The Travelling Dukaan is back, until dec 20th

2021 / 12 / 02

THE 7TH EDITION

I started this online-jewellery-shop-on-wheels last year, and now here we are.

What do I say about the Travelling Dukaan? Most of you reading this have already taken part in the joy and chaos of it, however small or big — from gazing at the pieces, admiring them, wishing for them, to finally getting your hands on (or in) them.

I started this online-jewellery-shop-on-wheels last year, and now here we are, cruising along on our 7th edition, and calling it the 6th, because the pilot was simply called the Travelling Dukaan, with no expectation for it to last beyond its debut edition.

Welcome to Gupshup. A collection of musings, discoveries & realisations. Here are some articles you may enjoy.

2024/03/08

My First Collaboration : Anu Merton x Ekaya

As someone who’s never ventured into a brand collab (aka shared my colouring book with another child) in its three plus years of existence, you’re probably wondering why I finally took the leap… why now? But maybe the question to ask here really is, “why this one?”, and the answer to that is, because Ekaya […]

2023/11/15

Precious or privilege?

Food, love, togetherness - the fundamentals?! When we say the people make a place, there isn’t a better, more thriving example than the people and places of India. Whichever part of the country it may be, you’ve definitely spotted something here in your lifetime that might’ve looked nothing out of the ordinary, yet been striking […]

2023/10/17

Do we really have it all together?

The Illusion Of Perfection I recently received a flattering message from a dear customer asking what my secret was to not just doing great work, but also finding the time to exercise, cook, etc, and while it made my day, it also made me wonder if I was truly deserving of that compliment… or if […]

2023/09/14

The ultimate romance of a saree: Launching Anu Merton Sarees

A Saree Story To me, the softness of a saree, the fall of a pallu, the dip of a blouse, are all little romantic reminders of everything I grew up with and around. And that’s special because ask my friends and they’ll tell you that romance is my ultimate jam 😋 Cheesy as it sounds, […]

2023/09/08

How being a stylist helped me create Anu Merton

I don’t know how many of you are privy to this groundbreaking information, but I used to be a freelance stylist many moons ago after having Jasper, realising I spent 3 hours commuting in traffic, and finally quitting my full time job. Unfortunately, what I remember most about styling was how dissatisfied I was after […]

2023/08/24

Is our jewellery losing its Indianness?

Is it rant hour yet? Why blend in? I was at the Bangalore airport recently with a bunch of time to kill, and found myself at the kiosk of a popular ‘everyday, affordable’ jewellery brand, browsing through all of their offerings from rings to bangles and mangalsutras, and chatting with the salesperson about all […]

Every little piece I make goes through 4-5 hands and processes. From the metal being cut, hammered, soldered into motifs and designs, to the stonecutter who carves the stones, to the person who foils the stones.

2023/06/22

Travelling Dukaan: Edition 11

Click to view TD-11 collection Up in the sky, somewhere between Bangalore and Jaipur, I was suddenly hit with the realisation that this has been the longest gap (eight months!) between two editions of Travelling Dukaan, only worsened by the fact that I also haven’t found a moment to pen down my usually intrusive, insistent […]

2023/05/10

Everything that glitters is romance

I’ve always been one to believe that if you can’t put on and take off your jewellery in under 10 seconds, you’ll never wear it. That’s just how life goes. I’ve gone so far as to time myself putting on my bling and taking it all off, just to prove to my audience of disbelieving […]

2023/02/12

It's only the beginning

Finally, I'm a tailor I won’t lie, I’ve always wanted to make clothes. I’ve definitely spent more than 10,000 hours (thank you, Malcolm Gladwell) gleaning through different clothes on magazines, tv, people – even in my dreams. I still remember that NIFT interview in an enormous Kolkata room, where one had to almost catwalk to […]

2022/08/17

Jaipur, I'm back!

This time was the longest I’d been away from Jaipur and, I have to say, I’d missed it in more ways than one! Most of my team lives here, who I’m grateful to be physically reunited with. The little flat that I call my office is now functional, and yes, it finally isn’t boiling hot anymore out here.

2022/07/06

Homeward Bound: the Patna edition of the Travelling Dukaan

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.

2022/06/19

My love affair with South India (and a chilli chicken recipe)

As a born-Bihari and bred everywhere it was, to my surprise, as easy to fall in love with South India as it was to fall in love with a hot crispy ghee dosa. Here's a small tribute to this love, including a recipe for Andhra-style chilli chicken.

Everyday ease, finding beauty in everyday things, and also the power that beauty has to move you, inspire you, and transport you to beautiful places. I am the queen of daydreaming and I find it hugely inspiring. My head is always in my clouds.

2021/12/02

From the East to the West

The jewellery community in India has always been the pioneer in both the domestic and the international markets, but it simply has never gotten the name, fame or respect it deserves.

2021/11/24

Why is my delivery time so long?

All my karigars are highly skilled artisans who work at their own pace and have their own unique etiquette that I respect. From the kind of music they like listening to, to not wanting to chat when they’re doing certain things, to the ones who always seem to meditate while working, and mostly want pin-drop silence. Do I even want to change their pace? Will it still be the same if I tried to intervene?

2021/09/23

The Travelling Dukaan: Diwali Edition

I’d like to kickoff this edition of the Travelling Dukaan — what we’re calling the Diwali or Festive edition — by thanking my amazing team who are tireless behind the scenes — and boy, do I know it can get a bit (read: very) mad.

2021/09/17

My Unpopular (?) Opinion About Weddings Today

What is my perfect wedding then? Small, quaint, cozy, sentimental, intimate...and definitely at home. I want it far from perfection. Flowers strung together by family, food cooked in the kitchen or garden under the supervision of a good old bawarchi...

2021/09/07

Did I find the Baaj or did the Baaj find me?

The past year, I’ve been not just creating, but serendipitously spotting all kinds of baaj , everywhere. I've been noticing them in the sky, in books, in mythology, in spirituality, in design and in jewellery - but funnily enough, it only registered after I made my third one and found my fourth.

2021/08/28

10 Hotel Suites in the Indian Subcontinent I’ll Never Get Over

I’m often asked about my favourite hotels to visit in the country. But if you ask me, I’d tweak that question to the top ten rooms in my favourite properties in India, because as much as my husband and travel partner might disagree, the room we pick is weirdly important to me.

2021/07/23

Of Mothers and Milestones

Motherhood has taught me a lot of things and continues to, every day — to look at life simplistically, to enjoy the little things, to say what we like and want, and of course, cry when it gets too much

2021/07/06

Travelling Dukaan

I wanted the karigars who’ve hardly had any business during the pandemic to know they’re valued — so here I am today, planning my trip for the Fourth edition of the Travelling Dukaan after what seemed like the longest gap since the first wave.

2021/06/17

A Trip to Bihar via Champaran Lamb

If you’ve read anything about me, however briefly, or have ever bumped into me, you know I’m from Bihar. I’m one of those Biharis who’s unapologetically proud and hugely emotional about my mother state...

2021/06/10

Where we talk about inspiration

While I sit at home and try to maneuver life via screens, I wonder where inspiration comes from? Does it mean different things to different people? I find myself thinking about what gets people moving to do what they do and be who they are.

2021/06/02

Vogue Style List 2021

Read my full interview with Vogue for the Style List 2021...

2021/05/27

Life of the Party

Visiting jewellery that lives in museums always makes me sad. I feel for those stunning pieces — travelling through time, but stuck up on pins as exhibits for eyes to watch.

2021/05/24

Junglee Maas

I’ve been lucky to make a meal of this traditional Rajasthani delicacy many times, but I’ve never wanted to learn it as much as I did after my first bite on this one particular afternoon, lounging under a gorgeous, warm winter sun in Jaipur.

2021/05/21

Confessions of a Reluctant Social Media Addict

You are keeping me company without even knowing it. It feels like we've shared a glass of wine, some interesting stories, more than interesting feelings.

2021/05/17

A Man of Gold

It was the spring after I began my first job, when the festival of gold, Akshaya Tritiya, came along like it does.

2021/05/13

Saving Summer in a Glass

One of my especially memorable childhood joys was the aam panna - a quintessentially Indian cooler synonymous with summer, and expertly made by my mother from unripe green mangoes.

2021/05/05

Stress Shared is Stress Pared

I find myself wondering, what is right and what is wrong at a time like this? How are we suddenly the gatekeepers of virtual righteousness?

2021/05/01

Doing Right, Right Now

Now here we are again, right in the eye of the second storm, unable to so much as pass a meal down our throat without a fervent prayer for those with tubes down theirs, and no access to a hospital bed.

2020/07/04

About Me

I'm a Bihari woman who’s on a mission to make handmade Indian jewellery accessible to the whole world.

By Category

Trending

By type

By Materials