I say it a lot, because I feel it a lot: I love living in Udaipur. I think I have such a fun, exciting and interesting life. It’s MORE than I can sum up in a single word. Perhaps that’s why we chose to name this collection Zyaada (zee-yaa-da), the Hindi word for MORE. Life can feel like a lot some days. It’s pulling in opposing directions, it’s everything at once, too much, exhausting, and then kind of perfect.
Zyaada.
A word we hear often describing life in India: chaos. It’s a surface-level simplification of what I like to describe as the intensity of India. Zyaada. The MORE factor. It’s like turning the volume up on every aspect of life…all at once. You want spices? Here’s twenty. You want color? Make it a rainbow and add mirrors, tassels and beads. You want people? Everywhere there is a crowd. There is music and dancing and yes, cows really do wander the streets. It sounds overwhelming, right?
And yes, I suppose it can be. But through each burst of sound and color you will find clarity. Amongst so many people and cultures and languages, people are woven in and around each other with respect and grace.
To put it in real time: my favorite example of Zyaada is the traffic here. I’ve always loved being a passenger: sitting in a car, staring out the window and daydreaming. One thing I’ve marvelled at for years is how hundreds of thousands of vehicles can share a bit of pavement and things, for the most part, all work out! Common, agreed upon rules let us share this space and zoom around at record speed. It’s incredible! And it wouldn’t work without all the rules, right? Or so I thought.
Enter, India.
The traffic is a well known cultural experience. And at first glance it is truly chaotic. All types of vehicles, pedestrians, and yes, animals, are roaming the streets. It’s not always easy to figure out which side of the road you are supposed to be on as there are always a few drivers slinking against traffic. What is going on here? And more importantly: how is it working??
I am completely enamoured with it.
For one, it’s flexible. Sometimes it genuinely makes more sense to drive on the wrong side of the road, and, with a few beeps of the horn to alart oncoming traffic, everyone is willing to accommodate. It’s like, “yeah, we’ve been there too.” Overall, it actually feels quite polite, the flow of motorcycles and scooters expanding and contracting to adjust. The horns can be loud, but it’s an announcement of who is out there on the road with you (and essential when not all drivers have or use their mirrors!). Also, it is incredibly thrilling to cross a three-way intersection with motorists zooming all around and make it through! Another little lesson in weaving and timing.
And though it appears to be a free-for-all, there really is a rule everyone strictly adheres to: do not let the front of your vehicle hit anything. One simple rule that can be molded and applied as necessary. Something predictable that allows one to flex with the unpredictabilities of life. And with that an ingenious system underwrites the whole experience, helping everyone know when to turn, speed up, slow down, cross, wait and honk.
What at first look seems like too much, chaotic and overwhelming, is after all an orderly system that gets people from A to B without incident.
So that’s what this collection is about. Those things that appear completely overwhelming and maybe just crazy. But once you allow yourself to jump in the stream, you can experience the sense, clarity and pattern behind it.
Zyaada.
Bye for now!
Analise
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