Verve – July 2019

“New York is unbiased, no matter where you come from, and it

constantly tests you by forcing you to step out of your comfort zone;

all the while shaping you into the best version of yourself. Now, no

matter where I go, I’ll always have that undying New York spirit.”

“New York can be a difficult place to

live in, but it is also very welcoming

and — one can feel like a New Yorker

in no time. For me, that moment came

when I was in the East Village and

heard someone running behind me,

calling out my name. But thinking

that it couldn’t be someone I know,

I ignored it and continued walking.

The person finally ran up to me, and

I realised that it was an old colleague;

he was at a restaurant I had passed

by, saw me and came up to me to say

hello. That was the sweetest moment.

It’s small gestures such as this that give

me a sense of belonging, and when

you travel and live in so many different

places, you look forward to them. It

reminds me of being back home in

Mumbai and makes me wonder if I can

call myself a New Yorker now.”

RASIKA NAVARE, MODEL

“The work environments are so different yet so similar. I remember my first week in New

York. It felt so much like Mumbai, just a more Westernised version of it. I have to say that

international brands offer so much more inclusivity, and it’s exciting to witness it from the

front row while also being a small part of it somehow. But I still have a long way to go.”

Mumbai —> New York

MODEL COURTESY: ANIMA CREATIVE MANAGEMENT.