For Mom, Mama, Anjali, Mansha and myself.
Our worth is not defined by our ability to be a good woman, wife or daughter.

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अच्छी औरत (Good Woman), अच्छी बेटी (Good Daughter) is an exploration of the Indian feminine within my family. Through the use of collage, I re-contextualize my family archive to highlight elements in the images that reflect what is seen as ‘feminine’ in my familial context. These collages also serve to draw attention to how the women in these images may have felt.

The materials I use include bindis, mehndi (henna), and prayer fabrics , all of which are closely tied to representations of femininity in both Indian culture and within my family. Bindis and mehndi are especially prominent during weddings, where the ceremony itself is infused with subtle and overt expectations of how to be a ‘good woman.’ The prayer fabric is often purchased by women and used during Karva Chauth, a one-day festival observed annually by married Hindu women, in which they fast from sunrise to moonrise and pray for the well-being and longevity of their husbands. Unmarried women may also observe the fast, hoping to secure a desired life partner.

In addition to these materials, I incorporate text, both as a means of expressing the emotions of the women in the images, and as a reflection of my own struggle with the Hindi language. The text is intentionally written incorrectly, conveying my longing to connect more deeply with my cultural identity.

The collages themselves become a pathway, linking me to my culture and ancestry, keeping me aligned with the women in my family and connected to my younger self. This body of work is a space for us to take up space. To think, to speak, to simply be.

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These are scans of the collages.