Musiccosmos

Cover Story Text by Skye Arundhati Thomas. Photographed by Rema Chaudhary. Styling by Nidhi Jacob. Assisted by Divya Bavalia. Make-up and Hair by Kritika Gill Silk organza layered dress, from Fendi, New Delhi. Rings, bracelets (worn throughout), all Rithika’s own. “Yes, the practice is important, and you have to consistently work hard to make the work that you want to make, but at the end of the day, an artist needs to know how to issue an invoice…and it’s as simple as that.” It is a cool monsoon afternoon in Mumbai and Rithika Merchant and I are chatting over Skype; she is in her Barcelona studio (located quite conveniently inside her apartment — and she very much likes it that way), preparing for a month-long annual trip to Mumbai. Although she has been living in the Spanish city for over seven years now, Mumbai is still home. She lives between the two seaside cities, which keep her close to the water. She is cool and collected, and likes to get straight to the point. ...