If you know anything about me, you know how I shout from the rooftop about being a Bihari — so much so that the only ad copy (forgive me for spamming if I do!) for Anu Merton reads: I am a Bihari woman who wants to make affordable handmade Indian jewellery popular. Haha.
Bihar is where I am from — it’s home, it’s where my parents have finally settled down, after work took them across the country. Even though I went to a boarding school in Dehradun, the formative experiences and memories that I tap into for anything worthwhile, all include my family, travel, and scenes from my beloved state Bihar. Bihar is one of my true loves, and serves as inspiration that keeps on giving — and it sure as hell is a love that can’t be hidden.
Heartbreaking as it is, I’m also aware of the fact that Bihar isn’t the most popular travel destination, thanks to years of political unrest, rampant corruption, and the poor state of safety. I grew up protected and guarded in a weird way — there was always the sense of an ‘outside’ which was viewed as a bit risky and unpredictable. I don’t remember ever being allowed to go out unescorted, — it was incredibly frustrating for me as a teenager, but I still can't quite fathom how stressful it must have been for my parents. I remember babuji sitting me down on the veranda one day in Bhagalpur — where we’d just moved as we did — asking me to make sure I blend in and not stand out in any way whatsoever. The mantra was to never attract attention to yourself, just to keep yourself safe out there.
I know, it’s way more bizarre in retrospect, and I still have a tough time looking back. The evocativeness of the place, the raw beauty it possessed, the simplicity of the people, the authenticity of expression and being, and yet, one couldn’t be transparent with their love for it — Bihar is still weird like that, and Biharis are still terrible at expressing emotions and showing vulnerability. A beautiful place to call home, but all these restrictions — this intense duality of things. It made me delve into philosophy, read up on people, and opened up a whole new sensibility. In short, it made me a bigger rebel than I was, and a total nightmare for my family. I spent the next decade of my life, out of the state and out of Babuji’s control, making sure I didn’t blend in anywhere ever — a total terror to my parents ?
That being said, I hope my state’s state of emotional expression evolves — I know I have, and still am, hopefully for the better. The suppression of opinion definitely affected my adolescent mind, but was also, probably what went into making me who I am today. And while lots has changed in Bihar, I hope all the Biharis living in Delhi are owning up to their origin (lol) instead of trying to 'blend in'.
Now I realise that travelling the rest of the country, and some parts of the world, didn’t just open my mind to what was elsewhere, but also to open up my mind to what I had seen and experienced closer home; why and how it was different from what I knew. It made me value my state much more deeply. I saw that duality existed almost everywhere — you just needed to see it, with your eyes, and your mind. It wasn’t my state’s fault; my state was just trying to be the best it could with what it had, trying to get by in a world that’s probably left it behind. I softened to the struggles of my home state. I saw it for what it really was, and it was ironically, moving away, that gave me that much needed objectivity. I went to villages in other parts of the country, probably much more beautiful than Bihar, but they didn’t touch me like my home state’s — with people who didn't speak any English. There is something truly special about it, besides my bias of course.
Every time I’m back in Bihar, I leave smiling and inspired by its unassuming beauty, and total lack of pretence. With a history so rich, land perhaps the most fertile (it’s the Ganges belt we’re talking about), people so bright, but lacking in their expression of vulnerability (me included), a political past that has left its infrastructure poor and underdeveloped, a rich tradition of craftsmanship, food, music and culture, but then again, in typical Bihari style, we NEVER talk about it.
So I guess this is me, doing my bit to champion my home state by means of my jewellery, however small it may be. This is my sense of Bihar infused into a collection; things I grew up around but appreciate much more today thanks to the experiences I’ve had. Proud of where I come from and the colours it represents. Little by little, bit by bit, one day my state will also get to a point where when I sit down and chat with someone, say I’m from Bihar, and have their eyes light up telling me how much they love Bihar — without them being from there (much like mine do for Rajasthan, amen!)
Before my words start to meander more, I want to remind you that the Travelling Dukaan isn’t just for buying — it is truly my way of showing you the wear and shine of this country. It’s to show you how proud we should be of what we are capable of, how much beauty exists in our streets and everyday life, the treasures in the tiny stores, and the fun of it all!
Let this empower you and make you proud of where you come from and give you the joy it gives me. Please feel free to ask me as many questions, I will try to make sure none go unanswered, but do allow me time as I am still solo handling social media and all your queries on it. I will try to cover as much as I can but this TD edit is short as I am not in Bihar for long, and Jasper hates going to any shop, alas. The jewellers I curate from aren’t very commercial, but totally trustworthy as the gold and silver is all hallmarked, the design traditionally quite East Indian, but all handmade in my Bihar! Enjoy looking even if you aren’t here to buy ♥️
Here’s a quick refresher on how the Travelling Dukaan works :
