From Thelas to Malls : The Great Indian Bazaar

India, a land of myriad hues. The birthplace of Jugaad, Bollywood, Curry, and all things desi.  One side of the many pictures depict the smells, colors, the chaos, the careful yet so careless attempts and the new competing for attention with the old. The Pichkaris and the Holi colours, the kites  everywhere! And, Diwali time, its firecrackers and the paper lanterns along with abundance of festival paraphernalia.

One might just smile to oneself at the sight of a woman walking the streets clad with a colourful saree or a lehenga, laden with jhumkas and malas, sweet isn’t it?  And suddenly another might just get fascinated at the sight of another woman in red lipstick and high heels, wearing hot pants or minis, smelling really expensive and getting out of her car to enter a mall, only to embellish herself more! From the street-side vendor fighting for space with cars, trucks, carts, elephants and horses to the centrally air conditioned multi-brand showroom with mood lighting and ambient music, from the newspaper to the billboard, from the ad jingle blaring on the radio to the television commercial, from the chai-walla and the dhabas serving food that can overpower the senses and the pandemonium creating harmony to Starbucks that gives one a kick with it’s international standards and flavours, India’s got everything.

So, stay tuned people,  because we will celebrate this magnificent festival in our next issue!