Chitralekha Das, 63, Pune

 
The way life meanders is wonderful and mysterious, and it was this ebb and flow that led me to discover a talent that had lain dormant in me for more than three decades.

I come from the culturally rich city of Agartala in Tripura and learnt to sing at the age of four. I pursued my master’s in music from Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, and went on to learn Rabindra Sangeet from gurus like Suchitra Mitra, Maya Sen and Subinaya Ray. As I developed my musical talent, I went on to perform on Madras Doordarshan, and at prestigious venues such as the Indian Habitat Centre, India International Centre and many Durga Puja utsav. I also tutored children in music at home.

In 1980, I married a defence officer and my husband’s postings took us across the length and breadth of the country. During this time, I became a mother of two and got busy managing home and looking after my sons, Budhaditya and Bedprakash. To keep busy, I took music classes and also joined the Army schools in every city we went to, as a music teacher.

I didn’t know it then but I was about to set upon a new path. Being married to a defence officer meant having to attend myriad social functions. As I never liked to wear the same saris to these parties, I would hand-paint or use patchwork and embellishments on my saris. This lent them a fashionable and contemporary twist and fetched me praise in our social circles.

My real inspiration for design came after my husband was posted in Delhi and I visited Dilli Haat, the crafts bazaar. The handicrafts and handlooms from different states there became my muse and ignited a spark that led me to take up design as a career. My designs were so loved by my friends, family and neighbours that they placed orders with me and I happily created for them.

Meanwhile, my sons grew up, pursued their careers and got married. My husband and I settled in Pune when he retired, and I taught music in school. But travelling to work became exhausting and my family suggested I give up my teaching job and experiment with designing instead.

After a 32-year stint with music, I gave life to my designer imagination. In 2013, I launched myself as a professional and hired a karigar. Saris have always allured women with their charm, and to create my own line, all I did was give them a cutting edge and fresh perspective that completely changed the look.

Orders came in through word of mouth but that wasn’t enough for me. So, when I learnt about an exhibition at World Trade Centre in Colaba, Mumbai, I registered as a participant with my first stock of 80 saris. The response was incredible. Customers flocked to my stall and I sold everything—including the costliest sari priced at ₹ 9,000.

My saris are meant for all ages and occasions, and portray the rich legacy of Indian culture. They’re a mix of ethnic and contemporary designs and are made of a variety of fabrics such as handloom cotton and silk, chanderi, chiffon, georgette, khadi, ikat or kantha as the base. Over the years, my work has evolved and I’ve developed a following in India and overseas, in Singapore, US, Canada, Philippines, etc.

However, as my network grew, it became tough for me to manage both the creative and commercial aspects of my business. Last year, my younger son, Bedprakash, an MBA graduate and marketing manager with a top textiles firm, bailed me out by quitting his lucrative job and joining me in my business. Being adept at handling commercials, he looks after the marketing, online promotions, advertising, etc. He recently launched our website too. Both my daughters-in-law have always been pillars of support and when we officially launched our brand, we called it ‘Sujatra’, a combination of Sushmita, Sujata and Chitralekha, the first two being the names of my daughters-in-law.

My creativity and passion have taken me places and I’ve never been happier in my entire professional journey than I am today.

—As told to Rachna Virdi

Photo courtesy: Chitralekha Das
Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
March 2017