My first Fabindia item was a a gift from an estranged childhood friend who had magically resurfaced one Diwali many years after we had parted ways. She lived in Delhi at the time and nearing the of college. M was a very special person and I was grateful to have her back in my life even though we had parted ways rather abruptly. She came from an very affluent and connected family. In hindsight, it was a class difference thing. Whatever my people may have once been, two generations of strife beginning from the partition days, had diminished us in every way. My maternal grandmother used to say that a person must stay classy even when their fortunes have declined, so the younger generations have a model to emulate even if the means to do so no longer exist. Not everyone in the family placed such a high value on such things and indeed the younger generations suffered for it.
I am sure to M's eyes, I lacked many of the social graces that were natural in her family and social milieu. As much as she liked me as a person, there were points of friction in our interaction. When that block-printed, indigo-dyed kurti arrived in the mail accompanied by khadi-paper card with a note in her perfect penmanship, I experienced very familiar mixed emotions of elation combined with trepidation. She had wished me a happy Diwali and the outfit was meant to be something I wore around the house to relax. What was I reading these days, she would love some book recommendations. She made the whole thing look so effortless. It would take me a long time to reciprocate in a meaningful and memorable way. In the end, I settled for a thank you note in a simple blank card. That was the best I was able to do. We fell out of touch once again and this run has lasted decades. I only had to see an ad for silk-tunics from Fabinida to remember the first time I came into contact with the brand.
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