Higher Power

Through stories of victory laps and the daily grind, veterans Madhu Sapre and Mehr Jesia and vanguards Nayonikaa Shetty and Anugraha Natarajan find a wonderful new kinship. Following the theme for Vogue India's January-February 2024 issue, the sisters-in-arms compare chapters from their lives that underscore the strength of female friendships. BANDANA TEWARI pens the opening essay capturing this code and narrates the beauty of sharing the table.

-  BANDANA TEWARI

Whether I'm writing from the lap of the Himalayas in Sikkim or facing paddy fields in Bali, one truth is clear: we are nourished by nature's biodiversity. It's easy, then, to make the connection: we need the same diversity in our human relationships. In the past, our mothers, grandmothers and extended families constituted the only proverbial village that raised a child. Today, we live long distances away from our families and rely heavily on technology to stay in touch. This is not enough.

I often ask myself, who lives in my modern village? The nature of my village has changed, but I had to walk a long, circuitous road in the fashion industry to come to this realisation.

For thirteen years, I jetted around the world, interviewing brilliant designers and watching fascinating shows. At that time, fashion was quite insular and the friendships were performative rather than wholesome. I began to see a disconnect between my inward journey and my outward affectations. There were confusing hierarchies I had to navigate to 'belong', and I remember the anxiety of constantly toggling between having power and losing power-not the kind of momentum that can fulfil anyone.

This subtle fearfulness became a constant in my life. And I saw it pervading most women around me whether they talked about it or not.