Shakuntala Ji is 57 years old. She has wrinkles on her face — which she has never tried to hide. Her hair is white — which she has never felt the need to colour. And yet when she enters a room, eyes turn towards her. Because there is something in her that most people don't have — a kind of stillness, a settled quality, a confidence that doesn't come from any beauty parlour or expensive cream.
The first time I met her, she was sitting on the rooftop of her home — in an old cane chair, a clay cup of chai in her hands, looking out at the hazy Varanasi sky. She saw me, smiled, and said, 'Come beta, have some chai first.' The brightness in her eyes — no eye serum could ever replicate that.
The Truth Beauty Brands Never Tell You
The beauty industry wants you to be afraid — of age, of wrinkles, of white hair. Because fear sells. Every advertisement carries the same message: 'You are not enough — buy our product.' But real beauty is not in fear — it is in confidence. A person who accepts themselves is attractive at any age.
Shakuntala Ji shares that she had the same fears at 40 that most women feel today. She too used to stand in shop aisles examining anti-wrinkle creams. Once her neighbour gifted her an expensive serum and said, 'You'll look 10 years younger.' She tried it — but slowly she started asking herself: why am I trying to look 10 years younger? The years she has lived belong to her — why would she want to erase them?
Shakuntala Ji's Daily Routine
A 30-minute walk in the morning. Face wash with cold water. A gentle coconut oil massage. That's it. No 10-step routine. No anti-aging serum. No expensive face pack. 'I found that the simpler the routine, the better the result,' she says, laughing. There is a certain ease in her laughter — the kind that only comes after years of letting go.
About her morning walks, she explains that for her it is not just exercise. 'In that time I am alone. I walk to the Ganga ghats. I listen to the sound of water. In that one hour I am not someone's mother, not someone's wife — I am just myself.' Hearing this, I understood something: the deepest relationship beauty has is with yourself. Everything else comes after.
Shakuntala Devi (57, Varanasi)"When my daughter said 'Mum use anti-aging cream' — I said 'Beta, I am not anti-aging. I am pro-aging.' The wisdom that comes with age does not need to be hidden. Every wrinkle on my face has taught me something — I have no desire to erase them."
Food — The Real Skincare
Shakuntala Ji's food was taught to her by her mother — simple, homemade, seasonal. Cucumbers and lassi in the summers. Gajar ka halwa in winter — with proper ghee, the real kind. 'People say don't eat ghee, you'll put on weight. But my mother lived to 80 and her skin was worth seeing,' she tells me.
She has almost entirely given up processed food. Market biscuits, packaged juices — these things don't enter her home. In their place, a bowl of fruit every morning and turmeric milk at night. 'This was our grandmother's remedy. Today they call it a superfood — we have been drinking it since childhood.' She laughs at that — a warm, knowing laugh.
The 5 Things That Make True Beauty
First — drink plenty of water. Water is skin's greatest friend. Shakuntala Ji says she drinks at least 8-10 glasses a day. A glass of warm water first thing in the morning — she started this routine 30 years ago and has never broken it. Not once.
Second — get enough sleep. Seven to eight hours. 'The nights I don't sleep well, my face announces it the next morning,' she says with a laugh. Our bodies repair themselves during sleep — this is not a myth, it is science. And those who understand it invest more in good sleep than in any serum.
Third — reduce stress. Stress accelerates aging — doctors say it, and Shakuntala Ji's life is living proof. 'I have a childhood friend — we grew up together. She worries about every small thing. Look at her today and look at me — the difference is plain to see.' She said this without any pride — simply as an observation, the way you might note the weather.
Fourth — antioxidants in your food. Fruits, vegetables, greens. These protect cells — and that protection shows on the outside. Every season brings its own produce to Shakuntala Ji's kitchen. Mangoes, jamun, oranges, guavas — whatever the season offers.
Fifth — laughter. The one thing no cream can achieve. 'There is a lot of laughter in my house. My grandchildren visit, my daughter comes — and we all laugh together. That laughter has no price.' Her eyes lit up as she said this — and I became certain that this is the real beauty secret. The one nobody bottles and sells.
Relationships — What Brings the Glow
Shakuntala Ji lives in a joint family. Her son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren — everyone together under one roof. Many people assume joint families add stress. For her, this is her greatest wealth. 'Loneliness ages you the fastest,' she says, plainly and without hesitation.
Her daughter-in-law Kavita shares, 'Watching Sas Ji, I feel like — old age isn't frightening, we just make it frightening. Every morning she comes into the kitchen. She makes something. When her voice is in the house — the house feels like home.'
Kavita (Shakuntala Ji's daughter-in-law)"I have never heard her complain that 'I am getting old.' She says — 'Every day I am becoming a little richer — in experience.' Seeing that attitude, I too have started thinking that growing older is not a loss at all."
Mental Beauty — What Shows on the Outside
Shakuntala Ji reads. Every night — even if only for half an hour. 'If the mind is empty, the face looks empty too,' she says. In her room there is a small stack of books — sometimes the Ramcharitmanas, sometimes a novel, sometimes a magazine. 'As long as a person keeps learning — they are alive,' she believes.
She started painting at the age of 50. 'My daughter said Mum, learn something new. I said beta, at this age what is there to learn? She said — Mum, when does age ever stop you from learning? And honestly — that painting class gave me a whole new world. There were women my age, older than me, younger than me. We were all the same — just learners.' Her hands moved as she described it, still animated by the memory.
Growing Older — It Is a Privilege
Many people do not reach 55. Those who do — every wrinkle is a story, every white hair an experience. Each line on Shakuntala Ji's face marks something real — the nights she stayed up caring for someone, the times she cried for another person, the moments she laughed so hard her stomach hurt. These lines are the map of her life. And maps are not things you erase.
As we were saying goodbye, Shakuntala Ji took my hand and said, 'Beta, whenever you stand in front of a mirror and find yourself lacking — remember that the mirror only shows the outside. Real beauty is what other people feel when they are near you.' I have not forgotten that. Not for a single day since.
Beauty does not age — it evolves. At 20 there is the freshness of youth. At 40, a depth settles in. At 60, a grace arrives that cannot be faked or purchased. Every age has its own colour. And those who understand this — they are beautiful at every age, in every season. The woman sitting on that rooftop with her cup of chai, the morning light catching her white hair — she knew this in her bones. And somehow, just being near her, you began to know it too.
