Vibha Mitra, I the sutradhar! A woman who was taught to fashion a career out of academics and managed to achieve the merits. My heart however has remained with the Arts! Literature, philosophy. Colours. Textures and designs   fascinated me as did Indian myths and traditions. I loved soaking in art – paintings, textiles, nature, people, stories. When my son took over the test prep I had started the natural transition was to let go.  I took the plunge and indulged in a spree of handloom buying, creating and Qissaa was born.

The mad rush to find a place , my heart settled on this very rundown ground floor of an old house, High ceilings, a Verandah, largish rooms. It had potential. My heart fluttered. Others thought I was a bit crazy. I am impulsive to the core and jump in where angels would be reluctant to tread. Then began the slightly horrific journey of discovery of what it really was. Unfortunately the “before” pics have got deleted.

The beautiful red cement floors were covered in linoleum which couldn’t be scraped off. I had to put in tiles. The Bathroom was Indian style, some modifications needed. It being the ground floor, I hadn’t taken into account the flooding and the water coming up from the sewers. The walls made of Surki were porous and prone to damp, a disaster for my beautiful sarees. We needed waterproofing. I have an obsession with teak and the thrift bazaars were scoured for antique furniture which was restored and sized by a friend. My budget shot up exponentially and despite my friends and family thinking I was mad, doing all this for a rented place,  I persisted.

The place was transformed into the most beautiful imaginable, at a considerable cost. A colossal mistake. Despite happy moments spent here, I was unable to sustain the cost of maintenance, the overheads and interest of the original investment. Alas I wish I had heeded the counsel of a well meaning friend to start small and grow. I dreamt a dream and implemented it but could not afford it for the long run.

My labour of love, a lifetime romance I translated here. I intended to bring India here with my signature preference.  An eclectic lifestyle store now online trying to find its space. I hope this Qissaa can unfold many colourful moments for our collective consciousness in this journey for the Indian artisan!