Varisha Tariq

Varisha Tariq is an Independent Journalist and writer working with the intersectionality of culture, travel, and gender.

Travel + Culture

As a traveller, I have travelled to 20+ countries and explored the rich culture, history and food many of these places offer. I have lived in Delhi, Lucknow and London and have travelled to Ireland, Scotland, Italy, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and many more gorgeous countries. My work on travel and cultural work has been published in places like Vogue, Business Insider, Foyer (Print), Fodor, Missing Perspectives and many more. I am excited to be producing more stories in this domain.

Business Insider •

My dad prioritized experiences over possessions. I'm grateful for the international trips he took us on.

When I was 10, I remember preparing for the most exciting adventure of my life — so far. My family and I were going on a cruise from Mumbai to Lakshadweep Island. I could hardly stand the anticipation.

My father, in those days, was still an up-and-coming businessman, and paying for our travels didn't come easy. But he always made sure to prioritize travel. To me, it seemed that we took the nicest flights, stayed in beautiful hotels, and had the best time on the cruise and on the trip.

From the...
Travel and Leisure Asia | India •

How Eldest Daughters Are Using Solo Travel To Reclaim Themselves

The eldest daughter syndrome, awaiting confirmation as an official diagnosis, has seen a rise in awareness through Instagram, TV shows, films, and TikTok, where women highlight the complicated dynamics within which they exist. The prodigal daughter who is the eldest daughter? Obedient, yet dominating. Anxious with anger issues. Well educated but burnt out. The family planner, the makeshift doctor, teacher, a glitching Excel sheet with extensive unnecessary information, people pleaser, self-criti...
Business Insider •

Hearing stories of her past travels and going on trips with my grandmother taught me how to enjoy life by appreciating the smaller moments

It is 2008, and I am sitting in my grandmother's room, at the Salt Lick Safari Lodge within the Taita Hills Wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. It is a gorgeous place to stay, the villas appear almost rocket-shaped, standing high off the ground to prevent any wildlife from getting inside the rooms. All around there is lush greenery. Outside her window, many animals, including elephants, deer, and giraffes pass by. It felt like we were witnessing a miracle, but I felt there was more she should be seeing...
Architectural Digest India •

A new book uncovers the queer legacy hidden in Lucknow’s Nawabi architecture

Sonal Mithal, an architect who works on the conservation of heritage sites, and Arul Paul, an architect and educator, created this project because they understood that the architectural history of Nawabi Lucknow has always been understated, despite its magnificence — largely because it refused to be moulded into anything conventional. Architecture such as Awadh’s, which can make the ‘normative’ feel uncomfortable, is one that relies on subverting power structures and destabilising conventional m...
Vogue Arabia •

World Friendship Day: Why Does Friendship and Connection Matter For Women?

“For women, the need and desire to nurture each other is not pathological but redemptive, and it is within that knowledge that our real power I rediscovered. It is this real connection which is so feared by a patriarchal world," says Audre Lorde, author of The Master’s Tool Will Never Dismantle The Master’s HouseWomen are the crucial force of nature that run this world. And the friendships they build, in turn, becomes their significant support system. But have we ever wondered why, sometimes, pa...
Vogue Arabia •

Is ChatGPT the New Astrologer in Town?

“I find astrology to be a wonderful tool not only for self-awareness, but also for opening minds and connecting us with vastness. That our personalities and psychology are aptly reflected by planetary positions is mind-boggling,” writes renowned astrologer, Juliana McCarthy, in her book, The Stars Within You.One of the reasons why the art of astrology is special is because you are seeking answers from a fellow human being, who connects you to the portal of another realm; one of stars and shadows...
Condé Nast Traveller India •

Eight years photographing the Bara Imambara, in 10 stunning images

The most defining silhouette on the city’s skyline, Lucknow’s Bara Imambara is a beloved city landmark. Its history roots itself in the generosity of Nawab Asaf-Ud Daula. A monument, unlike any other, was constructed not to demarcate the period or its glory, but rather to provide employment to the famine stricken population of Awadh in the 1780s. For locals, the monument is a symbol: of hope, legacy and tenacity. One photographer’s deep and enduring love for the monument led him to photograph th...
Condé Nast Traveller India •

12 places to visit in Lucknow that are not tourist traps

My home, Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh popularly known as the city of Nawabs, is a charming city that is often overlooked on the tourist circuit even though it is only three hours away from the Taj Mahal and a few hours away from Delhi. A city with a culture defined by its leisurely attitude, Mughlai cuisine, chikankari work, and literature, Lucknow is a sufi poet's dream. In the heart of Lucknow lies Hazratganj and from here, if we were to take a walk to Rumi Gate, we would be eclipsed...
Condé Nast Traveller India •

In Lucknow, literature is a love language

How deep can a love for a language and its literature last, when the world is closing in on you? “Please come back to run Danish Mahal, and please never let it ever house anything apart from Urdu,” Naseem Ahmad Sahab told his youngest son, 35-year-old Naeem Ahmad, who was preparing to take on the tourism industry. The year was 2006, and Naeem made a promise to his father on his deathbed. Danish Mahal is Lucknow’s oldest Urdu bookstore. Located in Aminabad, it was built in 1989, and is the Ahmad...
HARD COPY •

The Beauty Stranglehold: how deeply repulsive is a woman to the world? — HARD COPY

The cosmetic surgery industry is predicted to balloon from $59.77 billion in 2024 to $81.66 billion by 2032. In a world ruled by algorithms, almost everyone is getting something done. A popular Instagram influencer, who would frequently receive comments telling her how beautiful she looked, shared her journey of her addiction to getting plastic surgery done. Not only did she spend $30,000 on herself, but she got her first surgery when she was 16. While she kept things transparent, it's important...
Missing Perspectives •

Pursuing adventure in Goa as a plus-size woman... and healing my heart

My entire body is shaking. This is so stupid, is the only thought in my head. Why am I even doing this? Why am I an adventure junkie? What was wrong in sitting on sandy beaches and staring at the sea? Behind me, the instructor is getting impatient. I am going to dive in the air and it sounded absolutely ridiculous. Looking down, for what felt like looking down from the tenth floor, my soul was slowly leaving my body. At least there is water down below, if something were to happen. I said this to...
foyer magazine •

Pursuing Freedom in the Land of the Dalai Lama: Dharamshala

Five years ago, I took my first solo trip to Dharamshala. The trip redefined my perspective on what life was supposed to look like. What I found there laid down the foundation of my 20s; pursuit of freedom, love, and opportunities that create social impact and facilitate friendship. Life at 21 had started seeming both incredibly big and jarringly small. On one hand, I was grappling with the real-world understanding of caste, religion, class and gender inequalities and on the other, I was failing to see what impact my insignificant self could have on this. To Dharamshala, I had ventured out simply to answer these questions.

This piece, which my lovely Editor Fiona Livingston commissioned (and I am such a fan of all the work she produces) for Foyer Magazine has written work that has been directly transferred from the travel journal of a 21-year-old as she was forced to confront her big issue; what does the world mean and what is going to be her role in it.
Missing Perspectives •

Embracing Self-Love Beyond Body Positivity

When I was 16, after struggling with body dysmorphia for over half a decade, I remember thinking that I wanted to love my body, instead of constantly hating it and wishing for it to change. That was when the body positivity movement on social media really picked up. One piece of advice I saw repeated everywhere was asking you to look at yourself naked in a full-length mirror, an act that can encourage self-love.

So every time I would come back from a shower, I would just look at myself. My moth
Refinery29 •

Everything I Wore For My First Diwali In The UK

Since childhood, I’ve been obsessed with looking at calendars, particularly because there are so many holidays in India. I remember one year we had more holidays than school days because of the number of festivals we celebrated. Indians honour a multitude of holidays, irrespective of the religion each one belongs to, but if there’s one that we celebrate with everything we’ve got, it’s Diwali

For me, Diwali (also known as the festival of lights) was the time when all my friends were home for the
Vogue India •

Are dating apps in India designed to make us swipe right on privilege?

Bumble, Tinder, OkCupid, Happn, Hinge, TrulyMadly, Woo and Badoo are just a few of the many dating apps in India that have become all the rage in recent times. We all know the gist: Modern life leaves hardly any time for organic connections to grow, and apps are convenient to fight off the ephemeral feeling of loneliness. You have the information required to assess an individual and see whether you can connect with them at your fingertips. If you have been on the apps, you know it’s a split-seco
Vogue India •

Bollywood item songs are being reclaimed by women to strip them of their sexism

At an all-girls college, sixty small groups of teenagers are scattered across the hallway. The teachers have all left, likely in search of some semblance of peace for a few hours, as the girls continue to sway to the beats vibrating throughout the auditorium. Presently, the music system is commandeered by a student body representative, and without warning, the thumping strains of Sheila Ki Jawaani are blasting through the hall. Everyone from the age of 15 to 18 is fervently singing along to this
Stylist •

“As a Muslim Indian woman, Ms Marvel makes me feel seen at last”

A Muslim South Asian girl as a superhero? In some multiverse, there’s a teenage me squealing with joy at Disney+’s newest Marvel show, Ms Marvel. As an Indian Muslim woman who has grown up watching Marvel movies, I’ve waited a long time for this representation, and in the character of Kamala Khan, it has been worthwhile.

As an Indian Muslim, my first reaction to watching the show was of scepticism; would a Western audience tolerate this much south Asian-ness? Yet at no point has it felt that th
Vogue India •

Lucknow’s monuments bear witness to the hidden love stories of its many visitors

Residency, counted among the most popular of Lucknow’s monuments, famous for the Indian Rebellion of 1857, is a couples’ haven. It’s fascinating to see what once was a battleground for our country’s quest for freedom is now a place where the revolution of love takes place every day. Couples in Lucknow escape into many of Residency’s nooks to spend time with each other—a secret they believe their families are blissfully unaware of. In a world that defines privacy as closed doors and password-prot
Desi Books •

#DesiBooksReview 2: Fateema’s House of Her Own

“We don’t want to sell this house to a Mohammadan.” My father was too shocked to respond and a sob escaped my mother. She kept repeating how this was not the India where she’d grown up. I sat there disappointed, but not surprised. My parents had found their dream house after five years of searching but, more than the loss of a house, this served as a painful reminder of a Muslim’s place in today’s India. It broke our hearts to be reminded that there is a huge population in our country that would
Feminism In India •

Book Review: Baluta By Daya Pawar

Baluta, a book written by famous Dalit Maharashtran poet and writer Daya Pawar, is one of the first Dalit autobiographies in India. Written in Marathi in the year 1978 the book casts light not only on the act of untouchability and atrocities committed on the Mahar community in Maharashtra but also brings out the pride that the Dalit community holds for itself. It reflects, personally, on Pawar’s own failings as a person, the intersectional women in his life and how caste boundaries remain wherev
Feminism In India •

Film Review: Yeh Ballet Pushes Us To Work A Little Harder For Our Dreams

Yeh Ballet is a Sooni Taraporevala film that is based on her documentary Ballet Boys. Ballet Boys and by extension Yeh Ballet are films based on the lives of Amiruddin Shah and Manish Chauhan. These two young artists made their way out of the struggling life in Mumbai into the ballet world. Amiruddin Shah made into the Oregon Ballet Theatre in United states of America while Manish Chauhan joined Royal Ballet School in London.

The film is extraordinary for its ordinary portrayal of the struggle,
Feminism In India •

Begum Hamida Habibullah: Politician And Social Activist | #IndianWomenInHistory

Begum Hamida Habibullah was one of the most popular faces in Lucknow; her work as a politician and a social activist changed the lives of thousands of women in and out of Lucknow.

Begum Hamida Habibullah was born on 20 November 1916, hailing from Hyderabad, she was the daughter of Nawab Bahadur Yar Jung of Hyderabad and Talmain Khatoon. At the age of 22, she was married to Major General Enaith Habibullah, who was the founder of National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla. Her later life as a politici