It has been a challenging year, but come the season of festivities and it's all about the sparkles and celebrations. It has also been a year where many have discovered themselves and found their inner light. Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar spreads some cheer as she joins hands with Swarovski to celebrate the journey of self-discovery and inspiration in its latest campaign #CelebrateTheSparkle. To mark the occasion of Diwali, the brand has curated a brilliant selection of jewellery, watches and accessories that inspire women to express themselves.

Pednekar is among a handful of actresses who is not only celebrated for her work in the industry but also for being vocal towards the betterment of the society, whether it is through her social work towards climate change or the kind of roles she does which challenge societal norms. IANSlife caught up with the multifaceted personality and Swarovski to find out more about how they represent today's modern woman.

Read Excerpts:

Q: It has been a challenging year, but also one of self-discovery. During this lockdown, have you discovered any interest and habits you never thought you had?

A: It's been a tough year and I have discovered a lot about myself. But I think more than discovery, there were thoughts and things that I always had in my mind but never had the time to do those things. And in this lockdown, I started experimenting with a couple of things that I realised I really enjoy doing; for example - gardening, my mom and I, we created a kitchen garden, only to realise later that it's seasonal because of Bombay's monsoons. There was a point when we were growing tomatoes, chillies, pomegranate, bitter guard eggplant and various green, leafy vegetables - overall, a very wholesome kitchen garden. And eventually we ended up cooking two meals exclusively sourced from my garden, this was extremely exciting and therapeutic.

Apart from that, something that I started filming myself while getting my glam on! I have always enjoyed beauty tremendously but this time I decided to film it, put it on social media; that got a lot of love. It's something I am going to continue doing because I feel, spending that time with myself while I get ready, is so therapeutic and its very important for many girls and boys, to love yourself. So, overall that time for self-love is something that I put in, during this lockdown.

I think another thing that I really ventured into was going back to my books. I re-visited a lot of my history lessons and I read up a lot on geography, climate change, sustainable living, etc. I tried re-educating myself in things that I used to be interested in.

And one thing we all took away from this time, is a more sustainable form of living; it's something that my entire family consciously tried doing. Even though people are using gloves, masks and there's an incredible amount of garbage being created - we tried keeping it all under control by adopting better habits, and this is something we have inculcated in this lockdown.

Q: This Diwali, instead of socialising and partying, do you feel one should celebrate with family to find the inner light in all?

A: I feel that this Diwali, instead of socialising, we should spend time with our loved ones because that is the most responsible thing to do. We have to understand that, yes - it's times for festivities and we need our spirits high, but its also very important to be responsible. The virus is still very active and we can't pretend like everything is okay.

Diwali is all about the victory of good over evil and we have to be victorious over the virus. So, please stay home and spend time with your family so that the next Diwali can be different.

Q: Women have had to bear the brunt of the lockdown- the burden juggling work, family and taking care of domestic chores. Do you feel this is the right time for women to indulge in themselves, even if no one else does?

A: Absolutely! It's the best time for women to treat themselves. I think its been difficult times for both women and men, both. A lot of us are spending this much of time with our families after a very long time; we were cleaning, we were cooking, we were working and especially for women because usually in our culture, most of the domestic pressure comes on them. So, I think Diwali is a great time for women to pamper themselves.

The modern, Indian woman is independent. She is not dependent on what her partner is going to bring for her and that is the beauty of the way our society is evolving.

Go and buy that piece of jewellery you love. It's going to be timeless and it is going to be there for ever. I personally love the Tennis Deluxe collection and a Crystal Flower watch from Swarovski.

Q: You have been vocal towards the betterment of the society through your social work; what do you think is of urgent attention and how can people work towards it?

A: I have always said that the thing that needs immense amount of attention today has to be the climate emergency that the world is in right now. Climate change is real. It's happening and we really need to do whatever we can to slow it down. We cannot reverse it but we can definitely slow it down and at an individual level change things.

I think it's very important to support business that believe in sustainability, that believe in going green and blue. There are a lot of things in the society that need attention, be it - equality between both the sexes, be it equality between all the species and I feel that there is an urgent need for a surge of compassion between humans. We need to understand that we are not invincible and are nothing in front of the wrath of nature. There is a lot of divide on so many levels that's happening between us and this has to stop.

Q: Tell us a little about your association with Swarovski.

A: It is an honor, to be honest, to be associated with Swarovski, that too on Diwali. Swarovski as a brand has always innovated and maintained what they stand for in the last 125 years. It is a brand that has a rich heritage, craftmanship and elegance. They have been responsible to their consumers and to society. I feel great to be associated with the brand, because I have grown up wearing it and enjoyed wearing their pieces thoroughly.

Diwali is such a great festival and specially this year when things have not been great, I see Diwali as an occasion where people will come together to celebrate. Diwali is about pampering yourself. The Diwali collection by the brand this year is so beautiful - they have a mix of contemporary and understated pieces that one can mix and match with whatever you end up wearing. The collection is an amalgamation of modern with classic.

Q: How does Swarovski as a brand compliment you?

A: I have a rather long journey with Swarovski from a consumer point-of-view. The first, slightly luxurious, thing that my parents gifted my sister and I were these iconic, silicon Swarovski bands where mine was orange in colour and my sister's was red. It had Swarovski crystals all over and a small bracelet. It was the first thing that my parents gave me!

I was in class 10th and my aunt gifted me one of Swarovski's extendable bracelets from that time. So, I have been using their pieces since I was very young and what I love about the brand the most is that they have something for every age, every occasion and every piece has a lot of emotional value as well. So, for me, Swarovski has always been about inspiring, sparkling, timelessness and about elegance; at the same time it really resonates with what your modern-day woman is all about. This year is so special for me, I am really proud to be a part of the campaign, the first ever Bollywood face to be associated with the brand and bring delight to everyone this Diwali!

Source - IANS