A cup of Assam Tea

When you lose someone as close as your dad, even the festive season feels incomplete. After my Dad passed away in 2020, it took us time to start celebrating the festivities. However, life goes on even with the absolute truth that you continue to miss someone while celebrating. This is the festive season in Assam, and here in my home in New England, we continue celebrating Magh Bihu. As busy as teenagers' parents, activities entirely occupied us this weekend, no exception. We could not attend any of the functions the Assamese community celebrated. However, we celebrated at home by preparing some festive dishes and sharing them with family precious. And, of course, no festivity is complete without wearing a mekhela chadar. I got this pair a couple of years back with a sustainable brand called Natural by Anuradha. A burgundy silk mekhela chadar with Eri silk motifs on it. A casual stay-home look with minimal make-up except for red lips and loosely tied hair bun. Hope you all like th...

Wearing Mekhela Chadar (two pieces of traditional Assamese attire) has always been my pride and pleasure. Last weekend, in my State of Connecticut, we had a small Bihu celebration with Assamese families residing here. The best part of the celebration was the good Assamese food, a few heartfelt performances from little ones and adults, and reminiscing about good old times with friends and family after two years.    As it was a post-Bihu celebration and a beautiful spring day, I wore a subtle Salmon color Mekhela Chadar and decided not to wear everything traditional but with some twists and turns. An Assamese outfit or Assamese design sensibility always comes with an understated and elegant sensibility and is never over the top or flashy. This pair of mekhela chadar totally vouches for that sensibility. Subtle salmon pink color with eri motifs and designs, and a hint of golden string (Guna), mina work (Enamel work). I teamed up with antique silver jewelry, and instead of a ...

It has been more than two months since I haven't dressed up. I can't believe it, because I always love to dress up and go out. Just today we completed 18 years of married life. 18 years is a long time, yes our togetherness in adulthood. Never had an anniversary like this where you can't go out because of safety in the times of COVID-19 .  We prepared a special meal followed by a homemade cake. Now coming to the dressing part, a simple sea-green chanderi saree which always reminds me of serenity and tranquility. The feather-like feel and texture of this Saree can be an ideal pick for sultry says of summer (Similar Look) . I picked up a darker color blouse to make the look more interesting, as the rest of the look is understated. Usually an accessories person like me, but here I avoid all accessories except for a bangle. My make up is minimal and neutral, but I did effort on my hairdo and made it wavy or light curls. A very basic look but love the idea of dressing up...

It was a lovely Fall morning, and complementing that was the quintessential rain.  How gorgeous, imagine.  I was at my window, having a cup of Assam tea alone; it was beautiful, but with company, it would have been sheer bliss.  My husband and son were out for the day for a swim meet. And Today is Diwali , the festival of light. I feel a bit lazy, yes, rain makes me lazy, and it tries to hold me back close to my window. There is no time to laze around when you have festivals. I quickly got up and made some Indian sweets, prepared for the Diwali special dinner, and in between, I had a quick lunch fix. When my husband and son were back, I was almost done with everything.     Let's take you to today's Diwali outfit post. A red Banarasi saree  with antique thread motifs throughout makes the saree heavier than regular Banarasi sarees. That also makes the saree perfect for a fall-winter soiree and keeps you warm. As the saree is the hero of...

      I can't believe  I've already posted three Indian festive looks ( Festive Look 1 ,  Festive Look 2,  and  Festive Look  3) and yet I haven't posted any Indian saree stories . Saree is a quintessential outfit without which we can't imagine any Indian soiree. A six-yard of sheer grace. Yes, here is my saree, look at the onset of the Indian festivals.       As they say, every saree has its own story. The story of this saree takes me a few years back in the initial stage of building a saree wardrobe. Yes, this saree is from the southern part of India, and it is called a Pochampally saree, a type of Indian weaving technique. This is, of course, my first Pochampally saree. Dark purple in color, with a dusty green border featuring a paisley motif, and just above the border, deer facing each other, this makes the saree truly interesting. The achaal has a multicolored diamond-shaped motif that gives the saree a pop of col...

      The most I miss about Indian festivities is mostly the vibe that the festivities bring, the lip-smacking sweets and savory treats that instantly melt away your heart. With new trends emerging with the festive seasons, the sudden rush in our town, and those festive breaks, we waited to greet the festivities with warm and open hearts.  Here, fall is emerging and clearing away the sultry summer blues. However, the truth is that wherever you go, you bring your culture and color to your new home.         We stay in a neighborhood with people from all over the Indian subcontinent, and they bring their culture and celebrate with great zeal. Here I am wearing a cotton kurta, peach dupatta, and peach skirt. To the whole neutral palette, I added emerald earrings and oxblood red lips and nails for a pop, and dark kohl-filled eyes. Subtle celebratory look.  I hope you enjoy  Festive Look 2, Festive Look 1, and this festive loo...

      Every year festivity always agitates me to dress up. Sometimes buying new clothes is exciting and at other times working on the pieces you already own is exciting as well. Indian festivity calls for a riot of colors. In the trend of neutrals wearing something colorful yet staying in an understated look is tricky. I always believe and enjoy playing up with pieces mix and match, switch and swept. While wearing a colorful outfit, I tone it down with neutral accessories and while wearing neutrals, teaming it up with a pop of color or statement accessories is real fun.      Indian festive celebration is associated with some quintessential colors like red, orange, pink and yellow. This time for Indian festive celebration, I chose an orange silk kurta ( tunic ) and orange salwar ( dhoti pants ). The color orange itself is a bright and bold color. If I choose the traditional route, I should have chosen gold, yellow, pink colors. In the quite ...

In the world of flashy, machine-made products, handmade items have their own unique beauty. The beauty that lies in the imperfections makes it unique and one of a kind. Wearing something handmade always brings a sense of sublime beauty to me. That prompted me to share the first look of this year's Indian festive season. A handmade tunic and skirt in navy blue shades were recently worn for an Indian festive celebration. I am into neutral these days. A navy blue kurta (tunic) and ghagra (long a-line skirt), and added an off-white dupatta. The motive behind creating this look is to achieve an understated and classic appearance. I chose a multi-strand pearl necklace to add a bit of extra flair, and my hair and makeup are kept natural.  By the way, I was wearing L'Oréal X Sabyasachi.  Hope you like this look. 

       I have always been intrigued by the saree, actually even before I started wearing it. The six-yard literally spells magic upon me. I collected saree  even before starting to wear it. Summer in India is blazing, and we need to wear something light and breathable against the skin. Indian cotton is not only known for its durability, comfort, and purity, but also for the intricate work done on it, especially in hand-painted pieces. You know it's varied and versatile, every region in Indian has its own special paint - ajrakh, bandhani, kalamkari, block print, Madhubani, to name a few. But I don't know why I have never owned any cotton saree.        I'm not a purist when it comes to wearing a saree. I team my saree with crop tops, shirts, and whatnot. This one is paired with a white crop top, silver jewelry, and pink mojris (flat Indian ethnic shoes). I'm sure you've guessed that this is the latest addition to my cotton saree ward...

You know my love affair with mekhela chadar is never-ending. As I grow older, I find it even more comfortable to wear. Last weekend, the Greater Boston Assamese community celebrated Bihu  with prompt and enthusiasm. Like  last year,  we attended again this year, and I had another opportunity to wear my mekhela chadar.          I got this mekhela chadar at  the Assam Convention,  where one of the designers, Jahnavi Swargiyari, showcased her designs.  A simple yet elegant mulberry silk mekhela chadar in bright yellow color, just great to celebrate Bihu and Spring. The mekhela chadar features both silver and gold designs. The bright yellow reminded me of Assam, especially the dotted mustard fields of Majuli  and dreamy daffodils in New England. I chose muted antique finish gold jewelry for earrings and a stack of bangles, and added a few turquoise enamel bangles with it, a turquoise bindi, and a turquoise potli bag for a spl...

Winter seems like really long this year. I am looking forward to spring. Looking forward to the more springy outfit. A few days back it was my birthday and wanted to wear something different and something springy too. And then I have this blue Thakai jamdani muslin saree, but the saree asks for more spring or summer weather. Spring is a little far and I wanted to feel like spring and then the idea of wearing a saree came to me. Blue is always my favorite and this saree has three colors - yellow gold, rose gold and silver creepers on the sides. I went easy on accessories with this silver earring from my  Spain  trip and the bracelet with delicate filigree Spanish silver work. My hair and makeup is basic and minimal. The saree is feathery soft and easy to wear. Someone like me can easily wear it, who is not really an expert in wearing saree.  This saree is casually worn at home and hope you like it.

Happy 70th republic day India. India's independence has a lot to do with Ahimsha silk or peace silk Khadi. Unlike khadi, my home state Assam is a proud curator of Eri silk. This subtle understated light beige or cream color silk has huge importance in Assamese culture.      After the festive season bids adieu in Assam, the mild winter arrives. My grandfather used to wear the Eri shawl to protect him from cold. Not just my grandfather, in those times a quintessential Assamese winter essential was an Eri shawl and still is.     Cultivated domestically the word Eri came from Assamese word ‘era’, which means castor as the silkworm feeds on castor plants. Eri is also called ahimsa or peace because while producing eri threads it does not require to kill the worm as moths leave the cocoon naturally and then the cocoons are harvested to be spun. Isn't it enthralling?      Eri silk was once considered as an essential part of the bridal trou...

Indian festivity brings never-ending options and ways of dress up. The routes you want to take can be contemporary, classic, traditional or basics. This time I took the basic or classic route. When it comes to classic, gold, and red is the most quintessential color in Indian culture. Whether it is a wedding or festivity you will at least find one or two wearing red or gold or a combination, yet you can't deny it's timeless appeal. Here is my Indian festival look #3, a gold muga silk mekhela chadar and a red Assam silk blouse and rest of the look is simple basic gold neck piece, bangle and chain clutch. The look would be incomplete without red nails and red lips. Do let me know your take. Indian festival look #1 Indian festival look #2