Sanjana Sanjana

Sanjana

Sanjana Sanjana

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I recently moved back to India after 16 years in the US and Europe. If one more person tells me I made a huge mistake, I might punch ‘em. 

Where did you grow up? 
New Delhi until I was 11, Scarsdale, New York during middle school and London for my high school years—all over the place, like my personality. 

What was your childhood like? 
Ever-changing. I hated it then but I appreciate it now.

What do you love the most about Delhi?
Community—didn’t even know I was missing it.

What don't you love about Delhi?
Community—didn’t even know I hated it.

Do you sleep enough?
Does anyone?

Spirit animal?
Meerkat!

Your self care tips.
Find. The. Time.

A cause you care deeply about.
I don’t know if I can say that any one cause is more important than another. But I do think we should all be deeply committed to one another. If you’re lucky enough to have privilege or a platform, every inch of my soul believes you should use whatever you can to uplift others.

What's feminism to you?
Feminism is everything to me. “Are you a feminist?” is my go to second date question. If he says no I put 1 minute on the clock and explain to him the dictionary definition of feminism: advocating for the advancement of women’s rights in order to achieve gender equality. If he sticks to his original answer, that’s it for me.

Do you know why the sky is blue?
I do, actually.




Tell me about your best friend.
My best friend (Rangana) is everything I wish I could be: effortlessly confident, irresistibly attractive, and incredibly talented. She uplifts me. I thank whatever gods may be for blessing me with someone like her.

Do you own any heirlooms?
Long story short my mom lost all of our family jewels but do her wit, intelligence and complete independence count? I'd like to inherit those.

If you could transport yourself to any decade, which one and why?
I think of this often and almost always abandon the search for an ideal decade. Especially because I am a woman of color, I think anything pre-70's is really out of the question anyway. The world was never great, so I prefer to focus on the endless possibility of the future rather than the nostalgia of an ideal past that never actually existed.

Worst nickname you had as a kid?
Sanji Manji U R A Ganji (SMURAG for short) has been going strong since my mundan...

What are you watching these days?
I’m trying to work on my Hindi after moving back, so a lot of random Hindi content (including Sarabhai vs Sarabhai!)

What are you looking forward to?
The rest of my life, fam!

All images by Tenzin Lhagyal.

Related Posts

Angelique
Angelique
The aesthetic nerd.
Read More
Sanjana: Part II
Sanjana: Part II
"She's such an aggressive feminist."
Read More
Rhea Kimaya
Rhea Kimaya
A nice juicy alphonso.
Read More