PADMA LAKSHMI, TELEVISION HOST, AUTHOR, MODEL
BY Barkha Dutt
Before I knew her and began to count her among my dearest friends, my impressions of Padma were probably what most of you still think from afar. A stunning, beautiful and poised presenter with a glamorous and luxurious American life. Padma is all that. But she is so much more. She has depth and gumption and passion—and above all—authenticity and courage. I do not know another woman (or man) who’d have the courage to bare their innermost conflicts like Padma did in her memoir (Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir). Or open herself to the possible wrath of her influential former husband, Salman Rushdie, by writing about her marriage. Rushdie stopped speaking to me once Padma became a friend so I have some sense of what she took on. She has worn her tumultuous personal life on her sleeve with a rare equanimity and confidence. She is aware perhaps that women and men may both judge her and she doesn’t give a damn if they do. It is this comfort in her own skin that makes her a truly empowered feminist. Not just because she has always stood up for women, gone public about her own experience of being raped as a 16–year–old and spoken searingly about her battle with endometriosis; but because women are scrutinised and evaluated and morally reprimanded—and Padma has a Zen like strength that simply rises above all that noise. She is a celebrity but in so many ways she is still that young girl who lay under her grandparents’ cot in a modest home in Chennai dreaming of being able to buy the next cone of ice–cream. That simplicity of sentiment and pureness of affection is what defines her when you strip away everything else.
ALISON ROMAN, AUTHOR OF NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLER, NOTHING FANCY
By Padma Lakshmi
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Elle India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Elle India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Indu Antony And The Gentle Art Of Feminism
In an unfiltered conversation with Akshaya Pillai, the multidisciplinary artist lays out a manifesto for a creative life
Taapsee Pannu: A True Original
The actor in conversation with Ainee Nizami Ahmedi on the roles that shape her on & off screen
Canvas Chronicles
The rise of art-cations is elevating conventional vacations into a therapeutic medium of catharsis and transformation for the soul, finds Hasina Jeelani
A FEAST For The EYES
What goes into making a dish that looks like a masterpiece? Notable chefs take Isha Mayer through the art of plating
Yala's Hidden Gem
Zoha Castelino visits the Hilton Yala Resort, where elegance meets nature
The New Wave
Barry Rodgers on the artists to have on your radar, as recommended by gallerists
Tracing Tattoo Trails
Sakshi Rawte on the developing relationship between crossing continents and lines of ink
Sculpted In Time
2022 Venice Biennale's youngest artist, Niyamat Mehta, takes Geetika Sachdev through her art journey
Crafting His Narrative
Yuvraj Menda in conversation with Ipsita Kaul on his much-talked-about debut and his enduring love for Home Alone
Can't Stop Blushin'
This cult-favourite product has taken over our beauty shelves, and we're not complaining, reports Urmi Dande