Sand & Sun

Hello fellow humans! First things first, loads of virtual hugs and kisses to you all for the support you guys have lovingly provided me throughout. I am finally back after surviving a brutal month full of assignments and exams. (BMM is easy they said, BMM is fun they said.)

Nonetheless, I have been planning this blog post since so long and I cannot believe that I am finally putting it up. It has turned out so beautifully, could not have asked for more. So, what inspired me was culture primarily. I love how vibrant, colorful, rich and diverse Indian culture is. So I was putting together this beautiful outfit and it’s simplicity, flow struck me; it essentially reminded me of Sand for it’s stunning flow and Sun for how something as simple as ray of light could up the game of any outfit literally turning it golden.

I wanted to get inspired by a place and that is how I thought of combining two of my favorite themes, Fashion and Travel. Sand and sun, colors and vibrancy, traditional and cultured all led to the same destination : Rajasthan. I was already squeaking in excitement even with the thought of it. It’s execution was tough and tiring, the travel was hectic and hot but OH GOD, I would definitely do it all over again.

What I loved about Rajasthan the most was the spirit of that place. The forts have an eerie feel to it, it screams ancient, the monuments being not less than 700 – 800 years old. The gardens, the fountains, the roads, the homes, the forts, villages all treasure stories centuries old. I truly embraced the splendid experience that was thrown at my way. The camel and jeep ride in the desert amidst of wide spread soft, warm, golden sand with the blazing sun above at 5 in the morning was my favorite bit of all 10 days. On the same day, I planned out the shoot in an extremely elegant but very simple outfit in a vast desert under the golden light of the setting sun. It was purely heaven.

Let’s talk Fashion!

The background is what makes the outfit! I paired a flow-y, creamed colored Palazzo with a blue crop-top with tiny flowers on it. I was initially wearing oxidized danglers but later I instead opted for some decent shades and a black watch. I occasionally wrapped a Pashmina shawl (scarf). This outfit gifted me such a beautiful tan! I was totally feeling myself with the way the outfit had turned out. The sand complimented the Palazzo pants and the blue sky complimented the subtly colored crop top!

Outfit details :

Crop Top – Ginger

Palazzo – Ethnicity

Shades – IDEE

Watch – Calvin Klein

Some feast for the eyes now! I visited Ranthambore, Chittaurgarh, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Jaipur. Some aesthetics from these locations!

I have literally shopped till I dropped. My living room looks like a mini Rajasthan filled with artifacts, accessories, food items, and what not, all I now need is some sand and I could charge my guests for entry fees.

Something interesting about Rajasthan :

Photo credits – myself

Edit Credits – AKSHAY KULKARNI (He is one talented guy, check our his profile!) Thanks Akshay, would not have been possible without you!

Akshay’s instagram – akshayk39

Akshay’s Facebook –

https://m.facebook.com/akshay.kulkarni.77398?tsid=0.9687421514115746&source=result

Do let me know if you guys liked the outfit, which of these pictures did you like the best, your valuable suggestions or just anything through the comment section below! Big big Thank you, once again!

Love,

The Tiny Human – Gargi Rajopadhye

Home, found it yet?

Travel

/ˈtrav(ə)l/

verb

1.

make a journey, typically of some length.

(of an object or radiation) move, typically in a constant or predictable way.

synonyms:

move, proceed, progress, advance

For most part we consider travelling to be living away from home while the very meaning of the word travel is to move, well not just physically, but also mentally, emotionally, spiritually.

Mumbai is about 396 kms (I bet Tesla would’ve loved to travel this) according to Siri and 570 kms according to Google maps to the city of Panjim/Panji. So roughly about an 11 hour journey. We halted in Pune that night and set course back for Goa in the morning at about 7 am. What I truly enjoy about travelling is literally travelling, more than anything else, the searching of the destination, observing around, kissing the wind, talking to the locals about their life stories, reading number plates, halting for a quick tea on the highway, just knowing that you do not really know anything and you still just keep moving forward. The very act of travelling forwards you spiritually if you really look and observe, there is so much you take with you after a trip. I have been to Goa many times and there is something about this place, I have observed that every time you visit this place you seek the experiences as per where your life is at that time, I have had vastly varied experiences with this place but the last one was the one to remember, the take away was priceless.

Reaching the very interiors of Panji at 9 pm same day, we changed, washed up, ate dinner and then I did what I love doing most especially when travelling is go for a walk, and so I did. That night I experienced the most local, Goa could be. We walked down the lane of the tiny settlement in that interior part of Goa for the first two nights, we discovered a beautiful little space to just relax, the seating was sort of one like on the Worli sea face, except that it had beautiful filigree designs and instead of a sea, there was a farm full of banana, papaya, drumsticks, chili plants. It was about 11 pm and we just sat and talked the night away, dearly appreciating the blood-red crescent of the moon being a Selenophile.

The next two days were all about spending time with the locals, observing the streets, utterly enjoying them, I even made friends Riyaz, Sahil, Portia to name a few. But I spent most of these two days heartily eating at amazing bistros, even street food for that matter and oh being where I belong, the water. I was blessed with an amazing tan, the water on the beaches was so beautiful, I was the happiest. I took a dip in the middle of the sea because I was feeling a little too adventurous. But what stood out for me was discovering my community in Goa. That was the take away from this trip. I remember I was feeling a little out-of-place that day, when we visited a beach and something kept telling me that I was about to have a very profound spiritual experience. It was a Wednesday and there always is a little flea market only on Wednesdays on the beach. There was just one little typical Goan beach cafe out there where a Russian band was playing music and this lady sang so beautifully, I found myself in a hippie flea market and suddenly I belonged. All artists were selling their art, some clothes, some sold accessories, some sold paintings, some sold handmade jewellery. What it gave me was that, when I looked around there were strange-looking, absurdly dressed people just like I was, but everyone was just dancing to the tune of the music, selling, buying, talking, hugging, eating, drinking, laughing. There were no judgments, evaluations of any sort, no societal norms. I remember at one point this beautiful lady from Israel, she hugged me and said, “we are all one, you are not alone. You are a beautiful soul and I recognize you.” I felt this shift of energy within me and suddenly I saw it all, the oneness, the beauty of existence, that nothing has to belong, we are all accepted, we are all one. This was one profound experience that I will always cherish in my life. I learnt that Home is not a physical place, it is found in moments, in people. I found home in existence that day.

So, here are a few places I think every person visiting Goa should visit if you are not looking for a commercial experience but something more soulful.

Anjuna beach, the flea market
Butterfly beach
Arambol
Night market
Kakolem beach
Candolim beach
Harvalem falls (beautiful for meditation)
Bubbling lake

Here are some photographs from my visit!

Love,

Gargi Rajopadhye

November 30, 2018 6

Is your Eye open?

Hello fellow humans! I am finally back with blogging and oh how I have missed it all these months. To just sit down and let words wrap your flowing thoughts and emotions is really satisfying. This blog post is not about fashion, humour, lifestyle or food, it is unlike any other write-up I have posted in the past. It is about travelling throughout the universe gathering wisdom, exploring the self. The prime reason for me to write to you today is to announce something really huge!

The last few months have been life altering and really enlightening! The universe has been unfolding itself in startling ways and has completely transformed the path, purpose and tangent of my existence, it is my sheer privilege to share my journey with you. I wish to invite you into the roller coaster ride of my Spiritual journey. Without further elongation I want to announce that I will be posting videos on YouTube about Spirituality and Motivation! I am really eager and excited to share all the knowledge and experiences since my intuition says that it is going to help me connect to so many of you on the same path!

We will be talking on a dozen varied topics but just to name a few,

SPIRITUALITY, of course – I will dig deeper into the whole concept and idea behind this word as well as share my experiences!
Sacred Geometry
Nature and Science
Self Awareness

Processed with VSCO with p5 preset
Crystals
Love
Music
Time
Money

Other topics would include ego, reality, human mind and nature, religion, mythological stories, scientific stories and so much more.

My emphasis is equally going to be on interaction with you since that is how we can share wisdom, ideas and gathered knowledge.

Take a plunge into the endless and eternal ocean of spirituality, growth, enlightenment with me as we together explore and discover life and its ways!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoOEHaZrzMz0qjzQJSydH0Q?view_as=subscriber

P.S – There is no video on the channel as of now, I wrote down the content for the first video today itself.

Love,

Gargi Rajopadhye

Just a soul trying to reconnect to you

October 10, 2018 3

Carpe Diem.

Traversing through the concealed streets of Europe, capturing the virgin monuments, people, lanes in her camera, she kept walking. A petite 17-year-old, curly hair, small little face, big black eyes, beautiful dusky complexion. The kind of girl who is in her own world, either drowning into her sketch book or plunging into a musical ocean by plugging her earphones in. She was a charming bubble, messing and joking around her bunch of friends, hogging various kinds of edibles, playful (well, more of a troublemaker) loved and wanted by many.

Timorously she boarded the plane. A hundred thoughts racing in her mind, she was all jittery, she could hear her heartbeats growing louder and she just slept through it all. Alone in an alien land she forged out of the airport and stood there before the wide roads, strange people, unfamiliar world. She inhaled lungs full of air, closed her eyes and got into the coach (huge bus) and then there was no looking back for her. She sure started out all panicky and scared but what lay ahead of her taught her the lesson of life. Nothing fancy, she was out on a trip to Europe. Sounds exhilarating, doesn’t it? well not if you are all alone in a foreign land on your first ever international trip.

Slowly venturing into her own self, exploring the winsome world Europe had devised for her; she learned and grew. 14 days had decoded for her what she could never see in 17 years – The simple lesson of “Carpe Diem” meaning, “To seize every moment, everyday” She prospered every second, every minute of the 14 days, a divine conglomeration of varied emotions and feelings. Fear with a blend of excitement, confusion with a pinch of mysterious faith, hesitation with a dash of hardihood. She survived, lived through it all; whether it was – Walking down the freezing roads with a glass of wine, soaking up rays of beautiful, bright sun, inhaling the fresh air of the dense forests, sculpting out a snow-man out of the cold, squishy snow, singing and dancing in the middle of the streets or cherishing the tickle from the pit of her stomach whilst sitting on a Disney ride. That right there? was heaven to her. She lived like she never knew what it felt like to fall in love for the very first time. She Carpe Diem’ed.

Photographs from the trip.

Photography credits – Myself

World’s biggest Cuckoo clock – Black forest, Germany

Here on – Paris, France

Last night at Paris and at Europe.

Love,

The tiny human – Gargi Rajopadhye

July 24, 2017 26