DECEMBER, 2017

SHIFT

VOLUME 1

THE IMPERFECT ISSUE

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FASHION
21. Transgenders are the new
hetrosexuals
25. Big is beautiful
37. Perfectly imperfect
44. Joy of unisex
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ART
79. Art of improvisation

85. Stretch the marks

89. Period shaming

91. Flawed

101. Behind the scenes with

Pranav Kalra

105. Upside down

 WELCOME CONTACT US

www.shift.com
The Imperfect Issue (011) 27023998
info@shift.com
Because, deep down, we all really are. advertise@shift.com

LET’S GET THE OBVIOUS OUT OF THE WAY: EDITORIAL

WHY THE IMPERFECT ISSUE?
SAMIKSHA GUPTA
Editor
Because we've taken it upon ourselves to curate socially relevant ideas that NATASHA CHOPRA
affect our lives. The imperfect issue was born of the idea that the world
needs another dash of bold and fresh thinking.
Associate Editor

The issue is dedicated in content and spirit to the idea that imperfection is
perfection. It’s about recognising that imperfection is more about going with
the flaw, doing a few things the old fashioned way and equally important, CONTRIBUTORS
getting some fun back in your life.

To that end, our sections features Rudrani Devi, who started her own ESHAN KHANNA
modelling agency for transgenders, flawed beauty, imperfection in our
lifestyle which we barely get to notice and how art is improvising when it ANUSHREE BANERJEE
comes to deformity.

 As you progress, the central theme of “imperfection” will become more
apparent. Of course, in keeping with the save-the-best-for-last concept, we
have our editorial shoot, the translucent musings. It’s all about being honest,
SUBSCRIPTIONS
authentic and transparent in different aspects of life, making transparency
the new objectivity.
SUBSCRIBE ONLINE
All around these articles are great ideas, sensible advice and more. So make
mistakes. Make a mess. What have you got to lose? We hope this issue is as
www.shift.com/
good for you to read as it has been for us to create.  subscribe

Samiksha Gupta
Editor

16
 S
TRANSGENDES
Since birth a transgender child insists, from the time
when he starts speaking, that they don’t share the same
gender which is indicated by their biological sex. In
simpler words they feel that their body and brain are both

ARE THE NEW

different from each other.

Female and male brain on an average, are slightly

different in structure. Although there is a lot more

HETROSEXUALS difference in the variability of an individual, several

Words by: Anushree Banerjee
Tell me to my face that I'm Not
Worthy.
researches have proved and signifies that transgender
people have brains more similar to their experienced
gender. “Trans people have brains that are different from
males and females, a unique kind of brain,” Guillamon
says. It is easier to say that a male-to-female transgender
person is a male trapped in a female’s body. It’s not
because they have a brain of woman but a trans sexual
brain. So it is impossible to say if these subtle differences
are inborn or not.

Overall the weight and length of these studies and others

points strongly directs us towards a biological basis for
gender dysphoria, as mentioned above, which happens
when the body and the brain differs. But given the variety
of transgender people and the variation in the brains of
men and women, there's still time when a doctor can do a
brain scan on a child and say, 'Yes, this child is trans.'

21
 Anjali Lama, also belonges to a trans community who was
born in Nuwakot district in rural Nepal. She is fifth of the
seven siblings. School was difficult for Lama as she

Straight struggled to understand as to why she used to feel and

behave like a girl. Her epicene manner was mocked by all
her classmates and teachers, including her father and
brothers.  After finishing her schooling, she shifted to
Kathmandu. At the age of 18, she met a group of
transgender women. They were wearing make-up and
heading towards a club. She approached them. “When you
ask most transgender people, they refuse instantaneously
and assert their identity. So, when I spoke to them, they
were like, ‘ Look how valiant this girl is,' ” Lama revives.

Lesbian They headed her towards Blue Diamond Society, a Nepal

group that advocates for sexual minorities. And soon,
she had her sex reassignment surgery. She also started
working at the outreach centre. In 2015, Nepal became one
of the few countries to issue passport including the third
gender category. Unfortunately, despite this progressive
step, the reality is far from ideals. “Acceptance of the
transgenders is still not a hundred per cent,” says Lama.

RUNWAY FANTASIES:

Gay Lama says, “My friend motivated me towards modelling

because of my height.” At the age of 25, she gave it a try.
Although she got some assignments in Nepal, but sadly was
rejected most of the times because of her gender. She had
auditioned for Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) twice, last year in
Mumbai and was rejected both the times. “I thought
modelling wasn’t for me. But I just couldn’t
let it go.” Nevertheless, she went in through YouTube
audition clips which were put up by LFW and examined her
own walk, as well as of those who were selected by

Bisexual LFW  and analysed her problem areas.

“I had very low self confidence, and it showed,” she says.

Apart form walks, she also focused on other nuances of
modelling like costume and make-up by researching
online.. Eventually, it worked. And she was picked for the
Summer/Resort 2017 show. Initially, she faced considerable
nervousness because she couldn’t understand English. She
said, “I felt a bit confused because all the instructions were
made in English. Then I befriended Deepti Gujral and Alesia
Raut who were my fellow models, who helped me

Transgender
understand the language.” 

Being a part of Lakme Fashion Week has changed her life

forever. Apart from getting her global fame and boosting up
her career, it has also helped her family to understand
her and treat her well, like she deserved. “I’ve never been
this much busy in my entire life,” she states. Despite every
other thing, she does worry a little about being old for her
field. “Mostly people start modelling at age of 25,"
she exclaims. She added that is she not worrying or thinking
about her future at this point.

Human Lama now lives with a friend from Nepal in Santacruz. And
she likes Mumbai for the work it has offered her. She misses
the nature and the natural beauty of her home town. “I like
greenery, nature and the hills. I wish there was some

22
 place that is a mixture of Mumbai and Nepal," she says.

"I WAS NOT BORN A BOY, I WAS

When I had a word with some more people sharing the
same community of transgenders, I got to know about all
the problems this community goes through. After the
deep breath there was a heavy voice whispering, “We have
no family. Our community is our family. We never go out to

ASSIGNED BOY AT BIRTH."

have fun like you people because of the constant eve
teasing. If we try to complain, nobody takes us seriously
because we don't have any rights,”  said Tona, who is model
at Mitr trust modelling agency. 

Mrs. Rudrani Devi is a Ray of hope in all their lives. She is the
founder of Mitr trust – a modeling agency for transgenders.
She was also awarded in the hijra summit. It got so viral that
they started receiving calls from the industry and were also
being approached by the directors for the same. When
asked from the award winning woman, Mrs. Rudrani Devi

- RUDRANI DEVI
who is a transgender herself , that what was the noble
cause behind this great step towards humanity, she
confidently replied, “trans community has always been 
involved in beauty and fashion. So I thought of making
fashion and beauty as out career.” If we look at it, the hijra
modeling is gaining a great response.

Industry wants these people to just love themselves the way

they are. They just need to feel comfortable in their own
skin. In earlier times there were no job opportunities and
human rights for the transgenders. They had to spend half
of their lives in finding themselves, who are they and what
do they want. You must have also thought that somewhere
or the other, the hijra’s who are standing at the red light are
fake. But they actually are not. No boy would ever want to
wear a saree and beg for money where the windows of the
car only rolls up. The Mitr trust modeling agency have given
a chance to prove every myth wrong.

The problem was not to get registered for modeling. The

actual problem was, even if they got beautiful models, who
will give them work. The more they tried, the more they
faced rejections. Until one morning, 8 to 9 people showed
up including the finalist “Rajesh Khureshi”. Some people
finally agreed to finance their planning and happily took
their auditions with judges like Sushmita and the
brand ambassador of Kingfisher Airlines.

Currently, opportunities are being given to these

transgenders. People have actually started to understand
the term 'trans.' Workshops are being conducted to make
people aware and to give them a reality check.

Now they have earned a great amount of appreciation not

only from the people of  their own community, but also
from big and renounced people from the industry.
Today looking at their great success these people are
getting signed up for films and television advertising.
They have shown that hard work and will power can make
anything happen.

So be determined, be confident and never be afraid to raise

your voice against the wrong even if you are alone. 

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 LUFITUAEB
Even in the abyss of hatred,
they come out as the shining
stars, new they are to the
fashion industry, but their
‘plus size’ shines bright.

 Words by: Eshan Khanna 

Fashion in today’s world is of utmost importance to

everyone. Like one basic thing to be added in the list of
most important things required to sustain a life’. Fashion is
indeed everywhere. Brands have revolutionised the aspect
of fashion and models do the work for them by looking
extremely gorgeous in the clothes that they are draped in.
But to add a tag of  ‘zero figure’ to a perfect model is like
pushing the society towards doom.
SI GIB

Fashion is for all and not exclusively for the size zero. With
changing mindsets of people, it is a great thing to witness
plus size models and plus size fashion gradually taking its
hold on the fashion industry. It isn’t like the earlier times
where only a slim girl would be called as apt for
modelling, we are slowly moving into the ideology of
beauty comes in all sizes’. And if to be a model you need
the ‘curves’, then the plus sized girls have no less of them.
We must understand that parameters like size, to judge
beauty are irrelevant and temporary and it is nowhere said
that fat is ugly. 

Every person is just perfect. Models like Ashley Graham,

Olivia Campbell, Bishamber Das, etc are no less than
anyone. They have left their mark in the industry. Growth
is a forever phenomenon when it comes to fashion
industry and now there are special fashion shows
organised for the big girls as well. The famous clothing
brands have now given room to their large sized fashion
lines. Brands like Forever 21 have brought into the market
Forever 21+. Other brands include H&M+, ASOS Curve etc.
Brands are now slowly realising that it is important to 
CURVES ARE
BEAUTIFUL,
EMBRACE
THEM.

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 clothes for every body size. The ideology of 36’, 24’, 36’ is
now on its way out from the fashion industry.
To understand the struggle that people face due to their
their body shape, we spoke to Mayank kalra, a 24-year-old,
college student. While interviewing him, we came to know
about his personal journey in which he explained, “If you
ask me about the impact, then the first impact it left on
me was devastating. You know, it was awful to be the only
one who was always commented upon. I could not
concentrate on my studies because I had been a mere
joke to everyone till eleventh standard. I had no friends
because I trusted no one, my own parents used to always
let me down.
I used to always stay in my own room and think as to how
to look perfect. But twelfth standard changed me
completely. The first day I entered class, they started with
their usual routine of irritating me and yes that day I got
upset. Since that day I have never seen back. That mocking
had filled up so much hatred in me that I deciced to prove
my worth and to do the same I studied in a frenzy because
I had to show it to everyone that I was no less in spite of
being thin and here I am today sitting in front of you in my
final year of college with a job offer already in hand. So the
complete impact the of whole incident on me was indeed
positive.”
To understand a female perspective we interviewed
Seema, a mother and a homemaker. For 15 years, Seema  ones because it has that ‘Plus’ in it!
27
found the kilos adding up and her unhappiness growing,,
but she couldn't find the spark she needed to overhaul
her life. "Many things happened through those years that
you would think would be a trigger to lose weight. From
getting constantly mocked by my children’s friends and
their parents because I couldn't fit in the normal car seat
to getting a seat belt extender on an airplane. But one day
I just thought, I want to live a long life and see my
daughter grow up and that's when I decided to do
something," says Seema.
In January 2016,  she joined a gym and through healthier
food choices and a new commitment to jogging, she lost
all the extra weight. "Now I am running 5 kms and my
family is leading a healthier life,”  she says. She has lost 22
kgs. This past year has flown by and she is enjoying her life
more and more. She says “Time needs to slow down so I
can soak it all in.” Also, it is well-known that less than near
half of the world's population would actually not fit into
the perfect size chart. So, it is better here to leave that
‘perfect’ and move towards the ideal. It is a well-known
saying that ‘beauty lies in the eye of the beholder’ and
understanding that is the need of the hour. Beauty cannot
be kept in a closet, it is meant to make the world beautiful
by its charm as it is away from the parameters of colour,
race, religion or size.
The world needs to accommodate fashion in all its sizes
and realise that plus size has an edge over the normal
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 TRANSLUCENT
MUSINGS

Translucent 
Musings 

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 TRANSLUCENT
MUSINGS

Transparent musings would be home to those who aren't afraid

to be open, authentic and transparent. Supermodels
and Shift debutantes Omisha Dhatwali and Aksh
Wadhwa, help us navigate through a
world where transparency is
the new objectivity. 

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On Omisha: Black coat
by Zara, Pants and mules
by H&M, 
On Aksh: Leather jacket
by Zara, Boots by Aldo,
Jeans by Jabong.
On Omisha: Black coat
by Mango, Top by
Forever 21, Bellies by
Dorothy Perkins.
On Omisha: Black leather
jacket by Promod, Check
coat by Amador, Shoes
by Vans.
On Aksh: Snood muffler
by RVLT, Grey coat by
Amador, Shoes by Louis
Philippe.
On Omisha: Black dress
by Forever 21, Heels by
Carlton London, Jacket
by Only.
 PERFECTLY
imperfect
Words by: Samiksha Gupta

37
p
finding a photographer. It takes a lot of time and effort.
Is the world of blogging really as perfect
"One needs to make a settlement with the photographer,
as it seems to be? Deeksha Khurana, a  like instead of money, they can use our pictures in their
19-year-old, fashion and a beauty portfolio. And the work does not end there, you then have
to edit your pictures perfectly, which is the biggest task,"
blogger from the blog 'Deeksha she said. 
Khurana' unfolds the falsely true reality
As much appreciation that these bloggers receive for their
of blogging. 
hard work, they have to deal with the same amount
eople mostly conceive that blogging is no big deal. It's all of criticism as well. According to her, criticism is good, it
about pretty pictures, artsy posts, never ending free brings improvement in work. But then there's negative
products and short write ups on trendy fashion. If you've criticism, very close to hatred. A lot of times people post
achieved this, then your job for the day, as a blogger is really derogatory comments. And not just the viewers but
done. But the reality is completely opposite. In actuality, also the fellow bloggers are often seemed to be bashing
blogging is not just about the pretty parts, it's a real job each other out there on social media. Khurana states,
which takes a great deal of hard work and perseverance.  "That all of this really creates a huge impact on us
mentally. It's not at all easy to deal with stuff like this." 
Deeksha Khurana is a 19-year-old, fashion, beauty and a
travel blogger from New Delhi from the blog 'Deeksha And then there comes the problem of fighting the
Khurana'. Blogging is something she's really passionate stereotypes. People think, that bloggers should not get
about and has been pursuing it since three years. She has money for what they are doing. What they don't
always looked up to her elder sister, Kritika Khurana, who understand is, that these bloggers invest in a lot of money
is also into fashion blogging.  to buy things and make everything look amazing for their
followers. "At the end of the day, we need to survive too. I
Bloggers are always competing against each other. And mean if we're investing so much, then obviously we
mind you it's not at all a healthy competition," deserve all that money in return. It's a real job, for god's
said Deeksha. She starts telling the reality of this perfectly sake! If a blogger is being honest with his/her content that
portrayed world based on her own experiences. She they are providing, then it's totally okay to get free
stated, that all the bloggers are rivaling against each other branded products or do product reviews and earn out of
for more followers, likes, views and collaborations. "I mean it," she stated.
there are many of them who are blogging because they
have a strong passion for it, but at the end of the day all of She said, "One thing I would like to change about this
them want to be heard or seen more than anyone else," community, is the strong and a constant urge to be
she said.  perfect." The concept of perfection is always forced upon
us. From glossy magazines to Instagram, from Pinterest to
With all this competition and comparison, the green blogs, there's no escape from it. Nobody's perfect and can
monster of jealousy comes out. She says that, this never be, then why not stop trying right away? Perfection
constant comparison leads to jealousy and then all these is way too mainstream and it makes everything seem
bloggers tend to keep an eye on fellow bloggers who are boring. Imperfection, on the other hand creates
doing better than them. "And it's not like we don't want individuality. Something out-of-the box and super
others to attain more. But when that jealousy takes over, creative, which this industry is craving for, desperately.
we start doubting ourselves. There's a loss of originality as There should not be a filter on everything, not everything
a result. We stop doing what makes us unique and start needs to edited. "I think, the imperfections that we are
following the crowd. Thus, imitation is everywhere. It's like, trying to hide constantly, to create a imagery of a world
she did it, I will too," she says. It really breaks down the without flaws and imperfections is false and hollow. We
confidence levels and the motivational spirits of these the bloggers have that power, to create a world where
bloggers.  each and every one of us should able to embrace their
flaws and flaunt them. I mean, we're no barbies made out
The reality is much more harder than what it seems to be. of plastic, where you can doll us up in the perfect way you
One major problem that this community faces, is to meet want to. We're all humans, with freckles, moles, pale skin,
the high expectations of perfection. Viewers want stretch marks or maybe imperfect teeth. If you have the
everything to be perfect and pretty. From photoshoots to power to bring a change, you might as well want to use it,"
styling, the Instagram handles should be bright and said Deeksha. 
visually appealing, blogs must portray the perfect
aesthetics and the list goes on, told Deeksha. "What these Despite all the backstage work that happens in this
people don't understand is, that just like them we're community, which is not at all perfect like it seems to be,
normal human beings too. And it's nearly impossible to she still loves to do her work. Blogging is not just about
showcase that perfect imagery at all times. The pressure sharing pictures of fashion and travel, it is much more
of coming out to be perfect, from minute details to major than that. For her, it's a platform where one can share
ones is really difficult to handle," she said.  their beliefs, opinions, designs and ideas. "You grow as a
person, you learn to communicate well and meet a lot of
Also, there goes a lot of work behind these pretty pictures. interesting people and share their experiences and this is
They don't just tend to happen on their own. From something I will never stop doing, no matter what,"
resourcing all the things required for a photoshoot to  she proclaimed. 

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I'm a blogger
what's
your
SUPERPOWER?
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 UN
GE
ND
ER
43
ED
 Joy of
unisex Words by: Anushree Banerjee
B
GENDERLESS FASHION: Clothes stop
being clothes for women and men
and they simply become clothes.
reaking fashion stereotypes and debunking myths about
how the ‘blameless’ body has always been unique to
everyone. The big idea is to mix the models and styles of the
two genres making a line that matches both wardrobes.
‘Identifying types and body types are more flowing that
fashion has ever discussed.
Plastic Surgeon Dr. Narendra Kaushik states, “the concept of
gender is something which belongs to the modern era, or in
other words something belonging to modernity. He further
adds, the gender distinction is a mark in society and this
can be clearly learned through fashion."
But who ever thinks that genre is synonymous with unisex is
a mistake. And gender-free fashion proposes throwing the
labels and using whatever you are feeling to wear.
Basically, clothes stop being clothes for women and men
and they become simply clothes. In fact, fashion has a rich
past or history. Over the last few years, gender has also
picked up a good pace in the industry, where they like to
think that they are not in background, rather that think
they’re on the forefront of these things.
Transgender models like Andreja Pejic and Lea T both had
faced many barriers and helped in blazing the woods of
gender fluidity.  the existing notions of what is feminine and masculine.
It’s an ongoing conversation. However, point of views are
changing and the sale is rising. As a result, many popular,
profit making brands have opted to let-off their own lines of
gender neutral clothing. 'Un-gendered' is the line started
by Zara, featuring shirts, jeans and jumpers. Besides, H&M  wearing pink was once questionable.
has started their unisex denim line named 'Denim United.'
Shockingly, Mothercare as well is soon launching a gender
neutral clothing range for young children and babies. These
items features pandas, T-shirts with slogans, romper suits
and are designed to be worn by both boys and girls. This
mainly has black, grey and yellow shades – avoiding those
typical pinks or blues. “No pink or blue for you!” Is the range
designed by Myleene Klass. These broadcasts are a big deal
for the market. Nowadays even the high street fashion with
worldwide more than 6000 stores have gender fluid
clothing. Moreover it is actually reaching the masses.
Gucci has nailed against separate shows for women and
men, as they compose both the collections to form one
gender neutral clothing.  Likewise, Marc Jacobs have also
opted for some similar campaign.  
With the high fashion, the world is now putting its arms on
gender neutrality. As far now, the trend is expected to have
a good hold on the industry soon enough.  Of course,
fashion trends have always come from those who fill our
social media timelines and television screens. When
celebrities put something on, the average consumer usually
isn’t lacking that behind. They basically forecast for gender
neutral fashion. 
Some supper stars around are opting gender neutral
clothing and that doesn’t conform to gender norms. Kanye
West, himself doesn’t hesitate to wear a skirt in public.
Culturally, gender-neutral dressing is all about changing
Going by the general reaction on social and digital media, it
might take a little more brainwashing before men start
pulling on summer dresses and winter gowns.
But remember – once women wearing trousers and men
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 FLAWSOME
Ever felt like something just doesn't belong? The world can
occasionally make us feel out of place in our own lives, but
sometimes being the odd one out brings more joy than you
may think.
Words by: Natasha Chopra
Your freckled face. Your plumpy nose. Your small
boobs. Your huge boobs. Your big ass. Your flat ass.
Your big lips, your thin lips, your pencil thin legs, your
big feet. Your stretch marks. Your cellulites. We all
have them i.e flaws. We all see them as a damage just
like an abnormality, trying to secrete behind them,
concealing them over with makeup and high collars.
We do criticise them, wishing they would go
away, believing that if we didn’t have them anymore,
we'd be flawless, and then we could be elated. But
what really flaws are? An easy response to that
is, anything that is different from other’s perspective is
a flaw to you.
But that’s not how it is. We all are living in a world
where we care what others think about us and have
completely forgotten, how to love ourselves. We all
see models possibly everywhere. Why don’t we see
normal people showcasing or advertising anything?
Because it has been accepted since ages that only a
beautiful face and beautiful body can sell products
but not the normal people? Then in this case who do
we call abnormal. We all get attracted towards pretty
models and their so called perfect bodies.
But who really models are? They are nothing but
more than impaired humans experiencing evolution
for a magazine to make you believe there’s some
merits of beauty but trust me, they have flaws, too.
You all must be wondering that how am I aware of it?
Because it’s the flaws that make you so pretty and the
most prominent ones always have something which
makes them look different. 
What society considers is delightful characteristics
and remarkable highlights are simply imperfections
that models chose not to cover up, or all the more
vitally, what some picture taker really comprehended
as the most excellent piece of them and savored it.
Those famous models are prominent for an objective,
and I know that not because I follow them but I still
know their names because they have done possibly
something really remarkable. I remember them
because I see that charm In the bizarre displays of
photos upon photos thrown into the masses.
I can see what the photographer who took a risk on
them saw: their flaws and how they made them
wonderful. It’s the moment that we stop obstructing
behind our flaws, wrapping our joy in them, expecting
that if we didn’t have them that would improve us
and make us look more quintessential. If you didn’t
have those imperfections, who would you be. Only an
artificially glamourised show who isn't even genuine. 
A hoax person with nothing interesting, nothing
endearing, nothing that’s just you. Your imperfections
are your identity, and the more you conceal them
away, the more you shroud yourself against the world.
Your blemishes are what makes you the individual you
are. The sooner you begin understanding that your
blemishes are what makes you wonderful, the sooner
we can quit calling them imperfections. Life isn’t
great. It never has been and it never will be. In any
case it can be an uplifting news. It implies we can stop
chasing the mystical, consummate life. It means we
can stop tracing idol skin, an idol job, an idol house, or
an idol spouse. It implies we can discover flexibility to
live inside our blemishes. Even though if we girls
wants to contour our cheeks or if we want to conceal
our dark circles there’s nothing wrong in that.
IMPERFECTION TO A
BEAUTIFUL PERSPECTIVE
We aren’t doing it for anyone but for ourselves. Much
the same as garments, cosmetics enables us to
outwardly express our identity and temperaments.
When we are feeling romantic we will swipe on pink
eye-shadow and gleam! Happy? Insane shaded eye-
shadow or brilliant fuchsia lips. Proficient? No
cosmetic look. What's more, we feel like every one of
these things in a single day, we can change my look in
like manner. Cosmetics has the ability to change a
face, and let the entire world know your identity. How
stunning is that! There's no supernatural lipstick that
can instantly turn you from an uncertain young lady
into a confident lady. 
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52
 Talking about makeup and models life, we hereby brought you one of India's top bridal
makeup artist, Meenakshi Dutt. She is an ex model who started modeling at the age of 7 and
has worked in possibly every advertisement and modeling assignment in the early 90’s. She
emerged herself into the modeling and started accepting it as her baby until her father got
transferred to New Delhi and she had to say goodbye to career. But shifting to Delhi didn’t
stop her from achieving her dreams. Her passion for makeup and glam world has made her
what she is known for. To know more about her we interviewed her.

53
Q
When did you know a career in beauty was for you?
I didn’t know a career in beauty was for me . You know
when I was very young, I had done a modeling assignment
in Cochin and my dad’s in the navy so we kept on
travelling. Talking about my assignment I was dressed, we
were supposed to go to a fashion show kind of a thing and
that’s when I was taken to a salon. You know living in a
small town, living in Cochin where there’s no TV, no
exposure. I’m talking about early 80’s and there was just
nothing, I was nearly 13-year-old and they took me there, It
was probably the best salon there and I cant tell you when I
&A
saw makeup I was like oh my god this is heaven. It’s not that
I haven’t seen makeup earlier, I used to do it because I was a
trained dancer in Bharatnatiyam but that was all that gaudy
heavy makeup but even that was fascinating for me. In
return that salon gave us an eye-shadow and I remember
every night I used to keep applying that eye-shadow on
myself. You know it’s all those girly things, bright colours,
makeup and beautifying ourselves.  glamour on your face that has to stand out. A lot of
What has been the biggest challenge of your career?
See, the challenge is everyday because we are all the time
dealing with people and we are working on their faces and
hair which is a very touchy subject, I mean face is something
which everybody wants perfect. They aspire to become so
and so actress or so and so model, Of course not everybody
can look like that and they expect that the makeup artist to
do some kind of surgery on them which is just not possible,
we try to tell them. It’s a challenge everyday and it’s also a
challenge to keep up with the latest trends because there
are artist all over the world specially now with the social
media and net which is so active in our life, When I started
this wasn’t even there, I'm talking about twenty years
back, so we had to do our own bit and there was no way to
learn new trends. Because I had a modeling background, so
I had these dada’s and makeup artists in Mumbai who used
to do makeup on me and I used to get lot of tips from them.
Does everyone look better with makeup? Or is it all about
hiding your imperfections?
I don’t suggest doing make-up on a regular basis. You know
at your age I really didn’t do makeup. When I see very young
girls doing it on a regular basis I do not appreciate it,
because they already have young skin, your innocence, why
do you need to have a base, eye-show, liner. Ya, once you’re
going out that’s fine, you want to look glamorous, you want
to flaunt yourself. When I see my daughter she looks like a
tired duck whole day but when she goes out she looks like a
diva, like one ugly duckling turning into a swan, definitely
makeup does have a glamour factor which really kinds of
attract people.
Which famous artists have influenced you and how?
I really wasn’t influenced by any artist initially because there
was nobody I could really follow because there was nothing
like following at my time but we had artists like Mickey
contractor, Bharat Gudambe in Mumbai. So they were the
ones who were doing pretty magic on the faces but there
wasn’t any artist who used to make me feel that I want to
be like him and I never copied anyone because that’s how I
developed my own style.
What make-up items should no woman leave home
without?
BB cream, Mascara and lipstick, for me these three items
must be there with you at all times.
What are the common beauty mistakes we all do?
First is matching the right foundation with your skin, you
will be surprised to know that I try new combination of
foundations every week because I feel if I try then only I can
use it on my clients. Secondly, that we are always trying to
imitate someone which comes from within all of us then we
really don’t create any individual style of our own, it is
important to have your signature style. I remember when I
started bridal make-up 20 years back, from last 7-8 years a
lot of people has started saying 'she is a Meenakshi Dutt
bride.' Today I have changed my style according to trends
but still I was able to have my signature style.
Why does wearing a lot of makeup still isn’t appreciated in
the society and our imperfections are being blamed for
that? What is your perpective?
 What is a make up artist? Light makeup you can do on your
own, a makeup artist has to create some sort of aura or
make-up artists these days do say let’s be minimilastic but I
personally feel its not about doing less, it’s about doing
different. Even if you see J’Lo's makeup, she does a lot of
makeup. It's just that she uses nude colours  and even to
create a neutral look you would need a lot of makeup
specially in photoshoot, ramp walk , brides taking pictures
in 3D HD camera, if your skin and features are not enhanced
properly everything will look blur, its important to
understand the whole theory of makeup before
commenting on it.
Would you like to share your imperfections in the sense of
beauty like any dark circles or any skin problem that you
have but it still doesn’t stop you? 
A lot of people ask me why don’t you put your before
makeup picture and I did it in my Snapchat a few days back
and people start commenting on me that you look so
different. I just woke up and my dark circles were touching
my cheek line because I woke up quite early to reach my
salon and my skin looked so dead and tired so I took a selfie
and put it on my snapchat because there’s nothing I’m
afraid of, we all have flaws and I have mine and I will flaunt
them in my way. Nobody wakes up looking glamorous. One
day somebody commented on my picture “you’re not
looking good today” and I said yes of course because I’m a
human and I can’t look my best everyday.
Does makeup hurt self esteem?
I would always say look good, a red lipstick never hurts, it
peps up your mood, it does wonders to your face, we put so
many neutrals to our face but what red lipstick does is
miraculous. It just brighten ups your mood and face. When
you want to do nothing and you are sad, wear red lipstick. 
Like every other girl did you always question  your
appearance? Like why does my belly crease? Why do my
arms jiggle? Why am I not fair? Do stretch marks ever go
away?
Stretch marks don’t go, I have hundred of them on my
bodies after my kids so I have tried every possible treatment
except for surgery, it doesn’t go because I’m really not into
cutting my body. Trying laser that’s something I'm not for. I
am little old school though but its okay, it's my body. I mean
I am a mother and a middle aged women, it’s fine I am still
beautiful. How does that even matter? I am good at my
work, I am a good mother, I take care of my clients  what
else do you need in your life.
54
 Unfair and lovely
A letter from a dark skinned girl

I am 13-years-old. I am at my grandmother's place in Ludhiana. It is a summer

afternoon, the women of the house after feeding everyone and completing the
household work as part of their daily routine, finally go to a room to rest. All of
them sit together on the bed and now they can finally unveil their dupattas. My
mom for the very first time, asks me to come and sit with them. A few days
back, I got my first period. Which means I have finally made my first step into
adulthood. Which means, now I have to learn and start performing all the household
work. Which also means, I now need to be more careful while making guy friends.
This is the reason that day, I was asked to join them. 

While I was sitting in between all the ladies, suddenly my grandmother points out
how fair my legs were. According to her, I was really very lucky to be fair
skinned and this was the trait I got from my mother. My mother is very fair, just
like a white lily. 
But my aunt said, that the colour of my face differs from the rest of my body
parts. From applying multani mitti, coconut oil, milk and cream to kesar water, she
listed all the home remedies that I must perform for a fairer face. 

My aunts says, "Scrub your face properly and take bath from milk everyday."
My mom instantly said, "this is not her original skin colour, it's all because of
the sun exposure. I have told her so many times to apply something on her face
but she never listens."

My mom had to defend my skin tone because being labelled as dark skinned was
like an abuse to her daughter. At that very moment, my grandmother takes out a
whitening cream and applies it on my face. There was a huge difference in my
skin colour, I was suddenly lighter. Everybody started praising and complementing
me. But I didn't like my colour. I mean ya I was definitely fairer but in a
very uncanny way. 
55
My dad has a dark skin tone. So when I was about to be born, everybody prayed
for me. They wanted the mother's traits so that the baby was not born dark. My
mom told me, when I was born, the first thing my grandmother asked my mom
was, "what is her skin colour like?"

I never really understood the significance of skin colour when I was young. 

When I grew older, I learnt in my history and sociology classes that in earlier
times, the white people, usually the British had a lot of wealth and power. And the
coloured people were always subjugated. This is the reason why people today want
to meet the high standards of beauty, specially based on colour, to position
themselves higher and acceptable in society. 

I went to Australia for a month, to spend vacations at my cousins place. This place
is the hottest in the months of June and July. And I deliberately used to sunbath
myself. In those two months, I burnt myself completely. Part of my skin was
peeling and some parts were turning brown, even red.

I thought people are going to hate me for my skin colour now. But it didn't happen.
Rather, they wanted to be like me. They liked it. Yes, the fairest skin people
wanted to be brown, they wanted my tan. My happiness was uncontrollable because
for the very first time, I was appreciated for being coloured. My colour was no
longer something I was ashamed of because I realised, there's much more to me
than what you proclaim of. I decided that I will manifest my beauty through my
acts, your judgments won't become a hurdle in my path. 

From- a dark skinned girl 

56
57
58
 STOP THE BEAUTY
MADNESS

STOP THE BEAUTY

MADNESS

STOP THE BEAUTY

MADNESS

STOP THE BEAUTY

MADNESS
59
Super smart
and sort of  cute.

Yeah, I get that a

lot.
60
 What do you want
to be when you
grow up?

Pretty.

61
Old isn't ugly.
It's invisible.

62
 Smart enough.
Talented enough.
Not white enough.

63
Objects in the
mirror may be
smaller than they
appear. 

64
 Of course, I have a
relationship.
With my scale. 
65
That
awkward
moment
when
you try to
decide if
I'm
pretty. 
Because I'm damn
hungry. 
Pretty is my prison.

68
BOY
E
A
U
T
Y
Words by: Samiksha Gupta
Slowly but gradually, the paradoxical
concept of boy beauty is ground-
breaking and is conveying a nonchalant
attitude towards the strictly laid down
concepts of male imagery. 
Men, are often forced to follow certain rules when it comes to
their frail masculinity. Thus, the term 'male beauty' is a
contradiction in itself. Wearing dresses, putting makeup or
painting your nails are things that completely go against the
codes of masculinity. We are still living in a time, where if men
are seen to be doing feminine things, it becomes
controversial. However, there are numerous men out there,
who have started this whole revolution of gender-less makeup
and are smashing these stereotypes. There are people, who
have finally started accepting that it's totally okay, if a man is
using a BB cream or a concealer to enhance his beauty. Many
popular male beauty vloggers and bloggers have created a
unique identity for themselves and are giving great tips on
how to blend, contour and highlight, to both men and
women. Homosexuality plays a huge role in building up these
stereotypes.
There's a direct implication, that if you're a man whose
wearing make-up, then you must be homosexual.
Which of course is, not true. There are several homosexual
men, who do not apply make-up. This misogynist society
bluntly directs, that anything that is related to femininity is
insulting for the male sex. Make-up artist and a successful
YouTuber, Jake Jamie started a campaign which gained
immense popularity named "makeup is genderless." Through
his campaign he wanted people to change their notions
about, who is allowed to wear what on their bodies and faces.
There are innumerable beauty bloggers who are slaying out 
there, with more than two million followers on their Instagram
handles, proving that make-up doesn't have to gender
specific. James Charles, a 17-year-old is a beauty vlogger from
New York. He is the first male spokesmodel for CoverGirl, a
popular cosmetic brand. Charles, is a self-taught make-up
artist with more than million subscribers on YouTube and 1.5
million followers on Instagram.
Then there's, Patrick Star, who has about two million
subscribers on Youtube and and has worked with many
Hollywood stars like Carmen Carrera and Shay Mitchel. Men
would usually look for cosmetics in their sisters or girlfriends
bags. But they can't share everything with them, every
time. Thus, many brands are venturing into this growing
industry of male makeup. L'Oreal is soon going to launch a
whole new range of men's cosmetics. MMUK, the first ever
makeup brand for men is in collaboration with the largest
e-commerce business Asos, where from masculine tones of
foundations to beard oils, you can find it all at one place. Men
are expected to have perfect skin, toned and muscular bodies.
If they deviate from what they are expected to do, it raises a
ruckus. There is a need to break these stereotypes and
preconceived notions about the ideal male imagery. Dresses,
makeup, hairdos and nail paints do not matter. Anything, that
makes us feel confident, beautiful and unique should not be
labelled or judged. 
70
COVER
B
Words by: Samiksha Gupta
Yohan Lohia, an 18 year old, makeup vlogger from New Delhi, is setting up
new standards in the domain of boy beauty despite all the stereotypes
and preconceived notions that are smashed in his face throughout.
O
James Charles, Patrick Starrrs and
Thomas Halbert are the few names
that pop up in our minds instantly
when there's any talk about male
beauty. However, it's not just America
which is slaying the arena of boy
beauty. There are many male beauty
vloggers in India as well and Yohan
Lohia is one of them. He has a huge
Y
number of following on Instagram
and YouTube and posts his beauty
looks and tutorials quite frequently.  by which you can get flawless skin in
I read about Yohan on Times of India
and immediately checked out his
YouTube channel. I was fascinated by
his makeup techniques and how he
creates splendid looks with low key
and affordable cosmetics. He is not a
professional makeup artist, he had a
passion for makeup and wanted to
showcase his talent on a bigger
platform, thanks to YouTube!   level confidence and also I love
Wanting to know more about Yohan,
I interviewed him through email. The
18-year-old, lives in New Delhi and
started his YouTube channel in
January, 2017, under the name
of  'Yohan Lohia.' During the initial
days of his vlogging, he used to post
makeup looks created on his clients
for weddings and other special
occasions. When asked about what
inspired him to create his own
channel, he says, "I never had any
inspiration. But I just wanted to make
a YouTube channel because
I thought it'll be great to do so and
connect with people. And what
I wanted was appreciation which I
never got. So through YouTube
I achieved that.
71
Lohia said that he was always
interested in doing this kind of stuff.
"I used to do these things. Growing
up with acne at the age of 14-15
years, I discovered YouTube. Here
I used to check some remedies to
cure it. But one day, rather than
curing, it showed me videos on 'how
to cover your acne' and Boom! I was
literally shook. I had never heard of
this magical thing called foundation
just a few seconds. And after
that I just got into make-up," he
recalls.  that jazz, you know what I mean. So
He thinks makeup helps in boosting
up the confidence level of a person.
"Make-up gives confidence to me. I
mean, absolutely I love myself
without the mask as well. But make-
up is something which gives me next
make-up because I just love it. So I'm
gonna do it," he says. Yohan's daily
makeup routine includes "roughly
done brows and a tinted lip balm,"
he says. "To be honest I don't even
put any compact on my face
everyday. I mean I would love to do
make-up everyday, but I live in  a
microwave so I can't. By that, I meant
New Delhi. So I just put sun
scream all over my face," says Yohan.
He loves doing his brows precisely
because according to him eye brows
can transform the whole appearance
of your face, if done properly and
neatly. For Yohan, a good face wash,
scrub and a moisturiser according to
one's own skin type can do wonders
for skin. When asked about his  guts!
favourite bloggers, he says,"There's
none. Because each and everybody
inspires me in their own way. Be it
national or international, I really love
watching all of them." Eager, I asked
Lohia about the perception of men
wearing make-up in India.
"Being a boy I was always taught to
do certain things in a certain way.
And same for girls as well. So the
problem here is that people were
taught that make-up is only for girls
and a boy has to always be a man, all
the situation is that people don't
have a habit to see boys/men like
me. So this creates a stereotype. And
that's all what people are filled up
with. But it doesn't matter until my
family has no problem with it.
Because at the end of the day
people forget. And I won't stop due
to people's norms of makeup," he
replies. 
With all the love that Yohan receives
through his channel, he faces a lot of
criticism as well. As stated by him,
there are still a huge number of
people who do not get the concept
of genderless makeup. As my parting
question I asked if all this criticism
ever had a impact on him, he
answers, "It don't really. Because I'm
not really losing anything. Why
would I'll be getting angry or
sad because of these people.  I
won't." So if there's a guy who is
uncertain about applying makeup or
the reactions towards it, tell him to
check Yohan's blog acquire some
 
73
HUE
MAN
Each one of us is born with a similar body design
and plan. No matter what we grow out to become,
we all start as the same!. We, humans are believed
to be the most intelligent on the planet Earth and
this intelligence is irrespective of colour, caste, sex,
religion or body shape. Humans have made
advancements in every field but when it comes to
having basic moral values, we see a worsened
condition now with deteriorating ethics and
increasing intolerance.
It is well-known that no one chooses a body design
for himself, it is what he is given. It doesn’t matter if
a person is skinny or is fat, each one of them has
the freedom of living a peaceful life, away from
continuous mocking of society. It is nowhere
inscribed that fat is ugly or skinny is un-graceful.
Body shaming, is no less than a sin. Body shaming  weight shaming forces people to undergo strict
Words by: Eshan Khanna
Different colours of our
lives must be accepted on
the palette of life
for people maybe just a way of their entertainment
but for those, to whom it is said, it becomes a
reason to crib, cry and lose all hope. It is around us
everywhere, if we look carefully, body shaming is
deep seated in the world around, from anywhere
to everywhere we can gaze a look at. Knowingly or
unknowingly we all would have shamed someone
because of the ill mindset of the ‘perfect
dimensions’ of the society!
Social media has become a worldwide platform of
body shaming or to be precise it is the biggest
platform. Even celebrities like Selena Gomez,
Emma Stone, Demi Lovato, Alyssa Milano, etc and
the list is never ending have faced it but they were
wise enough to respond back. Not everyone has
that wit and courage to respond back. Body and
 
74
 RIA SACHDEVA:

IT IS VERY
IMPORTANT
THAT YOU STAY
TRUE TO
YOURSELF.

dieting schedules to avoid bullying. Students at
school and college are the most vulnerable target
which makes them patients of insomnia and
depression.
Giving vague names to a person on the basis of
their body design shows our cowardliness to
accommodate people who do not fit in our charts.
We are no one to shame anyone else, if they are
skinny or are fat. We must realise that it is not a
flaw and it is not what they chose, it is what they
inherited or acquired on account of some disease
or any other reason. Making fun of anyone’s
physical appearance shows the mindset with
which we grew up.
We must be kind enough to not speak about
anyone if we don’t even know half of what they
have faced.
Being fat or skinny doesn’t say anything about their
character but shaming them on this account says
a lot about ours. No one gives you the freedom to
call a thin person as a ‘ruler’ or ‘pencil’ or whatever
else. Realise that if they don’t respond back then it
doesn’t mean that they can’t.
Body shaming is unacceptable at every level
whether it’s at home or outside. To know the
problems that people face after being repeatedly
provoked and taunted for their body form, I
interviewed Ms. Ria Sachdeva, a 23-year-old, strong
and independent lady, living in my
neighbourhood.
After having a deep conversation with her I came
to know that she tried to commit suicide when she
was in college. I asked about her thought process
which led her to take such a huge step and how
did she overcome it to form such a strong
character of hers. With tears in her eyes she said, “I
still remember how they used to tease me for
being fat. Everyone used to laugh at me. They used
to call me by different names which I don’t want
to remember. This all went on everyday till I was in
the second year of my college. They used to act as
if I was from a different place and their continuous
mocking made me upset with myself and I started
hating myself for being so fat. I started going to the
gym and stopped eating in order to reduce weight
but all went in vain.”
She added, “Nothing worked out for me, I thought
the best possible way to escape all this and punish
myself for being fat was to end my life. I jumped
from the terrace of my house but luckily didn’t die
and I had just broken my bones. It took me three
months to recover and walk again on my feet and
those three months taught me the real meaning of
life and I could realise that how precious this life
was and after that day I started loving myself more
each day and after that when those haters used to
make fun of me, I used to sit with them and laugh
on my own self which made them give up because
I had stopped getting irritated. That suicide
attempt changed my life forever and what I am
today is the reason of that incident. And now I am
perfect in my own skin.”
It is inhuman on our part to force someone to give
in to such an extent that the they feel easier to go
away than to revert back, simply because they
don’t want to fall to a level as low as yours.
Although body shaming’s consequences can only
be understood by people who have been victims
to it but as people of the same civilisation and
planet it is our prime duty to live and let live. In the
dearth of pure souls on the planet, let us all try to
remove our mental illness of body shaming and be
the reason that someone believes in presence of
broad mindsets in the world. Be the propagators of
equality for all and not the ones who discriminate
on the basis of someone’s appearance or weight.
Be good and the good would come back to you!
76
 'Universe of dreams' 'Home sweet home'
By: Gaurav Gupta By: Kriti Raj

'Holding it together' 'Ray on sunshine'

By: Ashwin By: Dev Popli
79
18

ART OF IMPROVISATION
Words by: Natasha Chopra

Surveys reveal that people with disabilities consistently

report a good quality of life. So why is it often
assumed that they are unhappy?

Differently-abled people's potential to work isn't
about holding a pen or having the most sharpest
brain. It’s all about your potential and your creativity
towards your imagination. Most of the disabled
workers want to work but there are some trammels
which do stop them to enter into their own fantasy
world and it’s not them who doesn’t promote
themselves, it’s people like us who make them more
weak, it’s our perspective towards them which forces
them to think about there ailment, which is
completely wrong. Just because we people are
favoured with possibly everything perfect in our
bodies doesn’t mean the one who are handicapped
or poor aren’t part of this world. They are humans
too, just like us or even better than us. Why better?
Because we all so called 'perfect' people are running
in a race where we all trying to make something
really interchangeable. We aren’t thinking anything
futuristic. We aren’t encouraging our imagination and
creativity because we all are bound in a same box
and hence have become more like robots and
probably have stopped thinking like humans. But
these people whom we call 'handicapped' are
actually thinking like humans, they aren’t aware of
any word like 'competition,' all that matters to them
is there happiness. They work for themselves, for there
self satisfaction and this is why they look different
from us. It's not their disability which makes them
different but their creativity and innovative ideas
which makes them different from us.

80

Talking about innovation and creativity in the imperfect
world, here we will introduce you to one of the most
influential non profit organisation, GOONJ.
Goonj is an NGO that started in the year 1999 by founder
Anshu Gupta in New Delhi. His only aim is to treat cloth as
something more vigorous than just alms giving object. It
aims at using underused cloth and other things as an
influential mechanism for a social cause. Every year the
organisation plans something fresh to help the disaster
affected people this time.
One of the most powerful initiative by the Goonj is 'not just
a piece of cloth,' also known as NJPC. What was the
concept behind NJPC? Well we had a word with one of the
workers there namely, Mr. Dashrat vedi and he told us that,
"it’s almost a decade when we came across this frightful
story of a woman who died of tetanus due to a rusted hook
in her blouse which she used during her periods. She
wasn’t aware of it and the consequences. During that time
we had no idea about the profound relationship between
cloth and periods of a women and then this frightful story
led us to go deeper into this issue. We strongly feel that the
issue of menstrual hygiene is much more than a concern in
India." Nearly 69% of rural Indian women are not accessible
to sanitary pads and this is what made Goonj travel across
the country to find that why aren’t they accessible to it.
81
19
"Goonj is a genesis of a parellel economy 
which is not 'Cash' based but 'Trash' based."
-Anshu Gupta
While doing the survey they found out that that these
women usually use cloth during menstruation but when
they don’t have clean cloth, in the absence of it , these
women in villages and city slums use rags, sand, ash, dry
leaves, dry cow dunk etc to deal with it which according to
gynecologists causes infections and harmful diseases,
leading to cancer.
Knowing so many negative aspects to it, Goonj started
NJPC. It’s approach is original in its capability. The
recyclable cotton cloth material which people donate, they
process it and then sort them into different categories, they
then cut them into a sanitary napkin size and hence before
proceeding towards the next step, they make sure to check
if any harmful thing is not left over within the pad with a
magnetic machine and then they convert it into sanitary
napkins by packing them in a beautiful bag by the
name 'MY PAD.'
They also put an instruction form into it which tells the
women as to how to reuse it and what to do and what not
do and the most pleasing thing about that form is that it
also tells them not to follow any myth during
menstruation which these girls are taught. Not only NJPC,
Goonj along has taken many other strong initiatves with it.
 Other one is, 'Daan Utsav' in which they are
18 creating a huge difference by contributing
family kits, school kits, and women dignity
kits for women. People who are effected in
natural disasters and many other aspects
whose needs are not wholly filled by
government are being filled by them.
Millions of donations are done at Goonj by
people and out of those they have
accomplished in making these kits.
Materials like utensils, footwear, school
material, office stationery, wedding
clothes, grocery etc are being donated in a
large number from cities as an influential
expansion resource in the remote villages of
India.

Every year this organisation plans something

inventive. These kits and other things are
given to people as a parallel economy which
is not cash but trash based. Every year more
than 2,000 people take initiatives in
developmental activities and receive family
kits as a reward for there efforts, whereas
students who are not able to continue there
studies because of the financial crises,
students kits are given to them as a
motivational act which will bring a positive
change towards their studies. Goonj deals
with almost 3000 tons of material
yearly. This material reaches these people as
a source of income as these people take up
large scale work like recharging water
bodies, rebuilding local infrastructure,
education. It has also conducted the
organised changes in the disaster relief and
rehabilitation work. Goonj has also opened
up the most vital issue of menstrual hygiene
and providing clean cotton cloth.There is
comparatively easy alteration to the creative
arts in order to make it approachable to
students who are blind or visually impaired.
India is a new home to the world’s largest
number of visually impaired people.

Every year 30.000 children are added to

these special institutes in order to provide
education and creativity learning. 'Andh
Mahavidyalaya' is one of the leading
government institutes in Delhi which offers
free education to the students from primary
to high school. The training includes writing
and reading through braille and even
mobility training for totally blind children.
The school offers free shelter to these
children. The school has an environment
which provides positive and motivational
aura to these people and boost them to
work harder. The curriculum of the school
focuses on the life skills like many
extracurricular activities like yoga, music,
dance, arts and crafts. The school has a
computer training too equipped with screen
reading software to assist and enable the
visually impaired to work with computers.

82
 It is so pleasing to see that these
18
children studying in the blind school are
capable of doing possibly each and every
thing without even realising the
imperfection and it does reflect in
their work. We can see that how proud
these people are of there capabilities, from
writing poems, learning abacus, solving
math equations and working on computers
and what not.

One of the students there while playing his

favourite song on the instrument, I asked
him, what is your dream? To my question he
said, “I am really fond of music, In my free
time I usually listen to radios and I want to
become a RJ because it will help me to get
in touch with people through my voice and
my taste towards of music.”  With such
motivation and confidence we are sure that
these talented children will definitely mark
themselves better than us. I asked another
student of their class that how do you
respond to negative reaction to your visual
impairment? To that she said, “I believe that
negative reaction is two way or the best part
is to ignore it. I never feel ashamed of
it, Probably all of us are imperfect and hence
we could not stop ourselves from achieving
our dreams.

I am pretty much sure not many blind

people really know how sighted people look
at world, which then causes stereotyping
both ways. I like to tell people about my
blindness and to encourage them to explore
my world. I try to be an independent girl as
much as it's possible.” We all live in a same
world, we all have the same bodies and
same features. It's just our perspective
towards it. When knowing these visually
impaired people, the only difference I see
between normal and disabled people is that
the normal ones have not discovered
themselves. 

The very first thing which comes to my mind

when labeling someone disabled is the
power itself, people aren’t and shouldn’t be
marked with anything, be it poor or
disabled. Its all about your vision towards a
change, Just as Anshu Gupta gave a thought
towards the change for all the less fortunate
people and by how these blind schools are
making this world feasible for them despite
keeping their imperfections aside, we all can
join the same race by encouraging it. Some
imperfections are visible in the case of
disabled people while some are not.  

It’s all about your vision

towards a better living.

83
 BRAILLE IS NOT A
D
I
F
F
E
R
E
N
T LANGUAGE
84
85
 STRETCH
THE
MARKS
Words by: Anushree Banerjee
decruoS
My stretch marks, social beauty
standards, and the irony of ‘FLAWS.’
The fleetness of my changeover from girlhood or
womanhood was faithfully marked on my hips. The
lines made their enduring residence there and they do
not plan on leaving anytime soon. Nor do I want them
to. Even as a teen, I always thought of my stretch
marks as animal prints.. But I am not the only woman
with a divine body. In fact, I am in a great community.
When asked to a Skin care specialist, Dr. Sehar Sharma,
she said, “more than seventy percent of women have
stretch marks. These marks appear when the middle
skin layer grows so fast that our collagen, a major
protein component in our connective tissue. When it is
in short supply, these marks start to grow and
production is interrupted. I see this as a great thing.”
But as I grew older, I suddenly understood that stretch
marks, scars, and things of this sort are not meant to
flaunt or being viewed from a positive perspective.
They are meant to hide under our clothes, and must
negatively seen as we stand in front of the mirrors.  
Taiye Selasi a writer by profession said in her article,
"nothing here needs fixing that's why I stopped
listening to the beauty industry." Dr. Sehar sharma
continues by saying that “the cosmetics
monopoly flourishes on fanning women’s
PAGE 21
hesitancy, convincing us that there is always
something to be fixed. Their branding strategy is as
smart as it is sinful, making people believe that there
are endless problems with the appearance of women’s
bodies.” By happy chance, from the past few years,
there has been a cut down to negative body image.
Several campaigns have been floated, encouraging us
to love our flaws. And the more that phrase has
become a popular notion, the more I could not resist
but take it as the irony in that statement. I mean think
about it, if there is a flaw, there is some or the other
standard attached.
We simply can not call something flawed without the
actuality of its standard. And when it comes to a
women’s beauty, the standards are often set by the
person shown in the media pitch which we consume.
In virtual space, what our eyes behold to be a realistic
standard does not actually survive. And if the standard
doesn’t survive, then neither do my 'flaws.'
This is why I refuse to call my stretch marks or even the
small space in between my teeth 'flaws.' I refuse to
glance these parts of my body as 'issues.' The human
body is not the issue, the society is. Now I watch every
mark, every freckle, every dot and every little feature on
my body with the lights on.
86
decruoS
89
PERIOD
SHAMING
Words by: Anushree Banerjee

The strife to end period shamming is

going mainstream.

Let’s proceed with what is obvious: Every woman in the

human history had or has gone through menstruation.
Each month it returns to the origin. And this process is
as usual as eating, drinking and sleeping. Plus
nevertheless, it is beautiful too. There is no human race
without it. Yet most of us feel disgusted while talking
about it.

When girls first start menstruating, that is the time

when they hit puberty. It hurts. PERIODS! they really
hurt. It gives cramps and backaches, emotional
breakdowns and mood strokes and this goes on each
month until 40 years. In public, people discuss periods
as often as they discuss Epilepsy.

When asked from young girls, they said quite a few

things which somehow was related to period
shamming. The things such as they hide pads or
tampons down in their socks on their way to the
bathroom, so no one gets to know that it’s their 'that
time of the month.'  Most of the girls get stains of
blood on their clothes. They also stick clumps of tissues
or toilet papers in their underwear when they are out
of napkins.

Meanwhile, ad campaigns sanitise this stupid mess

with bytes of blue liquid gently falling onto the cotton
pads while women trick in from-fitting white jeans.
Have you ever thought, what would happen, if
suddenly, men could menstruate and women could
not. The answer is clear, menstruation would become a
desirable, fortunate and masculine event.

A world where “men-struation” justifies men’s place

pretty much everywhere. So girls, embrace the beauty
flowing within you and never hide it just because you
are women. Let’s make the flaw flow hard.

90
 BEHIND
THE
SCENES
WITH PRANAV KALRA

101 
Embracing imperfections through the lens of a young aspiring photographer,
Pranav Kalra, a 21-year-old, communication student who has an immense passion
for photography. All his photographs have a story to tell, which will make you walk
away with a question or two in your minds. 

Interview by: Samiksha Gupta

102
103
SG: Your photographs are always
placed against an imperfect
background. Like many other
photographers, you don't do many
indoor shoots with fancy backdrops.
Why?
Q&a
PK: Studio shoots are way too
mainstream. And besides that,
everything inside a photo studio is
very artificial. That is why I like
clicking pictures with a natural
background. The juxtaposition of
nature with humans and the
beauty that comes with it, is
incomparable. When you place
your object or even your model
against an artificially fancy
background, the essence of reality
is lost and gone. 
SG: Even when you choose to click
your photographs in nature itself,
still your backgrounds aren't very
scenic or showcase any kind of flora
or fauna. The spirit of nature is still
not there. Rather your backgrounds
are really worn and torn. Why would
you deliberately choose such
scenery?
PK: When it comes to nature,
instantly the flashy images of flora
and fauna, beautiful landscapes
pop up in our minds. But the
beauty of nature is not limited to
just the newly grown flowers or
huge fancy trees. I think people are
always obsessed with new and
fresh looking things. They want to
see the beauty which is reflects on
the outside. Nobody wants to dig
deeper. This is the main reason
why I deliberately run away from
doing cliche photography. I want
to show essence of wear and tear.
There's beauty in worn out nature
as well. They look depreciated and
rugged and that's where the real
beauty lies.  you seem to be interested in object
SG: The story that you want to
narrate through your photographs is
not at all explicit and obvious. Why
so?
PK: I am an artist. If I put
everything out there which is
direct and clear, things will get
monotonous. It's human   old vintage car, parked inside a    art.
psychology you know? When you
give someone very little
information, they tend to seek
more. That's where the curiosity
arouses. That's what I like doing.
There has to be an enigma.
SG: Imperfections are clearly visible
in all your photographs. Your
pictures are raw and unedited. Any
specific reason behind it?
PK: Well, the irony is that being a
photographer, I hate using
Photoshop. I don't like editing my
photos and why should I? As I
mentioned earlier, the essence of
reality gets lost. Nowadays, people
want to smooth and correct each
and every physical imperfection on
their bodies. But I am totally
against it. We're humans and
imperfections are a part of our
lives, instead of hiding and running
away from them, why not simply
embrace them? I like my
photographs with blemishes, it's
earthling.
SG: Most your pictures have plain
white walls behind them. Why do
you use specifically white coloured
walls?
PK: I mean, I have used bright
coloured walls like red, blue and
yellow before in photographs. But
then, there is something about
white walls, that works well for me.
A white wall is like a blank page.
Or maybe like a canvas. Just like an
artist, I feel like this my blank
canvas and now I can create
anything on it that I want. But with
other colours, I don't get this kind
of creative freedom.
SG: Besides human photography,
and product photography as well.
And again the essence of
imperfection is reflected in your still
life photography. Would you like to
comment something on this?
PK: I feel just like humans, objects
also have a story to tell. My still life
works usually includes old, worn
out and vintage items. Like an
house which is not used by anyone
anymore, has in itself a story to
communicate. Old walls, dried out
plants, worn out and broken
products are some of the things I
like to shoot. The whole
phenomenon of ageing really
impresses me. It's like a certain
thing has been there for years or
maybe decades or even more than
that. Something which once was
valued and loved, but now nobody
cares for it because it has lost it's
charm. People don't understand
the natural process of aging and
start depreciating things and even
humans.
SG: Human emotions are depicted
strongly in your photographs. And
these are not candid shots, you
usually tell your models to act those
emotions. You respect originality so
much, then why don't you shoot
pictures where the emotions are real
and natural? Why do you make them
act?
PK: Yes, I respect everything that is
original and natural. But here, it's
not about originality. When I shoot,
it's like a story that I am producing.
So just like actors have to act
everything and still make it look
like it's a real story, that's the same
thing which I try to do in my
photographs. And as you know, I
like everything that is human,
whether it created, performed or
naturally existing. Until and unless,
it looks real and leaves an impact,
the mode of creation doesn't
matter. An artist has to take
inspiration from the real world
outside and then manifest it, in his
own way. That's what I do.
SG: What inspired you to do this kind
of photography? What were some of
the influences?
PK: These days people have a
certain image in their minds, as to
how they should look and they are
trying to achieve that through
editing. I felt I need to bring the
acceptance of originality back and
there was no better way to achieve
that than through my medium of
104
 U N
PSIDE DOW
Words by: Natasha Chopra

After food, the most crucial scrutiny while choosing a restaurant or cafe is its ambiance and
interiors. Here are some of the most imperfect yet perfect restaurants from across the capital
that score big on both.

105
Restaurants today are going through an uninterrupted
mutation. The new age of eatery goers is judicious yet
refined and assesses your restaurant’s aura, along with the
food quality before drifting into it. Not only are the
interiors of a joint meant to give it a tidy and sophisticated
look, the trend of theme based restaurants have also
picked up. These days restaurants have started adapting
more of a unique and offbeat look. Therefore, it’s not rigid
coming across with Italian, Chinese or Arabic theme or
cafes with the Rock ‘n’ Roll theme. The triumph of these
restaurants is predominantly dependent on the customer
service you provide. Although, what tempts your
customers to your restaurants and keep them will rely not
only towards the good food but the interior design as
well.
Delhi has a myriad culture, which is also manifested in its
eating norms. People are now more open to traverse new
experiences, and many of the restaurants has come up to
nauseate Delhi's food lovers eagerness. It’s not just a new
cookery that the customers are looking for, but also quirky
and innovative ambiance, that gives them a unique and
memorable dining experience. Imperfection is that one
bizarre thing that’s really coming these days and this
article will serve as an attendant to the top eccentric
restaurants in Delhi.
One of them is Echoes in Satya Niketan, which hybridise
social cause with an amazing food. It’s a restaurant where
all the helpers are unalike abled. Well, one eatery has a
distinctive experience in a store for its diners. When you
enter it, you see a smiling server giving you a board that  and mute impaired people to run the café. We saw
reads: 'Eat, engage, energise café,' managed by differently
disabled staff. Echoes cafe opened in December 2015, it’s
run by six deaf and mute impaired staff. It’s so pleasing to
see the idea that on each table there are few cards that
reads: Menu please, fork please, water please etc so that
whatever the need is required by a customer, he can hold
that placard to get quick service. It has a distinctive
concept of bells and light bulbs which means if a
customer wants to call a waiter they can ring the bell
attached to their respective tables. The bells are
connected to a sequence of bulb noted with the number
of the parallel table so that it’s easy for waiters to
recognise the table once a bulb lights up. The restaurant
offers continental, Italian, Mexican and Chinese cuisine.
To lessen the confusion, each food item on the menu has
been given a code that the customer can write on the
note pad at their table.
Negotiating the communication gap between the
customers and the waiters was the biggest challenge for
the owners, but they came with a solution which
eventually  has made the cafe’s name and has become a
symbol for a social cause.
“We wanted to be different so, we thought of intriguing
the place on the theme of ‘motivation',” said Kshitij Behl,
who opened the eatery along with his mates Sahil, Sahib
Gaurav, Shivansh and Prateek
“But we still felt that something was absent. It then hit us
that maybe we could create a prototype by getting deaf
 
106
 THE SECRET
INGREDIENT IS
ALWAYS BEING
UNIQUE
107
differently-abled people do back-end jobs and even no
jobs at times and our aim was to bring them into the
spotlight,” Mr. Behl said. Talking about the imperfection
how can we forget The Junkyard café in Connaught place
which confutes its name and brings a fresh, healthy meal
to the table. The Café, doing egalitarianism to its name,
has the décor made unreservedly out of junk. The first
thing that strikes is the unique interior. The sofas made
out of mother boards of computer, car bonnets,
automobile parts gathered into a robot-like structure, a
junk dinosaur and the list goes on.
One part of the roof is made up wholly of bottles and the
the alluring interiors made of recycled objects. Once you
figure out its second floor location in Connaught Place
though, nothing could be more open, from the stone
border entrance to the commodious interiors, the whole
restaurant respires in wide spaces. Rusty wrenches,
irregular furniture and sprockets welded arts, waiters
dressed in mechanical dungarees and hats, and even a
life size World War I aeroplane model, done up entirely in
wood and making it difficult to take our eyes off from the
neighbouring and focus on the menu. Coming now to
Cafe Imperfecto: Imperfecto, because perfect is way too
monotonous. It is located right at the starting of Hauz
Khas Village, it demonstrates to be tremendously
attainable and the bright exteriors are embracing. The
theme followed by the entire café is clearly observable i.e
Perfect yet Imperfect. It’s a blonde coloured structure
with an unique extrinsic and never ending crazy steps
leading up to the floor number third is what makes
Imperfecto, an eye catcher to everyone.
There are distinctive illustrations that has been doodled
till top. There’s an insertion with a fusion of assorted locks
and one with a pink colored scooter ascended on the
wall. Though the climb is pretty prosaic, the design team
has ensured it’s still congenial. Nuria Rodriguez Parra,
founder of the café imperfecto and who is also the Head
Chef of the joint.   lies within it despite how ripped the things are.
Each and every design and item of décor is a fabrication
of her innovation. The café has been inspired by the
country Spain, right from the interiors, cookery,
arrangements and even their music, has a connection
with Spanish culture. The lighting designed in the café is
flat, yet there is an adequate amount of sunlight as there
are big French style windows with no drapes. There are
few pipes emulsion in red and black on the ceiling which
communicates countrified appeal.  A distinctive
commodity that has been used in amplitude throughout
is hay. It manifestly is common in  Goa, but is tropical
when used here in the heart throb of Delhi. The intelligent
use of hay makes the atmosphere stress free. The concept
of order among chaos is noticeable in the seating
arrangements. Every provision is different from each
other, everything seems to be in symmetry, Keeping in
mind about the imperfect theme this eatery has not
forgotten about the sitting arrangements which has an
unusual coalition of chairs and distinctive table which will
surprise any guest about how perfectly these people are
embracing the imperfect furniture, you will see some of
the chairs are made of wood while others are sack
wrapped ottomans with vibrant cushions embracing the
meaning. Nothing seems to be out of place as it describes
perfectly imperfect. It’s somewhere funny yet so delightful
to see that how people are changing there approach
towards the imperfection. We all have different things in
our homes that are imperfect and pretty in there own
way be it an an old chair that has been with our family
since ages, an evanescence tablecloth brought out for
remarkable occasions, or some part of jewelry or an
ornament that has been regulated and many more things
like these. We shouldn’t be afraid of them or probably
shouldn’t keep them in a store room. If you all can love
what these beautiful eateries has and love going there
again and again because of that quirkiness then why can’t
we all do the same justice to our own place. We should be
proud of the historic essence of those objects, beautiful
stories behind them, and how the beautiful imperfection
 
108
19

.sevil tluda ruo tifeneb thgim yeht woh ees ot snoitcefrepmi

 dellac os eseht fo emos tisiver eW .seceip nekorb ro dlo ,sehtolc tuo nrot
si ti rehtehw ,lamron naht ssel leef su sekam taht spu gnah evah lla eW
 29

 .niaga elohw flesruoy ekam ot eganam uoy ,tib yb tib ,eceip

yb eceip dnA .sesiurb nwo ruoy erutrun dna stnemgarf esoht pu kcip uoy
,sneerehtims ot dehsams si era uoy ohw fo ecnesse eht nehw ,nekorb si tirips ruoy nehW
 :seceip nekorb eht ni lufituaeb erom dna regnorts emoceb ew neht tub ,su skaerb efiL
39

.thgil eht si ti ,lennut eht fo

dne eht ta ssenkrad eht ton si ti ,dne ehT
.semoc syawla ti tuB .stbuod gniregnil htiw dna erusnu ,emoc
yam tI .lluf eht ni tnatluxe ,enacirruh eht ekil emoc yam tI .dne eht syawla si erehT
:gnivil eht ot repsihw a si ,fael a fo llaf ehT
 49

 .srieht ton ,noitaerc ruoy si siht ,kniht srehto tahw fo sseldrager ,yppah uoy sekam
tahw fo erom oD .noitisop ruoy nodnaba uoy sselnu ,uoy ot sneppah taht gnihtemos ton s'tI
 .elbidercni ti ekam dna ti epahs ot deen uoy sgniht tsom evah uoY .noitaerc ruoy si efil ruoY
 :seod enoyreve llitS .ton si tahw dna ',tcefrep' si tahw ediced ot eno on s'erehT
59

.yaw eht fo tser eht ot uoy

 ekat lliw raf siht uoy deirrac hcihw htgnerts eht taht
wonk tsuj ,rehtruf yna og t'nac uoy ekil leef uoy nehW
 :gnidnats llits ,nekorb yllufituaeB
 69

.sgniht fo ssennekorb eht htiw

 ,noitatnorfnoc eht htiw si tI .si noitcerruser eht erehw s'taht dna ,ni steg thgil
 eht erehw s'taht tuB .rehtegot tup uoy taht gnihtyreve ni kcarc a si erehT
:ni steg thgil eht woh s'taht ,gnihtyreve ni kcarc si erehT
79

.esira efil fo smrof emos ,yaced fo tnanmer das hcae roF

 .seid gnihton erutan nI .htaed sa gniht hcus on si erehT
?swonk ohW  ?tsopmoc otni nehw snrut ro
dees ot seog ti nehW ?srewolf ti nehW ?etelpmoc tnalp eht si nehW
 89

.neht emitefil a erahs ll'ew ebyaM

 .yrots tnereffid a ni
sretcarahc sa ,niaga teem lliw ew ,yad eno spahreP
:niaga teem ot trap ylno eW
99

 .tcejbo desu llew

,devol llew a etacidni raet dna raew fo sngis
emos dna tcefrepmi ylsuoirolg dna yssem si efiL
:tra emaceb I ,hctits yreve htiW
  001

.wef nesohc a yb ,ylpeed yrev os devol tuB

.enoyreve yb devol eb ot dlo ooT .smeop ni erutpac eb ot dlo ooT .dlo
sraey fo sdnasuoht si taht uoy edisni gniht lufituaeb a si erehT
:luos evah secalp dlO

Old places are worth preserving. 

111
DISCONNECTED
CONNECTION Words by: Eshan Khanna

Acceptance leads to fluidity and if we really worship nature, we must

implement its rules in our lives.

W
e are surrounded by many things, most of which are gifts for us by
mother nature. The air we breathe in, the water that lets us sustain,
the forest and products that help us thrive in the environment. We
are grateful for the things that we have gotten and those which we
use as though they belong entirely and exclusively to us. We will
never in any way be able to pay back for the things which we have
gotten for free. Not only life sustaining products, but the nature also
gives us the things to draw comparisons with.

As soothing as the night sky, as beautiful as the sky after rain, as

pleasant as the petrichor, as comforting as the shade of a tree on a
hot day etc, we come across such statements almost every day in our
materialistic life. These statements are used to define the beauty of
nature in all its aspects and it is not wrong to say that nature is
indeed beautiful, but there is other side to the coin too, the nature
too has flaws just as we humans have. 

Nothing is perfect. The moon which is referred to as the messenger

of lovers also has spots on it, but ignoring that, we still believe moon
to be beautiful. But when it comes to accepting a person who has
scars, we resort to our double standards and that person has no
beauty according to us. Such double standards have taken over the
human soul which we were given.

A flower with vaguely cut leaves becomes unique and is praised for
its beauty. But a handicapped person, suddenly becomes
unacceptable to society at once. A tree, no matter how old, never
loses its importance to people but as our elders grow old, they
By Joyce Wright become the most unimportant ones for us. A branch which grows as
an epiphyte, is praised for its efforts, but a person who grows the
Photographs by Mark Halberg same way becomes the most criticised one. If by chance a non-
xerophyte grows in desert conditions, it becomes the talk of the town
for being a fighter, but a man who grows from level zero in a
place where his ancestors didn’t fit is looked down upon as a
criminal and his hard work is given no importance. We close our eyes
to the flaws of the nature but act as vultures to the vulnerabilities of
other humans.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
112

CATCH SOME WAVES IN
LAGUNA
BEACH
By Joyce Wright
Photographs by Mark Halberg
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
113
Everyone has flaws, if we look inside us then we will realise that
finding weaknesses in our fellows is our biggest flaw. We share an
intimate connection with each other, a connection that is very
strong. We both are useless without each other.
The Sun, the prime source of light is important, but a father, the
prime source of light for the family is passed into oblivion when we
become capable enough. Even the devastating aspects of the natural
forces do not decrease the beauty of nature in our eyes. We are too
lazy to find blemishes in nature, because for us nature is just the
provider of things and we don’t want to prove ourselves to be greater
than nature, but finding flaws in humans give us a feeling of
unparalleled contentment and that is why we do it blindly.
Vaguely grown trees, bent and stoop, making loops in their trunks are
appreciated but bent and stoop people are made fun of. Irrespective
of the fact that no one chooses an ailing life for himself, the diseased
people become a matter of fun and joke but a rotten tree or flower
with uneven colour patterns and patches is still admired in the earlier
days of its disease, for it being unique. Although such beauty is only
admired by the people who are not experts in botany, but yes, it is
admired. When the shade of an old tree can be calming, why cannot
the shade of a grandparent be calming and if it is soothing, why do
we leave such a beautiful thing to move into a nuclear family. 
If a silent sky at night can be extremely soothing to us and can help
us find answers to some unanswered questions, then why is that
silent boy at school bullied for always being quiet and why is the
silence of a night appreciated, when both of them don’t say anything
to us!. And if a black sky can be beautiful to us then why can’t a black
person be beautiful to us, why do we differentiate on the basis of
colour? If a clean place after rain can give us a broad smile, then why
can’t a person pure at heart, but not fitting in the criteria of ‘beautiful
people’ made by the society become the reason for happiness
irrespective of his colour or religion.
Naresh, a 26-year-old man, who is handicapped explained how he
managed his obstacles while carrying out his disability. He explained,
“I wake up at 5 a.m. and take a bath and get ready for my first job of
washing cars. From 6 a.m. in the morning till 12 p.m. in the afternoon,
I wash more than 20 cars. I return home tired and take a nap. In the
evening, I set up a food stall locally serving Chinese burgers and dim
sums. I don’t see my self any different than you but it’s the
remorseless society which we live in, which keeps on ridiculing my
ailment, looking at me from a different set of eyes and the way I am.”
Every person is good, it just takes the right eyes to see. If we sit down
and start noticing blemishes, then we can even take them out in the
lord too. We must understand that irrespective of the ample flaws in
nature, it is the most beautiful thing of our life, in the similar way if
the flaws of people around us are kept aside they become beautiful
too. God made everyone beautiful and as we ignore the defects of
nature each time, we must also ignore the flaws of humans and then
see the difference. Seeing everything as alluring, makes our own life a
better place to live in and since nature and all its beings are gifts to
us, we are no one to let anyone down on the basis of their differences
with the rest of the people. If differences are the reason of
uniqueness, then those people are distinctive and alas! we are all the
same. When we are blindfolded to the flaws of nature, we must also
be blindfolded to the flaws of others. So, lets grow up and grow out
from our double standards and make the world beautiful for
everyone else too. Change your thinking, it brings a big difference!
115
Everything wears out, so does your make-up.
Nothing worth having comes easy.
DISTRESS
TO IMPRESS
Words by:Natasha Chopra
It doesn’t really matter how you got
your rips in your clothes. We all can
come up with an interesting back story
for our shredded clothes
W
ear and tear is harm that normally and definitely
happens because of typical wear or maturing. It is a
type of devaluation which is believed to happen even
when an item, is used effectively and with care and
legitimate upkeeping.
Perhaps one of the most delicate individual matter
you can lift with people is that of their attire. How
you dress up has become a completely private
business. But people will judge you. Be it your choice
of clothes or accessories. Even talking about fashion
shows we all see how these designers are elevating
the fashion onto a next level. Talking about the trend
'one two punch' where we can possibly combine two
clothes at the same time making it look as
fashionable and trendy as possible.  
The world of high end fashion has now declared
'distressed' clothing as dapper. These days fashion
designers are using digital technology to show
special effects when it comes to wear and tear. They
are even getting moth eaten clothes and even
torches and gun shot to show how beautiful a torn
cloth can look. You really won’t believe but 
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 but professionals are using,air guns, blow torches,
sanding appliances, lasers, loose threads, faded
fabrics and wide holes. Nordstrom has just sold a
$425 pair of denims with a mud caked look.
When these experts can do such insane experiments
then why can’t we? You really don’t have to justify
about your wear or even ripped shoes. Your ripped
shoes showcases that it’s journey that you have gone
through. Clothing shoud be comfortable. There’s
nothing wrong in wearing shredded clothes, its part
of our lives.
According to a VOX populi that we conducted
amongst teenagers aged between 19 to 21 years, at
the Pearl academy of fashion campus, Rajourie
Garden, most declared, “The main idea behind
clothing is to feel comfortable not the protection, if
you like wearing your worn out clothes, wear it!  You
can mix match your clothes with your creativity
A pair of shoes, steaming after a hot day of wear and tear.
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and look stylish.”  Every story has two sides, above
statement was given by the present day teens but to
know how our parent's generation think we asked
the same question, to that they said, “Wearing
torn garments has turned into a design proclamation
that says a person is cheerful, uninhibited and
independent.
Incidentally, such 'autonomous' individuals are
running to the design in a race to look simply like
every other person. Additionally, the individuals who
purchase ripped-up apparels are likely getting ripped
off. Kids these days are really into the trends and
hence they really don’t care what we tell them, all
that matters to them is there style”
The assumption of  'distressed' clothing everywhere,
it is an expression of individuality not any sort of
submission. By accepting them, you become an
independent thinker not a labour of fashion. 
Worn out sweater? wear it inside out.
119

Hide all and
seek never
Words by: Eshan Khanna
Technology was created for the
betterment of the human
civilisation. Was it really? or are
we using it in a whole new way?
T
he world today has become distance less. Everything and everyone
today is just a click away. Even people in the farthest corners of the
world are connected by means of revolutionary technology of
internet and the biggest boon that has brought out the most of the
internet, is the social media.
The world today drools over the profiles on social media. Life
nowadays is about uploading and getting likes. It although teaches
us many things but social media now has become the best platform
to hide one’s imperfections. With phone calls changing to chats and
compliments changing into ‘comments’ people tend to see each
other less and meet only at online platforms. People in earlier times
were humble enough to accept the things they didn’t know but
now people are becoming egoistic, they don’t want to learn new
things. Improving one’s vocabulary is not important now because
since a simple ‘nice’ or‘ awesome’ would do it, so who needs to
know about ‘astounding’ and ‘stupendous’.
With photos being edited to enhance their beauty and forgetting
that beauty is not just white and a certain set of dimensions. With
more and more editing apps being launched each day and
becoming more accessible, photos and people have lost their true
identity. With people focusing more on using face filters to look cute
and better and ignoring that fact that it is more important to filter
the negative thoughts than to filter photos, we are actually taking
the society towards a very dark future where it would be difficult to
know the reality of people.
With smartphones becoming smarter and people becoming their
slaves, the recent introduction of camera applications which
‘beautifies’ a picture before clicking it is an example of how dumb
we can be in order to fit into the criteria set by some people. It is
really depressing to know that people today are focusing on hiding
their imperfections instead of focusing on improving them. Though
it cannot be said that having a weak vocabulary is an imperfection
or a weakness, but not accepting it makes it an imperfection. One
must accept the way he is and once he does that, he has won half of
the battle.
To know more on this I interviewed a blogger whose name is Dhruvi
Gupta, a 22-year-old and from the blog ‘thewardrobeshenanigans.’
She says, “Being a blogger doesn’t come easy, you have to make your
each day and post look like you are having a good time. These days,
the high standards are set , it’s not just the celebrities but also your
friends and fellow colleagues. Social media has caused us to curate
a life which seems perfect and enviable. It makes us put a lot of
effort into editing our pictures, each picture needs to be bright and
colourful. This not only creates stress but also sets impossible
standards and that’s not just for the others, but also for the person
posting that picture. Because all the following pictures must be
better than the previous one."
Certain social media sites have been instrumental in showing the
sparkling and glorious part of one’s life. It has now become common
among people to exaggerate their life. We all tend to hide what
exactly our life is and in the race to become cool, we start hiding our
shortcomings. Everyone has their own reason of resorting to various
social media sites to take over to a life which doesn’t belong to
them and to which they don’t belong. Being fake does no good to
anyone. Having a fake profile shows the cowardliness of a person.
One who is not able to accept himself should never expect from the
society to accept him. It is the need of the hour that we realise no
human is perfect, but persistence is the key tool to overcome the
short-comings of one’s life and walk on the path to a beautiful and a
real life.
120
 LO VE
YO URS ELF
AND
YO URBODY
WILL
LO VE YO U
BACK

121
122
 Words by: Anushree Banerjee

Love yourself and your life will change, almost all of us have some or the
other day heard this advice. Yet, none of us realise that self-love and self-
confidence not only changes our lives, but it may also last longer. 

T
his is extremely true that women often think that their
bodies especially their vaginas are something to shy
from or to be ashamed of.  Some personally believe
that it does not look nice to talk about vaginas in
public, and exclusively not when a problem arises.
Dr. Seema Gupta says, “It is not new that many women
prefer to suffer alone rather than consulting any
gynecologist. They are simply afraid to talk about their
vaginal indications to a stranger, others are shy to
undress and then those who don’t want to answer
embarrassing questions.”
A gynecological examination is always recommended
by doctors at least once a year. Even if we feel
completely healthy about ourselves.  SUPERHERO!
to not shave your pubic hair completely, to letting
them grown wild. It’s after all an individual choice. You
must be thinking about what could be reason to let
your pubes grow naturally wild, ain't you? So here you
go:
You should avoid ingrown hair. The more the in-growns
the more dark your skin will look. Better to keep it
untouched. You should avoid using razors. It burns the
pubic region and leads to irritation and rashes. It gives
you comfort. Your pubic hair is designed to give you
protection. Not only from bacteria, but also from those
day-to-day uncomfortable scenarios. It provides you
with a shield. SO BASICALLY, YOUR HAIR IS A

In today's generation looking neat and clean from To be very honest, there are way too many reasons to
outside has become a trend. A trend which will always not to shave your very own pubic hair. And just let
remain a classic and will never go out of talk. Girls them grow wild. Love yourself and embrace your body
during their mid or late 20’s, if were ever told to not to just the way it is supposed to be and you will never
shave their pubic hair. They will undoubtedly give you regret. Just let loose your mind, don’t feel pressurised
an, "ew! Isn’t that gross?" And if you think you’re one of ever to make your decisions. Always stay in your
them, then  you’re not alone. Most of the people believe comfort zone. It’s your body and yours alone, so
that the hair down there is unattractive. It’s totally ok  you should be the one to make all the decisions..  

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waters changes everything.