Travel diaries: Charminar, Hyderabad

The city of extravagant palaces, beautiful tombs, stunning temples, of Nawabs, of tehzeeb and old-world charm, mouth-watering cusine and amazing textiles; Hyderabad. Walking around the Charminaar and surroundings on a warm morning before the shops opened and the frenzy began I could see glimpses of the grand city it once was and the mess it now is. I wish we are able to value the rich heritage we have in India while moving toward a more sustainable future. I am glad I visited though, the biryani and my uncle's home cooked food were delectable to say the least and it makes me so happy to see beautiful ancient structures, the plastic waste they are surrounded by makes my blood boil but that is a rant made for another post.

I will post a few of my travel photos in the next few weeks, clothes-wise I mostly stuck to the long kurta, jeans/ shorts combination. This yellow hand-loom kurta was bought the night before these pictures were taken and in my opinion is a wonderful find. I pretty much used the same leather bag and same few flat shoes over the entire trip and didn't carry a single pair of heels. It was fun to travel light on the way over, on the way back though, it was a whole different drama. Basically all you need to know is I had a lot of new kurtas to wear, not enough time to wear them all and I can't wait to return home to travel some more in India. :)

Appreciation not Appropriation

Early morning train rides, walking through crowed market-places, breathtaking temples at every corner, street food fragrance wafting through the air, incense and glowing lamps at dusk, there is so much to see do and experience in the only place that will ever be home. I will travel, I will experience new things but when I drift to sleep, I crave the comfort of home, of being able to worship at a temple or mosque or church or Gurudwara, my home where Eid is celebrated with as much excitement as Diwali; Durga Puja and Christmas share traditions, where Navroze Mubarak isn't just something alien on one's tongue, where we don't need a Harmony Day to celebrate diverse cultures.


Where wearing a Rabari shawl, bag or cuff isn't just a fad, where we know the meaning behind traditions and don't just jump on the cultural appropriation bandwagon because it is cool to suddenly pick and choose the shiny parts of my culture. Bindi; mehandi, lehenga; choli, rangoli; Holi and Om these are not just words, they mean the world to us. And that thing that you wear and call it a slave bracelet, its actually called a haath-phool which literally means hand-flower.