#midweekinspo

#MIDWEEKINSPO

Lots to be grateful for this week and an important time to pray for the families of the #ChapelHillShooting and for those blinded by ignorance and hatred. 

Here are my 3 mid-week pick-me-ups that will hopefully uplift and inspire...

1. Surrounded by Art

Last week I was privileged to witness two incredible concerts of Indian classical music and dance (my fave, if ya din't know already!). I caught Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan on the beautiful sarod with Tanmoy Bose on tabla. Light melodies were presented in the first half but the second half with Raag Malkauns really blew me away!

I also caught two incredible young Kathak dancers, Kaleel and Pranav presented by SAA-uk. Check the pic and the top of this post for some insight into the energy and flawless presentation by both of the duo. 

2. Creative Developments

If you didn't guess from our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages, we've been sneakily working away at some great new content :) we had an awesome weekend away, channeling creative ideas, discussing far-out topics and munching on delicious food!

3. InstaInspo

So I'm just a little bit addicted to Instagram. But hey guys, I think I've found my absolute favourite account... there are some real tough competitors but 'backtoculture' curates the most stunning content and I can't help but 'like' EVERYTHING! Check it out...

Hope you've all been having a great week! It's pretty damn frosty here in the UK so keep warm everyone :)

#MIDWEEKINSPO

As I edge towards my 24th birthday I’m trying to understand what being an ‘adult’ is all about. I certainly don’t feel 24. I still have so much to do i.e. my to-do list is still so long! Productivity is my killer. Maybe it’s from living in London for three years but I have this uncontrollable urge to fill every single second of the day. Maybe things will slow down once I get married…

Anyway, here’s what’s kept me uplifted this week!

1. I had a fanastic conversation with Monique from 'What A Woman Needs' about her story and the #IAMBRAVE campaign. When she asked me if I was brave, I honestly didn’t know how to answer. It sounds cheesy but I just follow my gut, even if it takes me into fear. Following my intuition feels good, so that’s what I do! Monique recommended this TED talk by Brene Brown called ‘The power of vulnerability’ and it perfectly summarised how these kind of attitudes can have a significant effect on your life. 

“And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language — it’s from the Latin word cor, meaning heart — and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect. They had the compassion to be kind to themselves first and then to others, because, as it turns out, we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly. And the last was they had connection, and — this was the hard part — as a result of authenticity, they were willing to let go of who they thought they should be in order to be who they were, which you have to absolutely do that for connection.”

2. This week the fantastically talented IniWiseChild dropped his LP entitled ‘The Other Wis3’ and it’s magic. I just love when the sounds of my heritage and hip-hop are blended together - it just seems so close to my heart and raw authenticity. Plus, they work so damn well!

Have a listen here and order the LP!

3. Last but not least, I loved this short article by Sharmistha Mukherjee on the parallel between two ‘sister cities’ - Kyoto and Benares. Both cities were rich with the culture of refined female artists…

“The Geisha lived in an “Okiya” and the “Baiji” in a “kotha”, both the worlds dominated by a matriarch. In both cultures, young girls had to go through rigorous training in classical dance, music and other arts before they could be formally initiated. They had to be well-mannered, had to have extensive knowledge about various arts and the finer rules of etiquette, expert conversationalists, in short, the things what a modern young girl might learn at an expensive finishing school. In Northern India, young boys from the elite families were sent to famous courtesans to learn tehzib.”

An interesting insight and it’s funny how I often use Geishas as an example to explain the culture of ‘baijis/tawaifs’ to people!

Hope you’re having a great week so far :) wherever you are. 

#MIDWEEKINSPO

I literally feel like I've been hurled into the new year with a healthy dose of adrenaline. I'm so pumped and raring to go and probably dipping my fingers into way too many pies (as usual!). But things have kicked-off to a busy start and I'm determined to flow with it and heck, even enjoy it!

1. A fellow dancer and friend of mine sent me this moving article on 'What it Really Takes to be an Artist' with excerpts from a speech by Teresita Fernández. It reminded me that stumbling, embarrassing myself, being frustrated and constantly critical and curious are all actually healthy traits of creative expression and growth! Phew! Just when I thought I was going mad...

"Being an artist is not just about what happens when you are in the studio. The way you live, the people you choose to love and the way you love them, the way you vote, the words that come out of your mouth, the size of the world you make for yourselves, your ability to influence the things you believe in, your obsessions, your failures — all of these components will also become the raw material for the art you make."

2.  Sad news came this week that incredible Kathak star and guru, Pandit Chitresh Das, passed away. He has spread the knowledge, expertise and love of Kathak so widely in America and the standard and passion of his students show how dedicated he was. Check out the video of his two senior students below. He will be sadly missed by all but has left an incredible legacy behind...

3. Last but not least, I experimented with a bit of film photography during my recent trip to India and the photos have been developed! The whole process of patience and anticipation is so addictive (and expensive, mind you). Who knows, I could be onto a new hobby? ;)

Here's a snapshot of some of the pics but I'll be posting more close-up versions soon, so keep an eye out!

- S

#FRIDAYINSPO

A week after returning from India and Christmas has come and gone in a bit of a blur. Earlier this week I got the worst fever I've had in a while - I literally thought that I'd caught a contagious disease! But, the doctor put my mind at rest and reassured me that it was just a nasty virus and so far my body has managed to fight it off pretty successfully. 

On to more interesting matters... let me share my inspirational moments from India, England and the internet with you all...

1. India is different every time I visit. The more I try to make sense of it, the more it ceases to make sense to me at all. Oh dear, do I sound like a white traveller? Well, I guess it becomes apparent how British I really am when I'm caught in the middle of a bustling bazaar.

First stop was Mumbai where we performed Yerma at the NCPA and got to stay at the Taj hotel! It was a tough show but the auditorium was almost full and most of the audience seemed to be moved in some way. 

Sorry no pics of the show so there's a creepy shot of me posing for you. 

Next up was dusty, delightful Delhi. Yep, I had a week to shop my heart out for wedding clothes. Most people would jump for joy if they were told to shop for new things but I tend to think really hard and don't like spending too much. Overall and it was a tiring but successful trip I guess!

Oh, and we managed to squeeze in a day trip to Mathura, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal too!

2. The 'white hip-hop' debate has been raging online this week and it's an interesting discussion that is causing Iggy Azalea to lose a certain amount of validity. People like me who love hip-hop for it's history, soul, political message and artistic expertise understand the arguments put forward by rappers like Azalea Banks and Q-Tip. Although I believe that hip-hop has a universal message that speaks to anyone from a marginalised background, if you decide to try and take up and art form, you should respect and study the context it originated in. Oh, and you should feel goddamn honoured that a hip-hop legend like Q-Tip tweeted you!

3. Last but not least in this long post, I was asked to be a stylist (for the first time, eek!) for a conceptual photo-shoot exploring aspects of Sita's desires. Sita's story in the Ramayana is saturated with notions of honour, purity and her role as Rama's wife. We decided to shake-up these themes and focus on what Sita might have really wanted instead.

Watch this space...

Yeah I look like a total hobo, but it was cold, okay?! Big thanks to the team for inviting me and to model Erim Kaur for being such a great sport!

There's my INSPO for this week folks! Hope you're having a wonderful festive break and gearing up for 2015.

Aaminah and I certainly am ;)