Minutes before dusk, a group of surfers in Goa a makes its way to the beach. Here, it is common for boards, bodies and the ocean to become one. As they ride the ebb and flow of the Arabian Sea, lithe bodies dressed in second-skin swimwear and utilitarian gear, their insouciance inspires countercultures and catwalks alike
I strain my neck looking over my shoulder for the next wave I can catch. “Is that it? Should I start paddling?” I ask Asif, my instructor at The Shaka Surf Club, signalling to a dark shadow forming in the distance over a strip of green sea, still unsure of how to read the waves. Turns out that swell is too small to ride, and I go back to being prone on the board, closing my eyes as it passes under me and gently buoys me as if I weigh nothing. It’s a few minutes before the right wave comes along and Asif jolts me out of my inertia with a sudden shout of “Paddle, paddle, paddle!” In a flurry of strenuous activity, I manage to pop up on the board and drift along with the wave, immersed in the moment, my body, mind and board acting like one. Upon reaching the shore, the spell is broken—I topple off the board and the process starts all over again.
Current affairs
Elif Shafak’s work abounds with references, memories and a deep love of Istanbul. She talks to AANCHAL MALHOTRA about the significance of home and those who shape our recollections of the past
A drop of nostalgia
A whiff of Chanel N°5 L'Eau acts as a memory portal for TARINI SOOD, reminding her of the constant tussle between who we are and who we hope to become
Wild thing's
Zebras hold emerald-cut diamonds, panthers morph into ring-bracelets that move and a turtle escapes to become a brooch -Cartier's high jewellery collection Nature Sauvage is a playground of the animal kingdom.
Preity please
Two surprise red-carpet appearances and a movie announcement have everyone obsessing over Preity Zinta. The star behind the aughties’ biggest hits talks film wardrobe favourites, social media and keeping it real.
Honeymoon travels
Destination locked, visas acquired, bookings madewhat could stand between a newly-wed couple and pure, unadulterated conjugal bliss in some distant, romantic land? A lot, finds JYOTI KUMARI. Styled by LONGHCHENTI HANSO LONGCHAR
La La Land
They complete each other’s sentences, make music together and get lost on the streets of Paris—this is the love story of Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth.
A SHORE THING
Annalea Barreto and Mavrick Cardoz eschewed the big fat Goan wedding for a DIY, intimate, seaside affair that was true to their individual selves.
7 pheras around the buffet
Celebrating the only real love affair each wedding season: me and a feast.
Saving AI do
From getting ChatGPT to plan your wedding itinerary to designing your moodboard on Midjourneytech is officially third-wheeling the big fat Indian wedding
Love bomb me, please
Between breadcrumbing, cushioning and situationships, the language of romance seems to be lost in translation. SAACHI GUPTA asks, where has the passion gone?