I was born in a middle-class family in Uttarakhand. There was not much exposure in the village. My father was in the Indian Army, because of which we kept moving around the country. Eventually, we settled in a town called Haldwani. I come from very modest means. My father was the only bread-earner in the family. Therefore, harbouring big dreams was extremely difficult during such times.
Whenever someone asked me about my ambitions, I used to lie to them. I told everyone that I wanted to become a doctor just to fit in. In Class 7, my cousin mentioned about National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), where you can study fashion designing. Definitely an alien concept, ‘NIFT’ was tattooed in my mind for eternity.
I found it daunting navigating through this thought process. All the career-related talks in school focussed on Medicine and Engineering. Arts and Design was not an option at all. Nobody knew about my dilemma except my closest friends. They made fun of me at times. While I did not feel bad, I felt cornered. My family had no idea about my plans. I was the only one in my family to get access to education. For my parents, becoming a doctor or an engineer would be a dream come true.
However, I gathered the courage to tell my parents. I revealed my fashion design dreams slowly and steadily to them. There was a lot of tension at home. My parents took some time warming up to this idea. My father and I did not speak to each other for a month. I went on a hunger strike to further prove my point. Then one day, my father kept a fashion school pamphlet next to me for consideration. While I knew I had my parents’ approval, I still wanted to go to NIFT at any cost. I worked extremely hard in my entrance exams and got into the campus in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh.
From Haldwani To Emmys
I was aimlessly scrolling through Twitter when someone retweeted Vir Das’ post. He was looking for a newbie designer or a fashion student to make an outfit for the International Emmy Awards. The word ‘Emmys’ felt massive for me. I was still a student during COVID-19 who was yet to step into the industry. Despite these thoughts, I decided to apply for the sake of it. I was not expecting anything in return. I conveniently forgot about this when one night, I received a mail from Vir Das’ team. They accepted my pitch. I did not know how to react. I wanted to dance, but I wanted to stay silent too. I had several questions in my head, the prominent being about what is next.
The next few days were hectic. I faced difficulties while creating the outfit. As I was still a student, the technicalities of it all threw me off a little bit. From a creative block to eventual fitting issues, it was a big challenge for me. I got onto making the Design and was in constant touch with the team.
A Learning Process
As soon as I saw Vir Das wearing the outfit, I felt satisfied. The fact that he took my name on an international red carpet was an overwhelming feeling. This way, I represented myself, Haldwani, and the state. I noticed a twinkle in my parents’ eyes when they saw the picture. They did not react much, but their eyes expressed everything.
All of this is a learning process. I want to make a lot of mistakes in the process. I want to have my label, but I want to learn as well. I do not know where this newfound fame will take me, but I want to see my creations on the red carpets worldwide. I want to make mistakes, learn, and make progress in the best way possible.
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