I never followed any designated path or set out with goals for myself. So, it was never my dream to be a fashion designer. I was just having a lot of fun in my life.

I left India to study at the Fashion Institute of Tech-nology (FIT) in New York and returned in 1990. India

was changing in many ways and it was the perfect time

to return.

When I was 21, I got a chance to open my first nightclub,

No Exit, in Hauz Khas Village in Delhi. This was a turning point

because it gave me a shot at playing entrepreneur at such a young age. Later, backed by this experience, I started a nightclub in Goa called Congo.

In 2000, the year that the first India Fashion Week was held, Tarun Tahiliani, my mentor and friend, pushed me into participating. I told him that until then I had only designed clothes informally, never professionally. Tarun would have none of it and helped me create a line of 25 outfits for my show.

So, it’s all thanks to Tarun that I became a designer. Fashion opened many doors for me. Working on Indian designs helped me embrace my culture and I got the chance to travel the world. This was a huge turning point. Having said that, I must add that fashion is not the only thing that I want to do for the rest of my life.

Another significant time in my life was when I designed the controversial tricolour dress — for which I was arrested. The incident left me hugely traumatised and even 12 years on I still have court hearings to attend.

My newest passion is Dreamscape, a lifestyle store that I have just opened in Goa. It’s something new, is extremely challenging and I’m having a great deal of fun with it.

(As told to Varuni Khosla)