Wear what you like, like what you wear. Touch the sky, stay grounded. Be rooted, be uprooted. Smile, frown, laugh, and cry. Blabber, talk, converse, and relax. Stay happy, stay strong, stay alive, stay modern, stay traditional, stay you. Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward.
To shine bright you have to shed the notions, go beyond the façade, look yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself – “Who am I?”
Don’t end up leading a life that you are not comfortable with. Don’t be bullied in silence and never allow yourself to be a follower to other’s thoughts if you are not at ease. Be the best version of your heart, mind and soul. With changing seasons, even the best of trees shed their leaves. Be a tree, and change with the changing times.
At Label Veena, we believe that it is time to lean in towards our earthly origins. Lean in towards our culture and tradition, lean in towards our base thoughts, our inner desires, and live a free and joyous life.
Practice inclusiveness of your thoughts with the societal thoughts; accept those with a different perspective – each one for their own, and rejoice in this new-found truth of living collectively by being you and accepting others. Participate in envisioning an inclusive universe where we all merrily share a laugh over a cuppa tea, in a Veena Saree.
There is nothing more beautiful and pure than being unapologetically ourselves -- comfortable and perfect with our imperfections, as imperfection is just a perspective. That’s the true essence of beauty. Be bright in your colour – be it black and white or floral – showcase your truth, wear your charisma with élan and aplomb, gracefully surrender to yourself, to your desires, do not distress yourself on account of uncalled imaginings, as many fears are born of over-thinking and discipline, so be gentle to yourself. You are the child of the universe – just like the trees and the stars - stand strong, emit light, you have a right to be here. And whether or not it makes sense or it doesn’t make sense, there is no doubt that you are a part of a larger universe, a larger thought, a thought that is infinite and fathomless. Have aspirations, have dream, have the power to transcend, it is a beautiful feeling to be one with oneself, and live our tale.
Tradition is not only aesthetic but also functional in its use. Say you are going for an interview. And you want to be at peace with yourself; drape a traditional saree with all heart, wear a bindi, wear those ear-rings, and wear that loving smile of yours. And go. Go for that interview. Go kill it with your panache, your attitude, your freedom. Speak your truth. Smile, laugh, enjoy the conversation about past, present and future, and own that setting. Every place is your stage, every stage is your set, be traditional, be modern, be you!
Needless to say, the closest that anyone can understand us, apart from ourselves, is our family and friends. It is with them that we are ourselves. They know our swing; few know our fling, what makes us sing, what gives us wing… and what makes us go ting-a-ling. Why not then enjoy a get together with our closed ones where we wear what we like – not as per the occasion, but as per what we like and what makes us feel like an occasion. Say we call for a saree party! Imagine everyone sitting in a room – one of your friend in a saree is sitting in a lotus position on the floor, while another is standing in the balcony looking at the saplings, delicately touching it and suddenly starts singing that song – Bawra Mann Dekh Ne Chala Ek Sapna…. and everyone has a smile of their face, one picks up a guitar and one closes her eyes and goes in a state of nirvana – just listening to that song with her head nodding side-ways and hands moving involuntarily; everyone and all rejoicing in that moment -- singing, dancing, living in that moment of truth, loving oneself and practicing carpe diem, just seizing the day! That is such a beautiful truth of existence.
So go, sit, stand, be still, stroll, life is meant to be enjoyed, so take that yard that you feel like taking – nothing is that hard...everything is there for taking. All that you have to do is love yourself uncontrollably!