still-single actor’s understated iconoclasm as their conversation elides the 50 years between them…

10 mins

The Lens Of Marriage

The thought of marriage awakens a conventional wedding fantasy from her childhood, but it is also a bitter reminder of her otherness as both a queer woman and a member of the BDSM community. In an honest appointment with herself, Jaya Sharma analyses these contrasting truths

6 mins

Low-Pressure Area

Soul Harmony, the spa treatment at the Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, leaves a renewed Shirin Mehta feeling an immense lightness of being

4 mins

Read all stories from Verve

Verve Magazine Description:

Going towards its 26th year now, Verve has been at the vanguard of the lifestyle industry in India since its inception. Being India's first fashion and luxury monthly and targeted as the spirit of today’s woman, it celebrates the interests of the multifaceted contemporary global Indian, including fashion,beauty and style, glamour, arts and culture, travel and wellness. The editor and publisher, Anuradha Mahindra, has received top billing in Avenue Asia's list of Indians involved in the media.

More than just a magazine that reports and interprets, Verve is a catalyst for conversations around contemporary Indian culture in the world, and these conversations take place between the pages of the magazine, on the internet as well as through several Verve-organized offline event initiatives:

Verve is a magazine about the international Indian woman who rubs shoulders with the world with confidence and élan. She belongs to a high-income group and is well aware of the latest trends and styles, be it in fashion, the arts, cuisine or world events. Verve appeals to the intelligent, urbane, educated and affluent woman. She would be 25 years of age and above. She is likely to be an independent entrepreneur or a corporate professional or a socialite. She is well-travelled, fashion conscious and appreciates luxury with a side to her that is culturally sensitive with aesthetic sensibilities. Overall a multi-faceted, stylish and glamorous woman. All in all, the Verve reader looks upon the magazine as an invaluable lifestyle resource for the best in contemporary urban Indian living.