by Meehika Barua

A Mehndi ceremony.

How Mehndi Helped Me Embrace My South Asian Roots During the Pandemic

I have a love-hate relationship with Mehndi – a temporary skin decoration applied using henna that originated in ancient India. Henna is associated with positive spirits and good luck in my culture. Many people claim that Mehndi is the way to make the sacred visible to the naked eye, thus offering and receiving blessings from the divine […]

Dispatch Before a Pandemic New Year’s Eve

Last year, I spent New Year’s Eve on a plane. On December 31, I took a 10-hour flight from London to New Delhi. I’ve been stuck here ever since, thanks to the pandemic. I told the British guy I was seeing at the time that I booked it because tickets were three times cheaper than […]