Bandana Tewari, deeply rooted in sustainability at every level, has been a thoughtful voice and pillar of support throughout the ITI journey, bringing wisdom and perspective shaped by decades of experience in fashion, culture, and environmental advocacy.
You have often expressed that beauty rituals are a powerful carrier of meaning.
What do we lose when beauty becomes disconnected from ritual?
"Beauty rituals endure not simply because they tend skin, but because they invite presence— small sacred pauses woven into the ordinary flow of life. By turning actions like cleansing, moisturising, or scenting into intentional moments, we allow ourselves to slow down, breathe, and centre in a world that otherwise rushes past.
Ritual is not a routine; it is meaning made tangible, a way to anchor calm, regulate emotions, and remind the brain that we matter to ourselves. The psychology of beauty rituals also suggests that repeated, deliberate gestures provide inner stability, soothe anxiety, and calm our nervous systems.
Across cultures and history, adornment and care have carried symbolic resonance, marking identity, belonging, and heritage; beauty was once a language of meaning rather than mere appearance. When beauty becomes disconnected from ritual, we lose that gentle path to presence, transforming what could be communion with oneself into a hollow checklist driven by external standards. Without ritual, beauty slides toward surface and performance, leaving behind the deeper nourishment that welcomes inner and outer unity.
So let beauty rituals engage the senses—touch, scent, rhythm—and, in doing so, allow the body and soul to be in a quiet dialogue of self-care."
- Bandana Tewari