Heirlooms are one way legacy takes shape, but at Vogue Wedding Atelier’s first Evening with the Editor in Hyderabad, the idea extended to memory, values and the imprint of personal choices beyond any single object. Hosted by Rochelle Pinto, Head of Editorial Content at Vogue India, and philanthropist Sudha Reddy at Taj Krishna, the evening brought together a select group of the city’s tastemakers for conversations shaped by what we inherit and what we carry forward.
Florals courtesy Decor by Dinaz brought lightness to the setting, while gifting partner The Laddoo Wala marked the evening with festive hampers featuring chitrakala boxes of laddoos, milk cake, chandni and kaju pista, alongside mewa chana barfi enriched with ghee and dry fruits, spiced mewa aloo laccha and crisp namak para. The spread drew on familiar flavours, presented with a festive, tradition-led touch.
For actor Allu Sirish, legacy begins with conduct rather than possessions. “I think of what my father and grandfather stood for–people and values,” he said. “What’s passed down becomes goodwill, reputation.” What stayed with him was something witnessed rather than formally taught. “They helped people without asking what’s in it for them. I saw that and thought, what do I lose? That’s something I want to carry forward.” He also points out that legacy is not guaranteed. “It can collapse in one generation if you take it for granted. You can’t just live off it, you have to add to it.”
Nayanika Reddy, too, spoke of legacy as something shaped by family but carried forward by the choices one makes. “We’re emotional but strong as a family, that’s something my sisters and I have taken from our father,” she said. “I got married at 35. People tell you to compromise, but you don’t have to. I married for love, and I want young girls to remember that.”
Entrepreneur and patron Pinky Reddy finds legacy in a pair of pear-shaped solitaire earrings inherited from her mother. “My mother has the most beautiful jewellery. These are from her,” she said. For Sudha Reddy, inheritance continues to live alongside her. Her hair ornament, passed down from her grandmother, carries her presence in a way she can return to. “It feels like bringing her to life, the memories stay with me through it,” she said. And yet, what she hopes endures is less visible. “I want people to remember me for my internal beauty first.”
Throughout the evening in Hyderabad, legacy revealed itself in what was worn, what was remembered and what guests felt was deserved passing on. Across the room, it appeared in Kanjeevaram saris passed down through generations of women, in diamond chokers, rivière necklaces, emerald-set pieces and inherited gold, but also in the stories, values and memories attached to them. What is handed down is only part of it. The rest comes from what each generation carries, reshapes and adds through its own lived experience.
The Vogue Wedding Atelier will take place from August 7 to 9 at The Taj Palace, New Delhi.
