From Shweta: On Repetition, Rituals, and Why Kavya Trehan is the Perfect 431-88 Muse
When we began thinking about this month’s theme of repetition — for me, perfectly encapsulated in a skirt that I return to time and again for how lovingly it sees me through all phases and stages of my life— I also kept coming back to the idea of rituals—not in the rigid sense, but as these personal anchors that help you find your rhythm. And the person who immediately came to mind was Kavya.
I’ve always admired how she moves through the world—with so much intention, but also ease. She’s a singer, an actor, dips into fashion as a model and muse, and is now launching a jewellery line (!) To me, Kavya perfectly captures the spirit of the 431-88 woman. She’s fluid, expressive, unapologetically herself. She shapeshifts, but never loses her centre. She’s not interested in fitting a mould; she builds her own rhythm and wears it well.
This conversation is a glimpse into her world: a creative life stitched together by repetition, ritual, and instinct. I hope it resonates with you the way it did with me.
Love,
Shweta
“When the day is grounded, I can fly.” — Kavya Trehan, singer, actor, muse
Actress, musician, jewellery lover, ritual-keeper—Trehan wears many titles lightly but lives each one with rigour. In an industry that often demands binary definitions, she resists categorisation. “For me, music and acting are the same craft, just different mediums,” she explains. “I’m performing with characterisation and story, whether on stage or on screen.”
You may recognise her as Ginny from Royals, a breakout role that’s finally, as she puts it, “put me on the map.” But the truth is, Kavya’s been in this for years—cutting her teeth in Delhi’s theatre circuits, indie short films, and alt-music venues. What’s shifted recently is visibility, not intent. “I’ve always given 110% whenever I’ve had the opportunity. What felt different with Royals is that people didn’t say I looked out of place. They said I felt natural. That word makes me the happiest.”
Behind that natural ease is a deeply cultivated rhythm. “Unlike most creatives, I’m extremely pragmatic in my process. I come from a mild cult upbringing,” she says with a laugh, referencing her childhood at the alternative Mirambika school in Delhi. Her daily rituals read like a recipe for creative clarity: a strict handwritten to-do list, liquid rituals (matcha, samahan, chai, and a ‘witch’s potion’ tea), and setting the energy of her home with incense, palo santo, and intentional placement of pillows and glasses. “I’m semi-permeable to my environment. Everything affects me.”
What’s striking is how rooted she is in repetition—not as restriction, but as grounding. Her mornings begin with movement, her days are bracketed with self-designed rituals. “If I’ve covered my bases, then I can fly a little,” she explains. “There’s this idea that creatives don’t have routine, but I do. I need it.”
Then there’s the silver. After a shower, she adorns herself in stacks of silver jewellery—anklets, rings, layered necklaces. “I call it my apsara mindset,” she says. “It’s part of my self-love ritual. It makes me feel bejewelled and alive.” That morning act of transformation has evolved into something tangible: Hyperreal, her upcoming EP and jewellery line. “This is the first time I have 100% production credits on a release,” she says proudly. “It’s also my first time launching a jewellery label. But it makes sense, right? You’ve seen how much silver I wear.”
And yet, for all her discipline and drive, Kavya remains a romantic at heart—an artist who believes in the alchemy of everyday life. “To be a musician, you need to live,” she says. That might mean a detour to a Southern food spot in Goa, a night of dancing in her living room, or simply sitting with her journal. “To be a musician you need to experience life—and that takes effort.” In a world obsessed with speed and surface, Kavya Trehan is moving to a different tempo: ritualised, reflective, and beautifully real.
Kavya’s recommendations for rhythmic rituals that get her through the day:
1. The sacred to-do list
“I’ve been using the same Muji dotted books since I was 17,” she says. “I buy 12 of them at once—nothing digital, my hand needs to be on a pen and it needs to be inked.”
2. The beverage ballet
“There are at least eight different liquids I have in a day,” she laughs. “Matcha, samahan, chai with lactose-free milk, a witch’s potion tea with lemongrass and peppermint, kombucha, and of course—water.”
3. Movement as medicine
“If it’s high stress, I put on music and just dance. Medium stress? A workout. Low stress? A 16-minute yoga session.” There’s always movement. Always a check-in with the body.
4. A house that hums
Before she begins her email hour: “I switch on all the agarbattis in the house, Palo Santo the corners—and myself. The glasses need to be where the glasses go. The pillows must be in place. The energy of the house has to be really good.”
5. Silver as a state of mind
“I have this apsara mindset. After a shower, I wear silver anklets, rings, stacks of jewellery—it’s part of my self-love ritual. And at night, the joy I feel when I take it all off? It really makes me happy.”
Photographs by Keegan Crasto / Public Butter
