My embroidered saree

Art has been passed down through our genes and comes naturally to us. All of us from my granny to my mom and all my sisters paint, draw, sew, embroider, design, knit and make lace.
This matka silk ivory colored saree was picked up as a fabric from Amarcon in Belgaum by my sisterSushma Thakur to be converted into a saree. After draping it once she decided she did not want it and handed it over to me. This was way back in ’98 when she was doing her Masters in finance and communication. Both of us decided to embroider it and as Mom was away for a fortnight to Delhi we were allotted the job of taking care of the house and basically stay at home.
Armed with boxes of Anchor skeins, inspired by Jayitha’s kurta (a Bengali girl living in Mom’s hostel whose mom is a designer in Kolkatta), ample time on hand we started drawing and then embroidering this saree one fine morning. It took us twelve days to complete this saree and blouse. Yes, all 9 meters of katha border and a huge motif on the back of the blouse which initially was designed with elbow length sleeves which I later converted to sleeveless. I remember how we used to cut 20 skeins every morning in 1 meter length pieces neatly fold them and place them in a tray to be used by night. Every morning from 6 am to 8 am I painstakingly drew the pattern with a ruler and apsara pencil and then both of us embroidered from 9 am to 11 pm. That was our target to be completed before Mom’s return and we finished the saree three days before our estimated time.

Life of an army wife

A chilled winter evening ,a cup of steaming tea, knitting to keep my hands warm and occupied, all three babies curled up on the sofas and Diwan I wait for my man to get back home .Two huge German shepherds and one tiny labby a new addition to our family give me company while the cooks are busy in the kitchen readying the evening meal.The husband sends a message reminding me of the little ones vaccination saying he would see me in ten minutes . For a Fauji it is normal to say I will see you in 20.15 hours dressed for a party at 20.00 hours ! In ten minutes I am down in the parking in my warm tracks,double sweaters and a muffler with Romeo cuddled up in his shawl and off we go to the vet. On our way back he asks me if I would like to join the Officers in the mess for a post games drink. After two hours of badminton , sweating in their tee's and shorts they get together in the bar of the Officers Mess and their drinks of choice are served by the bar man ,a ritual followed through out the year.
With less than ten minutes to change from a "warm dressed for snuggling to watch TV "to a diva in my saree and stilettos I walk out of the room perfectly turned out with fours pairs of eyes watching me. My fur babies know they are in for extra treats as we tuck them up in their warm room with a variety of treats placed all over.
These pics were clicked in the Officers Mess with 5 officers curious to know about the sareepact and appreciating the initiative . It was an interesting evening with discussion of work, scotch , and the sareepact! 

Life in Goa

As an entrepreneur it’s easy to get sucked into your own work without realizing the crazy working hours you are putting in. Most of the times forgetting why you became an entrepreneur in the first place which is to be your own boss .You end up accommodating people and stretching your day foolishly believing that after the teething period things will settle and you can put your feet up whenever you want to. It’s an addiction, the more you succeed the more you want to work. I did it for nearly two decades, working from 8 hour days to 15 hour days till I decided I needed to put a stop to this madness.
Liberated is what I felt when I decided to move to Goa and work from home doing what I loved and when I wanted to do it. Now the alarm doesn’t go off making me jump from bed to kick start my day, I don’t need to plan my day based on the commitments I have made, nor do I have to be in the other end of town for a meeting wading my way through the mad traffic and battling the harsh weather, am not worried about what I will wear and whether it would suit all the activities planned for the day. Work for me is my workshop and my net connecting me to my world.
My transit to work takes a few minutes as I walk in my pajamas from my bed to my workshop with cookie tagging along. FM & Gaana.com are my entertainment partners waiting for me and both are happy to oblige with the flick of a button. After having decided to take my future in my own hands and not run around like a headless frenzied chicken my designs have got better. I don’t need to work with set instructions or customize and fear rejection, designing for the pleasure of it and doing so because I love the colors, the process, the technique and I rejoice at the end result.
Getting my priorities right couldn’t come at a more appropriate time. My family, my passion for travel, work and my books manage to get my ample attention. There are days when I miss the dressing up to go to work and that’s when I drape a saree and walk in my stilettos to work with cookie giving me quizzical looks confused whether Mom wants to stay home or take me for a drive.