Florals and Flu

Ugh waking up from a flu is like getting up from the dead. I am not exaggerating when i say that the amount of pills I was taking caused me to lose taste in even water. Yes. Whoever told you that water has no taste clearly wasn't sick for very long. But its during these kinds of days that you really appreciate the little pampering. Not having to get up to get your plate. Asking people to get you water. Its hard getting back to reality now. It was actually right after this picture was taken that I fell ill. I quite enjoyed it though, given its little kinks here and there. I've learnt to see the positive in every situation. There's a certain load that's taken off your shoulders when you learn to accept that everything happens for a reason. This dress for example. I designed it, from fabric to shoot area. And wearing it gave me such satisfaction deep inside my heart. Its a cheesy thing to say, but its the little moments, little happiness in life that make it worth living. Yes, even the viral infections. 

x  || Floral and butterfly cutout maxi dress ||  x

The Woman

The woman who seems to have it all.

The confidence, the drive and the smile.

The woman who loves herself, inside and out, really living and not living in trepidation.

These are the women that change the world.

The ones that run the world and can power suit their way through the corridors at work.

They dream big and dream fearlessly.

This is a woman I hope to grow into.

Its this woman that I live up to, everyday of my life, from the moment I wake up, to when I lay down at night. 

Maybe even in my dreams. Who knows?

*Women that changed reality. That challenge the day like its a beast to be won over. Women of all ages that inspire.*

Urban Desi #1

Hair dripping, time slipping and options over spilling. This outfit is a result of a morning full of desire to dress up and turn heads. But with the day being full of sunshine and almost no clouds, I decided to play up the grey and dull colors. I cant say it wasn't inspired. Recently I've been bringing so much change into my life. Redoing my room. Cutting my hair in a style I've never tried. I guess change really does make up the spice and variety of life. Keeping your heritage alive and changing with the time is so important. Either is destructive without the other. As a generation it is our responsibility to keep our roots intact and not throw them away just because we don't understand them or the easiest thing is just to discard it, rather than decipher its philosophy. A lot of our traditions may seem baseless and silly, but there must be a reason they've lived on this long, right? Chanel your curious child inside and dig up the meanings and reasons to it all. The only way we can get back to our spiritual sides and advance technologically, is to embrace who we are and envision who we want to be as well.

  

India Being Indian #1

Aesthetes see the beauty in everything around them. As said in Eat Pray Love, Indians have a special way of looking at life. We think it a privilege, not a right. This really is prevalent everywhere. As I walk along the Indian roads, there are certain sights that the regular eye would dismiss. But not these eyes. I try to capture the essence of the desi heart.

These are the moments I witnessed with some kids playing around on a late Thursday afternoon last week, and each of them told me a story. A thought they might have been wandering in at the time, or a memory they recalled. Even something they were deliberately trying to tell me. For some reason, I have always found that taking pictures of the local people has rewarded me with such deep and aesthetically pleasing content, that I can never seem to find in the higher, more sophisticated shoots that I do. That may be something I need to add to my bucket list. Bring life into photo shoots. 
                                                                   I have to be honest, no matter how hard I try to converse in foreign dialects, there's a certain flair that can only be achieved after years of practice. I admit, I'm not quite there yet with Kannada. Lets add this to that ever growing bucket list, shall we?
So with the publication of this post, on starts a series - India Being Indian. I want to share with the world, the magic of our country. The good, the bad and the hidden. All bared and captured.

A Moroccan Tale

So whats the optimal way to maximize happiness on an overcast day? I figured out the answer to this equation a few weekends ago.


Have a Moroccan photo shoot.
As far as camera settings are concerned, you'll get the perfect white, even lighting required to illuminate the face and let the colors pop and dictate the pictures. The white clean background paired with vibrant and intricate subjects created a beautiful palette. A little too good for me to let go.

My subject on that dull day was a realist. She was also a cynic. But had a golden heart, although sometimes it would appear fickle. The day she came in for this shoot, she had a lot of work pending, and had to rush out as soon as we were done. All the while, I knew it was weighing on her mind.Yet the soul that she delivered through, was remarkable. With her Egyptian roots and Indian origin, this was a day that I met patience with haste and created this.

The Mystery Behind the Name

Being a college student, travelling is a fact of life. One that I am more than happy to announce and accept. Its a freedom that sets free inhibitions and fears. I travel a lot by the local buses and auto-rickshaws. And as a result, like every subway, tram and bus rider, I meet the city's inhabitants of every status. We buy the ticket from the same conductor, pay in the same form, look out the same rectangular windows and sit in the same seats. Yet, we don't open our mouth. We happen to communicate through only our eyes and subtle gestures and body languages. and all this with separate background tracks going through each of our eardrums. Unaware of each other yet fully aware of our presence.

                                                  One day, I took out my earphones. Rolled them up and tucked them inside my bag as gracefully as I could with the traffic of Bangalore playing ferociously against me what with the bus swaying, like we were in star wars. I could hear it all. The honks, the engine, the conductor asking for money, the hustle bustle on the streets, the dogs barking maniacally and temple music coming from some hidden corner of the city. But the loudest was every body's utter oblivion to all this. The oblivion to what it means to truly be there. Probably because the unknown is a scary place to be. you don't know what to expect, how circumstances will play out and what you would look like in each of them. Its easier just to keep to yourself, stay in the safe side. But be brave! Talk to that vendor who comes to yours front door everyday to give you the milk. Chat with your beautician. Find out if the security guards, daughter is well or talk to that dadi (grandma) that says hi to you every morning while on her walk. To live fully to each moment, you must connect. It'll probably start out shaky, and awkward. It will only lead to good things. With this thought in mind, I spoke to a woman standing next to me in the bus the other day. She seemed to be a few years older than me and we'd looked at each other a few times already and passed weak smiles. We ended up talking extensively about her job and what she thought of the pollution in Bangalore and how our country has every potential to becoming no lesser than US and China in infrastructure. I gained something that day, when i unplugged myself. I gained a new friendship and insight. I gained optimism and a great debate. Intellectual. We need only get out of our bubble to meet the spectacular world around us, ever moving and colorful.

The mystery behind the name of this blog - A Desi Praheli - is an identity. My identity. Praheli means enigma. I don't think I'm an enigma because i think myself bigger and better than others. Its just that i wouldn't see myself any other way. And neither should you. Each of us are our own enigma, our own hero. A miracle to be shared and celebrated.