Swarnim Jain, Author at Arré

You Don’t Need to “Make the Most” of the COVID-19 Life: In Defence of Doing Nothing

I planned to use quarantined living to go all guns blazing on “Project Me”. I zealously attended every online fitness class, gorged down pending reads, and even excitedly brewed my own Dalgona coffee… only to find myself exhausted, sad, and sapped.

Swarnim Jain July 9, 2016

Bollywood

15 years of Bunty Aur Babli: An Ode to Small-Town India Before It Was Cool

Bunty Aur Babli was Bollywood’s first taste of a new success formula: the wholesome, quirky small-town romance, replicated in films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Bareilly Ki Barfi. It painted a clear picture of how small-town India was pushed to the extreme to live out a cut-rate version of the Great American Dream.

Swarnim Jain June 21, 2016

POV

In the Age of Casual Sex, Hooking Up is Easy. Making Lasting Platonic Friends is Not

Last year, I shifted cities for work. Despite being on team #NoNewFriends, I knew I had to put myself out there for the nerve-wracking exercise. Everyone knows the rules of romantic dating, but what are the rules of “friend dates”? Why does the idea of rejection on a “friend date” somehow feel more personal?

Swarnim Jain April 29, 2016

Gender

“You’re One of the Boys!” How My Tomboy Status Made Me Sexist

When you hear the word sexist, you probably don’t picture a 24-year-old girl who aced her gender studies assignments. But I recently came to the realisation that I have all the traits of a stereotypical toxic launda, except my truth was veiled within my 5’4” stature and penchant for skater skirts.

Swarnim Jain March 31, 2016