South Asia, Mother of Maximalism

In Queen (2013), Rani sits down at a restaurant in Europe and orders pizzoccheri at the behest of the insistent owner. Once the dish arrives, she timidly asks for sauce. For the restaurateur, the question is culinary sacrilege: the bowl of pasta is perfect the way it is. For her, more flavors are better: why stop at adding salt and pepper, when you can also layer in roasted ginger, garlic, dry chillies, and lemon? “Why would you do this?” the offended man demands. For Rani, there’s a simple answer: “It tastes good.”

In a world increasingly enamored with the siren call of minimalism — decluttered closets, capsule wardrobes, sparse interiors, beige and white aesthetics — South Asians are known to revere something else. Exuberance. Volume. Glamour. From food to fashion, in South Asia, the maximalist ethos of more is more prevails. Coco Chanel might have said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” But in South Asia, the advice is: why not add another?