The Utsav! festival of Sikh and Punjabi culture in Union Square saw many participants dressed to the nines, while others appeared to have just wandered out from the Independent.
Shweta, henna artist
“I learned to do henna through practice. People love to do it on special occasions [she’s for hire]. It’s beautiful but temporary, and totally herbal and natural.”
“This is churidar. Women love to wear churidar and matching bangles on special occasions. The gold we wear is 23- or 24-karat gold. 18-karat gold [laughs] — you don’t even know!
“The mangalsutra [necklace] I’m wearing has black beads in it, which means I’m engaged.
“You could find this churidar in any department store in India. It’s very day-to-day wear.
“My mother loves to wear saris. She’s not comfortable in churidar and I’m not comfortable in saris. It’s a generational thing. It’s hard for her to see me in jeans!”
Devon, bartender
“My mom calls this my Sgt. Pepper’s jacket, and these are my favorite boots. I love cowboy boots.”
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“18-karat gold – you don’t even know!”
i love it