Anindita Talukdar

This week artil has challenged photographer and traveller Anindira Talukdar to choose 11 items that represent her and her life - in past, present and future!

One item that represents my childhood: Ice cream

The very concept of ice-cream and variety of flavors is kind of a novel thing in India. It was only after the beginning of globalization in ‘91 that we as a mass were introduced to be able to pick options from, unless they were in the form of traditional ice creams as such as kulfi’s in the past. I remember 20 years ago when the option for ice-cream flavors were limited to vanilla, chocolate or strawberry. I clearly have vivid memories of the first time when I tasted a vanilla ice-cream from “Rollicks” with chocolate sauce on top. I have probably tasted and tried ice creams of different lands over the years, and settled for a matcha ice cream as my palette refined. But if I was offered a vanilla ice cream with just the perfect amount of chocolate sauce even now, it takes me back to the routine of waiting for my father every evening when he would be back from work, and my mother would offer me a scoop of it, and that would be enough to make my day, just like the scene of the food critic in the animated movie Ratatouille, when a bite of the food took him to the journey of nostalgia.

An item that represents my nationality: Assam tea

I come from the state of Assam in India, a place that is not just known for its scenic serenity, but a place that is famous all over the world for its tea. When we were under the rule of the British, the British East India Company took over the ruling from Ahom dynasty * rulers who had migrated centuries ago from Myanmar-Thailand and settled in the North east region of India* under the Yandaboo Treaty that ended the first Anglo-Burmese War, and began with the large scale production of Tea. The British over time fell in love with the beverage and hence today the sachet of the “Classic Breakfast Tea” is often that comes from the tea produced in Assam and exported to different parts of the world. Assam Tea is one item that my culture takes pride in, not just because it is a popular beverage around the globe, but the history and the heritage that’s laced with it. Just how Italian’s are very proud of their nonna’s recipes and wouldn’t like it much if you meddled with it, we lie on the mutual feeling about our tea.

One item that represents my biggest passion: My secret list of manifestation

I grew up in a household where religion has never been something we were asked to follow or preach, and my sibling and I grew up with liberal ideologies and religious tolerance. But a few years ago, I had come across “The Secret”, before the book went viral. I remember being this teenager and borrowing this book to read during a free period in my high school days from my best friend and I have to admit, few pages into it and I knew this book would change my life. I am a huge believer in the Law of Attraction, which believes in the idea that your thoughts and your energy can create your reality. So over the years I had made a list of things I would want to achieve and learn, and get the opportunity to explore and *touchwood*, I have experienced all of it with more to come my way. This ideology has not only changed my mindset, but has made me focus and prioritize on matters, and helped me immensely work away from distraction and confused state of mind. It has brought me more peace and contentment.

One item that represents my highest ambition in life: My education

This isen't exactly an item, but if you pick it up metaphorically, it would be my education. As a girl coming from a country that is heavily patriarchal in every perspective of livelihood, the opportunity to be able to get a Master’s Degree on Women Studies is something I wouldn’t trade with anything in my life. I have been privileged enough to be sitting in a room and being guided and taught by female

activists of my country who have been forefront leaders of women rights in India and have changed the map of it to where we are today. The scenario of women’s status and their voice have a lot more to go, that we are sure, but a lot has changed over the decade and that I as a girl/woman get to choose what I would want to do with my life and my career is a huge step I want our future to head towards.

Images from Pinterest.com // Instagram: @fashplatter

One item that represents my current mood: French raps and pop music

French raps and pop music. If you go through the estimated nth time I’ve replayed them on Spotify or introduced my friends to a specific one they liked the beat to, I still can’t remember when I first started listening to French music. I was probably a teenager and I came across a song called “Quelqu’un’m’adit” by Carla Bruni and I obviously didn’t understand one bit of it and kept hunting to find this song until I did. And it was there that my fondness for the beautiful French language began and over the years French music became kind of therapy for me. I still struggle if I need to speak that language, but I have an attachment towards their music. This year, with the pandemic and the lockdowns, French music has definitely served as my mood booster.

One item that represents my favourite person: My mother’s pickle closet

I KNOW, a pickle closet. She literally has a collection of pickled veggies to fruits to pickled roots and what not. It is one of a kind. People love her pickle so much so that sometimes I would have to pack them in my main luggage on a flight and take them as per the request, only to have a pile of clothes in my suitcase smell like pickle once it’s opened as the smell of it would be so strong because of the blend of spices it’s soaked in.

One item that represents my style: My red lipstick

My idea of style is yet evolving, but if I could think of a thing that I couldn’t let go is my red lipstick.

When people say that an outfit or just a little bit of rouge uplifts their whole confidence level, I

completely agree in it. If you know me, you would know that if you had to guess one thing inside my

purse, you could blindly say red lipstick because I never go anywhere without it. Probably even forgot to take my phone someday to some place, but had my red lipstick with me.

One item that represents my greatest fear: High heels

I love wearing heels. I even wear them to work on a daily basis, but I also fear them. The fear is just out of the fact that even though I have aced my balance on all the variety of heels that’s available, I might stumble down on them at the most unexpected moment. This thought runs in my head every day when I am especially taking the stairs!

One item that represents my profession: My planner diary

I like to live life on the edge but I don’t use that method when it comes to work life. As a child too I always loved being organized even about my school projects to my study hours and have a concrete plan to go about it. Even today that is the first thing you would find me start of the day at my work with, ticking away things that is done and planning and organizing on how to go about the rest, makes me feel more responsible and it is also a good method to not miss out when you’re piled with more than one chores.

An item that represents this year: The medium of social media

With the pandemic and the amount of curfews and lockdowns around the world and the least possibility of going to a restaurant or any place to catch up with my friends and dear ones, social media has been very comforting to provide me the facility to reach out to them.

An item that represents me: My Instagram feed

I would directly point you towards my Instagram Feed. The gallery is definitely a gateway towards

speaking more about things that I love and represent, which is mostly about food, travels and

impromptu adventures that comes my way and trying to make look the simplest of things look a little over the top, because, why not?