A jewellery designer, a banker, a women?s rights activist and union member, a single parent and an artiste, the roles are different and Nandita plays each of them perfectly. She, however, finds the artiste in her gaining dominance. The K-soaps do not appeal to her. She would rather spend her time giving shape to accessories.

Even without any formal training in fine arts, Nandita manages to produce some uniquely designed accessories and garments. ?Perhaps, it is in my genes,? she says. ?My elder sister had formal training in fine arts and she used to spend most of her time by the easel. That, somehow, invoked my creativity and during the last few years of my higher education, I picked up my sister?s brush to try my hand at it. That was how my affair with art started,? Nandita recalls.

Today, Nandita has about four exclusive exhibitions in Calcutta and a large fan following as well. She specialises in ethnicwear and matching accessories to go with each apparel. ?Everytime I get a new saree, I ensure I have matching accessories to go with it. I try to innovate in my apparel too, say in the embroidery or the cuts. Sarees are a very common option for the Indian woman and they can be very boring if not experimented with,? she says.

?All these years, whenever people liked any of my collections, I either made them a new set or gave it out as presents. Of late, my daughter, Monalisa, who is also a fashion designer in Delhi, has been insisting that I take up jewellery and apparel designing as a profession,? Nandita explains.

It is easy to understand Nandita?s passion for painting, designing and art. These activities rejuvenate her after a sapping day at work. Going back in time, she continues, ?It was a few years before marriage that I found my first love ? art. I was apprehensive about how things would be after marriage, but my husband was more than supportive. He encouraged me to spend hours stitching or painting... However, after my husband passed away, I had to take charge of home and with a young daughter to look after I knew there were tough days ahead. Perhaps, that is how life is. Even in those tough rocky times, I found solace in my art.?

Jewellery designing is a more recent addition to her addiction. ?It is difficult as you need to convince shopkeepers to accept your designs and prepare moulds accordingly. I visit a particular shop in Calcutta and get most of my jewellery made from there. As for the wooden accessories, they are easier to work on and I manage to shape them on my own,? she reveals.

Nandita pulls out her box of collection. Ranging from semi-precious cut stones to gold and wood to lac, she has done it all. Gold, being her personal favourite, certainly stands out in the collection. And when you talk of accessories, it ranges from matching bangles, armlets, bracelets, necklace and earrings. Each set to go with each dress. A peek into her wardrobe and there is a collection of complete sets. Matching stoles and shawls with sarees, unique and quite like the designer, different. ?It is because I never saw designing from a professional perspective and always took it as my source of relaxation that I was able to do a lot,? she explains.

Nandita is also a social worker. She regularly organises blood donation camps and distributes warm clothes among poor children. An avid reader, she has an impressive collection of books from Buddhadeb Guha to Prafulla Roy and Taslima Nasreen to Ashapurna Devi. ?They are my assets,? she smiles And don't they speak volumes?

Shweta Dutta