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We have a lot of ‘mullapoo’(mogra) plants in our ancestral house, because it’s my mother’s favourite flower. Whenever she’s here, she has her tiny mullapoo routine. She steps out into our garden every evening with a small basket, and picks out the buds which are ready to bloom. She then strings them together, quite enjoying the whole process of it, and then keeps it next to the idol of a deity in the ‘pooja’ room. She wears it in her hair the next morning after the buds have bloomed, and sometimes even wears it in her hair while sleeping, saying that the mullapoo makes the hair smell beautiful the next morning. The soft, beautiful fragrance of the flowers wafts through the air when she walks around the next day.. This, in the picture, is one of those plants, and maybe an unmindful passing down of a personal tradition that a child picks up from a mother, unknowingly..

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For all those who have followed my previous blog posts, you must be familiar with how I always try sticking to a more-of-nature, less-of-urban backdrops for my photographs. When I started The Scarlet Window, the idea behind it all was to create styles with a fusion of both indian and western clothing elements or infusing ethnic elements into a modern space where it’s wearable and at the same time looks unique and gorgeous. But my love for pure, unadultrated ethnic styles have always resulted in most of my series being all ethnic. Hence, this time I took a conscious effort in putting together a look that’s a little bit of both, and is simple, comfortable, colourful, wearable and pretty. :) We(Ajay and I) explored some lovely streets in the suburbs of Bombay for this shoot. Ventured into building compounds older than three decades, streets filled with bougainvillea, played with adorable stray puppies(leave Ajay with dogs, and it’s the most difficult task pulling him away from them. Such a dog lover, Ajay), scouted till we got some beautifully textured walls as backdrops(photo 1 & 2), ate vada pavs while contemplating which other streets to explore, romanticised the gorgeous evening light, stopped mid shoot and contemplated if the nose-ring was too large, randomly plucked a lot of flowers, because...pink :), spoke about life, had chai, spoke about how the pressure of building careers is the worst thing to happen to us, had more chai, got excited about how the photos were coming out lovely, and so much more frenzied talk, none of which I remember now.   For tons of outtakes and other lovely images that don’t make it to the blog, follow us on instagram: ID: malavikamohanan_ Lots of love <3 Malavika P.S. Would love to hear from you guys! Random musings, collaborations, inspirations, everything is welcome(as long as the grammar is impeccable). Email me at thescarletwindow@gmail.com

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Blue

“She was wrapped in blue. The kind of blue, at that place, where you can’t tell the sea from the sky. She was the sea. She was the sky. The blue was her tribal skin. But she didn’t know it yet.”

I’ve always been a city girl; born and brought up here. I’ve spent my childhood evenings playing lagori, lukka-chuppi, badminton, antakshari, pakda-pakdi, sakli below my building, where we had a small, namesake ground. And if and when we craved for a different space to play in, we took over the building terrace(if we were lucky, the watchman would’ve forgotten to lock it that evening). Sometimes we got lucky, but most times we didn’t. If the grounds got too boring, and the terrace locked, we would diligently go over to every one of our friends’ homes, till at least one of our mothers allowed us to play inside the house. But of course we couldn’t run and jump inside the house, so we would quietly(or not) sit in a corner assigned to us and invent games to keep ourselves entertained. We would play till around 8, and if we hadn’t been summoned home as yet, we would all sit and watch an episode each of Popeye and Scooby dooby doo.  This was pretty much our playtime routine back then.

The summer vacations were a lot more stifling. I spent hours immersed in Enid Blyton books while growing up. I craved for the kind of adventures the characters in Secret Seven and Famous Five had. I craved to live in the kind of countryside they lived in. I craved to aimlessly ride my cycle, pluck fresh fruits from trees, get lost in fields, have lakeside picnics with my best friends. I craved for spaces I could call my own, nooks and corners of the woods only I knew about, go hiking in the woods with my friends, find pretty spots where we could break for some delicious snacks. I craved to climb trees, eat freshly plucked fruits, make a bouquet of fresh flowers and get them home to mom, play in a stream, come back home tired and thirsty and hungry after a long day of doing all of these. But there I was, in a place I can confidently say was the opposite of what I craved for. There was no countryside, no woods, no deserted cabins, hardly any trees at all, no empty roads to cycle on, no picnic spots, no pretty lakes. So we made do with what little we had- the ground, the occasional terrace, and corners of our tiny homes. I lived after all in the heart of Bombay. —- This year, I spent around two months in the forest areas of Wayanad in Kerala. Wayanad is one of the most beautiful places in India, and is known for its rich, wild forests. Wayanad has almost 10 different types of tribes that live in different parts of the district. I spent most of my time there with the tribal people, and even lived with them for several days, in their settlements. It took me several days to meet locals, become friends with them, get accustomed to my new surroundings, and for them to be comfortable and open up around a non-local. It was slightly challenging, but I had help from my relatives who lived in the same area, and some friends as well. Fortunately for me, it all worked out smoothly. The first thing I registered when I went there the first time was that there was nothing around me but lush green foliage and acres and acres of untouched forest land. I had in front of me everything I had craved for since a long long time. But these new surroundings felt so alien to me. Suddenly I was at a loss for what to do or how to be. It felt odd walking around without footwear, with my bare feet touching the soft soil and delicate grass. It seemed odd but luxurious to sit under any tree I wanted to or to sit on the rock by the stream with my feet dipped in the cold water. It took me a couple of weeks to get accustomed to my new surroundings. I made several tribal friends..gradually, but very very happily eased into my new surroundings, sat outside tribal huts chatting with them for hours(it helped that I’m Malayali, so communicating with them was not a problem), played with the children, chased chickens, sang with them, learnt not to be around river banks in the evenings because that’s when the wild elephants come down to the river to quench their thirst, learnt so many little tricks and secrets of the forests from them.. It was possibly the most beautiful months I’ve had in a very long time. It was the first time in my life I lived away from a city that long. And I couldn’t be happier that I did, even though it was only for those two months. That’s the thing about having lived in a city your entire life; you are so deeply cut off from nature, you don’t know what to do or how to be when you’re put in the heart of it. You feel uneasy, because for so long you have lived only in an urban jungle. This post is an ode to my newfound tribal skin. Blue Photographs by the awesome Ajay Koli :*

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Chandni Chowk Chandni Chowk, which means “moonlit square” or “moonlight market”, is one of the oldest markets not just in Delhi, but in India.

It’s one of most beautiful, intriguing and enchanting places I’ve visited during the course of my travels across the country. What makes the market so incredibly fascinating, is that it was built sometime in the 17th century, by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. It’s been around for so many centuries, and till date flourishes as one of the must-see places one must visit on a trip to Purani dilli(Old Delhi). The locals say, the bazaar which was originally designed as a square, was decorated with a pool at the centre of it. The pool shimmered in the moonlight, and they say this is where the market derived its name from. It’s a fascinating story, and an even fascinating place.

No film, photographs, writings, poems, anecdotes, videos, can ever do any justice to the true essence of this place. It’s one of a kind, and that’s the beauty of it. The place has a magical quality of taking you back in time, and giving you a glimpse of what Purani Dilli must have been a century back. Tiny rays flashing in your head about what it would’ve maybe been like during the time the Mughal empire flourished. The market is completely maze-like. It’s got innumerable alleys and pathways and streets, filled with stores selling anything and everything you can possibly imagine; flowers, silver jewelry, ittar(perfume), footwear, spices, lehengas and kurtas, furniture, souvenirs, dry fruits, and so so much more! Chandni Chowk is also ridiculously famous for it’s amazing local food. People from all over the country visit the place for it’s tiny restaurants in the narrow lanes of the marketplace, some of which are decades old and serve some of the most delicious food in the country!

Some of the houses and buildings in Chandni Chowk are hundreds of years old. If you walk down the alleys, exploring, you will notice how Mughal architecture till date dominates the space.You might notice these details in a couple of the photographs here as well. I collaborated with this this absolutely brilliant photographer, Richa, who I’ve been friends with on facebook for years, but had never actually met! We finally met for the first time the day we did this shoot, and had it not been for her I would’ve been so very lost in this market! Richa and I had an incredibly time clicking photographs, exploring the market, having lunch at the paranthewaali galli, and finally getting to work on something together! I wore a maroon kurta I picked up from one of the markets in Delhi, and accessorised it with a vintage coin necklace and coin ring, which I am absolutely in love with!

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White sunset The weather in Bombay(I still prefer to call it that) has been unexpectedly charming since yesterday morning. The drizzly sky, coupled with cold breeze has made the temperature plummet so quick, the city suddenly feels so much lovelier!  No more heat and harsh sun(at least for the moment.) Absolutely in love with the weather today!

I've been wanting to do something with white fabric and silver oxidised jewellery for a while now, it being such a classic combination. Even though Indian textiles are known for being colourful, my wardrobe is still dominated by blacks and whites. I personally feel oxidised jewellery looks good with almost everything. These photographs are clicked by a friend of mine, Abhishek Verma. Abhishek and I went to the Versova beach one evening hoping to get a good picturesque location, but instead ended on wondering which angles we could click to avoid the dirt and grime on the beach(Welcome to Bombay!) Thankfully for us, we did manage to get some good shots, :)

P.S. If any of you guys want to collaborate, shoot me a mail at thescarletwindow@gmail.com or drop in a message on tumblr. I'm absolutely free for a couple of weeks, and would love to create exciting new stuff. :)

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I was recently having a conversation with a close friend, and she told me about this really heated discussion she had with her grandfather one day, during the course of which he told her how women of his generation, during their young days, had so much more style and elegance than the women of today. He also went on to say how everybody nowadays looks "mass manufactured" and lack grace and individuality. She of course immediately took offence to this statement, and knowing her, playfully gave him an earful for saying this. But later, when she did repeat this episode to me, she admitted, that it did make sense to her what he was trying to say. He was merely trying to point out the lack of uniqueness in the style of women today. Everyone wears the same things, in the same way. There's no different characteristic to it. I of course, immediately understood the point he was trying to put across as I've had similiar conversations with people in the past.

It always breaks my heart to see the lack of imagination when it comes to style. Every second girl I see on the streets is in a pair of jeans and a top. It's become boring in the attempt to make it "causal". One can only wear what's available to buy, yes. But that said, one can always find unique ways of fusing things and create an individual style. Like her grandfather said, not everyone has to look "mass manufactured". No matter how much you hate "dressing up", or claim to be somebody who is "not defined by the clothes he/she wears", the fact remains that when you head out, you are going to put some clothes on you, so why not make it interesting to look at? Why not look at it as a medium of self-expression? Because everything said,  being visual beings, the first thing anyone notices, and the first thing that non-verbally makes an impression is always what you're wearing.

My rantings aside, coming back to this post, I collaborated with a Pakistani photographer, Mehlum Sadriwala for this shoot. Mehlum is my first friend from across the border, and hails from Karachi. In retrospect I realize, Mehlum and I were more excited about this Mumbai-Karachi collaboration more than the actual shoot, because India-Pakistan is always such a sensationalised subject! Haha. Also, it me realize how redundant this whole animosity situation between our two countries is, because it was absolutely beautiful meeting Mehlum. And it never made a difference, the fact that he was Pakistani.

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Rajasthan

I went on a family road trip to Rajasthan a couple of weeks back, and finally visited a couple of cities I'd been dying to go to!  We went to Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Kumbalgarh; 3 cities in a span of one week, which resulted in us having spent more time in the car than the cities! Rajasthan continues to be a place I'm endlessly fascinated by. Jaisalmer is one of the most gorgeous places I've been to in India, with its forts, old alleys, and the sand dunes. We spent one of the evenings in the sand dunes, sipping tea at a local tea stall, going for a camel ride, watching the desert sunset, and clicking innumerable photographs of the colourfully adorned and accessorized  camels. It was breathtaking!

These pictures posted here were clicked in a fort in Kumbalgarh. Rajasthan is awfully hot in the day, and awfully cold at night. I wanted to wear something something pretty and minimal, not to mention, comfortable. Also, with the amount of leching once faces from the local men, it's best advised to not wear short clothes. I wore these Anokhi palazzos with a plain off-white top, accessorised with simple silver jewellery. The palazzos are block printed, and I absolutely love the colour combination!

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Bandhani Bandhani is a form of textile art, which has its origins in the state of Gujrat, in India. It is one of the most widely recognised and used fabrics in the country. Bandhani is produced mainly in bright colours like red, blue, pink, yellow, etc. The process of creating the pattern on the fabric is a tie-dye process, where a plain fabric is tied at several points using threads, and dipped in a dye of desired colour, creating this pattern.

This red bandhni dupatta is one of my all time favourites, which I unintentionally end up teaming up with every second kurta I wear. It adds a pop of colour to every outfit, without being too gaudy. If I had a 'wardrobe must-haves' list, this would definitely top the list.  These photographs were clicked a while ago on a lazy afternoon when Syddharth and I were randomly wandering along the lakeside at Powai. We were lazing around the waters, sipping tea, having conversations, and clicking in the beautiful evening light.

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Diwali Diwali is one of the most awaited, celebrated and significant festivals of India. It is also fondly known as the 'festival of lights'; all homes and localities beautifully adorned with diyas and fairy lights. The festive spirit is highly contagious, with everyone feverishly shopping for new clothes and gifts, cleaning and beautifying the house, families getting together for the festival and tripling ones calorie intake. I have the most beautiful childhood memories of Diwali. Schools would shut for almost a month long vacation. Endless hours of playing with friends and indulging in cracker bursting competitions(which was probably the most coveted event of the year), drawing rangolis outside the house(with everyone competing to create a design more attention-grabbing than the rest), the innumerable differently coloured sweets(available in every imaginable colour), friends and relatives visiting each other(and exchanging fancy gifts, of course), Laxmi poojas(which one had to sit through if one wanted to go outside and play after), the excitement of wearing a new dress bought specially for the occasion(which when you're young is probably just 4-5 times a year), and lots and lots of lights and colours and sparkles everywhere! I've grown up loving the festival, and because I'm always looking for an excuse to dress up in ethnic stuff, I love it even more. I picked one of my mother's many sarees for the occasion , a beautiful green and red combination and wore it with a pale golden blouse. This was the first time we clicked pictures wearing a saree and also the first time we were clicking indoor. I was terribly scared about the outcome, but Syddharth being the genius he is, got some gorgeous shots, and so here we finally are with our Diwali post which we are so excited about! Wishing all of you a very Happy Diwali! :)

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Silver by the brook

Since my early teens I’ve always had a fascination towards the Rajasthani culture. The arid, dry landscape, punctuated with forts and palaces, stories of kingdoms and wars, always made it one of the most intriguing places in India for me. The traditional ensembles of the state, too, are equally fascinating. The women wear heavy silver oxidized jewellery, and lovely, elaborate ghaghra cholis, the vibrant hues of which stand out in stark contrast against the dry, plain backdrop.

I was in Jaipur a couple of years back, and picked up this bright pink skirt while scouting the local handicraft and handloom market. I’ve teamed it up with a top from H&M here, and accessorized the look with a delicate version of the oxidized silver ornaments, to tone it down a little and create a more fun, wearable look.

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The Art of Indianism

I was skimming through a few of my mother’s old cotton sarees recently, pieces she’s picked up from different parts of the country over a span of almost 20 years.

I was excitedly gushing over how pretty and unique they were, and that was when it struck me that we hardly see girls/women our generation in these gorgeous traditional ensembles anymore.

We’ve been so strongly influenced by the Zara, Forever21, Mango, etc wave that’s hit our country, that we’ve almost lost our own ethnic style somewhere in that chaos.

 I’m not a fashion extremist. I personally love these brands that I just mentioned. But I also love the gorgeous traditional styles we’ve had around us for centuries. So many colours, such vibrant gorgeous prints, and breathtaking jewellery!

 I immediately feverishly started googling Indian fashion blogs to see if there were bloggers who’d made an attempt to incorporate any ethnic elements into the looks they blog about. Unfortunately, I found no one.

 The Scarlet Window, was hence conceived out of an eager desire to revive our native styles, and fuse it with the new-age trends to created wearable, contemporary Indian looks.