THE BUZZMAKERS

Did you always want

to become a singer? Were you trained to
I did, but I never thought be a vocalist?
I’d become a playback singer. Yes, my father is a Hindustani classical
I was always interested in music, singer, so he trains me. I have been
but I didn’t harbour a passion singing since I was a kid, but I started
for playback singing. training when I was 10.

How did you land Secret Superstar?

It all started after I sang a song in the Marathi film Vitti
Dandu. The music director of the film, Santosh Mulekar,
called my mom sometime in 2016 and told her that
someone will get in touch with her about a singing
opportunity for me. Later, Amit Trivedi sir’s manager
called my mom and just asked her to send him a voice
note as he wanted to hear what my voice sounded like.
She did, and a few hours later, he asked us to meet him.
I went to meet him with my father and that’s when we
came to know that they were looking for a singer for
a film called Secret Superstar.

MEGHNA
MISHRA
Super singer in the making
Meghna Mishra, who stole hearts with
her soulful voice in Secret Superstar,
tells us how it all started If given the
chance, which singer
You won several awards for would you like to sing
it too. Did you expect a duet with?
all this adulation? I look up to so many singers,
I was hopin g for it (laughs). My first old and new, and all of them
award was a Filmfare for Best are unique in their own way.
Female Playback Singer. I was So, I don’t think I can mention
performing on stage at the event just one name.
and was nominated for the award,
but I wasn’t expecting to win it.

Do you enjoy performing live?

I love the experience. When you’re
recording songs in the studio, you
have to stick to a particular sequence.
But when you’re performing live,
you can add your own touch to
the songs and change things
around. It’s also fun interacting
with the audience.
—As told to Nikita Sawant
OCTOBER 24, 2018 60 A Times of India publication

DEEPIKA
PADUKONE

WATCHTHE BEHIND
THE SCENES OFTHIS
COVER SHOOT.
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S
HE
IVITY
INC ECIAL
SP
EDITOR’S
LETTER
Is inclusivity in India a joke?
I had just begun writing my editor’s letter for this anniversary issue with a focus on inclusivity
when my phone pinged and a WhatsApp forward landed.
It featured a popular travel portal’s ad, where a mildly successful woman returns after years
to her hometown to be received warmly by her family and her ‘brother’ who is now a ‘sister’; the
ad ends with a disgusted expression on the woman’s face to see such a change, and a punchline
that exhorts you to travel home more often. This attempt at hilarity was appalling. But tellingly
so, it turned out to be a part of the travel portal’s
communication from a decade ago.
O Things are changing even as we create more
narratives around inclusion; the idea of a state that
values, not ridicules, diversity.
, Exactly how the Supreme Court ruled in favour
of the LGBTQ community by decriminalising
I , I homosexuality and partially striking down Section 377.
The landmark ruling by the five-judge Constitution Bench gave us enough reason to feel proud of
our land, especially when Justice Indu Malhotra, the only woman on the Bench, read down the law
by stating:
‘History owes an apology to the members of this community and their families, for the delay
in providing redressal for the ignominy and ostracism that they have suffered through the
centuries. The members of this community were compelled to live a life full of fear of reprisal
and persecution.’
Our anniversary issue goes beyond gender boundaries, and embraces all those who live on the
periphery based on caste, colour, size, ability, community, and region. From social experiments to
interpretations by some members of the minority communities, we have gone all out to understand
what it will take to reach that level of equality.
Our anniversary issue is a small step towards celebrating our differences and being people who
can state unequivocally: ‘I am what I am. So take me as I am.’

Tanya Chaitanya
@tanyachaitanya
@tanyachaitanya27
 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Deepak Lamba
CHIEF COMMUNITY OFFICER & EDITOR Tanya Chaitanya

MANAGING EDITOR Baishali Chatterjee

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Anika Mohla
ON THE COVER
MODEL: DEEPIKA PADUKONE;
SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR Gia Claudette Fernandes PHOTOGRAPHER: PRASAD NAIK;
SENIOR ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITOR Sneha Mahale HAIR: GABRIEL GEORGIOU; MAKEUP:
PRODUCTION EDITORS Shraddha Kamdar, Charlene Flanagan SANDHYA SHEKHAR; STYLED BY:
SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR Nikita Sawant PRACHITI PARAKH; ASSISTED BY:
BEAUTY WRITER Tatiana Dias PALLAK H SHAH; FASHION INTERNS:
JUNIOR BEAUTY WRITER Sanjana Salunkhe NISHTHA PARWANI, MILLI SONECHA;
JUNIOR COPY EDITOR Simran Ahuja KNIT PULLOVER, TOME
ASSISTANT FASHION EDITOR Prachiti Parakh OCTOBER 24 2018 60 A Times of India publication

SENIOR FASHION WRITER Rushmika Banerjee

FASHION WRITER Shruti Shende
ACTIVATIONS COORDINATOR AND STYLIST Mayola Almeida

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Nachiket Barve, Masaba Gupta, Suhani Pittie, Dr Jaishree Sharad,
Kapil Bhalla, Savio John Pereira
SENIOR REGIONAL EDITORS NEW DELHI Anindita Ghosh, CHENNAI Neeti Jaychander ‘Authenticity
REGIONAL EDITOR KOLKATA Hemchhaya De has been my
biggest learning’
FEATURES EDITOR PUNE Radhika Sathe-Patwardhan THE UNSTOPPABLE

JUNIOR FEATURES EDITOR AHMEDABAD Kalwyna Rathod DEEPIKA

PADUKONE
ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER Kriti Saraswat-Satpathy TALKS STRAIGHT

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59TH A
SENIOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Meetesh Taneja
DESIGN DIRECTOR Bendi Vishan
L
THE
SIVITY
ART DIRECTOR (DIGITAL AND BEAUTY) Sameer More INC ECIAL
DEPUTY ART DIRECTOR Renu Sharma Tewary SP#WeThePeople
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR Manoj Kokitkar
ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR Sandesh Patil
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 VOLUME 59 NUMBER 21

22
THE BIG STORY PLUS

BY THE
PEOPLE
Diverse individuals tell us
what inclusivity means to them
through art, food, and poetry

11
THE BIG STORY

We bring to you the challenges

and triumphs of people who are
the very epitome of diversity

ALL ABOUT YOU 34 THE ACE CARD 54 Conversation

30 CAN & ABLE Here’s what the ‘A’ stands PAR ‘XL’LENCE
Why disabilities don’t have for in LGBTQIA We find the right fit for
to mean a lack of desire the curvy Indian body
36 AN EQUAL LOVE
32 Passion Download these inclusive 57 Focus
GIRL, UNINTERRUPTED dating apps now HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Positions to make love-making Moments that redefined
with same-sex partners a breeze 37 Career the world of fashion in 2018
WHAT WOMEN WANT
33 Love We take a look at inclusion
PRIDE TRIBE at workplaces in India
Real-world dating advice
from a few queer people
FASHION
40 Fashion feature
PICTURE PERFECT
Meet the photographers who
promoted fashion inclusivity
through their images

48 Fashion democracy
33 GIRLS LIKE US
How model Toshada and designer
40
Fashion
One love Sunaina Khera are making waves forward
 96
A healthy
spread

LIVING
96 Food
VEGAN WONDERS
Five vegan recipes
to get you started

102 Travel feature

UNIVERSAL TICKET
How travel has become
more accommodating

106 The buzzmakers

MEGHNA MISHRA: SUPER
SINGER IN THE MAKING
The young singer tells
us how it all started

106
Superstar

78
Picture
perfect

BEAUTY 86 Interview
60 Beauty feature ‘I DECIDED TO BE
IN IT TO WIN IT THE CHANGE’
This feature celebrates Former cricketer, and
unconventional beauty and those activist Preethi Srinivasan
breaking norms in the industry shares her inspiring story

68 FACE VALUE 89 ‘NEGATIVITY IS NOT

IN EVERY ISSUE
Try out these lively makeup trends AN OPTION’
in your everyday beauty routine In conversation with 2 EDITOR’S LETTER
visually impaired 3 TOMBSTONE
REALITY comedian Nidhi Goyal 10 INBOX
78 Cover girl GET FEMINA RIGHT AT HOME
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 Amit Aggarwal

Payal Singhal

y Garg
Sanja

To Femina, with love

We turn 59 and to celebrate this glorious milestone we asked the people
who collaborate with us regularly to share what they think of Femina. Birthdays
are special and this one is even more so thanks to the lovely wishes from
our creative allies. Thank you!

nd
h i v a n B hatiyaaa
S Kukrej
Narresh

Monica Sha
Karishma Sh and
wali
 David Abr
and Rakesh aThhaam
kore

Payal Khandwa
la

etty and
Shyma SvhM
Abu Jan Prana isra
and Sandeei p(rig ht)
Khosla
 Anavila Misra

Anushree Reddy

Saaksha Bhat
(right) a
Kinnari Kanmdat

Rina Singh
INBOX

femina.in
HOME | FASHION | BEAUTY||
BRIDES | WELLNESS |
WE HEAR YOU! Write to us at [email protected]
RELATIONSHIPS | CELEBS | LIFE | I have been reading story on major décor
SPIRITUALITY | PAGEANTS | BLOGS
Femina for a long trends of the season
time, and I am always (The Big Story). Gauri
SHARP FOCUS inspired by the real-life Khan’s interview (Reality,
10 blazers you should slip stories published in the Cover girl) was also
into your wardrobe now
magazine. The story interesting, as she talked
GOLD RUSH
Glittery looks for the
on the season’s biggest
design trends (The Big
about her journey as an
interior designer, and her
wedding season Story) was amazing. favourite projects.
I have just moved Gitanjali Dhruv,
GO GREEN into a new home and Ahmedabad
Matcha tea waffle recipe this will definitely
for a healthy breakfast
help me upgrade my The article on how our
WEAVE IN
Go on a textile trail
living space. The colours, furniture,
and textures will add freshness to my
stars can affect our love life (All About
You, Love) was fascinating. I liked
across New Delhi rooms. Thank you, Femina, for such how each sign had been broken down
informative articles. according to its inherent traits. The
We asked our followers on
Vimla Damodar, story on the importance of sharing your
Twitter who they would like Secunderabad financial details with your family
to exchange lives with for a day. (She-conomics) was an eye-opener.
Here’s what they had to say:
I was pleasantly surprised to see Gauri I appreciate the diverse blend
Tanya @Queen_TeeG
Khan on the cover of September 9, of articles the magazine offers.
The author J.K. Rowling. 2018 issue. Her interview (Reality, Shalom Naval Joseph,
I would like to know if she is Cover girl) was also a great read via email
going to write more books
on Harry Potter. and gave us an insight about her
impeccable taste for designing creative Gauri Khan looked gorgeous on the
Puja Malani @PujaMalani
Priyanka Chopra. She is at spaces. I also liked going through the cover of September 9, 2018 issue
the top of her game right now. décor trend report (The Big Story). of Femina and I enjoyed reading her
It would be so cool to live her
life in New York for a day.
It gave me a fresh perspective on how interview (Reality, Cover girl). This
I can renovate my home with warm issue also had wonderful ideas on
Deepanika Roy @deep_
diaries Twinkle Khanna.
tones, retro furniture, and metallic how we can redo our home interiors
I think she is hilarious and textures. The photo shoot of the (The Big Story). The feature on eco-
her everyday life is so season’s glamorous vibe (Fashion, friendly practices that we can adopt
amusing. I would really like
to live her life for one. Feature) fabulously captured the high- to set up our homes (Living, Interiors)
octane energy of the upcoming season. will be helpful. Finally, I will
Ishant Arora @Ishu07
Shah Rukh Khan or any other Jaya S Roshan, Bhopal definitely try the iconic hairstyles
celebrity. I am intrigued to that came with a contemporary twist
know how they go on about
their lives, being constantly
The September 9, 2018 issue was my Beauty, Feature).
photographed everywhere. first-ever issue of Femina. I liked the Seema Suresh Dayal, Lucknow
Kratika Sharma
@kratika1509 Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
AN EXCITING GIFT
WIN!

It would be cool to know how

our country functions on an FROM ACCESSORIZE
everyday basis. These five letters will win
All views belong to the authors and Femina this bejewelled crossbody
has reproduced them verbatim. from Accessorize. It will
definitely amp up your style
twitter.com/FeminaIndia this festive season.
E UALL “Social exclusion, identity seclusion and isolation from the social
mainstream are still the stark realities faced by individuals today, and it is
only when each and every individual is liberated from the shackles of such
bondage... that we can call ourselves a truly free society,” said Chief Justice
of India Dipak Misra, while delivering the landmark judgment on Section 377,
which decriminalised gay sex between consenting adults. The verdict, though,
carried a larger significance as it showed the maturity of a nation to stand
with people who form a tiny section of society.

As the country celebrates a legal milestone, we at Femina have decided

to conduct a social experiment to understand what it takes to be a person
‘different’ from the majority—what it takes for a transgender person to find
accommodation; for a dark-skinned woman to find a suitor; for a disabled
person to access public places, among others. The experiment brought to the
fore the battles of those who have to fight every inch of their way to enjoy
the same freedom often taken for granted by those in the majority.

It’s on this inclusivity, or the lack thereof, we turn the spotlight in our
anniversary special, as we bring to you stories of trials, tribulations, and
triumphs of the people who form the diversity without which inclusivity
may have no meaning.
 THE BIG STORY

NEHA PARULKAR For clothing, it’s assumed that plus-size

women can’t wear shorts, swimsuits,
TASK: TO BUY A DRESS or body-hugging clothes. We are made
OR ACTIVEWEAR to believe that certain kinds of fashion
are not for us,” says the Mumbai-based
“A troubled child who is a confident model, who runs a blog, Plus And
model today,” is how Neha Parulkar Proud, which has over 18k followers
describes herself. The plus-size model on Instagram.
and body positivity influencer says she To check how inclusive the fashion
had a dual struggle as a kid—one with industry really is, Parulkar went to
her weight, and the other with the a swanky mall in Mumbai to buy
constant negativity she was surrounded a dress or activewear. While she had an
by because of it. She says, “I stopped idea about what lay ahead, she was still
eating everything that kids usually love. hopeful of finding something that fits.
I was fat-shamed, and it changed me as “Since the mall houses international
a person. A happy-go-lucky kid turned brands as well, I thought they would
into a sad, grumpy one.” Pressure from cater to a plus-size person, but I had
family members, Parulkar says, also a tough time. The largest waist size they
made her hit the gym early in life, but had was 34 or 36 (I am size 40) and
the diets and workouts didn’t help. even if the tag said XXL or XXXL, the
Instead, they made her unhappy, till the store didn’t have the stock.” At one of the
day she questioned herself, “Why am stores, where they did have a plus-size
I doing this? To prove a point to whom?” section, Parulkar pointed at the racks
Her journey to self-acceptance was and said, “There are eight to 10 racks
not easy. “I was hurt and demotivated, of different kinds of silhouettes and
but gradually learned to stand up for styles for regular sizes, but the plus-size
myself. I wanted to be a person who was section has only one rack—that too with
in love with herself,” says the 27-year- black, plain, or loose dresses. They are
old, who was laughed at by friends and being inclusive, but in a wrong manner.”
family when she revealed her decision It was the same story for activewear—
to be a model. While Parulkar’s internal she could not find anything in her size.
battle was tough, the external one was The model, who has walked the ramp
tougher. “The stereotypes don’t end. It’s at Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) for the
assumed that if a person is overweight, past three years for designers such as (Above and facing page) Parulkar
they must have a disease, or eats all day. Wendell Rodricks and Narendra Kumar, checks out outfits at a store
 says despite the successes, assignments
don’t come easy. “Once I was approached
by a brand that wanted to do a show with
plus size. When I told them I was a size-
22 model, they said they only want to
work with size-16 models. This is India;
size 16 doesn’t even qualify as plus,” says
Parulkar, adding that in international
markets, models who are size 28 such as
Tess Holiday get much work, not just in
fashion, but in the jewellery and beauty
sectors as well. “In India, brands don’t
approach us for any other content
other than fashion,” she says.
That’s not all, the discrimination
reflects in the pay cheque as well, which
is how exclusion happens at the same
time as inclusion. “LFW doesn’t pay
plus-size models because they think they
are giving us an opportunity to be seen.
On the same ramp, a regular model may
make a lakh, but we are not considered
equal professionals,” she says.
During times like these, Parulkar
turns to herself for motivation, as her
family and friends still question her
fashion choices and marriage prospects.
“They are not as discouraging as before,
but they aren’t supportive enough to say
‘do what you really want to’,” she says.
Despite the challanges, Parulkar is
IT’S
IT ASSUMED
S ASSU hopeful of an equal tomorrow, and looks
at the current generation as agents of
THAT PLUS-SIZE change. “We are far from achieving the
WOMEN CAN’T kind of inclusivity we see abroad, but
WEAR SHORTS in the next 10 years, I see a revolution
OR SWIMSUITS.
U happening since this generation is
PHOTOGRAPH: VINAY JAVKAR

WE ARE MADE more accepting,” she says, urging

people to support the cause by stopping
TO BELIEVE THAT
TEXT: ANIKA MOHLA

themselves and others from body-

CERTAIN KINDS shaming. “If you can’t be inclusive, don’t
OF FASHION ARE shut us out. If you can’t be supportive,
NOT FOR UUS. don’t put us down.”
THE BIG STORY

RITU
TASK: TO VISIT A BEAUTY
STORE AND BUY PRODUCTS
As a state-level volleyball player from Rohtak,
Haryana, and the youngest of her siblings,
vivacious and spunky Ritu (she goes by her first
name) was always adored by her family. And
that included a 39-year-old cousin, who was
infatuated with her. Ritu, naturally, rejected
his advances, unaware that this would lead to
a reaction that would change her life forever.
On May 26, 2012, 17-year-old Ritu had
acid thrown on her by some men hired by
her cousin. “I was attacked in a public place,
but no one came forward to help. I kept
screaming in pain for half an hour. Finally,
my brother took me to the hospital, but by
then my left eye was completely damaged.
I was in the hospital for two months, and
have had 15 operations since then,” she says.
The months after the attack passed in
a blur. “I used to feel claustrophobic at home.
The society that used to support me, suddenly
started ignoring me, and I was made to feel like
an outcast. Thankfully, my parents and siblings
helped me cope in whatever way they could,”
recalls Ritu, who is now based in Delhi.
It was her association in 2014 with the
Stop Acid Attacks (SAA) campaign started by
Chhanv, an NGO dedicated to the rehabilitation
and recovery of acid attack victims, and
its founder Alok Dixit, that changed her
perspective. “Before I joined SAA, I would
THE BIG STORY

cousin kept staring at me and there was not

a tinge of remorse on his face. After that,
Alok sir advised me to go to court with my
face uncovered. I paid heed, and found that
my cousin could not look me in the eye,” she
says. Of the 18 accused, five got convicted—
two got life term and the others a 10-year
sentence. “I am glad that justice has been
served, but more than the jail term, I want
them to realise the gravity of their act.
I want them to feel remorse,” she adds.
As part of the social experiment,
(Clockwise from above)
Ritu tries the products at Ritu went to a mall in Noida to see how
the store; an artiste gives people reacted to her. She was already
her a makeover apprehensive, knowing that uncomfortable
stares will follow her everywhere. And she
was not wrong. It was disconcerting to see
people stop in their tracks just to look at her.
When she entered a beauty store, a hint of
nervousness mingled with excitement was
visible on Ritu’s face. Not surprising, since
she is a makeup junkie. The first reaction of
the salespersons was uncertainty. “It seemed
like they were wondering what I was doing
there. But when I started talking to them,
they saw my interest in the beauty products,
TO HELP A SURVIVOR, EMPOWER and they began to thaw. When I decided to
get a makeover, the artiste too was taken
HER TO REALISE THAT THOUGH aback at first, but soon got enthusiastic
HER FACE HAS CHANGED, SHE’S and spent half an hour giving me a fancy
STILL THE SAME GIRL SHE WAS. makeover!” Ritu smiles.
The experiment reaffirmed what
hide my face from people because their Ritu already knew: while people are
discomfort was so evident. It was Alok sir awkward around an acid attack survivor,
who convinced me to face the world proudly. it doesn’t take long for them to get over
It has made a difference in the way people their initial reluctance if they have good
perceive me. They are forced to acknowledge intentions. “That is why I don’t hide my
me, think about an acid attack, and what it face anymore—it gets conversations going.
means to the survivor,” she says. Besides, the experiment was fun and
Life without a veil means Ritu has I loved the makeover,” she says.
to face numerous stares and comments Ritu, now a campaigner with SAA,
on a daily basis, but she has gradually a TEDTalk speaker, and an avid
learnt to take it all in her stride. She says, Instagrammer, has moved on from the
“I don’t have a problem with people who tragedy, and hopes for a society that’s
are genuinely curious and ask me about kinder to acid attack survivors. She says,
my experience. That’s their way of being “If you want to help a survivor, empower
inclusive. There are others, however, her to realise that even though her face has
PHOTOGRAPH: VISHNU SOMADULA

who just stare and pass comments changed, she’s still the same girl she was. Join
behind my back.” the SAA campaign and take part in our Shoot
TEXT: ANINDITA GHOSH

If letting go of her veil was one Acid drive, where you can go to shops selling
milestone, Ritu soon reached another with acid and record a video of it. Also, when you
her court appearance where she came face- hear of a girl who has been attacked, don’t
to-face with her attackers. “The first time shun her, but ask her if she needs your help.
I went to court, I covered my face. My I can guarantee that she will.”
THE BIG STORY

NAMITHA MARIMUTHU
TASK: TO FIND A HOUSE
ON RENT
Namitha Marimuthu, who transformed
to a transwoman over half a decade
ago, is a torchbearer for equality of the
LGBT community. “From the time I hit
adolescence, I knew I was wired towards
being a woman. But I didn’t have any support
because my parents were dead against the
idea. Instead, they locked me up and tried
to get me to seek mental therapy. Finally,
at age 20, I left home,” she says.
At first it was hard for Marimuthu,
who had always been a pampered child.
She struggled to make ends meet, doing
odd jobs. A year later, she met her trans-
mother Sudha, who helped her complete
her transformation. Three months later,
her biological parents decided to accept
her back into the fold.
The journey to be a model wasn’t easy
though. Marimuthu says, “I was over 100kg.
One day I felt I needed to do something,
and started a strict diet and exercise regime,
and lost weight. Then the opportunity to were portrayed badly in the media and
enter Miss Chennai (for transwomen) came movies until recently. We were used
about. I gave it a shot, and won. I also won for comic relief. However, after Sarath
the Miss Pondicherry title. My dream is to Kumar’s film Kanchana, there has been
win the Miss Transqueen India pageant next a slight shift in the way people perceive
year, and then represent the country in an us—as real people with real feelings,”
international pageant.” says the Chennai-based model.
Even though Marimuthu had won titles, For the experiment, Marimuthu went on
it was still a struggle to get into acting. “We a house-hunt for two weeks to assess how
THE BIG STORY

WE NEED TO EDUCATE PEOPLE AND

TELL THEM THAT WE’RE NOT MEANT
FOR BEGGING AND PROSTITUTION.
WE TOO DESERVE DIGNITY.
difficult or easy it is for transpersons to find
an accommodation. She says, “I contacted
a reputed broker and also called two owners
directly via advertisements. At first they
were both warm and friendly, but when
I mentioned I was a transgendered woman,
they found some excuse to hang up.” Marimuthu spent two weeks on the ground,
The broker got back to Marimuthu, seeing how difficult it would be to find
a rented accommodation
asking for a letter from her employer,
a signed affidavit from her parents, and other states, the ID card carries the birth
Aadhaar card. When she mentioned this name. My name, however, has been changed
was out of the ordinary, he said she would in my passport, and my gender mentioned
need to cough up an extra `50,000, since as female in the Aadhaar card,” she says.
it is more difficult to find housing for Together with fbb Colors Femina
transpersons. She says, “I procured the Miss India World 2018 Anukreethy Vas,
affidavit, told him I was self-employed, and Marimuthu is working towards taking care
that he would get my Aadhaar details when of trans people’s basic needs—giving them
I take up a house. He called back in a few education, and empowering them to work,
days, saying we had two houses we could among other things. “My deepest regret is
visit. The first owner quoted `70,000, that I didn’t complete engineering; I had to
instead of the usual `20,000-25,000, saying pull out in my final year, since I left home.
he will have to deal with resistance from Otherwise I could have had a different life
people in his building.” Disheartened but as a software engineer.” The model is also
not surprised, Marimuthu visited the second working with the Ooruni Foundation
space. The owner asked for `15,000, as towards the needs of special kids.
opposed to `12,000 norm in the block, but She adds, “People from mainstream
was polite and said he foresaw no problems. genders say people like us need to change,
Lastly, she made a call through an ad but they need to change their attitude first.
on a property website, without disclosing I dream of the day when not just in India,
her gender identity. “When I went, and the but the world over, our gender stops
owner realised I was a transwoman, she mattering and we are given the same
said while she would be okay giving me the opportunities to flourish. The only way
apartment, her neighbours would protest. to do this is to sensitise people to our
PHOTOGRAPH: HEMANTH KUMAR

They had young kids, and were concerned needs and to create awareness. There are
about their impressionable minds,” she says. several organisations working towards
TEXT: NEETI JAYCHANDER

Marimuthu admits that Tamil Nadu LGBT rights, and the key is education.
is better than other states in terms of We need to educate people on why it is
attitude towards transwomen. “We have wrong to discriminate against us, and tell
a transgender card, which is not given to them that we’re not meant for begging and
anyone else in the country. Also, in most prostitution. We too deserve dignity.”
THE BIG STORY

VIRALI MODI
TASK: TO NAVIGATE
A MALL ON HER OWN
Earlier this year, Kurla Railway Protection
Force in Mumbai made news for its drive
against illegal travel in coaches for the
handicapped. But more than the offence,
it was the punishment that angered disability
rights activist Virali Modi. The offenders
were paraded with crutches and wheelchairs
on the platform, before booking them
under the Railway Act. “It’s no shame to be
disabled. By parading them in wheelchairs,
they made a mockery of the community.
It was an insult to the disabled rather than
a punishment for the defaulters,” she says.
Modi says it’s this mindset that’s tougher
to fight than being wheelchair-bound.
“We are not considered normal; societal
acceptance doesn’t come easy,” says the
aspiring actor-model, who was also runner-
up in the Miss Wheelchair 2014 pageant.
Born in India and raised in the US, Modi
had come to visit her extended family in
India in 2006, and contracted malaria. It
went undiagnosed upon her return to the
US despite subsequent tests, which included
MRI scans and lumbar punctures. During
a lumbar puncture session, Modi slipped
into coma for 23 days, during when she was
declared dead thrice. She woke up from the
coma to find she was paralysed neck down.
THE BIG STORY

DISABILITY IS DIRECTLY
RELATED TO SEXUAL
HARASSMENT, AND
THAT’S THE FIRST JOLT
(Clockwise from
above) One of
TO EMPOWERMENT.
the many fitting
rooms which To see how accessible public places are,
were wheelchair-
inaccessible; Modi suggested we go to a mall in Malad
Modi struggles to West, Mumbai. Sharing her experience, the
push the elevator activist says, “Roaming around the mall was
button; at a store
easy, but only once I was inside. The first
roadblock was the entry; the ramp was so
steep that I could not pull myself up.” Also
surprising was the thoughtless placement of
huge dustbins below the push-button panel
of the elevators, making it near-impossible
“I was accepting of myself, but others not for her to reach it. Of over 10 stores that she
so. When I got out of the hospital, I called visited, only one had a wheelchair-accessible
my friends, but they no longer wanted to fitting room. There was something else that
speak to me. Being an only child and having we saw happen: people staring at her. “They
no friends pushed me into self-pity,” says the stare as if I have come out of a circus. It could
26-year-old, who tried committing suicide be because not many disabled people are
twice. Modi moved back to India with her seen at such places,” she says.
mother in 2008 for a stem cell treatment Living with stares, she says, has been
when she was diagnosed with transverse easy, but there’s something that can never be
myelitis, a neurological condition in which normalised: sexual harassment. Modi was
the spinal cord gets inflamed and damages molested on three different occasions by
nerve fibres. porters at railway stations in the past. Gender
In 2013, Modi started sharing her life too, she says, plays an important role in
experiences on Quora, and soon found isolating the disabled. “The general mindset
herself standing up for her rights, and is: she’s disabled, what can she do? Disability
for thousands like her. An accessibility is directly related to sexual harassment,
champion today, she’s been instrumental in and that’s the first jolt to empowerment.
getting ramps and wheelchairs installed at Are women really safe while using public
eight railway stations since last year—six transport or going out on their own?
in Kerala, and one each in Hyderabad and What choice are they left with than to
Odisha. Currently working to make stations stay indoors?” Modi asks.
in Mumbai more accessible, she has also Despite the times when she has felt
started #rampmyrestaurant in association hopeless and helpless, the activist is hopeful
with Enable Travel, asking restaurants of an accessible and inclusive India, and
pan-India to ramp up. Modi says, “Once those who will drive this change are today’s
PHOTOGRAPH: VIKRANT KHARAT

I was auditing 30-40 places in Mumbai that youth who are more open, curious, and
claimed to be wheelchair-accessible; turned aware about people with disabilities. She also
out only five were. At one of the places, urges others to speak out about the cause.
TEXT: ANIKA MOHLA

the manager said a ramp was not needed “Spread awareness on social media and raise
because ‘people like you don’t come out’. the issue with nagar sevaks and MLAs. When
I told him people like me don’t come out the able-bodied talk about disability, it makes
because there is no ramp!” a difference,” she says.
THE BIG STORY

GULSHANARA KHATUN
TASK: TO FIND A DATE
Gulshanara Khatun has a problem with
being called dark or dusky. The Kolkata-
based theatre actor has always wondered
why she needs to be described by the
colour of her skin. Due to this perception,
she has had to battle social biases not only
in the professional sphere, but also in her
personal life.
For the two-week social experiment,
Khatun created her first-ever profiles on
a leading matrimonial website and a dating
app. At first, she put up an image with
no filters and later took off the picture to
check whether it made a difference. She
found when the photo wasn’t up, men
invariably sought details about her height,
length of her hair, and skin colour, among
other things. For the first few days, she got
several responses on both platforms,
but they didn’t quite pique her interest.
After some time, she responded to about
10 messages on both the platforms.
“Most men who messaged me were
looking for a ‘beautiful’ woman. They used
the word ‘beautiful’, but it implied that
they were looking for fair-skinned brides/
dates. One man even told me that his
parents are hell bent on finding a girl whose
complexion is ujjwal shyambarno (bright,
wheatish), if not phorsha (fair),” Khatun
says. “Some, who saw my picture, were
surprised that a dusky person like me is an
actor. They wanted to know how I fit in!”
Khatun says online matrimonial sites
and dating forums show how deep-rooted
the social biases against dark skin are.
THE BIG STORY

(Left) Khatun checks the dating app for responses;

(below) creates a profile on a matrimonial website

time for her to be married. Ask her

to apply besan and haldi paste to make
her skin bright,” she recalls. “That I was
good at academics didn’t matter to her.
Thankfully, my mother lambasted her
for her comments!”
To date, Khatun’s complexion continues
to pose challenges in her work sphere,
especially when she is trying for films.
“I went to audition for a lead role once.
After seeing me, the director offered me
MEN, WHO TALK ABOUT a character role, one which hardly had any
LIBERALISM AND FEMINISM, screen presence. I refused to do it. While
ARE ON THESE PLATFORMS TO leaving, I heard the director say, ‘She should
FIND THAT PERFECT PARTNER thank us that we didn’t offer her the role of
a witch!’” the actor recalls. That’s not all.
WITH THE ‘IDEAL’ SKIN TONE. Khatun says she is mostly offered roles of a
maid, sweeper, beggar, or junkie because she
“Educated, well-mannered men, who talk ‘looks’ the part. “Fair girls are preferred
about liberalism and feminism, are on these for lead roles, even if they are bad actors.
platforms to find that perfect partner with I have repeatedly been advised to use fairness
that the ‘ideal’ skin tone. They just want creams or go for skin treatments,” she says.
showpieces, not life partners!” says the How does she continually battle this
30-year-old. stereotype? “When I was younger, such
The responses didn’t encourage her to unflattering comments dejected me. Now,
take the conversation any further, let alone I firmly protest. I wear bright dresses, and
meet any of the prospective dates in person. apply red and pink lipsticks, which, some
“It’s annoying, but then I did expect it. say, suit fair-complexioned women better.
I once befriended a guy on Orkut, where Also, if a makeup artiste tries to ‘make’
I hadn’t uploaded a profile picture initially. me fair or brighten my skin, I resist. I am
Things were fine till the day I did. When proud of my skin colour, and I make it
he saw my picture, he inboxed, ‘You are so clear to everyone,” she says.
PHOTOGRAPH: SOHAM KAR

dark! I couldn’t even imagine it!’ I felt hurt The young actor also adds that she
and insulted,” she says. doesn’t see a more inclusive media-scape
TEXT: HEMCHHAYA DE

The social mindset, Khatun says, hasn’t in the future, unless mindsets change.
changed much since her childhood. “Once, “In fact, social media reveals that men
one of my relatives told my mother, ‘Your and women both continue to harbour
daughter may face difficulties when it is a ‘colourist’ perspective,” she says.
 THE BIG STORY PLUS

BY THE
PEOPLE
One word, many interpretations. We ask people from diverse communities to use their
preferred medium to tell us what inclusivity means to them
Inclusivity is a two-way street. You have to give some to gain means to them. When the submissions poured in, we weren’t
some. That’s the idea we had in mind when we reached out just left in awe by the myriad interpretations, but also sat
to people across communities, and gave them free rein over up and took note of some of our own biases and prejudices.
the next few pages. The brief was simple: to use their words, Because the best creations are the ones that resonate long
brush strokes, and ingredients to express what inclusivity after a page is turned, right?
 JANHAVI KHEMKA
A 25-year-old artist, Khemka lost her hearing when she was nine months old. She uses media such as photography, glass sculpting,
and woodcut for her work. She firmly believes that parents should not lose hope in their children if they are born with a disability

SUDHANVI
“Sudhanvi is an amalgamation of my mother’s name (Sudha) and my name (Janhavi). Ever since I was a child,
my mother taught me how to lip-read by sitting in front of a mirror. I started to learn words by feeling the vibrations
in the throat. Love has the power to heal anything, and I feel lucky for everything my mother has done for me.
This artwork shows the bond between her and me. It is a tribute to not only to her, but to all the mothers in the world.”
THE BIG STORY PLUS

PRIYA
DALI
She is
a 22-year-old
illustrator, whose
work deals with
the topics of sex
and sexuality

“I was always
intrigued by
how curious
people are
about
a person’s
moment of
realisation of
being queer.
When I was
asked, I found
the answer in
a childhood
game of Ghar
Ghar. My short
hair meant
I always played
the boy, but
I was never
uncomfortable
with it. When
you are a kid,
you’re allowed
to question
things, but
as you grow
up, you get
conditioned
to think
a certain way.
Why does
sexuality
have to be
categorised?”
 SHAIKH
AYAZ
Mumbai-based
writer and
journalist Shaikh
Ayaz started
the Instagram
project, Chiliya
Chai, last year.
It explores
stories of hope
and helplessness
in the Muslim
community

“Fabia Isabelle
Postel was
25 when
I met her. She
described
herself as
a dreamer,
among other
things, and was
brutally frank
and poetic
about her life.
This picture
represents
everything
I had in mind
for Chiliya
Chai—
a modern face
of the Muslim
community,
the conflict and
joy that Islam
brings to the
PHOTOGRAPH: DEVANG VYAS

young, and the

desire to be
mainstream
without giving
up on one’s
faith.”
THE BIG STORY PLUS

HEMA GOPINATH SAH

A 45-year-old blogger, her poem Kali called out the Indian obsession with fair skin

“Colourism begins at home. The people we are fighting to change are the same people who love us.
In a nation where a vast majority of people are brown in colour, we have a shocking amount of hate for it.
Inclusion needs to begin at home, because diversity begins at home.”

Fair
Fair, is it? Chocolate: A taste of sex before you've had it,
That you know I'm talking about, skin colour Bittersweet and potent.
And not about justice and equality You would see it in flashes,
and honour? On the burnished bare backs
With all the browns of Lambani women,
In my Camlin watercolour palette, As their mirrored skirts swung in
I would only use peach to paint Sultry Iinsouciance.
The skin of the princesses I drew Too dark on the women.
With golden hair and blue eyes Because they've taken to hiding behind saris
for good measure. And modest blouses.
And yet everywhere I looked,
I saw the hated browns and blacks. Coffee: My skin
On faces, on races. The heady aroma of a fresh brew
swirling about.
Burnt sienna: Calligraphic strokes on the We who love our coffee
wings of a coucal In the Starbucks shade card
Too dark on a baby girl, Latte, mocha, cappuccino,
Minutes old and already mourned. espresso, americano,
We who wax eloquent and argue ferociously
Raw umber: Rich mud, Over the aroma and flavour of
So fragrant as it soaks up the first rain, our particular taste,
Poets have wept; See beauty in only two hues, milk and cream.
Too dark on a girl.
Her mother lovingly buys her creams Obsidian: Darkest of all.
and potions, The colour of the Mother Goddess,
To scour the earth off her skin. Her crystalline rage
Flows underneath as red-hot magma
Burnt umber: Rendered intensely fertile That her Name is sung
by the heat of the subcontinental sun, In reverence and prayer.
Too dark on a girl And just as easily, casually,
With long raven tresses, To demean, ostracise, exclude.
and kohl-rimmed eyes. Unfair.
She doesn't get the part of Cinderella.
 SHAHU PATOLE
A former journalist and Marathi columnist, Patole is the author of Anna He Apoornabrahma, a book that describes
the culinary culture of two Dalit castes

“I recognised that Dalit food was missing from mainstream media’s coverage of India’s food culture.
So, I decided to write a book. This dish doesn’t use oil because we didn’t even have access to it.
The people who would make the oil wouldn’t touch us.”

CORIANDER MUTKE
INGREDIENTS
Coriander leaves, chopped
Jowar atta
Gram flour (optional)
Garlic, a few cloves, crushed
Salt
Red chilli powder or ground green chillies

METHOD
1. Make a dough (similar to that of chapatti) by mixing all the ingredients together.
2. Take the dough in your palms and shape it into small balls.
3. Add some water to a large vessel and place either wheat, paddy, or sugar cane leaves.
4. Place the dough balls on these leaves. You can also use idli moulds for this.
5. Cover the vessel and steam the dough for 10-15 minutes.
THE BIG STORY PLUS

VINATOLI YEPTHO
A slam poet from Nagaland, Yeptho moved to Kolkata in 2013 to study law

“I never questioned what it takes to be Indian back home. It was only after leaving Nagaland that I noticed
that people like me, who look and speak differently, are made to feel less. We don’t want to blend in.
We have a rich culture of our own and just want to be accepted for it.”

I am the diversity
If India is about being brown-skinned and having a sharp nose, I am not an Indian
If India is about having curly hair and big eyes, I am not an Indian
If India is about wearing a sari and a salwar-kameez, I am not an Indian
If India is about speaking in Hindi and being a Hindu, I am definitely not an Indian
If I have to look a certain way to meet your idea of what an Indian should look like,
then I don’t want to be an Indian
I know that I am of Mongoloid descent and a cultural fusion of indigenous and
western. But above all, I also know that I am and will be a proud Indian
You may call me names I absolutely don’t identify myself with
You may hate me for my choice of food or my sense of styling
You may mock me for my accent and how I cannot say the word padhai
You may dismiss the presence of my culture
You may ignore my people’s political history
But you cannot take pride in the diversity of India without including me in it
I am the diversity you proudly talk about every time you are asked to write
an essay about India
I am the foundation of the very idea of what India is and will be
And I am not here to be silenced or ignored
I am not here to fill up your quota of ‘representation’
I am here to find a safe space in my India, one that I have been denied
for many years
I am the voice of the silent cries of my people who have been ignored
for generations now
Let us stop carrying the honour of our ‘nationality’ in our flag and food
And start looking out for the meaning of‘nation’in our people.
—Compiled by Simran Ahuja
 ALL
ABOUT
YOU
ALL ABOUT YOU passion

L
aila, a college
student, composes
music, plays
chess, writes,
and is fascinated
by sex, and masturbates
to porn. Sounds about right
for a college student, no?
The difference is that Laila
(a character essayed by
Kalki Koechlin in the
2014 film, Margarita
With A Straw) is affected
by cerebral palsy. Director
Shonali Bose’s sensitive
handling of the topic hit
home one point: being
disabled doesn’t necessarily
mean being free of sexual
desires. Talking about sex
in India is hard, more so
for someone with a disability.
Asking questions on
improving sex life is a whole
other ball game. We get
experts to answer a few
questions that you may
have left unasked.

What should I keep in

mind before having sex?
Get rid of the thought that
you are not entitled to sexual
feelings because you are
disabled. Kochi-based
gynaecologist Dr Jayanthi
R Kabir says, “If your
disability impacts your
movement, or if you are in
constant pain because of it,
check with your specialist on
whether conventional sex is
advisable. Otherwise, you can
seek pleasure through more
gentle ways like oral sex, the
use of fingers, and other
external stimulants like
vibrators.” If your doctor
gives you a green signal for
conventional sex, keep

Can & able

communication with your
partner clear and open.
Discuss what needs
to be done to make sex
pleasurable for you.
Remember, you have the
same right to consent as
A disability doesn’t naturally have to translate anyone else. If your disability
into a lack of desire. Neeti Jaychander asks a few has rendered you without
sensation in your lower
pertinent questions and gets pointed answers for body, there are several
having a fulfilling sex life regions in the upper body
 a non-disabled person.
Achieving an orgasm can
become a challenge only
when a disabled person has
little control over her body or
restricted movement. In such
a case, it can be reached with
the help of a supportive
partner, supplemented with
tools. Lubricants and
vibrators have been known
to be effective for paraplegic
women,” says Jagannathan.
He says that for
wheelchair-bound people,
specifically designed tools
like chairs, straps, and other
accessories are available
to enhance sexual mobility.

How do I be more
comfortable with myself?
Mexican artist Freida Kahlo
suffered from polio since
childhood. She also had
spinal problems, owing to an
accident during her teens.
that can be stimulated, stimulation are normal Despite it all, she was bold
such as the breasts, the
points behind the ears, and
IF THERE methods of arousal. You
should also check if there are
and comfortable in her skin.
“Acceptance is the first step
lips. “Don’t neglect sexual IS NO any other erogenous spots to getting there,” says
hygiene. If you have NEUROLOGICAL that work for you. If you’re Venkataraman. “Whenever
a caregiver, you will need to
be open with the person
DAMAGE THAT masturbating using your
vagina, then use a good
I met someone I was
attracted to, I was conscious
and ask them for help. Use CAUSES LACK lubricant.” He says of the way I spoke. In time
a vaginal wash before and
after sex, and always use
OF SENSATION, masturbation can
become a challenge only if
though, I stopped being
conscious and started
a condom for conventional THEN YOU a person is paralysed, or has looking at the bright side—
sex,” says Kabir. CAN ACHIEVE neurological disorders that that at least I could weed out
It could be that visual,
hearing, or speech
AN ORGASM. prevent her from feeling
stimulated, or arousing
all the shallow guys, and get
to meet ones who are willing
impairment, or mental herself. He further adds, to stick around irrespective
disabilities like autism, “If you’re using tools like of my disability.”
may not impact a person’s Can I masturbate? vibrators, ensure that you
ability to have sex, but the have full control over What resources can I use?
person needs to be aware Why not, go for it! It is movement. You need to
of the other needs. Parvathi completely okay for be able to pull it out You can use erotic reading
Venkataraman*, a 30-year- women with disabilities when required, or you material, movies, and audio
old hearing-impaired to masturbate. This could injure yourself.” books for stimulation.
entrepreneur, says, undervalued tool can often Organisations working
“I need a lot of visual help you fulfill your sexual Can I have an orgasm? towards the betterment
communication from my needs, without having to deal of people with disabilities
partner. My speech is with the physical and If there is no neurological will usually have
slurred, so I need to factor emotional needs of a partner. damage that causes lack of a counsellor on board, who
that in.” On the other Sexologist Dr Santanam sensation in the vaginal area, could steer you in the right
hand, a visually impaired Jagannathan says, “Your it is possible to achieve an direction to deal with your
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
*NAME CHANGED ON REQUEST

person may need more brain is the most effective orgasm. “For visual, speech specific needs. You and your
verbal cues. You need to erogenous zone in the body. or hearing impair, or women partner should also visit
communicate effectively It all starts from there. First, without an upper limb, or a sexologist who will be able
with your partner on discover your body, and find those with a mental health to equip you with reading
what you expect, your out what it needs. Playing problem, coming to a climax material and practical tips on
boundaries, and what with your genitals or breasts, during intercourse involves how to make sex fulfilling for
you’re comfortable with. and using your fingers for the same techniques as both of you.
 ALL ABOUT YOU passion

Take all the time you need

to synchronise your acts of
oral sex. Make sure nobody
feels awkward because this
position does need effort from
both partners.
Hot tip: Lie on your side and
emulate the 69 position. For
more comfort, place your head
between her inner thighs.

Touchy feely
In this position, one partner
lies flat on her back on a bed
or on the edge of a bed with

Girl,
her legs apart while the other
straddles her body, simulating
intercourse of sorts in the
missionary position. The idea
is to have your sensitive zones
rub against your partner’s.
Explosion of tingles, here
we come (pun intended).

UNINTERRUPTED
Hot tip: Add your fingers to the
mix for extra pleasure.

Going south
Riding the wave of passion with same-sex Gently rub yourself across Sinha is a big fan of this
your partner’s face while your position and it’s easy to see
partners can be tricky. Hemchhaya De
partner strokes your hips. why. Just lie on your back and
lists positions that are guaranteed to please “This can lead to some earth- let your partner go down on
shattering orgasms,” says you to set the 8,000-odd

I
f facts and figures of what we want,” says Seema Roy,* a 34-year-old nerve endings of your clitoris
are anything Leena Roy*, a 36-year-old who works with a finance firm. (yes, you read it right!) on fire.
to go by, lesbians media professional. Hot tip: In this position, manually Hot tip: Try this while one
seem to be having Aindrila Sinha*, a 29-year- stimulating your clitoris can of you is seated on a chair
the best time old IT professional, make you sing! for extra comfort.
in a bedroom. ‘Variation picks up the discussion
in Orgasm Occurrence to the finer aspects, Givers and takers Sexy snuggles
by Sexual Orientation saying the sex The classic 69 rules the If you love spooning, this is
in a Sample of US Singles’, positions one opts for charts, as always. This is all how you can make it steamy.
a 2014 study published makes a world of difference about simultaneous pleasure. Lie down with your partner on
in the Journal of Sexual too. We asked a few the same side, with your
Medicine, reported women to tell us their heads resting on the same
that lesbians orgasmed favourite ones. Take note.
“I ENJOY SEX pillow. Let your partner wrap
74.7 per cent of the time MORE WITH her free arm around your
during sex, compared Just face it WOMEN THAN waist from behind and reach
to 61.6 per cent for This is all about some in-your- MEN, SINCE for your clitoris. Enjoy the
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
*NAME CHANGED ON REQUEST

heterosexual women, face action! One of the sweet-nothings that she

and 58 per cent partners can lie down on the
BOTH OF US murmurs in your ear
for bisexual women. bed while the other gently
ARE AWARE as she inches towards
“I enjoy sex more with straddles her face. The idea OF WHAT WE your G-spot.
women than men, since is to have your sensitive zone WANT.” Hot tip: If you want to make this
both of us are aware stimulated by your partner. position kinkier, use strap-ons.
 ALL ABOUT YOU love

“FOLLOW SOME
LGBTQ-FRIENDLY
PAGES AND
HASHTAGS
ON INSTAGRAM
TO FIND NEW
PEOPLE TO MEET.”

share your live location with

them,” she adds.

STAYING SAFE
Dr Maitri Chand, former

Pride tribe
couples and sexual therapy,
and sexual dysfunction
professor at Mercer University
Medical School, says,
Finding it hard to pick up your love life since you’re looking for “To think that a person
different people to date? Simran Ahuja talks to a few queer can only be infected with
people who offer real-world dating advice a sexually transmitted
disease in a heterosexual
relationship would also imply

W
hile the friends. “I let them know I am communities in India to learn that only one sex can
happily-ever- bisexual. That way, if a friend when and where they are transmit an infection, which is
after and usual knows another girl who may held. Social media can also untrue.” Besides taking care
angst of love be interested in meeting play cupid, especially for of basic hygiene like keeping
stay the same, there is someone new, she can set those who don’t have access your hands, sex toys, and
a slight twist in the modern- us up,” she says. Queer rights to such community parties. surroundings clean, get
day love story. Say hello to activist Pooja Krishnakumar “Instagram works way better regularly tested too. You could
more girl meets girl or Ms recommends attending than Facebook. You have the also research other safe sex
meets Mx stories. Are queer community parties. Check out option of choosing a discreet measures like female
dating rules different? Pearl Facebook pages of LGBTQ username. Following some condoms and dental dams.
Daruwalla, a 30-year-old LGBTQ-friendly pages and
freelance event manager, hashtags on Instagram can RED ALERT
says, “The only difference ON MY provide access to many If there’s one red flag to
is that instead of a boy GAYDAR like-minded people in the watch out for when you start
Can queer people
on the seat opposite mine, comment sections of posts,” seeing someone new, it’s
instinctively tell whether
there is a girl.” Unsure says Krishnakumar. being lied to or being
another person is queer
of how to navigate the field? too? Daruwalla dismisses restricted. Denial can often
We speak to some members the idea as a myth, and says SAVE THE DATE be the devil in disguise.
of the community and have the best way to actually “For the first date, always pick Which is why Krishnakumar
them help you kick-start know if someone is queer is a public place, no matter suggests, “It’s easy to get
to be direct and ask. Easier
a fun and safe love life. how much someone insists carried away and stay in a bad
said than done, you’d think,
but Kumar also agrees that otherwise,” says relationship. People do that
MEET AND GREET one shouldn’t be too afraid Krishnakumar. She goes out of fear that they won’t
In a society that’s just coming to make the first move. “I’ve on to say that you should pick find another person who
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK

to terms with an open display lost more opportunities than a public place for the first understands them. It’s
of the pride badge, how does I can count by being five dates at least. Besides important for you to realise
unnecessarily hesitant.
one find prospective dates? this, it also helps to let that just because someone is
A simple invite asking
Kanchan Kumar, a 21-year-old someone to hang out with a friend know where you are. like you and understands you
seller support associate, you is all it takes,” she says. “Have a friend be ready to bail doesn’t mean she can’t hurt
relies on her network of you out if things go south, and you. Look out for yourself.”
 ALL ABOUT YOU love

THE
ACE CARD
Few know about
it, and fewer still
understand it.
Simran Ahuja
finds that the ‘A’
for asexuality in
LGBTQIA stands
for much more
than meets the eye

N idhi Jain* first

heard the term
‘asexuality’ in
a documentary. The makers
described it as a lack of interest
FOR THE LOVE
OF CAKE
What exactly does asexuality mean?
Michael Egan, a member of Asexual
Visibility and Education Network
doesn’t necessarily come from
attraction to that person,” Egan says.
If you’re wondering, the term
‘ace’ is basically a short form of the
term asexual. The idea comes from
in sex and a disorder that needed (AVEN), explains: “It is the lack a pack of cards, where the ace is
to be treated. At that point, the of sexual attraction to girls, guys, the highest card, thereby turning
only thing Jain was happy about or any gender in between. It’s quite the term asexual into a positive and
was that she had finally found different from romantic attraction.” empowering one. Egan also explains
a description for herself, she was Being asexual, however, doesn’t why you keep seeing the cake emoji
not the only one experiencing it, necessarily mean one doesn’t want or symbol on asexuality forums.
and knew what she felt was to be in a relationship. “Asexual “It started off as an inside joke
a “real thing”. Now, she has people can still admire how within the community, that most
a much better understanding beautiful some people are, but it people in it would rather eat cake
of the term, and how it is far from isn’t followed up by anything beyond than have sex,” he says.
being a disorder. “I have learned appreciation or sometimes romantic To the uninformed, this may
that sexuality is actually fluid, and (but not sexual) intent. On the other sound similar to celibacy. The latter
asexuality is a sexual orientation hand, many aces regularly engage is a choice to not have sex with
like any other. So, I am valid in, maybe even initiate, sex with someone, whereas asexuals don’t
the way I am,” she says. their partners, but that desire really choose to not have sex.
 Not sure how to be there for an asexual
HELPING HAND friend or loved one? Read on:

LISTEN READ UP ACCEPT

Sometimes, the only thing asexuals Research asexuality as much as Remember that people’s
need is to have someone hear them out you can. Luckily, in the age sexual orientation is
and understand what they’re going of the internet, everything is only a small part of who
through. Don’t try to question how they just a click away. Check out websites they are. It doesn’t change
could be asexual or suggest that they like www.asexuality.org who they are at their core,
should probably just “wait for the right or www.theasexual.com for more so try to be as supportive
person to come along”. resources and other narratives. as you can.

“Libido and attraction are two interchangeable. We need to create

different things. You could have a sense of normalcy about asexuality.
a certain libido level and still The only way to do this would be to
not experience any attraction. educate people more,” she says.
It’s like being hungry, but not
knowing what it is you’re hungry SHADES OF GREY
for,” says Egan. The colours in the asexuality
pride flag (horizontal stripes
VISIBILITY of black, grey, white, and
MATTERS purple, from top to bottom)
In June 2017, Puroshotam aren’t just a random
Rawat and Rishav mish-mash of hues.
Saxena launched Each colour has its own
ACEapp, a social meaning. Black stands
media network for for asexuality, grey for
asexuals. The idea the grey area between
behind it was to fill in a being asexual and sexual,
gap where resources for white for sexual partners,
the LGBT community were friends, and family, and
plenty, but asexuals had purple for the community
nothing to refer to. The app as a whole. Since sexual
is available worldwide and, attraction to someone can
according to Rawat, has be a highly subjective matter, the
about 17,000 users, of which “ASEXUALS HAVE SEX, asexuality spectrum helps people
40 per cent hail from the US.
Only five per cent of the users are
THEY MASTURBATE of all identities find their own space.
Mehra explains:
Indian. When asked about this TOO. BUTATTRACTION Sex-repulsed asexuals: Those
disparity, he says, “India isn’t even AND DESIRE AREN’T. who lack sexual desire and
comfortable with homosexuality.
Asexuality is one step ahead. Often,
INTERCHANGEABLE” sexual attraction.
Homoromantics: Asexuals who
people don’t even realise they feel aesthetic and romantic
are asexual because of the lack of student, who identifies herself as attraction towards the same sex.
adequate knowledge to rely upon.” asexual. She goes on to explain that Heteroromantics: Asexuals
Media representation plays its being asexual might be harder for who feel aesthetic and romantic
own part. How often do you see women. In a society where there’s attractions towards the opposite sex.
movies, books, or TV shows where constant pressure on women to get Pan romantics: Asexuals who
PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK
*NAME CHANGED ON REQUEST

a character is asexual? “It’s not married and reproduce, how does feel romantic and aesthetic
just about portrayal, it has to be an one begin to explain to someone attraction towards men, women,
unbiased portrayal. We’ve seen how that there’s a fine line between and transpersons.
homosexuals can be stereotyped. desire and attraction? “Asexuals Sex-positive asexuals: Asexuals
We need rightful representation,” have sex, they masturbate too. who desire sex and have sex
says Meghna Mehra, a 21-year-old But attraction and desire aren’t or masturbate.
 ALL ABOUT YOU love

AN EQUAL LOVE
Tired of swiping through the same old apps? Kriti Saraswat-Satpathy lists out a few inclusive
dating apps that give the dating landscape a fresher perspective

The Delta App Inclov

D
ating is hard. But Shankar Srinivasan, COO and
it becomes harder FOR: LGBTQ FOR: PEOPLE WITH co-founder of Inclov, says,
when you are not Created for the DISABILITIES “The app also has
part of the social LGBTQ community, this According to the World Health a speech-to-text function
majority, and find it that much dating app helps you find Organization, there are at least to help the visually impaired.”
more difficult to find like- a match on the basis of 195 million people with Apart from your basic
minded people. You download a compatibility quiz. It also disabilities in India. Inclov information, Inclov asks for
an app, keep swiping left until lists LGBTQ-friendly places empowers such people with an a few details of your disability.
one day, you delete the app and helps you find events equal chance of finding love. It helps find suitable matches
out of sheer frustration. Cut in cities across India, such based on the intention you
to two months later, when you as Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, mention, which can range
think of giving the entire Delhi, Pune, etc. You can “INCLOV ALSO from finding a friend to
process another shot, and send a message to a person HAS A SPEECH-TO- looking for a life partner.
then rinse, repeat. We help you are interested in, and if
TEXT FUNCTION
you look in the right places that person accepts it, the WooPlus
with these apps, especially chat option is enabled. The
TO HELP THE FOR: PLUS-SIZED
designed to connect app is high on the safety
VISUALLY- WOMEN
those from the oft-ignored meter and ensures that all the IMPAIRED.” WooPlus is designed for
sections of society. profiles listed are verified. the plus-sized. CEO and
founder Neil Raman says he
came up with the idea after
he watched a video showing
some men reacting rudely
to their plus-sized dates. The
app also allows women to rate
men on a five-star grading
system, after they’ve
exchanged messages. It then
deletes profiles of men who
consistently get low ratings,
making it easier for women
to look for the right person.

ACEapp
*ALL APPS ARE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON ANDROID AND IOS

FOR: ASEXUALS
A social networking
platform for asexuals, ACEapp
allows you to find users from
across the world to share
your experiences or even find
PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK

someone to date. While user

reviews do point out some
glitches that need fixing,
kudos to the creators for
providing the means for
making the connection!
 ALL ABOUT YOU career

WHAT
planned on having another child. She was
taken aback by the question, but decided not
to react. She remained non-committal. She
says, “That year, my junior got promoted over

WOMEN WANT
They talk of diversity and inclusion, but Indian
me and I was asked to report to him. Soon, the
assignments I was working on were reassigned.
When I brought it up with my superiors, I was
told that my priorities were different now, and
they needed someone who was fully devoted
companies are far from fully walking the walk. to the job. This, even though I still put in the
Sneha Mahale tracks the trend and looks at the usual hours and had managed to find some
acceptance the idea has received work-life balance. And I was relegated to
handling the coordinating that happens within

T
anisha Karnik*, who works in teams.” Karnik quit a few months later.
a pharmaceutical MNC, was one What Karnik has experienced has probably
of her company’s top-performing happened to you too, in one form or another,
employees for three consecutive at some workplace. No matter how hard
years. She worked on plum projects and was you’ve tried, you’ve felt more like an invisible
ranked highly in her annual appraisals. That spectator than part of a team. And that nagging
was till she got pregnant, two years after she feeling of not belonging refuses to go away
tied the knot. She says, “When I returned till the day you quit.
from my maternity leave, I felt like something The industry one works in could also be
had shifted in terms of attitude in the office. a factor. While anyone can feel like an onlooker
I brushed it off initially.” Then, at her next in the office, women more commonly find
annual appraisal, Karnik was asked if she themselves on the outside in predominantly
male-led workforces. This can affect everything
from morale to career advancement, resulting
“WHEN I RETURNED FROM MY in them dropping out. Shaira Mohan works in
an IT company that caters to the oil and gas
MATERNITY LEAVE, MY JUNIOR GOT sector. It is a primarily male-dominated space
PROMOTED OVER ME AND I WAS ASKED in most countries, and cultural barriers are
TO REPORT TO HIM. I WAS TOLD THAT deterrents to the acceptance of women. “It has
MY PRIORITIES WERE DIFFERENT NOW.” been interesting to note how men in India and
ALL ABOUT YOU career

the Middle East find it hard to acknowledge WHAT HAVING NEARLY

the existence of a suited woman talking tech in COMPANIES
the meeting room. Initially, the bias used to be
TWO-THIRDS OF THE
CAN DO TO WOMEN OUT OF THE
glaring. I used to be indignant and even lost my BE MORE
cool at a business meeting with a particularly INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE HURTS THE
misogynistic gentleman,” she says. As time
Employing an equal
ECONOMY, AND ALSO
went by, Mohan learnt to ignore it and started
number of women. AFFECTS THE LIVES AND
to focus on asserting her position with her
intelligence in the field and work ethic. Male mentors who
FORTUNES OF WOMEN.
advocate gender
equality can be
LET’S TALK NUMBERS instrumental in
Atula Gupta has worked for the last 15 years
The Global Gender Gap Report released by ensuring gender- in the advertising, creative, and content
the World Economic Forum in 2017 states that neutral organisations. writing industry. Her present organisation
India has one of the lowest female labour force Blurring the
is a new-age non-profit based in Bangalore.
participation rates in the world— 28.5 per cent departmental “When I joined, I wondered if I would be able
(compared to 82 per cent for men). Having designation lines to give attention to my family. My manager
nearly two-thirds of the women out of the so that women from ensured I had flexible working hours so that
workforce hurts the economy, and also affects primarily woman- I could be back home in time to be with
oriented roles like
the lives and fortunes of women. my son. The organisation also has an excellent
HR, who may be
Corporate India is slowly starting to accept interested in business
‘no-leave’ policy, trusting that an employee
that a one-size-fits-all approach may not be the development or other should be allowed to take a leave whenever
solution to this issue. Women often have the technical avenues, can a need arises. The employee will do the
dual responsibility of home and work. Office contribute as well. work-related duty anyway, because he
work conditions, on the other hand, tend Conducting or she is committed to it,” she says.
to be geared towards a male workforce. With sensitisation
no strict guidelines about day-care centres, workshops for FOLLOW THE MANDATE
absence of quality control in crèches managers of Companies now increasingly have a diversity
expectant and
or reliable childcare options, and issues and inclusion mandate, which makes them
returning-to-work
pertaining to security and the societal stigma mothers.
look to hire more women. There is growing
about working late hours and travelling, women awareness about the need to take back women
opt for employment opportunities with flexible Offering training who have been on a career break, and
to hiring managers
hours or part-time work. To counter this, an increased focus on creating jobs that
on how to interview
a slew of measures have been introduced to women re-joining offer the elusive work-life balance.
keep women in the workforce. Single mother the workforce. The LaLit Suri Hospitality Group has been
leading the conversation towards inclusivity
Women often have to balance in this regard. The company has a strong policy
their homes and work for ‘equality and diversity’ and employs people
across all sections of society.
Keshav Suri, executive director
of the Group, says, “For many corporate houses,
inclusion is still limited to having women
representation on the board. Being inclusive
and diverse, however, is the need of the hour.
You must start with sensitising your
own staff about the challenges
of the various communities. Hire and give
them opportunities. It is imperative
to provide a safe space to all employees—
PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK
*NAMES CHANGED ON REQUEST

where they are treated with respect and

there is no discrimination of any kind.”
After all, it is only when the
employees bring their whole self to work
can they truly contribute to the growth
of the company.
FASHION
 FASHION feature

PICTURE
PERFECT
From depicting models of different sizes, colours, and ages to introducing concepts like female gaze and LGBTQ
acceptance, these photographers have left no stone unturned to promote fashion inclusivity through their images

ZACK FENWICK
Bare naked
“This image is from my series titled 'Shades Of A Woman'. I wanted to capture women in a natural state from different angles to portray
how they play different roles everywhere they go. With this shot, I want to let all women know that they do not need external sources like
beauty products to look beautiful. The spread of chandan on the model’s face depicts that she does not need perfect skin or hair
to achieve greatness. A woman’s honesty towards everything she does motivated me to bring this concept to life.”
FASHION feature

SOUMYA IYER

On an equal footing
“Diversity within fashion has become an essential topic of discussion. It makes me happy to see the industry finally embracing size
inclusivity, mixed ethnicities, gender fluidity, and ageism. Fashion is independent of, and beyond, skinny and tall models. I like to do my
casting by reaching out to people on social media who are not necessarily professional models. We wanted to pair the professional male
model with someone who does not work with the modelling industry. My stylist showed me Liu Andong’s profile on Instagram for this
shoot and it was a perfect fit. She had such an interesting vibe that I knew having her would add much more personality and character
to the story. Inclusivity in fashion should be effortless and more than just a fad.”
FASHION feature

MONISHA AJGAONKAR
Jaded truth
“This project is about the denial of one’s sexual orientation. In the story, I have tried to explore the relationship of two women—
one waiting for the other to open up to her. The masked girl, conscious of her sexual preference not aligning with the majority,
prefers to go unrecognised. On being pursued by her admirer, she reveals that she is emotionally unavailable. My personal experiences
prompted me to create a project of this nature. Being a person from the LGBTQ community, living in India is exceptionally difficult.
One half of the issue is societal dogma and the other half is how the individuals deal with it. I’ve seen instances where the person
feels a possible attraction, but then recoils out of denial. In the end, the story depicts that by the time the masked girl reveals
her true identity to everyone, she has lost herself in the process.”
FASHION feature

PRETIKA MENON
Stardust
"Sometimes the light is within and it’s so strong, it burns through my clothes and sets everything ablaze."
“I grew into my skin when I left my hometown, and settled into the best version of myself when I found
something I was passionate about. It wasn’t overnight; the feeling of belonging to this world crept in gradually.
I met Gia months ago at a contemporary dance workshop in Kamshet, Pune, and set up a portrait session when
she moved to Mumbai. I found a sheet of gold filament, which I decided to use as the prop. The striking feature
about the fierce human beings I meet is not their strength, but their vulnerability, and the courage to show this
vulnerability to the world, not mask it or change it to fit in. This portrait is intimate, Gia with the gold sheet draped
around her, like a star wrapped around the dark vastness of space. I chose this picture to talk about inclusivity
because I think it has captured the vulnerability of a young adult in a childlike manner.”
FASHION feature

ISHAAN
NAIR

Free spirit
“Taken from the series ‘Fools In Love’, this image aims at capturing sexual fluidity, polyamoury, and bisexuality.
Focussed on a different idea of love and relationship, the intention was to create a story of three individuals who
are happy to share each other. My own realisation of fluidity, and the conditioning behind monogamy and
heterosexual relationships, drove me to create this series. I’m hoping to introduce a new way of looking at love,
marriage, and sexuality through this image.”
FASHION feature

DHRUVIN SHAH
A sense of belonging
“For any photographer, capturing cities is a huge challenge. Big cities, especially one like Paris, offer
contradictions both socially and geographically, and this divide becomes intrinsic to the very fabric
of people. To get to the soul of Paris, you have to get down to its deepest of arrondisements, which
are divided by race and class. My basic idea for this shoot was to bring a person of colour into
a place she is not expected, perhaps not even welcomed, as a sort of weird anachronism. For me,
this is an image of great humanity—candid, everyday, subversive, and full of symbolisms.”
FASHION feature

PARIZAD D
No man’s land
“While inclusivity is the portrayal of people who are otherwise marginalised, I believe that the idea need not be limited to the subject
matter of the image. Over time, I've created work that lies between the realms of fashion, art, and music. For me, nothing is as inclusive as
taking an idea that stems from one art form and extrapolating it into a different medium. This image was a part of a photo story, wherein
we wanted to capture the life essence and duality of a character we created, who looks almost non-descript due to a constantly changing
look. So much so that as a viewer, not only are you uncertain about, say, the gender or the sexuality of this character, but almost as
though you’re not even certain if he’s human.”

—Compiled by Mayola Almeida

 FASHION democracy

Sequinned dress,
Sunaina Khera

(Facing page) Embellished

blouse and shorts, both
Sunaina Khera
 GIRLS
LIKE US
As a fierce (and much-needed) movement, inclusivity has grabbed the steering wheel and made
everyone sit up and take notice. Prachiti Parakh met with Toshada, a vibrant model,
who also happens to be petite at 142cm and braves alopecia, and Sunaina Khera,
a young designer who is making waves with creations she describes as ‘humble-glam’

In favour of odds

A
s we set up shots and test lighting, Toshada
walks into the studio and what instantly The fashion industry is a pioneer of inclusivity. In
strikes us is her gait—confident and the recently concluded Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/
determined. Behind her is Sunaina, our Festive 2018, the label Chola by Sohaya Misra displayed
designer who is exuding excitement to dress transgender dressing on the ramp, and labels Half Full
an unconventional model. Both form Curve and aLL-The Plus Size store showcased diverse model
a portrait of a hopeful future, not just in the fashion sizing. Over time, however, biases have crept in against
industry, but perhaps in our society as well. people who do not fit into the 36-24-36 mould.
FASHION democracy

“WE, AS
BUSINESSES, AND
EVEN AS PEOPLE
IN GENERAL,
HAVE FAILED TO
ADDRESS THAT
WOMEN WHO
CONSUME THIS
MEDIA ARE NOT
PERFECT.”

Multi-sequinned
dress, Sunaina
Khera
FASHION democracy racy

“TODAY, THE WORD INCLUSIVITY IS MAKING AMENDS IN

THE TOXIC BEAUTY STANDARDS SET BY THE INDUSTRY
THROUGH YEARS OF PREFERENTIAL CONDITIONING
DIRECTED TOWARDS ONE IDEAL BODY TYPE.”
Khera says, “For the longest time,
mainstream media has been reserved
for women who look a certain way—
models who are tall, thin, with flawless
skin. But what we, as businesses,
and even as people in general, have
failed to address is that women who
consume this media are not perfect.
They are real, raw, and diverse. The
idea to include an unconventional
beauty like Toshada is an attempt to
bridge this shocking gap, and I’m
here for it.”
To a large extent, our desires, as
a society, are moulded by the media
we consume. The fashion industry
choosing to opt for only tall and
skinny models has deeply impacted the
self-esteem of generations of young
people, who experience dysphoria
(a distressed state arising from conflict
between a person's gender identity)
or even dysmorphia (a condition in
which someone falsely believes that
there is something seriously wrong
with their appearance). “Inclusivity to
me is feeling beautiful in a dysphoria-
inducing world. Today, the word
inclusivity is making amends in the
toxic beauty standards set by the
industry, through years of preferential
conditioning directed towards one
ideal body type,” says Toshada.

The first step

As we get into hair and makeup,
Khera asks the makeup artiste to keep
Toshada’s look all natural, ditch the
wig, and let her beauty shine through.
Toshada appears to be comfortable in
her skin and does not fret about the
instructions. I, on the other hand,
think about the 40 minutes I spend
in front of the mirror every day,
trying to cover-up new-found flaws.
Embellished blouse
and skirt, Making adjustments to the first
Sunaina Khera look, Khera says, “It was just ignorance
on our part as media, designers, and
FASHION democracy

“INCLUSIVITY
IS ACCEPTING
BEAUTY IN ITS
TRUE FORM, AND
IF WE AREN’T
ACTIVELY
PROMOTING
IT, WE AREN’T
PAYING
ATTENTION.”
corporations, but I think increasing
awareness is helping sensitise us.
Inclusivity is accepting beauty
in its true form, and if we aren’t
actively promoting it, we
aren’t paying attention.”
Fashion’s move towards an
all-encompassing industry is
already having its impact, where
photographers, artistes, and
industry professionals are drawn
to unconventional beauty.
Toshada says, “I didn't have too
many barriers to knock down and
I hope we reach a point where more
unconventional models like me
don’t have to either.”

A natural flair
The moment Toshada steps in
front of the camera, she transforms.
Her movements are fluid and she
looks like she was born for this,
which makes me think of some tall,
so-called conventional models
I have worked with, who come nowhere
close to her natural charm in front
of the camera. It made me wonder— Satin trench,
do you really have to look a certain way Sunaina Khera
to be a successful model?
FASHION democracy

(Clockwise from far

left) Outfits for the
shoot; the makeup
artiste retouching
Toshada’s face; the
accessories lined up
for selection; Sunaina
Khera working with
the model; Toshada’s
wardrobe fitting before
the shoot

PHOTOGRAPHS: VINAY JAVKAR; HAIR AND MAKEUP: CYNTHIA; SHOOT COORDINATOR: PRACHITI PARAKH
“AT THE END Final impact consuming our shoot. There is a lot
There has been a definite shift in that can be done to make shoots more
OF THE DAY, attitude, and a trickle-down effect in relatable and break stereotypes around
IT’S ABOUT THE Indian media today. Toshada says the
industry and society may seem far from
conventional beauty norms. Freckles
are lovely. A woman who is short
LENS THROUGH complete inclusivity, but they needn’t or curvy can make a great model for
WHICH YOU SEE. move at the same pace at recognising
beauty as others. The people around
outfits that flatter them. At the end
of the day, it’s about the lens through
IN THINGS LIKE us need to be the voice they want which you see. In things like beauty
BEAUTY AND represented and heard. and fashion, there is no ‘one size fits
*ALL PRICES ON REQUEST

Khera agrees, “Including an all’, which only means that there should
FASHION, THERE unconventional model who does not be no such thing as a convention in
IS NO ‘ONE SIZE conform to ‘tall, thin, and flawless’
can lead to a better resonance with
this art form.”
And as we watch the results of this
FITS ALL’.” the audience of women who are shoot, we can’t help but agree.
 FASHION conversation

(From left) A plus-size model walked the ramp for

Christian Siriano at NYFW; a model in a Chola outfit;
Chromat’s show at NYFW

PAR We explore the road less travelled to find the right fit for the curvy Indian body.
By Rushmika Banerjee

W
hen we started ideating for forefront internationally. Even at Lakmé Fashion
inclusivity in fashion, I steered Week Winter/Festive 2018, held in August this
clear of driving the conversation year, two shows were dedicated to diverse sizing.
towards plus-size fashion, as A meeting with my editor busted that myth,
over the years, the industry has accepted the when she told me how difficult it is for her to
need to bring a much-needed change about find clothes on-the-rack. We returned to that
sizes that go beyond small, medium, and large. topic, and realised that in India, it is indeed
When fashion houses like Christian Siriano a market that has not been explored to its full
and Chromat cast 10 and nine plus-size models, potential. Hetal Kotak, CEO, aLL-The Plus Size
respectively, for New York Fashion Week Store, says, “The industry is opening up and
(NYFW) Fall/Winter 2018 early this year, it gearing to create fashion for fuller frames. There
looked like, body positivity was finally on the are a few online and offline players, who are
FASHION conversation

experimenting with plus-size fashion. Since however, focus not only on plu us size, but also on
it is a niche category, a certain level of expertise, different shapes as well. Both ffashion design and
in terms of fashion, manufacturing, and retail, fashion styling students work with
w different body
is required, but overall it is a great industry to types since there is no fixed sizzing system in
operate in”. This set us on a path to find out if India yet. Unlike in the West, in our country, we
the industry indeed practices what it preaches find different body shapess and sizes across
by making an effectivee inclusive
i l i space for f lt
cultures andd geograph
h she says. Pearl
hy,”
plus-size women. Academy, however,, encourages its
students to work on n wide-ranging
SETTING THE FOU UNDATION themes like plus-sizee, gender non-
The problem that man ny face with plus-size conformity, and sustain n
nability. “Fashion
clothing is that certainn outfits don’t drape well styling students are also encouraged
n to work
on all body types. A speecial skill set is required with plus-size models for their
t photo shoots
to determine the right fabric, cut, and silhouette. in order to understand th hee importance
Our journey hit its firstt block when we started of inclusivity. Many studen nts draw from their
to look for the definitioon of plus-size in India. own experience of body-sham miing and use it to
A quick Google search defined plus-size as effect a positive change through their personal
‘a clothing size designeed for people who are attitude and work,” says Gupta.
above the average size’. The debate, however,
is around the words ‘avverage size’. In the US, sizes RETAIL THERAPY (NOT S SO)
ranging from 14 to 24 are termed plus, while in A quick glance at a few ren noowned high-street
the UK the range is froom 18 to 28. An absence brands will show you how w their XL sizes
of a standard size chartt in India, unlike won’t even fit the averagee Indian woman.
countries such as the US,U Canada, Mexico, “I hardly shop for clothess in India. Sizes
and the UK, makes it ddifficult for fashion aren’t available and, if th
heey are, the
students and retailers tto come up with designs are boring, loosee, or traditional.
uniform measurements. Rixi Bhatia,, Curvy women, contrary to t popular belief,,
co-founder of Halff Full Curve, a plus-size don’t want to hide behindd anti fit, baggyy
clothing label in Inndia,, says, “We don’t ggarments. Theyy want wear clothes that a
learn anything aboout pplus-size clothing in complement their body sh T e option
hape. The o ti n
college. We finallyy did our own research n available,”
to buy clothes off the rackk isn’t a ai ab e
and created a size charrt, which
caters to a major sectioon of the
Indian woman’s boody ttype”. Their “FASHION DESIGN
size chart on the store website AND STYLING STUDENTS
has bust sizes startting from 34
inches up to 48 inches.
WORK WITH DIFFERENT BODY
Shalini Gupta, Areaa TYPES SINCE THERE IS NO FIXED
Head, School of Faashioon, SIZING SYSTEM IN INDIA YET.”
Pearl Academy, claarifiees
how students workk on
diverse sizes, but tthe laack
of a standard meassurem ment
system is definitely a h hindrance.
“Students, and eveen soome faculty,
regularly work on plus-size collections.
We have plus-size dummies available
and our faculty is eexperienced enough
to help with such collections. We,,
(From top) A model fo or aLL-The Plus Size store
in India; fashion stylist Vinita Makhija walked
for Half Full Curve’s show this season; Chromat
showcased diverse sizing on the runway; Half
Full Curve’s runway presentation showcased
outfits on different b s
FASHION conversation

“IN CASE OF LARGER

L
SIZES, ANTI-FIT (From far left)
t A Sabyaasachi Mukherjee bride; models
PROVIDES EAS SE AND wearing anti-fit silhouettes by Kallol Datta and
Urvashi Kaur; outfits from aLL-The Plus Size Store
A CERTAIN RE ELAXED
APPEAL, WHIC
HICH
H WORKS uple
of sizes above orr beelow your specific
IN A PRACTICAL A
ASPECT .” size,” says Urvash
hi KKaur.
says Tinka Bhatia, the oth her coo-founder of Half
Full Curve. Few retail braands liike Westside, W, FIT TO FORM
Marks & Spencer, and aL LL-Thee Plus Size Store Gupta says a change in attitude is what
cater to this inclusive maarket. “Started
“ in 2005, the industry needs riightt now. “The attitude
aLL-The Plus Size is a onee-stopp destination of inclusivity comes froom being comfortable
catering to the fashion neeeds ofo women with with yourself,” she sayss. The biggest example
waist size 34 inches and above
a , and men with of this would be coutu urier Sabyasachi
waist 40 inches and abovve,” Kootak says. Mukherjee, who put an image of a bride
Online e-commerce bbrandss like on his Instagram feeed tot showcase how his
StalkBuyLove.com, Jabon ng.comm, and Faballey. brand creates bridal w wear for all sizes. The
com have a dedicated spaace on n their websites image caption did nott call her a plus-size
for plus-size women as w well. Th hen, there are bride, but simply iden ntifi
fied her as ‘confident,
online stores such as Lasttinch.in, Amydus. radiant, and happy’.
com, and Calae.com, whiich exxclusively After the industtry’s long struggle
cater to curvy women. In n the luuxury of working withou ut standardised sizes, NIFT
segment, designers Shivaan andd Narresh and the textiles miinisstry have come up with
are known for advocatingg bodyy positivity a solution. In the n
nextt two to three years, and

PHOTOGRAPHS: DANIELE OBERRAUCH/IMAXTREE.COM; VIKRANT KHARAT/LAKMÉ FASHION

through their eponymous swimwear label. at a budget of `30 croree, NIFT plans to conduct
Designer Shivan Bhatiya had voiced this opinion a national size survey, whiich will sample 25,000
in an interview to Feminaa earlier this year:“We people (aged 15-65 years) using high-tech, 3D
wanted to be crusaders foor this non-existent whole-body scanners, to pprepare a standard Indian
WEEK WINTER/FESTIVE 2018; INSTAGRAM.COM/SABYASACHIOFFICIAL

market at home, and change the mindset sizing chart. “The Indian aapparel industry uses
of Indian consumers. We wanted the Indian size charts that are tweakeed versions of ones
woman to celebrate her bbody and take pride in of other countries, so returns of the garments
her glorious curves.” Wheen it comes to Indian are in the range of 20 to 40 0 per cent, which is
designers, many of them such as Urvashi Kaur, increasing with the growth h of e-commerce. The
Kallol Datta, and Sohaya Misra (Chola) are main reason for returns—poor garment fit,” the
working with anti-fit silh houettes, which work textiles ministry had said iin a statement this year.
across the size spectrum. “In case of larger Proper representation of diverse shapes
sizes, anti-fit provides easse and a certain relaxed through advertising camappigns, plus-size
appeal, which works in a practical aspect. mannequins, and a standaard size chart would
I actually ensure that I caarry a substantial go a long way in making faashion exclusive for
representation of large sizzes, and most of my all shapes and sizes. After all, in the world
collection is non size-speecific, which means that of inclusive fashion, size ddoes matter.
 FASHION focus

LONG SHOT
Italian fashion house Versace cast 54 models for its iconic Fall 2018 campaign.
Photographed by Steven Meisel, the image was the longest group shot for an advertising
campaign image ever. The photoshoot featured notable models such as Bella and Gigi
Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Adut Akech, and Imaan Hammam, to name a few, and was a diverse
lineup of women of different ages and ethnicities.

Hello from the

other side
Rushmika Banerjee takes a brief look at defining moments in the world
of fashion that have made the industry more inclusive in 2018

TAGS
S OFF
Ready-to-wear label Huemn, SHARP FOCUS
which is known for its gender- While all of us were busy hearting Raw
diverse e campaigns and Mango by designer Sanjay Garg in his
intimate portraits, has campaign Cloud People on Instagram, it
coome up with another was photographer Ashish Shah who was
unconventional concept. silently moving a campaign towards
Itts recent-launched involving real people in this photo feature.
e-commerce
e store Shah cast models from the streets
Huemn.in has three of Northeast to showcase Raw Mango’s
section—men,
s women, ensembles made of handwoven Bengal
an nd non-binary. In this mul, zardozi, brocade, and mashru. The
first-of-its-kind concept models were shot against the picturesque
in In ndia, the outfits in the backdrop of Meghalaya, and it was
non-binary section have a major move towards displaying clothes
been worn and displayed on real women.
by transgender model
Taksh Sharma. This is a great
step by y the brand’s founders
INTIMATE CIRCLE
Pranav v Misra and Shyma Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie line focussed on diverse
Shetty tto give their genderless sizing, and the campaign, shot with plus-size model Audrey
aesthetic c a physical space,
and take the conversation
Ritchie, celebrated all body types. The campaign’s caption, X
a step forward. stands for ALL, was applauded for the message it endorsed.
FASHION focus

WALK OF PRIDE
As Burberry’s creative director
Christopher Bailey took his final bow on
the London Fashion Week Fall/Winter
2018 runway, he also made news with
his last collection for the British heritage
brand. The image that did the rounds
of social media was of Cara Delevingne
sashaying down the ramp in a multi-
coloured Burberry cape (the collection
itself being rainbow-themed). Dedicated
to the LGBTQ+ youth, the rainbow stripe
featured prominently
p y in the line.

BLURRING IDENTITIES
Chola, by designer Sohaya Mishra, who presented her show
Bye Felicia at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018,
explored the theme of drag makeup and gender fluidity.
It was refreshing to see an Indian designer feature drag
queens (Mark Mascarenhas and Sushant Divgikar aka Rani
Ko-He-Noor) on the ramp and openly embrace a subculture.
Male models wore makeup, cropped jackets, and frilly shirts,
while female models strutted in gender-neutral silhouettes.

LEARNING CURVE
Designer-duo Rixi and Tinka Bhatia,
founders of the label Half Full Curve,
promoted body positivity on the runway
of Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort
2018. The model lineup included women
of all ages and sizes, and showed how plus-
size fashion for women can be sartorially
up-to-the-minute. The silhouettes stayed
away from being safe, and included off-
shoulder dresses, crop tops, plunging
CHANEL

necklines, and Grecian-drape gowns.

PRADA

EASY STRIDES
Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2018 Adaptive
LEGACY
campaign featured notable figures from REWRITTEN
It was interesting to note how women
the disabled community, such as
Paralympian gold medal winner and track of colour made historical strides on the
star Jeremy Campbell, motivational runway, in February this year, Egyptian-
IMAXTREE.COM; VIKRANT KHARAT/LAKMÉ
PHOTOGRAPHS: DANIELE OBERRAUCH/

speaker Mama Caxx, paraplegic dancer born American model Anok Yai became
FASHION WEEK WINTER/FESTIVE 2018

Chelsie Hill, and 18-year-old autistic chef the first black model to open a Prada
Jeremiah Josey. The outfits, featuring show in 20 years, the first being Naomi
modified details like magnetic buttons, Campbell in 1997. Meanwhile, Sudanese-
adjustable hems, and Velcro-band Australian model Adut Akech became the
closures marked an important step by second-ever model of colour after Alek
a mainstream designer to make the Wek (in 2004) to walk as the showstopper
industry more inclusive. at Chanel’s Fall 2018 couture show.
BEAUTY
BEAUTY feature
 IN ITto
WIN IT

ON ANJALI, BODYCON EMBELLISHED DRESS, RAJAT TANGRI; EARRINGS, ACCESSORIZE

As inclusivity becomes a driving force, we celebrate

ON TASHI, EMBELLISHED DRESS, RAJAT TANGRI; EARRINGS, JJ VALAYA

some of the best faces in the beauty space who
are leading the way. It’s an industry that has broken
norms and abolished the conventional standards
of beauty by achieving diversity.
By Sanjana Salunkhe
Photographs by Meetesh Taneja
BEAUTY feature

MARIETTE
VALSAN
Actor and model
“Growing up, I used to think
beautiful was not a word

COLLECTION; GOLD-PLATED LAYERED NECKLACE, ACCESSORIZE;

JACKET, KOOVS.COM; PRINTED BRALETTE, MOSCHINO [TV] H&M
that applied to me. I rarely
saw women in the media
who looked like I do.
Today, I see the beauty and
media industries making
a conscious effort to evolve
and expand their definition
of beautiful. When a dusky

EMBELLISHED TIARA, KARLEO

girl like me is no longer
a ‘risky’ or a ‘bold’ choice for
a beauty brand, or is in
mainstream cinema, it
shows that the real change
has happened.”
BEAUTY feature

SANKY EVRUS
Hair artiste
TOP, RHEA PILLAI RASTOGI; NECKERCHIEF, H&M

“The best part about this

industry is that it embraces
different types of people
and treats them all fairly
and equally. I feel privileged
to be a part of it, as people
are so welcoming. I have
been fortunate to find
a path to a place where
I belong.”
BEAUTY feature

TASHI PEDY
Model
“I didn’t know how I was
going to fit into a market
which prefers conventional
facial features. I soon
learned that not all markets
are the same; some
welcome the idea of being
different, and some are
slowly starting to accept it
with changing times and
trends. I know this
development has happened
at a slow pace, but it is
definitely picking up and
gives me a feeling of self-
confidence,self-love, and
a positive attitude.”

BLAZER JACKET, ANIKET SATAM; BODY SUIT, NIKITA MHAISALKAR; EARRINGS

AND RING, SAKSHI JHUNJHUNWALA
BEAUTY feature

JASON ARLAND
Senior manager of
METALLIC JACKET AND PANTS, MOSCHINO [TV] H&M COLLECTION;

artistry, MyGlamm
GOLD-PLATED RINGS & EARRING, SAAKSHI JHUNJHUNWALA

“As a boy, I have never shied away

from applying makeup because
I honestly think that’s who I am.
Years ago, no one would have thought
that a bald, brown, skinny boy will
be wearing makeup and celebrating
beauty. My journey has been amazing
so far, and I have seen change and
experienced more acceptance
in society. I’m glad to be a part
of an industry where art is
appreciated without any biases.”
BEAUTY feature

ANJALI LAMA
Model
“The beauty industry is very
colourful and has welcomed people
from different places, cultures, and
religions. Being a transgender
model, I had my doubts, but I was
wrong as it has been one of the first
places where I have felt welcome
and inclusive, and I truly hope
it remains this way forever.”

HAIR AND MAKEUP: MYGLAMM; STYLED BY: MAYOLA ALMEIDA; ART DIRECTOR
CHUNKY SWEATER , PERO; EARRINGS , TRIBE BY AMRAPALI

(DIGITAL AND BEAUTY): SAMEER MORE.

 BEAUTY feature

FACE
VALUE Be bold, be bright, and paint the town in more than just one hue!
Tatiana Dias shows real women how to infuse this season’s perky
makeup trends into their basic beauty routines
Photographs: Vinay Javkar

PINK AGAIN
If you’re thinking of going down
the pop route, then don’t forget
EARRINGS, STYLIST’S OWN; RINGS, ACCESSORIZE

to strut down pink avenue. Begin

by gently exfoliating your lips and
top it off with a moisturising lip
COTTON SILK SAREE, MODEL’S OWN;

balm. Outline your lips with a bright

pink lip liner and fill them in. Apply
a pop pink glossy liquid lipstick
on your lips. Use a concealer
around the lips to get the perfect
definition. Go with a gold smoky
eye to give it a classy touch.
BEAUTY feature

DUSTED
ROSE
Go for a subdued, yet edgy
look. Begin by prepping your
lids and lips with a primer.
Apply a dusty rose pink
eyeshadow on your lids and
blend it well. Using a gel liner,
create a graphic winged liner
with a fine tip brush, going all

LACE DRESS, HOUSE OF THREE;

the way from the outer

EARRINGS, MODEL’S OWN

corner into the crease and
then to the inner corner
of your eye. Use a similar
shade of lipstick to complete
the colour-coordinated look.
BEAUTY feature

CHERRY
BLOSSOM
You can never go wrong
pairing classics. A fine-
tipped winged eye and
a cherry blossom lip go
hand-in-hand. Moisturise
across your face and neck
for a natural glow.
Use a cherry red colour on
your lips, and a concealer
around your mouth to even

NOSE RING AND STUDS, MODEL’S OWN

out the lines and hide
any spills. Top it off with

CREAM SHIRT, VERO MODA;

a hydrating lip oil for extra
sheen. Give the look
a ’60s feel by adding
a minimalistic cat eye, with
defined brows and a light
coat of mascara.
BEAUTY feature

TWO TO
TANGO
Play around with two contrasting
hues that complement each
other perfectly. Prep your lids
with an eye primer. Tap a bright
WHITE SHIRT, VERO MODA; JACKET, CHANDNI

orange eyeshadow powder

on your lids and create a gradient
that is stronger on the outer
SAHI; NECKLACE, ACCESSORIZE

corners and lighter towards the

inner corners of your eyes.
Top it off with a cobalt blue
winged eyeliner and use
minimal mascara. Tie the
look in with nude lip colour.
BEAUTY feature

ICE PRINCESS
Create a royal vibe with cool
blues and icy silvers. After
prepping your lids, apply
a powdery blue eyeshadow
on the crease and blend it across
the lids. Use a silver highlight
on the inner corners of your eyes
and halfway into the crease—
make sure you mix the shades
well. With a blue glitter eye
MESH CROCHET DRESS, HERA BY AJ;

pencil, draw a winged liner from

the centre of your upper lash line
to the outer corner of your eye
RINGS, MODEL’S OWN

and down mid-way to the bottom

lash line. A glossy nude pink
lip will balance out and finish
the look.
BEAUTY feature

PURPLE
REIGN
Play up the drama with
exaggerated dual-toned eyes.
Use a bright purple shimmery
hue on the outer edge across

SPORTS BRA, MODEL’S OWN; CROPPED BLAZER, VERO MODA;

your lid and shade it in. Once
again, the crease and the
outer corner should have
more pigment than the inner
corner. Add a hint of yellow

NOSE RING AND STUD, MODEL’S OWN

eyeshadow to the inner
corners, and seamlessly
blend it into the purple.
Tightline your eyes and create
a fine, yet defined winged
liner. Draw attention to the
eye with groomed brows
and a nude lip.
BEAUTY feature
HAIR AND MAKEUP: JEAN-CLAUDE BIGUINE; MODELS: SHORMISHTHA MUKHERJEE, NEHA AGRAWAL AND
NATASHA NOEL; STYLED BY: MAYOLA ALMEIDA; ART DIRECTOR (DIGITAL AND BEAUTY): SAMEER MORE.
SHEER BLOUSE, HOUSE OF THREE; CHUNKY NECKLACE, STYLIST’S OWN, *ALL PRICES ON REQUEST;

FINE WINE
Goth lips get a millennial
makeover with this bold look.
After exfoliating your lips with
a mild scrub, apply a nourishing
lip balm. Outline your lips with
a bordeaux shade lip liner,
creating the perfect Cupid’s
bow. Gently fill in your lips and
create a slight gradient, going
lighter in the centre. Top it off
with a deep wine liquid lipstick.
To add a touch of drama, add
a little glitter or clear gloss that
is focused at the centre of your
pout. Complement the look with
a shimmery eyeshadow.
REALITY cover girl

G o o d
e
ivonbly s
Calm, composed, and compassionate, Deepika Padukone has
charmed her way into people’s hearts since her very first movie.
The global icon talks to Rushmika Banerjee about her biggest
learning, mental health advocacy, and her pursuit of happiness.
Photographs: Prasad Naik
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REALITY cover girl

important learnings for me— right from

-! -2)4(4•%&,44!((,4-(4&24(0'4)+,('%"-2>
Authenticity has been one of the biggest and most
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REALITY cover girl
 No. Giving up has never been an option for
me. I don’t think I have ever been through that feeling.
I don’t deny that there were moments of weakness
and vulnerability, but I don’t think any sort of failure
or negativity has led me to want to give up.

How do you feel when you walk into a movie

set today?
Today, there is a sense of familiarity and comfort
i, I am Deepika Padukone,” versus the day when I first walked on to a set. That day,
is how the actor introduced herself to the stylist when everything was new for me—neither did I have any
she walked into the sets of Femina’s cover shoot. experience or understanding of the medium, nor did
Dressed in a simple white tee and denims, she arrived I know what I needed to do. I feel a sense of confidence
at 9:25 for a shoot call time of 9:30 am. Later, she and belonging now.
jokingly told the stylist how technologically challenged
she is when it comes to ordering food online. During What are the lessons that you have learnt
the shoot as well, when the stylist couldn’t find a pair in these years?
of denims that would fit, Padukone happily offered Authenticity has been one of the biggest and most
to wear her own pair and she did. Deepika Padukone important learnings for me—right from the type
on screen is phenomenal. Deepika Padukone off-screen of films I choose to my own personality. I feel it takes
is grounded and her world is as simple as it gets. As a lot of self-awareness to get to that place. Most often,
we wrapped up the shoot in less than three hours, I think we are always trying to be somebody we are
I couldn’t help but appreciate her work ethic, which not. We are always living with the fear of being judged
was devoid of the starry air that one would expect or not living up to other people’s expectations. But it’s
of one of the highest-paid Indian actors in the extremely empowering when you get to a place where
Hindi film industry. you are comfortable with yourself and who you are.
Years later, when I will recall this interaction,
I will always remember how diligent, committed, Does failure intimidate you?
and level-headed Padukone was. These are all No, it doesn’t, and I don’t think it ever has. Being
the qualities that she brings to her work as well, an athlete has taught me how to embrace failure.
which make her characters so convincing—the It is a lesson in life, and one should experience and
vulnerable Tara (from Tamasha in 2015), the feisty accept failure in order to be successful.
Piku (from Piku in 2015), and the courageous
Rani Padmavati (from Padmaavat in 2018). In this Have perceptions changed after you
freewheeling chat, Padukone talks about embracing have come out to the industry about
failures, empowering individuals, and her evolving your mental health?
relationship with Ranveer Singh: Yes, absolutely. There’s been a paradigm shift, where
it has encouraged a lot of people to come out and seek
Was acting your first love? help, not just from the fraternity, but from around
I always felt like I would become an actor one day. the world. That was the very intent of sharing my
Coming from a sports family, we didn’t watch a lot experience in the first place, and I am glad that I
of movies, but on the few occasions that we did, have been able to impact so many lives. I can say this
I would feel that this is where I would reach unabashedly because I experience it on a daily basis
eventually—without knowing how. It was just a gut when people write their firsthand experiences to me. It
feeling. Of course, I continued playing badminton feels good to know that I, along with my organisation,
and later became a model, but today when I look
back at my life, I think about how fascinating it was.
Something that I thought would happen, manifested
Being an athlete has taught me
and worked out for me. I genuinely believe that
if you want something, you focus your energies !(04-(4&+4"%.+>4-4",44%,,('4
on making it happen.
in life, and one should experience
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 REALITY cover girl

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The Live Love Laugh Foundation, was able to highlight Are you considering more
and underline the importance of mental health and Hollywood projects?
bring the conversation to the fore in our country. I am just considering projects. Today, the world
has become so small and inclusive—it focusses
Tell us more about people writing to you… more on the kind of story you are telling and less
People write to me in so many ways. I have people on where it’s coming from and the language it’s being
who write me letters, and pass me notes every time— told in. As an actor, one strives to be part of a film or
whether I am sitting in an airplane or at a restaurant. any sort of medium that has good content. This has
They confide to me, thanking me for giving them that always been the process for me and it hasn’t changed
strength. In fact, recently when I was at restaurant in over the years.
Bangalore, three young girls passed me a note through
the waiter. I just assumed that they wanted a picture How do you unwind?
with me, because that is how it used to be earlier. But I spend a lot of time at home with my parents, sister,
it wasn’t about that. All three of them were in therapy, and loved ones. That’s my way of staying grounded
and collectively they wrote me a note, thanking me for and being rooted. Also, cleaning. Like every other
coming out, as it was after that they were encouraged household, there are people to do it, but there are days
to seek help. Now this is a constant for me, like an when I need to, and happily do it myself.
everyday phenomenon. Then, there are professionals,
counsellors, and therapists who write to me reporting Do you feel actors today feel much more
the surge they see every year. pressured to stay relevant online?
I remember the story of this boy who was clinically I am a bit old-school when it comes to social media,
depressed, but refused to take medication. After he and think the only thing relevant is your work. So if
watched my interview, he willingly went to the doctor you attain popularity and stardom with no substance,
next day and started taking his medicines. Few months it is going to fade away eventually. Substance is key,
later, he specifically told the doctor to mention this to and it will never let you down.
me, and that he is feeling much better, thanks to that
interview which impacted his life. I want to share this How has your relationship with Ranveer
story because I don’t think things like these usually Singh evolved over the years?
come out. It is important for my foundation in its When there are people you connect with in your
journey to destigmatise mental illnesses. life, your relationship is bound to evolve. It should

DIRECTOR: MEETESH TANEJA; STYLIST: PRACHITI PARAKH; ASSISTED BY: PALLAK H

move forward. I think both of us have managed to
You have been asked many times in find that in each other. It feels great to find someone HAIR: GABRIEL GEORGIOU; MAKEUP: SANDHYA SHEKHAR; SENIOR CREATIVE
the past about the pay gap in the industry. who is dependable, who you can trust, who puts
Don’t you feel it’s unfair to ask a female actor you before himself. He is fun to be with, but also
SHAH; FASHION INTERNS: NISHTHA PARWANI, MILLI SONECHA

about her remuneration when the same thing sensitive, emotional, honest, and dependable. Most
wouldn’t be asked of a male actor? importantly, he is my best friend. That’s what I could
The way I would put it is that it was an important see in him when we first met, and that’s what we
conversation to have, because only when you talk have evolved into.
of disparity and bridging a wage gap, can you reach
a place when you don’t have to ask that question again. Is there a life lesson that you would like
We needed to address the issues—whether it was the to share with your fans?
lack of female representation or the wages—because Whatever profession you are in, virtues like sacrifice,
they were glaring in our faces. Over a period of time, commitment, dedication, and hard work are the bare
we had those discussions, so today we can sit back and minimum requirements. I have said this earlier as
say, we don’t need to have them anymore. By sweeping well, follow the three Ds—dedication, determination,
something under the carpet or not admitting it, you are and discipline. All of these things are vital, not just to
not going to address the issue. survive, but also be successful in whatever you do.
 REALITY interview

‘Idecidedtobe
THE CHANGE’
In a split second, life as she knew it was over. Former cricketer, and activist Preethi Srinivasan
shares her heart-breaking, albeit inspiring, story with Nikita Sawant

P
reethi Srinivasan has seen life as now leading the team at her NGO,
a promising cricketer who captained After an Soulfree, Srinivasan has come a long
the U-19 Tamil Nadu state women’s accident took way. Over to the fighter.
cricket team. She was a champion away her
swimmer, excellent at academics, and a girl ability to walk What inspired your passion
who was admired by her peers and their for cricket?
parents alike. For a go-getter like her, having
and confined When I was just four, in 1983, India played its
to give up on her passions may have been the her to first World Cup final against West Indies. Every
most difficult thing to do. But after a seemingly a wheelchair, Indian sat in front of the television screen and
harmless accident took away her ability to walk Srinivasan supported India. I, however, was supporting
and confined her to a wheelchair for the rest had to unlearn the West Indies because I was an ardent fan of
of her life, Srinivasan had to unlearn everything Sir Vivian Richards. I became so engrossed in
she knew and start life afresh. From playing
everything the game that I developed a fever. Such was my
for the state team from the age of eight to she knew madness for cricket, and soon after, my father
losing all movement below her neck at 17, and start took me for formal training with reputed coach
from feeling utterly helpless after the accident to life afresh. P K Dharmalingam. At my first summer camp,
I was the only girl among over 300 boys and
I was perfectly fine with it. At eight, before I was
old enough to know that it was a big deal, I had
already found a place in the playing XI of the
Tamil Nadu women’s cricket team.

You suffered an accident that

completely changed the course of
your life. Can you tell us about it?
On July 11, 1998, I went on an excursion
organised by my college to Puducherry. I was
17 then. On our way back, we decided to play
on the beach for a while. While playing in thigh
high water, a receding wave washed away the
sand beneath my feet and I stumbled for a few
feet before clumsily diving face first into the
water. The moment my face went underwater
I felt a shock-like sensation travel from head
to toe, leaving me unable to move. I had been
a champion swimmer at one point. My friends
immediately dragged me out. I took charge of
my own first aid, told those around that they
had to stabilise my spine. When I reached the “It was my parents’ unconditional love that
hospital in Puducherry, the staff promptly slowly brought me out and offered me
washed their hands off the ‘accident case’. a deeper understanding of life.”
No emergency medical aid was available to
me for nearly four hours. Upon reaching Despite having the support, you must
Chennai, I was taken to a multispecialty have faced quite a few difficulties…
hospital where my treatment began. I have faced difficulties every step of the way.
We had trouble finding caregivers in our village,
How did you cope? because they considered me a bad omen. When
I did not cope well at all. I could not bear the I started Soulfree, the banks wouldn’t allow us
way people were looking at me, so I refused to to open an account because they do not accept
leave the house for two years. It was my parents’ thumbprints as a valid signature. Four days
unconditional love that slowly brought me out after my father passed away, my mother had
and offered me a deeper understanding of life. a heart attack and subsequently needed a bypass
surgery. I was shocked to be suddenly placed in
Who has been your biggest the role of the decision-maker and breadwinner.
support system? With the use of speech-activated software,
My parents, undoubtedly. They quietly sacrificed I started working as a writer for a movie-based
their lives, so that I could live with dignity. All website, which I still continue to do.
three of us moved to Tiruvannamalai in Tamil
Nadu. When my father suddenly passed away of What prompted you to
a heart attack in 2007, our world was shattered. start Soulfree?
Ever since then, my mother has single-handedly When my mother was about to have bypass
taken care of me, which she continues to do. surgery, my parents’ friends came up to me and
After my father’s death, I felt a tremendous void, said, “Have you thought about your future?
and in December 2009, I called my coach and How will you survive?” When the practical
told him that if anybody was still interested in significance of the question began to seep in,
contacting me, he could give them my number. I tried to research living facilities for people in
I did not have to wait even a minute, the phone my condition. I was shocked to learn that there
rang almost immediately. It was like my friends wasn’t a single facility that is equipped to take
had never forgotten me. After my parents, my care of a quadriplegic woman for the long-term,
friends mean everything to me. at least to my knowledge. Around that time,
REALITY interview

I learnt that two paraplegic girls I knew “For inclusion procedures; and connect people with spinal-
in Tiruvannamalai had committed suicide cord injury through conference calls to ensure
by consuming poison. They were both hard-
to become the that they know they are not alone.
working girls; their upper body worked fine, norm across
allowing them to do most household chores. all spheres Can you share a success story
Despite this, they were ostracised by their in society, from Soulfree?
families. I was shocked that such things could the sense of There are many. Take for instance Poosari,
happen. I decided to be the agent of change who suffered a spinal cord injury and remained
and that’s how Soulfree was born.
connectedness bedridden for seven years. Then, with the
needs to seep support of Soulfree, he gained confidence and
In what ways does Soulfree help deep into has taken to farming. After leasing three acres
differently abled people? all of us.” of land, he has grown as many as 108 sacks of
Soulfree’s main goals are to spread awareness rice, and earned more than `1 lakh proving
about spinal cord injuries in India and to ensure that paraplegics can overcome any challenge
that those living with this currently incurable through honest effort. Poosari’s story shows us
condition are given the opportunity to lead that if we believe in somebody and support them
a dignified and purposeful life. A project wholeheartedly, amazing things can happen.
that is working well is the monthly stipend
programme, which supports those with high- The general mindset about
level injuries from low-income backgrounds. disabilities is still quite backward
We also organise wheelchair donation in India. What are your thoughts
drives; conduct spinal-cord injury awareness on this?
programmes; provide medical rehabilitation There is general indifference and apathy in
and financial assistance for emergency medical Indian society about disabilities. The laws
are already in place that all public buildings,
including educational institutions, should have
wheelchair accessibility, but these laws are
not being implemented everywhere. Unless
society makes a conscious decision to
encourage us to live our lives and become
productive members of society, bringing
about a fundamental change is difficult.

Can you share your thoughts

on inclusivity across spheres?
For inclusion to become the norm across all
spheres in society, the sense of connectedness
needs to seep deep into all of us. True upliftment
can happen only when all of us rise together.
People and organisations need to take their
social responsibilities seriously and be held
accountable for the problems in our society.

What are your plans for the future?

My only plan for the future is to spread
PHOTOGRAPHS: RATHIKA SUNDHAR/YES MEDIA

love, light, laughter, and hope in the world

around me. Being an agent of change and
a source of positive energy in any circumstance
is my goal. As far as Soulfree is concerned,
my commitment to it is absolute. The goal
is to transform prevailing perspectives about
disability in India. It will definitely require
a lifetime of work, and will continue long
after I’m not around.
 REALITY interview

‘Negativity is not
an option’
Activist and comedian Nidhi Goyal has been visually impaired since age 15, but that hasn’t stopped
her from leading a life full of purpose, much punctuated with laughter. By Anindita Ghosh

W
hen aware of the uncertainty disability—with a huge dose will always be someone
Nidhi around her performance, of humour where the joke is who will ignore me and
Goyal takes the discomfort head-on on the sighted who bumble address my friend asking
takes the with an opening line that around her, not knowing how if I want something when
stage as goes, “I’m blind, so is love. to deal with someone with I am standing right there!
a comedian, there is often Get over it!” The ice breaks a visual impairment. “There Or there are these uncles
an uneasy hush before she immediately, and there is are so many anecdotes of scouting for brides on
starts speaking. There are a roar of laughter as the things that keep happening matrimonial sites, who
a few sotto voce murmurs elephant in the room to me daily, that they provide turn speech impaired when
and a general discomfort that is shooed out. This has been fodder for an endless stream they hear that I am visually
arises from not knowing what pretty much the way that of jokes. For example, if impaired!” says Goyal.
to expect or how to react. Goyal has dealt with her I am with a friend, there Goyal would often regale
After all, Goyal happens to her friends with these tales,
be visually impaired, and “THERE ARE SO MANY ANECDOTES among them queer activist
chances are that none of the OF THINGS THAT KEEP HAPPENING Pramada Menon, who would
audience members would find them hilarious. After one
have been to a gig by
TO ME DAILY, THEY PROVIDE FODDER such laughter-filled session,
a disabled comedian before. FOR AN ENDLESS STREAM OF JOKES.” Menon asked Goyal to
But Goyal, who is all too do a stand-up act with
REALITY interview

her and gave her six months pigmentosa, initially trained

to prepare her script. to be journalist before
“I instantly agreed, without deciding that activism
any hesitation. While creating was more her calling.
the script wasn’t a problem “When I was 15 and
with my wealth of funny was going blind, I remember
experiences, there were having a conversation with
moments of nervousness a spiritual master. I was
where I wondered if the sitting with a long face and
audience would find me asking ‘why me?’, when he
funny. Was I the only one reminded me that I was lucky
who found disability and to have the support of my
ignorance funny because family where many other
I was disabled myself? women would have
And while I don’t have been thrown out on the
stage-fright, the thought of streets. I was taken aback
immediate feedback was as I hadn’t looked at it from
a little daunting. When that perspective. That day,
I went on stage and I decided that at some point,
played out my first joke, I would work for other people
however, the laughter like me,” says Goyal. “Later,
was instantaneous and when a dissatisfaction with
spontaneous. After that, there my journalism career kicked
was no looking back. in, I decided to get into
I was on a roll,” says Goyal, activism. I needed to do
who has performed at some work which would
comedy clubs, events, and have direct impact.”
conferences since then. Goyal was clear that she
wanted to work for women
Not just a comedian and girls with disabilities,
While Goyal thoroughly but focus on issues that “NO ONE WAS TALKING ABOUT
enjoys doing stand-up, she others were not talking about. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE
rues the fact that she doesn’t She zeroed in on sexual and
get as much time to pursue reproductive health and HEALTH AND RIGHTS IN RELATION
it, busy as she is with her rights, not realising that there TO DISABLED WOMEN, BECAUSE THE
full-time career as a disability
and gender rights activist.
would be a lot of resistance
and scepticism from within
TOPIC OF SEXUALITY IS A TABOO IN
“I do this through training, the activist community itself. OUR SOCIETY.”
campaigns, advocacy with the “No one was talking about
government, training women these topics in relation to wanted sex.” Not one to care are further deprived within
or people with disabilities, disabled women, because about such allegations, Goyal their disability, so that’s
public engagement, public the topic of sexuality is went on with her work, where Rising Flame will
representations in spaces such a taboo in our society. and in the eight years since work. I also work with
and conferences, research, So initially, when I started then, has made a significant a range of women’s and
and writing. So, I use a range working as a young activist in impact on the issue of human rights organisations
of working techniques for Mumbai, people dismissed sexuality among women since my commitment is
the advancement of sexual, it as something that was not and girls with disabilities. towards the cause and the
reproductive, health, and necessary. The implication Last year, she founded her issues. Recently, with Human
human rights of women was that I was not really own organisation, Rising Rights Watch, we launched
and girls.” an activist, but a pseudo- Flame, that works for people a report on sexual violence
Mumbai-based Goyal, who activist, and also the hidden with disabilities, but with and rape cases of women
lost vision when she was just insinuation that I chose a focus on women and the with disabilities and their
15 years old to a degenerative sexuality because I was single, youth. “Gender- and age- access to justice, looking
eye disorder called retinitis ergo a little desperate, and discriminated people at how they interact with
 who is blind, and a Sleeping
Beauty who is in a coma.”

The flavours of life

While the work that Goyal
does is intense and serious,
she ensures that she peppers
her life with as many life-
enriching experiences and
happy moments as possible.
Goyal has travelled the world
(often solo), much of it due
to her work as an activist,
taking the challenges that
come with it in her stride.
“My family has never made
a big deal about my disability
or told me that I cannot do
something. I remember when
I began to lose my sight at 15,
the police and courts.
We researched if the
“I REMEMBER WHEN I BEGAN TO my mother and sister started
training me to become
environment is supportive LOSE MY SIGHTAT 15, MYMOTHER independent so that I would
and whether the laws are ANDSISTERSTARTEDTRAININGME be equipped to deal with the
being implemented or not.” world when I would lose my
Goyal’s activities are not
TOBECOMEINDEPENDENT.” vision completely. I cannot
restricted to India alone. thank them enough, I know
Recently, she worked with by society. Her NGO recently discrimination, abuse, it was not an easy task.”
an international agency to ran two campaigns that took and violence they face. On many of her journeys,
build capacities of activists this idea forward. The first We curated short videos, Goyal has travelled alone,
from Africa and a few South- was a 16-day campaign in where I also shared a sexual relying on her cane, common
Asian countries for them November-December 2017 harassment episode that sense, help from strangers,
to understand how gender- where it collaborated with happened to me when and nerves of steel. “I was
disability works and how the #MeToo campaign I was in college.” invited to a conference in
they can engage with the and got disabled women The other campaign Brazil, where I had to travel
United Nations mechanisms. to talk about their sexual that Goyal and her NGO all on my own. I had always
“My work includes everything abuse experiences. ran was called ‘My Tale wanted to go to Brazil and
in this spectrum. The benefit “In the #MeToo Too’, to rewrite the narratives I remember feeling frustrated
I have from working with campaign, did you see any of popular movies or novels because the internet said it
multiple organisations is woman with disabilities with disabled people in the was an unsafe destination
that I have a broad view of saying ‘I was abused?’ There lead. “It was personal for me where crime was rampant,
the issues across the globe, were none, whereas the data because I grew up watching which slimmed my chances
and have a chance to create says women with disabilities films and reading books of going. My father saw
linkages. Rising Flame was are at a higher risk and face where people with disabilities my distress and instead of
born because of this very higher levels of violence. were portrayed in a negative discouraging me, asked me
broad view, where I saw So it’s not that a disabled or humourous manner. if the crimes were being
the gaps, and where work woman isn’t getting raped or So I ran a workshop and targeted at disabled people
wasn’t being done.” harassed, it’s just that nobody a campaign with 10 women or people in general. He
is able to hear her out. That’s with disabilities, to re-write made me realise that I was
Speaking out why we ran a campaign the narratives. Women at no more risk than any
A significant part of Goyal’s collaborating with #MeToo, came together and spun other person. With parents
work has been to give a voice where we encouraged women their lives into beautiful like these, negativity is
to the disabled woman who is with disabilities to come tales where a Red Riding just not an option,” is
often overlooked and ignored forth and talk about the Hood has polio, a Rapunzel her parting note.
 REALITY interview

‘I was outed
without my
consent’
Sonal Giani faced discrimination,
humiliation, and abuse before she
found her voice as a bisexual. The
youth icon who has broken countless
barriers speaks to Hemchhaya
De about issues close to her heart

M
eet Sonal outed, without her consent, You identified your
Giani, 31, one at the age of 19, and it has sexual orientation at
of the most been a long and arduous
“When the age of 15. How
prominent journey since. Taking part I reached did it all happen?
youth icons of the LGBT in the reality TV show, puberty, When I reached puberty,
rights movement in India. Connected Hum Tum, in I could recognise my
She hails from Goa and after 2013 made her a household I could romantic attractions, but
completing her studies there, name. She maintains recognise my I was not comfortable with
she moved to Mumbai for
work. The city of dreams
that working with LGBT
collectives such as The
romantic it. I was attracted to both,
men and women. I believed
is where she got access to Humsafar Trust and reaching attractions, that expressing these feelings
support spaces for LGBT out to beleaguered members but I was not would invite ridicule and
individuals and got actively
involved in the fight against
of the community has helped
her heal, and dream of
comfortable humiliation from everyone.
So I dropped the idea of
discrimination. She was a bias-free, equal world. with it.” coming out or accepting my
REALITY interview

How deep and

widespread is the
problem of biphobia
in the country?
Biphobia is deeply
widespread in India. The
common feelings include
notions such as bisexual
people are confused people.
That they will be on the
Sonal Giani with actor fence until they realise
Mona Ambegaonkar
whether they are straight
a point when I knew or gay. These feelings are
I had turned suicidal due not limited to those who
to depression. She was are straight. Even within
supportive and asked me LGBT community spaces,
to seek professional help. a lot of hate is directed
I came out to my father towards people who identify
following the Delhi High themselves as bisexuals.
Court judgment (a landmark Many resent them for having
judgement that struck heterosexual marriages.
down Section 377 in 2009). They believe that being
He was extremely supportive bisexual is not a real identity,
and told me that he would and only promiscuous,
be happy to attend the non-committal, and
Mumbai Pride with experimental people
me. My brother helped identify themselves as such.
me a lot. My strongest
support so far has been my How do you counter
“Even within LGBT community twin sister who has been these misconceptions
spaces, a lot of hate is directed by my side unconditionally. against bisexuality?
By actively and visibly
towards people who identify Did you have to hear addressing biphobia. I also
themselves as bisexuals.” things such as ‘it’s conduct sessions on gender
just a phase’ from and sexuality for different
people, among other kinds of people such as
sexuality before I understood I felt humiliated and publicly pieces of advice? students and corporates.
the implications of burying shamed, and underwent a lot Yes, I had many friends who
my feelings. of trauma. I was depressed, felt that it was just a phase. Tell us about some
was constantly crying, and Many felt that I needed to of the most vicious
You have mentioned lost weight as a result of not have sex with guys to get instances of
on various forums that being able to eat. I came over it, or that it was all just discrimination you
you were outed at the out to a few people around about being fashionable. It faced at work.
age of 19. What were me for support. Those who was difficult to deal with this In the hotel where I first
the immediate understood me and, more sort of judgement coming worked, I had to witness
challenges? importantly, didn’t judge my way. Initially, with no sexual graffiti with my
I was outed without my me were few. Most of my access to support spaces, name in the public spaces
consent during my third friends, in fact, stopped I internalised these notions that the staff used. When
year at college. A batchmate interacting with me. and believed I deserved the I asked the security staff for
sent an anonymous forward harshness directed towards support to find the culprits,
to everyone about me being Tell us about the me. This, of course, has they too tried to shame
bisexual. Following this, support structure changed dramatically after me. When I went to the
there was a post about me you had at that time. gaining access to counselling women’s changing room,
on the college Orkut page. I came out to my mother at and community spaces. some women would move
REALITY interview

“I cannot stress enough on the

importance of being aware of
your legal rights, especially when
facing police harassment.”
out. I was upset and became
insecure about my future.
During a night drop, the
security person showed
me a porn clip. When
I reported this to his senior,
they blamed me. I eventually
chose to quit the job. These
instances had a devastating
impact on my confidence,
and I had to go in for (Above) Giani
with activist
counselling, during which Harish Iyer; (Left)
I was diagnosed with with Nandita Das
severe depression.

What’s your take

on the portrayal of
LGBTQI community
in films, and the
media in general?
I think the mainstream a sense of possibility and
portrayal of the community hope. Learning from them,
is quite problematic. Queer when I started building more
characters are mostly support spaces, I realised
projected in stereotypical that supporting others rights, especially when showed me how to connect
ways. Social media has helped me too. facing police harassment. to, work with, and build
changed things quite a bit. communities. Paromita,
We have great films coming How can a support There’s a stiff because she introduced
through independent structure be created political opposition me to feminism and sex-
filmmakers and content for people who deal to decriminalising positivity. Working with
creators. Some channels with discrimination Section 377. What is her on the project ‘Agents
have also taken cue. or harassment after the need of the hour? Of Ishq’ (described as
coming out? It is for allies and a multi-media project) has
You have often It is important to be communities to come changed me completely.
said working with connected and aware of out protest against this
organisations like support spaces such as draconian law. Media should What are your current
The Humsafar Trust The Humsafar Trust. be writing more about, and projects? Tell us a bit
helped you heal. How Integrated Network representing, LGBT lives in about them.
did that happen? For Sexual Minorities a way that is non-sensational I am currently working on
When I joined The (INFOSEM) is a network and rooted in reality. a short film about Indian
Humsafar Trust, for the of 200 LGBT organisations families and acceptance
first time in my life I felt around India. If people Who are your role of LGBT lives. I am also
PHOTOGRAPHS: VINAY JAVKAR

a sense of belonging and inform them about their models? the co-founder of Yaariyan,
being accepted for who crises, support will be My role models are Vivek India’s largest youth LGBTQ
I am. Most of the people available. But, apart from Raj Anand, CEO of The support group, and Umang,
I met were much older the above, I cannot stress Humsafar Trust, and which is a collective for
than me, and they were out enough on the importance filmmaker and writer lesbians, bisexual women,
publicly, which offered me of being aware of your legal Paromita Vohra. Vivek and transpersons.
LIVING
 LIVING food

VEGAN
WONDERS
Once considered a fringe movement, the vegan diet (vegetarian and non-dairy) now has more
takers than ever. Gia Claudette Fernandes offers five recipes to get you started
PHOTOGRAPH: ©STOCKFOOD/DANIELS, SABRINA SUE
JACKFRUIT
BURGERS
SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 35 minutes
CALORIES PER SERVING: 350
FOR THE PULLED JACKFRUIT
600 g green jackfruit,
in brine or water, drained
1½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
150 g barbecue sauce,
plus extra as needed
100 ml water
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR ASSEMBLING
4 sesame seed buns, split
1 small Romaine lettuce, roughly shredded
1 large handful salad sprouts

Spread out the jackfruit on layers of

y
kitchen paper and pat dry with more
kitchen paper; try to remove as much 1 small bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
excess liquid as possible. 1-2 tsp red chilli flakes
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan set over
y BROCCOLI AND
a medium heat until hot. Add the onion, COCONUT SOUP Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-
y
garlic, and a pinch of salt, sweating based saucepan set over medium heat.
until softened and starting to colour, SERVES: 4 Add the onion, garlic, leek, and
y
for six to seven minutes. PREP TIME: 15 minutes a generous pinch of salt, sweating for
Add the jackfruit, barbecue sauce,
y COOKING TIME: 30 minutes six to eight minutes until softened.
water, spices, and a pinch of salt and CALORIES PER SERVING: 250 Stir in the herbs, broth, and coconut
y
pepper. Bring to a steady simmer FOR THE SOUP milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce
PHOTOGRAPH: ©STOCKFOOD/GRÄFE & UNZER VERLAG/WALSH, NICKY

and cook until softened, for six to eight 2 tbsp olive oil to a simmer for 10 minutes.
minutes, stirring from time to time. 1 large onion, finely chopped Stir in the broccoli and spinach leaves,
y
Once softened, shred the jackfruit
y 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and let it simmer until the broccoli is
using two forks. Add a splash of water, 1 small leek, halved, sliced, and washed tender to the tip of a knife, it should
cover, and cook over a low heat until 1 tsp dried thyme take about four to five minutes.
tender, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring 1 tsp dried rosemary Purée with an immersion blender,
y
in-between. 1 litre vegetable broth or in manageable batches using a food
When ready, season to taste with salt,
y 300 ml coconut milk processor or blender. Pass through
pepper, and a little more barbecue 2 small broccoli heads, prepared a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.
sauce, if needed. into florets Return soup to a gentle simmer and
y
Top the bottom halves of the buns with
y 50 g baby spinach season to taste with salt and pepper.
the pulled jackfruit, some lettuce and Salt, to taste Cover and keep warm to one side.
sprouts. Sit the tops of the buns in Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Garnish with chopped cashews,
y
place before serving. FOR GARNISHING chopped cilantro, and chilli flakes
65 g cashews, chopped before serving.
LIVING food

PHOTOGRAPH: ©STOCKFOOD/BISMAR, VALERIA

70 g kale, chopped garlic, and seasoning in a small bowl.

AVOCADO, 1 large avocado, halved, pitted, Cover and chill.
MUSHROOM, AND and cut into slices For the wraps, preheat the grill. Toss
y
CRESS TACOS 60 g salad cress together oil, tofu, mushrooms, and
FOR THE YOGHURT SAUCE seasoning in a small bowl. Grill for six
SERVES: 4 175 g plain soy yoghurt to seven minutes.
PREP TIME: 10 minutes 3/4 tsp smoked paprika Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan
y
COOKING TIME: 15 minutes 1/2 small garlic clove, minced set over a moderate heat. Remove
CALORIES PER SERVING: 350 Salt, to taste from the pan and top with the grilled
2½ tbsp canola oil Freshly ground black pepper, to taste mushrooms and tofu. Place kale on the
400 g firm tofu, cubed mushrooms and tofu, and drizzle with
150 g button mushrooms, halved For the yoghurt sauce, whisk together
y the yoghurt sauce. Top with avocado
4 flour tortillas the soy yoghurt, smoked paprika, slices and cress before serving.
 SERVES: 4
PEAR AND PUMPKIN TARTLETS PREP TIME: 80 minutes
DRIZZLED WITH CHOCOLATE COOKING TIME: 60 minutes
CALORIES PER SERVING: 400

FOR THE PASTRY CRUST

185 g unsalted mixed nuts
70 g pitted dates
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
FOR THE FILLING
65 g cashews, soaked in hot
water for one hour
1 medium-sized overripe
banana, mashed
350 g silken tofu, drained
120 g caster sugar
75 g soft brown sugar
3 tbsp coconut oil, at
room temperature
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
300 g canned pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
4 large ripe pears, cored
and thinly sliced
FOR SERVING
100 g dark chocolate
(70% cocoa), chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil

For the crust, combine the mixed

y
nuts and dates in a food processor.
Pulse until the nuts are finely
chopped. Add the coconut oil and
pulse to incorporate it.
Pack the mixture into the base
y
and sides of four individual fluted
tart tins. Cover and set aside.
For the filling, drain the cashews
y
from the soaking water. Combine
with the banana, tofu, sugars,
coconut oil, cornflour, lemon juice,
vanilla extract, pumpkin purée,
and spices.
Blend on high until smooth. Spoon
y
the filling into the lined crusts,
topping each with rows of
overlapping pear slices.
Place the tart tins on a large baking
y
tray. Bake at 180°C for 30 to 40
minutes until the filling is set and
PHOTOGRAPH: ©STOCKFOOD/MANTUR, NATALIA

the tarts are golden-brown at

the edges. Remove to a wire rack
to cool.
Mix chocolate and coconut oil
y
in a small heatproof bowl. Set
over a half-filled saucepan of
simmering water, stirring until
melted and smooth. Drizzle this
chocolate sauce over the tartlets
before serving.
LIVING food

LEMON BERRY 800 ml coconut milk, chilled overnight processor. Blend on high until
2 tbsp granulated stevia smooth and creamy, scraping down
COCONUT CREAM FOR SERVING the sides of the processor from time
TART 575 g mixed berries, some halved to time.
Pour into the prepared crust and chill
y
SERVES: 12 For the crust: Pulse the nuts together
y for at least four hours.
PREP TIME: 10 minutes in a food processor until mealy in For the coconut cream: After chilling,
y
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes appearance. prepare the coconut cream. Carefully
CALORIES PER SERVING: 450 Keep the motor running on low and
y open the cans of chilled coconut
PHOTOGRAPH: ©STOCKFOOD/THE PICTURE PANTRY

FOR THE CRUST add the dates, little by little, until the milk. Scrape the solids into a mixing
140 g cashews mixture comes together like a rough bowl, reserving the coconut liquid for
125 g almonds dough; you may not need to use all another use.
80 g walnuts the dates. Add the stevia to the coconut cream
y
150-200 g pitted dates Turn out the dough and press into the
y solids and beat well with an electric
FOR THE FILLING base and sides of an eight-inch wide mixer until thick and peaked.
750 g silken soft tofu, drained pie dish, smoothing the base flat with To serve: Spoon the coconut cream
y
2 lemons, juiced the back of a damp tablespoon. Cover on top of the lemon filling, spreading
120 g light agave nectar and chill until needed. it out into a round.
1 tsp vanilla extract For the filling: Combine all the
y Decorate the top of the cream with
y
FOR THE CREAM ingredients for the filling in a food the mixed berries before serving.
 LIVING travel feature

Universal ticket
In line with the maxim ‘no man (or woman) should be left behind’, travel is increasingly becoming
accommodating to everyone, finds Crystal Symms
 BOOKING PASSAGE
Places like airports and
airplanes in particular are
up-to-date with facilities for
persons with hearing, sight,
cognitive, and mobility (either
permanent or temporary)
disabilities. For passengers
with sight or hearing
disabilities, navigation and
special safety assistants are
available. The crew converse
with them in a tactile language
that is easily comprehended.
Passengers with cognitive
disabilities are allotted
a personal escort to cater to
their needs. When Megha
Tamboli, an entrepreneur and
wheelchair user, recently took
Being physically challenged needn’t restrict
one from travelling; (left) same-sex couples a flight back to India from
enjoy more freedom than before London, her needs were
looked into with utmost care.
“Right from weighing my
hearing impaired, says, luggage, taking my wheelchair,
“The degree of the disability putting it in the loader, and
determines whether they shifting me to another
can travel alone or need an wheelchair that can directly go
attendant or escort. Like in into the aircraft, each aspect
my case, I can travel alone was tended to. The in-flight
without any difficulty. When staff members were attentive,
necessary, I ask people to and lifted me and shifted me
write down directions or to my seat. They took off my
instructions for my shoes, helped me lie down,
understanding,” she says. and a hostess went a step
The LGBTQ community in beyond to give me her
India has for long stood on personal hot-water bag
rocky ground. While they when I began to feel feverish,”
recently found legal she says. “For those on
different people, but the need acceptance, social exclusion a wheelchair, flying is the most
remains universal—a need to remains a reality for many. comfortable option, since
get away, explore new shores, Even while travelling with their trains and railway stations
and be rejuvenated. While SOs, all that the members don’t quite spell accessibility.
the thought of the elderly want is to be treated equally Buses could be considered an
or physically challenged and without any biases. It’s option, but they tend to get
travelling is immediately not all bad news, however. uncomfortable,” adds Tamboli.
met with disbelief, the change According to tour operators, For people with hearing and
that can be seen now is major cities and tourist visual impairment, all three
understanding that they more destinations in the country are modes are relatively suitable,
than sympathy, they need now showing some green with, of course, the airlines
a semblance of normalcy and lights to pink travellers. The being the most viable choice.
accessibility wherever they go. popular choices among these With increased accessibility
Ashwini Melwaney, a celebrity are Kerala, Goa, Delhi, Jaipur, and assistance-available travel
hair and makeup artist who is and Jaisalmer. has certainly become easier.
LIVING travel feature
GETTING
ADVENTUROUS
Though kicking back and
relaxing are what long
travels are usually about,
a few are always in search
of the thrill. Although
these options are few for
the disabled, the
Adventures Beyond
Barriers Foundation
(ABBF) in Pune has
(Clockwise) Levelled roads make walking easier for those with
embraced the ideals of crutches; travel buddies at Planet Abled volunteer to help those
inclusivity in this regard. with disabilities; travel companies now cater to the LGBTQ
community making their holidays memorable; buses equipped
Founded by Divyanshu
with ramps make wheel chair access easier
Ganatra, who is also
India’s first blind solo
paragliding pilot, the
foundation has developed
a programme to help people
with various disabilities dive
into the world of adventure
sport. It arranges an array of
sporting activities for
enthusiasts (with and without
disabilities) ranging from
tandem cycling,
mountaineering, scuba diving,
and paragliding—basically
anything and everything a wild
heart could imagine!
“The focus of all our
activities is to build relations
between the able-bodied and
disabled, and create an
inclusive society through our
adventures. The visibility of
disabled people is not high
“OUR FOCUS IS TO BUILD RELATIONS adventure, perspectives not
only open up, but also change.
in mainstream activities, but BETWEEN THE ABLE-BODIED That’s when the potential
they have such a strong sense AND DISABLED, AND CREATE behind the disability begins
of enthusiasm! Every time
we’ve hosted any adventure
AN INCLUSIVE SOCIETY.” to shine.
“Through our adventures,
activity, there has been a huge we’ve been able to spread
response from them,” relates awareness in remote corners,
shares Tanya Ginwala, head and make hotels more
of operations at ABBF. accessible for disabled people.
Ginwala elaborates that For example, a simple step like
such interactions help build ramps for wheelchairs goes
unique friendships and have a long way!” she says.
led to a few disabled persons Apart from ramps for
landing job offers from their wheelchairs, braille writing for
peers. She says most people the visually disabled is lacking
find it hard to see the person in the basic infrastructure in
beyond disability, but on an India. Making this very
 (Clockwise) LGBTQ travellers
feel safe and accepted;
priority seating for the
handicapped at airport
lounges; metal tactile
strips to help the visually
impaired; concrete ramps
for wheelchair access

group, lesbian, couple, and gay

tours with incredibly exciting

“I CAME ACROSS TRAVEL and itineraries. Singla,

equipped with his travel trade
AGENCIES CATERING TO THE knowledge, was determined to
LGBT COMMUNITY,AND make a company that was in

I REALISED INDIA NEEDED service of the LGBT

community and made his
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.” personal code of conduct to
necessity the mother of their people without disabilities to couples, group tours, and make his clients feel like
invention, Planet Abled register as ‘travel buddies’ so singles tours to exotic places family. “It’s my policy to meet
emerged as a remarkable that they can spend time with and enjoy all that India has to my clients in person, either
organisation offering those from the other side. offer, while being free of when they arrive or when
accessible travel solutions to stereotyping and fear. In they depart,” he says.
those who need it. The RAINBOW TRAVELS addition, the company is also A harassment- and
founder, Neha Aurora, realised Indjapink, created by creating an atmosphere that is discrimination-free
the importance of accessibility fashion designer Sanjay free of judgement. “Problems environment is their absolute
very young, when she saw her Malhotra is India’s first included things that seemed priority. The remedy is based
parents, (her father is visually homosexual travel boutique. small—getting drivers who on appropriate training of
disabled and her mother is “I am a traveller and a proud were understanding and drivers and guides, and
a wheelchair user), face gay man. On my international accepting or hotels to give gay making them more gay-
a number of difficulties while trips, I would come across couples a double bed—but friendly. “LGBT travellers want
trying to move around. travel agencies that would were essential to address. We to feel accepted and safe. We
“Although it has been slow, cater specifically to people eventually got through. We offer visits to gay saunas and
PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK, PLANET ABLED

an improvement is there. It of the LGBT community and take our clients out to gay spas, and have gay
will, however, take much I realised that India needed parties and homes, introduce representatives for walking
longer for places to become something like that,” says them to the scene in India, and tours of Old Delhi, and parts of
completely accessible to all. Malhotra. Successfully help them be confident and Rajasthan,” says Singla.
Since our first tours in 2016, operating for the last 11 years, open about their sexuality,” With options opening up,
we’ve managed to see the IndjaPink caters to foreign and Malhotra says. there isn’t really a limit to
environment becoming more Indian gay travellers. The initial Similarly, Pink Vibygor, where one can go any more,
and more open,” Aurora says. stages were tough, but the started by Rajat Singla and no matter where that traveller
Planet Abled also encourages company has managed to take Peter Hosie, specialises in comes from.