Chapter 6: ‘Aiyyoh! Why wear torn
clothes?’ Mending or tearing clothes
using soodhi dharam repairs ‘dishonour’
Nine people. Nine stories. Nine rituals.
It may take you nine days or nine weeks to consume this giant of mine. Do so.
It may just change the way you relook at your identity, past and present, to walk into your future.
A unique reminder of why we still value
our grandmothers' voices in our heads.
M I N I M A T H U R
[TV Host I Actor I Certified Women's Health Coach (USA) I Founder - @pauseitive.in]
I am glad Amma did not nurture or breathe taboos. She did not let them grow like mould on us as kids. She, as a creature of a society, quietly weeded and sponged them for us when needed, but let them live and grow around her.
Do NOT read it, EXPERIENCE it. Do NOT declutter, FEEL it.
The Art of Decluttering: Ancient Practices for Modern Living
[Penguin Random House & Ebury Press]
Hello and namaskaram.
I am Bhawana Pingali. A neurodivergent, a mom, a storyteller, and a former fashion features editor with TOI who spent over two decades obsessively watching how our clothes mirror the messy, beautiful reality of our actual lives.
Some may look at my background:
twenty years in fashion, design, and journalism, interspersed with a decade immersed in ancient yogic practices and assume my creations are just logical professional evolutions.
They aren't. My intuition of building them was 'forged in the fire of having my own life dismantled and rebuilt, time, and time, and time again'. Yes, I am a big fan of fantasy fiction, magic realism, say, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time, Dune... get the drift?
My journey
It is defined by the kind of life-altering shifts where the "sh*t truly hits the roof," and my work evolves directly from the survival of those storms. My own mind is a wonderfully cluttered landscape, but I wouldn't trade that chaos for anything.
The truth? We all create a bit of trash before we can curate something truly beautiful.
If you are currently navigating a nomadic identity, and storms like the silence of a miscarriage, a career break, a near-death delivery, postpartum depression, dementia care, or the complexities of the menopausal journey, I know exactly where you are standing. I know the pain of staring into a mirror and realising the reflection no longer matches the woman you feel you have become.
Now, before you go further
Now, before you go further,
I want to ask you something:
I want to ask you something: Stretches or scars on a belly hiding pain or a birth. Sharp lines on a hand revealing a silent career shift. Glimmers on a piercing holding a painful ancestral memory.
What do you see here?
Are they marks of shame, or badges of honor?
Symbols of pain, or shapes of change?
SAY HELLO, TO REVASTRA
I’ve spent years wondering about this myself, and experimenting at the intersection of lifestyle journalism, fashion circularity, ancient rituals, and Hatha and somatic yoga. I’ve worked and failed at all of them enough times to know their essence.
While surviving this overload, identity crises, and neurodivergence, Revastra was born.
It isn't just a ‘brand’. It's the essential toolkit I created to navigate these brutal personal shifts.
Revastra
(Re = again/anew + Vastra = cloth/sheath)
It's a learning platform powered by ancient Indian rituals and storytelling that aligns your inner self and outer expression to bring ease to your daily.
Whether you’re dealing with a wardrobe crisis or building a brand identity, the friction remains the same.
Your story is within. Not without.
READ MY BOOK [PENGUIN]
Chapter 6: ‘Aiyyoh! Why wear torn clothes?’ Mending or tearing clothes using soodhi dharam repairs ‘dishonour’
Nine people. Nine stories. Nine rituals.
It may take you nine days or nine weeks to consume this giant of mine. Do so. It may just change the way you relook at your identity, past and present, to walk into your future.
A unique reminder of why we still value
our grandmothers' voices in our heads.
M I N I M A T H U R
[TV Host I Actor I Certified Women's Health Coach (USA) I Founder - @pauseitive.in]
I am glad Amma did not nurture or breathe taboos. She did notlet them grow like mould on us as kids. She, as a creature of asociety, quietly weeded and sponged them for us when needed,but let them live and grow around her.
Do NOT read it, EXPERIENCE it. Do NOT declutter, FEEL it.
The Art of Decluttering: Ancient Practices for Modern Living[Penguin Random House & Ebury Press]
Why, you would ask.
Tried every wellness roadmap and still feeling like a stranger in your own body? Are you truly lost, or are you just tired of playing a character that doesn't fit?
Playing a thousand different versions of yourself, while also trying to anchor to one? Or open to experiencing avataars from alternative fashion angles? You believe in the ‘many’.
02
Menopause, motherhood, or just the brutal honesty of time? Staring at a wardrobe or idea that feels like a stranger’s catalog. Can't decide between hiding or expressing?
05
Or like me, are you utterly-butterly neurodivergent with wonderful mind clutter and overloaded senses? Do your clothes feel like a trap? Ever wished for a simple set of rituals to kill daily decision fatigue?
03
Fiercely protective of your mum’s heirlooms or grandmum’s vintage stuff? A hoarder? Consider yourself a self -proclaimed 'saree-keeper' like they’re sacred relics or struggling to reuse them quirkily?
This sounds familiar?
Then, let's continue..
01
Tried every wellness roadmap and still feeling like a stranger in your own body? Are you truly lost, or are you just tired of playing a character that doesn't fit?
02
Menopause, motherhood, or just the brutal honesty of time? Staring at a wardrobe or idea that feels like a stranger’s catalog. Can't decide between hiding or expressing?
Fiercely protective of your mum’s heirlooms or grandmum’s vintage stuff? A hoarder? Consider yourself a self -proclaimed 'saree-keeper' like they’re sacred relics or struggling to reuse them quirkily?
Playing a thousand different versions of yourself, while also trying to anchor to one? Or open to experiencing avataars from alternative fashion angles? You believe in the ‘many’.
Or like me, are you utterly-butterly neurodivergent with wonderful mind clutter and overloaded senses? Do your clothes feel like a trap? Ever wished for a simple set of rituals to kill daily decision fatigue?
This sounds familiar?
Then, let's continue..
3 things that you'll stitch with me:
Your body isn't a problem to be solved, it’s a beautiful, constant shapeshifter. You and I will learn to view it through a gentler lens, one that prioritises your internal comfort and physical sensations over any external standard.
Through somatic yoga, we move away from the pressure of "perfecting" a pose, favoring slow, repetitive movements that invite the body to be.
By focusing on breath, we create the space to release stored emotions and shed physical stiffness.
BODY
MIND
Your mind is a brilliant, chaotic palette, NOT a perfect spreadsheet to be fixed. You and I will unravel it with ancient Indian storytelling rituals for Self-reflection and brand-building.
By drawing on the lost wisdom of my Madhatter* process writing, we will cut background noise and strip away the jargon to uncover your true story, first.
You’ll find your self-doubt and creative paralysis start to lift, allowing you to tell your story in your own voice.
*Ask AI who is Jhonny Depp in Alice in Wonderland
Your wardrobe is within you, NOT outside of you. It means looking good begins from the inside, first. You and I will look at your current closet through a unique somatic and styling lens.
WARDROBE
Instead of choosing new clothes based on trends or external appearance, we will re-philosophy-ise and rework with your existing wardrobe.
By marrying your shifting role to your changing body, we move beyond unrest. You will start to feel at home in your skin.
Meet
simple, circular, ritualistic
A learning platform rooted in ancient Indian
practices to align your body, mind, and wardrobe
When your body becomes still, your mind feels agile, you feel better, learn well, look good, and express powerfully
But for this, first, let's try and reach Sthiram or Sthirata—that stable ground within to realign our shifting identity.
And no, this is not styling. And no, this is not branding.
And no,
Revastra, articles, or books
are not the only things that I ‘wear’.
I also don other hats like that of a mother-to-a-teen, struggling yoga student, wannabe artist, and cat-lover (Aikko, a highly patient, black Persian squishy). While my other work spans across domains… fashion editorial, academic, consulting, and immersives.
EDITORIALStories written for print and digital publications on fashion, culture, travel, and wellness.
ACADEMICConduct modules on fashion journalism, feature writing, brand storytelling, concept narrative for UG and PG batches at fashion and design institutions
Podcast: Odisha Post, Bhubaneswar
Shared my journey from the world of fashion journalism, yogic mindful living, to writing my book on OP Talks
Talk: Khaki Lab, Mumbai
Delivered an online talk about bringing forgotten ritualistic ethos back and reviving these historic practices for modern living. Focused on fashion as self-care, kindness to our bodies, and a handshake with the planet.
Mastercalss: Slow Fashion Movement, Amsterdam
Conducted an online workshop on how to declutter your closet and build a conscious relationship with clothes you own.
Masterclass: Fashion Communication for Brands & Artisans
Red Lilies, Water Birds: The Sari in Nine Stories, CCB by IIM-A & The Registry of Sarees, Hampi
Interaction: Symbolism of Power Dressing
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A)
Panel: Reality of Slow Fashion
Bengaluru Sustainability Conclave by O P Jindal University
Panel: Indian Sari: Sartoria & Semiotics
By Dr. Vaibbhavi P. Ranavaade, Atta Galatta, Bengaluru
Fashion Communication I Styling
Pearl Academy, Bengaluru
Fashion Digital Culture I Fashion Journalism
Pearl Academy, Bengaluru
Fashion Writing I Styling
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Mumbai
Fashion Appreciation I Fashion Writing
Symbiosis Institute of Design (SID), Pune
Fashion Media I Writing for Magazines
CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Fashion Writing I Self-Branding
Chitkara University, Chandigarh-Mohali
Circular Fashion I Styling
Sushant School of Design, Ansal University, Delhi-NCR
Fashion Communication I Language, Culture & Identity
G D Goenka School of Fashion & Design, Delhi-NCR
Communication Concepts I Fashion & Media Theories
G D Goenka School of Fashion & Design, Delhi-NCR
Fashion Journalism I Style, Design & Media
Punjab University, Chandigarh
Writing Processes I Communication Skills
British Council, Kolkata
CONSULTINGBuild identity narratives, human-first stories, animated shorts for conscious brand founders and organisations
IMMERSIVES Facilitate interactive book reading and fashion rituals sessions at brand experience centers and wellness spaces
Fabindia
An immersive book reading session at Fabindia Experience Center titled ‘An Experience of Wholesomeness’, where Japanese match tea making rituals and my ancient Indian lifestyle practices came together to engage a bunch of seekers and design lovers.
Quirksmith
When a sari-loving tribe gathered to drape, share styling tips, and accessorise with soulful jewelry, magic happens. This immersive fashion healing session at Quirksmith’s Studio in Bengaluru proved that when we open up about our lives, getting dressed becomes a practice of pure lightness and healing.
Atta Galata
Our "Secrets of Saree Storytelling" immersive session at Atta Galatta was filled with love, laughter, and deep writing and styling rituals. Head over to the Masterclass section, slot your assessment call to begin your journey. And feel the lightness we shared!
Cocoa & Jasmine
Inspired by a travelling textile art installation, Revastra created and discussed an upcycled white sari using Pipli appliqué craft for Cocoa & Jasmine’s exhibition, SAFED. With Surya and Chandramukhi radial artists’ patches, this upcycled piece assembled by me, honors a 5,000-year-old Vedic culture.
Yogessence
This session revived the therapeutic, old-world arts of hand-stitching, fabric origami, and sari manipulation. In partnership with yoga guru Neha Bajaj, this mindful workshop turned traditional textile crafts into a space for community, storytelling, and deep decompression.
WeWork
This session simplified zero-waste living by teaching how to preserve and style a sari rather than chopping it. Rooted in Indian Vedic and Japanese Zen philosophies, the interactive masterclass-workshop turned a complex design concept into a daily practice of deep human connection.
ST-ART India Foundation
New Delhi’s Lodhi Art District is a public canvas where historic, blank walls are transformed by global murals. Revastra opened the 2019 festival edition with a mindful street-craft session, teaching sari bag-making to the locals. It was a cross-generational moment of shared creativity.
Silvertalkies
Revastra hosted a creative skills masterclass to upcycle old sari fabrics into knotted bags and folders. The session was crafted for an inspiring group of women over fifty-five. As natural guardians of zero-waste living, these participants brought decades of wisdom to the table.
PRESSCovered in various print and digital media
And now, it all
starts with a hello
