Bollywood is the term given to the illustrious film industry of India. It is my understanding that this term was a derivation of Bombay (now Mumbai) and Hollywood. For me Bollywood is everything I dream India to be; Colorful, romantic, spiritual, beautiful, elegant, and rhythmic.
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| Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Miss World 1994 and Bollywood Great |
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is my all time favorite Bollywood actress. She is not only absolutely gorgeous, but she is an amazing dancer and actress.
My fascination for India started long before I knew anything about Bollywood. It started with these two marriage dolls and my love for Rudyard Kipling. I received these very special dolls when I was a little girl from a colleague of my mother's who brought them from India.
I never played with them like I would with my other dolls. I had dolls from all over the world, either from travels or as gifts. These dolls were different. I would stare at them as if they were a Bollywood movie. They will always have such special meaning in my heart.
The ebony oxen is one of my favorite finds from an international antique dealer. Those three jeweled boxes were a Christmas gift from my dear friend Patti.
I love all teapots, but especially teapots from India. These two were a gift from my mother-in-law.
In case you didn't notice, I love elephants. There are two kinds that are throughout my house. African and Indian elephants. So here is a quick lesson on how to tell them apart. An African elephant's ears looks like the shape of the continent of Africa. The ears of the Indian elephant...well...do not look like the shape of Africa or India. Of all of the elephant lamps, this one is my favorite. It's quite small and adds a beautiful glow to the refrigerator scape.
This vintage tea pot adds just the right flair on the bar of the kitchen under the cloche. I actually purchased this for my husband's collection, but he let's me use it (shhhh!!)
Another of my favorites out of India is incense. My sister-in-law has me absolutely hooked. I use them all the time. My favorite scent is chandan. From my love of incense grew my collection of brass incense burners of all shapes and sizes.
I am in love with Indian art and textiles. When they are combined, as they are in this amazing tapestry of gold thread, it was a win win find. The antique dealer was going out of business, which is how I acquired this piece. (Talk about lucky day). The detail of the stitching on velvet is remarkable.
I am a total Bollywood junkie. I can watch Bollywood movies for hours. Confession: Prior to meeting my husband, I could not stand these movies. Now I am hooked, but guess what? He never liked them. He is such a guy!!!
The second best thing to come out of India are the spices (I will tell you the best thing later). Not only are they colorful, but extremely aromatic. I have a science background so I find the chemistry of Indian cuisine just fascinating. My pantry and cabinets are filled to the rim with spices from around the world, but the majority of them come from India. I love cooking Indian food. If you missed my summer spread, please click here.
Diversity is what keeps our home alive with color, sights, sounds, smells, and tastes. I purchased this Indian Railway advertisement for my husband years ago.
Okay so here is your test. Can you tell what type of elephant this is by it's ears?
What about this fella? He sits just outside of the entrance of the kitchen. Oh you guys are good. You guessed it...all of these elephants are from India.
These are my favorite candle holders.
India is known for it's amazing jewelry. The designs are quite intricate. The gold jewelry is 24kt and therefore is much deeper in color.
If I wear gold, I only wear Indian gold. Actually, my favorite metals are white metals. When I received this silver anklet set, for my wedding, with bells attached I was over the moon. I put them on and dance around the house as if I were in a Bollywood movie. It's so much fun.
Tradition is so important in India. These bangles, called churias, are worn by the newlywed for several weeks. I was honored to wear them. When you wear them in public everyone (who is Indian that is) knows that you just got married. So I reveled in the double takes (not being Indian and all) and then the blessings from strangers.
Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan are two of my favorite Bollywood male actors. Getting their autographs will be a must when I visit India. They are two of the best leading men on the planet
However, the best leading man is my husband Kal. This picture was way to much fun to make.
He is truly the best that came out of India. Those marriage dolls brought me blessings many years later. By the way, the little guy in the picture with the jewelry is my hubby.
What country, outside of your own, has influenced you the most?
Much love,
Paula
This week we are partying with the following fine folks:
