SUNDAYS WITH WARIS
Waris Ahluwalia on identity, self-celebration, and his journey to founding HOUSE of WARIS Botanicals.
You may recognise Waris Ahluwalia from a few of Wes Anderson’s more beautiful films, like The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel, where he appears, suffuses the screen with magic (and a particularly entrancing gaze), and slips off again. It’s not difficult to see why a director that creates films lingering somewhere between reality and dreams would fall for Waris. He is, in the truest sense of the phrase, one of a kind.
Born in Amritsar, he and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York when he was five. Later on, he migrated north to downtown Manhattan, where he has remained one of the area’s best-dressed fixtures ever since. He founded House of Waris in 2007, collaborating on design projects with the likes of Gucci, APC and The Kooples. He even has a day named after him - 19th October - proclaimed by the Mayor of New York City for Waris’ work towards spreading tolerance and inclusivity. So yeah, he’s pretty spectacular.
Late last year, this icon-in-the-making opened Waris Botanicals, a 150-square-foot tea house in Chelsea, dedicated to bringing the finest teas on the planet to New York, and encouraging all of us to live a little more thoughtfully.
Our photographer was all set to meet with Waris, but then lockdown happened. The solution? We posted him a polaroid and his chosen PJs, and let him orchestrate the shoot with his partner, the beautiful Maddie. What emerged was a snapshot of this multi-hyphenate that captured his spark, his creativity and his kindness more than we ever could have ourselves.
Here, we chat with Waris (in a socially distant kind of way) about India, New York City, and the importance of self-celebration.
What are the fundamentals of Waris? Who are you when no one is watching?
It could be said that the fundamentals of any one of us is identity. The search for identity is the search for truth. When you can see the truth in yourself, you can recognize it in the other. And this is where understanding and empathy begin. This is where we step out of the shadow of fear and into the light of love. This is where we find a strength that comes with compassion.
When no one is watching I find myself sitting still. Wondering where everyone is rushing off to. Well, even when someone is watching they’ll find me at times drifting off in stillness.
What is your morning routine? And your night one?
Morning:
Before opening my eyes, I try to remember my dreams. Then I jot down whatever elements haven’t been lost. It’s like trying to grab a hold of clouds.
Some morning prayers followed by a few minutes of deep breathing. Inhale for four seconds, pause, exhale for four seconds. In the old days, you know- before quarantine, I would head to the gym. The new routine has me going straight to breakfast. Turn on the kettle, place a sachet of Sweet Clarity in a mug, and eat chia pudding or overnight oats while the water boils and the tea steeps.
Evening:
Walk to my bedroom with a cup of Night of Nights along with a glass of water. Add 4 drops of oregano oil to a half glass of water.
What do you love about the ritual and essence of tea? Tell us the story behind your brand.
Tea has been connecting people for centuries. In every indigenous culture across the planet, tea has always served a purpose. It was a way to bond and a way to heal. It can do the same for us today. Allow us a chance to pause. To slow down. It’s a tool - not one that is on your phone, but in your cup. It comes from the planet that has the ability to nourish us if we in turn look after the planet. Ingredients that have served humanity for centuries.
HOUSE of WARIS Botanicals is an exploration into a more thoughtful way of living through the use of plant science, community and celebration. A company focused on redesigning our relationship to wellbeing and stress for a better you.
We're not in the wellness business—we're in the celebration business. Celebrating life, celebrating humanity, celebrating plants, celebrating how all those can work together.
Slowing down is part of that celebration. That's a celebration of you. A celebration of your time on this planet. It's how you look after yourself. It's how you look after your loved ones. It's how you look after your community.
What role has unpredictability played in your life’s journey so far? What is your motto when things catch you unexpectedly?
Unpredictability has possibly been one of the few consistent elements in my life. I would have never guessed that this is where life would take me. All I had were my instincts and I learned early on to trust them.
It's a skill we're given- a tool. It's up to us to sharpen it and learn to use it. We all have it to some degree. The universe speaks to us all- we just have to learn how to listen.
Regardless of what the day brings, I always remember what Goethe said..."Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least."
Your journey has taken many turns, tell us a little about it…
Early in life I realized that I would not fit in anywhere. It's not my purpose in life to fit in. I do what makes me happy and nourishes my soul and those along with me on this journey. How the world reacts is not in my hands. The goal along the way is to stay true to myself and the values my parents and culture have given me.
If you could have brunch with 3 people that inspire you, who would they be? And where would it take place?
Under an acacia mellifera tree in Kenya inhabited by grey capped social weavers with the writer Pema Chodron, Rumi, and Rabindranath Tagore.
New York and India, your two homes, how do they each make you feel?
I always say I was born twice. Once in the foothills of the Himalayas in a city called Amritsar. India grounded me with faith and tradition. My second birth, when I was 5, was in New York City. This land of constant change has introduced me to people and ideas that challenge me to think about the future and my place in the world. New York City is electric. The energy doesn’t come from the buildings or the wires. It’s the people that come through here, that live here, and that choose to make it home. New York’s greatness is in its people.
I belong to both nations but as energy that is constantly changing I belong mostly to the universe.
What inspires you most about Indian culture and people?
India calls me back at least once a year. It is the land of my birth and is ingrained in my soul. It is of course in everything I do. India is a land of beauty, myth and great splendor. The Himalayas, the lush forests of the south, The Great Thar desert, Bengal tigers, the Indian Elephant- a richness far beyond anything man-made.
What is your Sunday state of mind?
Sunday tends to be the day I put away the phone. Especially in the winter months. It’s a day to read, nap, eat, and eat some more.
Locked in for a week: what does your day look like?
Locked in for a week? It’s now almost 5 weeks with social isolation. My mornings and nights have been noted above. In between I’m on calls and emails - planning digital dinner clubs with our favorite chefs, planning virtual sound baths, trying to raise money for organizations that need support during this crisis, and checking in with loved ones and colleagues. And eating. Always eating.
What is your favourite indulgence when you have plenty of time at home?
Movies. Back to back. Freshly popped sea salt popcorn. Dark raw chocolate. And more movies.
What is a book you’ve read, a song you’ve listened to, a film you’ve watched, and a meal you’ve eaten a million times and don’t plan on stopping?
Tony Scott’s 'True Romance'
George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’
Pizza
What is on your bedside table?
Books that need reading, a carafe of water, a glass, an elephant carved out of marble.
What does freedom mean to you?
The chains that always concern me are the ones I put on myself. Freedom is breaking free from my own constraints.
What is one thing that always makes you feel wonderful?
Dinner with mom.
What’s next?
Everyday is an opportunity to be better. To do better. This couldn’t be more relevant than today.