I love Pongal. This festival, celebrating the harvest as winter withdraws, is one of my earliest (and most beautiful) memories as a child growing up in Madras. We would all wake up really early—I would be scrubbed, buttoned into my white cotton Bengali kurta, and sent off to visit my friend’s home. The girls I went to school with, and was used to seeing only in the sameness of uniforms, would magically transform this day, resplendent in their pattu pavadai (a fitted blouse and a full skirt, both cut from jewel-toned silk with borders of woven gold). As the sun rose, it set ablaze the colours in their skirts and they would twirl to show it off. If you closed your eyes, the sound was like that of a thousand birds of paradise beating their wings, right before they all took flight.
I was in love with the pattu pavadai and wanted one to call my own. I was also six—young enough that I still believed what we wore (like what we ate) was just a matter of choice. Over the next decade, I was told, “No.” Repeatedly. Humiliatingly. Ominously. As an unmanly, fashion-obsessed boy I learned that there were rules on who wore what and if you broke them, there were consequences. Thirty years later I would relearn these rules when I found myself halfway across the world in Seoul. The city is a gorgeous paradox, in which 14th-century temples fight glass skyscrapers for space. And bang in the middle of this madness lies the glittering Gyeongbokgung Palace, like a gemstone embedded in concrete. Visitors to the palace are encouraged to wear the traditional Korean ceremonial dress, the hanbok, and as a gesture of gratitude the palace entrance fees are entirely waived off for both locals and tourists wearing it.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من Harper's Bazaar India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2019 من Harper's Bazaar India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
...Carry A Rockstar Look?
Remember the iconic advice from Bob Dylan: "Sometimes you have to bite your lip and put on some sunglasses"? He, of course, took it strictly, crafting his musician persona with those classic black Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Now it's your chance to create your own stylish journey with a timeless touch of sophistication.
The Yarn Story
A slew of homegrown labels are making a case for why knitwear could be a year-round choice.
HOLA BARCELONA!
From art, culture, and architecture to a buzzing nightlife, Spain's second-largest city has something for everyone.
BEAUTY NEWS
All that's fresh in the world of beauty right now.
THE NEW FRONTIER
Explore the shift towards holistic body care.
'CELEBRATE YOUR SKIN TONE'
In an exclusive conversation with Bazaar India, make-up mogul Laura Mercier, who recently launched her products in India, talks about her career, the flawless look that she pioneered, and shares make-up tips.
GREAT STRIDES
A psychoanalyst explores how women have taken control of the sartorial narrative over the centuries, embracing fashion as a subtle yet powerful form of self-expression.
FROM ASCENT TO APEX
When rising star ANANYA PANDAY crosses paths with resurgent legend ZEENAT AMAN, it's a celebration of womanhood in all its glory.
INDIAN LEGACY, GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Tracing Welspun Living's journey from its humble beginnings in Gujarat to its international dominance in the home textile industry.
PAGE TURNERS
These forbidden romance' novels defy expectations and redefine love.