A movie buff and film school alumna turned Photographer, Nayantara has always been someone who’s attracted to the visual medium. After honing her skills in cinematography, she found it easier to tell a story visually than with words. Not a big one for hobbies, she’s more about ‘interests’, concepts that engage her mind like reading about space and animals, waking early to go for walks, soaking in the silence, finding obscure material on Reddit and reading fiction, just some of the things that make her happy. Beyond all this, if you have a mother named Kalpana which means imagination, then it’s only natural she would imbibe that in you. The ability to imagine, whether it’s a good story, a better world or realizing your dreams. It is from these values that the inherent need to be an honest and better person arose, to practice compassion in every day life, from the smallest of efforts like not harming a living soul to reaching out to those in need.
This level of self-awareness has borne well for Nayantara, who believes that the challenges that arise from ideas and assumptions that one can’t do what they want to do because of gender are mere fallacies. It is faith in your work, even though it may seem like a constant battle of convincing people, it needs to be done! Which is why her advice to her younger self would be to stop trying to change yourself to appease people. She believes that the human ability to heal from setbacks is the greatest strength she possesses and that is essentially embodied by softness.
This combination of strength and softness translates into her personal style as well, where she prefers a mix of innovation, utility and beauty. When these three elements intersect, she feels that fashion can transcend into art. Being driven by visuals, she looks back at her prized possession, a saree she wore for her 12th Grade graduation, a handmade creation made by her mother and her friend’s mother. All in all, her definition of a life well lived is to stay true to your beliefs even though breaking is part of growing.
