Love, Indus was born of personal discovery and rediscovery fueled by the richness, nostalgia, energy and intimacy of my two homes - India and all that its mountains and valleys have to offer, and the mad cultural mélange that is New York.
From the memories of the past, to the unexpectedness of the future.
I vividly remember my 8th birthday and how I celebrated as I always had - digging into phirni, served in an earthen pot, and laced with the delicate gold of saffron.
This was in my Kashmiri neighbor's house in Calcutta (now Kolkata) where I was born to parents from states at other ends of the country (Punjab and Rajasthan). I recall the occasion now as it was a precursor of my kaleidoscopic journey across the subcontinent.
From the innocence of childhood in chaotic Kolkata, I moved on to an introverted adolescence in Delhi.
The blazing hot summers were spent with grandparents (and twenty-one first cousins!) amongst Rajasthan's evocative landscapes.
My first job in personal care, beauty and wellness, took me to mercurial Mumbai, but had me visiting far-flung southern towns and villages, where I discovered new beauty routines and wellness regimens.
With every new landscape, I experienced a new way of life.
With every new custom, I experienced a new way of being.
And with every new relationship, I experienced a new way of thinking... and the warp and weft of my cultural fabric began to come together.
At about the same time, I saw some of the basic customs and ingredients I had grown up with (coconut oil, turmeric etc.) make their way into the fabric of everyday food and wellness in the US and other Western markets. However, I also knew that these early, tentative crossovers barely scraped the surface of the well-guarded riches and rituals the varied regions of the Indian sub-continent had to offer.
At about the same time, I saw some of the basic customs and ingredients I had grown up with (coconut oil, turmeric etc.) make their way into the fabric of everyday food and wellness in the US and other Western markets. However, I also knew that these early, tentative crossovers barely scraped the surface of the well-guarded riches and rituals the varied regions of the Indian sub-continent had to offer.
I knew then, that I had to find a way to take these incredible subcontinental ingredients & customs that I was intimately familiar with, leverage my background in innovation, and apply the best technology New York has to offer - to create potent potions.
You will see: the love is undeniable.
Experience the magic that is Love, Indus.