To make it, do we need to fake it??

Delhi continues to amaze and at times apall , specially while attending the myriad events and exhibitions going on full blast as we inch towards the new year.. My friend cajoled me to chaperone her to an exhibition , showcasing creative and innovative fashion designs in an opulent hotel in the heart of Lutyen s.

So far so good, the hallway was impressive with ornate plush furnishings and a dazzling humongous chandelier… I felt suddenly out of the place in this intimidating hub bub of the dazzle.. an odd woman out amongst the creme de la creme..

I relegate myself to a class of misfits in such vast and sprawling places, I am a neighbourhood shopper kind of a person. The extraordinarily extravagant people and places leave me dizzy, and stifled. Both the sellers and the potential buyers reeked of a fake , jaunty veneer , an artificial smile plastered on heavily plastered faces, their stuff ridiculously pricey.

Too much of botox and fillers were quite apparent,as the glib smiles failed to create those happy lines on the face. The ironed out crepey wrinkled faces stayed blank.

The missing crows feet around eyes, the long trellis like eyelashes and brows more perfectly placed than the Ram dhanush.. could not hide the age which was reflecting in the dull stony eyes…

Nails art was on fleek yet the fake nails looked more of talons than a human appendage .With more people coming by in drones,the eccentric and quirky sartorial fashion sense was getting spookier and spookier.It was fashion, passion and prestige on display in the form of brilliance of gemstone s, outfits and garish counterfeit appearances.

Females donning messy bouffant’s , or corkscrew curls of various hues, and most of them raking their long slender bejewelled fingers through the synthetic plumage..Too much of disheveled hair appeared as if they were hustled from bed by the hair.

The lips of many females appeared as if stung by a swarm of bees and nose sculpting too was evident in many..

I felt that I really barked up the wrong tree , it was a wrong choice coming here, i got fidgety with discomfort of unfamiliarity and the chase for artificial beauty and youthful looks.

Wabi Sabi… a Japanese philosophy which means finding beauty in imperfection s , flaws and impermanence is yet to find a following here..

Do we need to punish our bodies to stay young? We can not defy aging and death. By going under the knife can we outwit the aging? What is the necessity to retain youthful looks? aging is a privilege denied to many.

Yes, nobody likes to present in a shabby and slouched manner, but why do we need to edit God s will. He can not go wrong while passing on varied features from our ancestral gene pools which we should project with a cool and pride.

Why do we need to warpaint ourselves to prove our beauty? We all are running a mad , insane race of longevity and eternal youth. The ravages of time and life should be worn as badges of pride and dignity, there is no need to hide them behind a fake veil. We need more mirrors than filters . Glib smiles , vagaries of fashion and phoney looks do not make trailblazer s but genuine smiles , simplicity and natural beauty does..

After literally yanking my friend , we made a quick exit and whoa! Could breathe now. “ we do not need opulence, we are happy with our run of a mill kind of life.. “ .. saying this to one another we enjoyed an invigorating cup of tea from a ramshackled road side restaurant…