Sahaja meaning 'one's natural state’ in Sanskrit, inspires change and creativity while working with what we already have. Becoming familiar with the unfamiliar while bringing in elements from our surroundings and making it our own.

Inception

I had been working on the concept of Sahaja Vana prior to my big move back to India and it largely involved travelling to obscure locations for inspiration and conceptualisation.

The streets of New York? The subways of Moscow? The temples of Ubud? The mosques of Timbuktu? 

Yet I never actually sat back and cherished what was right in front of me - I was in the heart of India, embedded with culture, diversity, history, architecture, dance, music, festivals, spirituality, wildlife, affordability, backwaters, yoga, ayurveda, cuisine - so there it was, working with what we already have.

The location was set. Old Delhi.

Orchestration

I wanted to capture a day in the life of an Indian woman discovering her individuality through ituvana’s versatile clothing in juxtaposition with the localities of New Delhi, her hometown.

Becoming familiar with the unfamiliar while bringing in elements from our surroundings and making it our own

Each look was thoughtfully represented by the time of day, emotion, mood, and appropriate styling.

For Sahaja’s hair we used strands of recycled fabric to showcase one can achieve individuality, versatility and creativity almost anywhere, again, with what we already have.

A story. An experience. An emotion.

Sahaja’s story is told from multiple perspectives:

the time of day

morning to night

unfamiliar to familiar

of emotion,

occupation and location

It was imperative to know everything about Sahaja;

what kind of books she reads, where her favorite hangout spot is, what she likes to eat, and so on, to fully capture her in her essence.

Sahaja believes that familiarity is the prohibitor to one's destiny. Embracing the unfamiliar will eventually make one familiar with the unfamiliar.

Composition