Achieving Goals

Achieving Goals

It was a hot steamy night a woman in labour was perspirating in pain, “it will be all over said the handmaid who was treating her”. It was a restless night sweats of anxiety were rushing down the mothers face. The father who stood outside, was rubbing his hands in impatience praying to Lord Ganesha “ O Lord, everything should be safe and sound. Let the mother and baby be safe,” he said. Sometime later shrill sounds of the baby could be heard, the handmaid happily announced, “Laxmi hui hai, a girl is born”. The father took the baby in his hands, her fingers were as tiny as a mouse, and her hair as smooth as silk. The handmaid entered the room and said, “what should be the name of this young princess", the father cheerfully announced the babies name, “her name would be Bhanu, who would shine like the sun and would achieve name and fame".

As young Bhanu grew up, she became observant. Every evening her mother used to sit down on the chattai with her manually operated sewing machine and used to stitch clothes to earn a living and be a helping hand to the family. Bhanu observed reluctantly and ran towards her mother, she said, “aai, even I want to stitch clothes". Mother laughed and said, “you are too young to do it. Besides you can even hurt your tiny fingers if it comes under the needle while stitching". Bhanu heard her mother’s warning, but this did not stop her to achieve her goals and fulfil her ambitions.

Bhanu had heard that practice makes man perfect, hence, one summer afternoon, when everyone were asleep, suddenly her sight stuck at something, it was her mom’s sewing machine with an unfinished work which was given by their neighbour Savita taai, for her sisters wedding. Excited on watching the shiny sewing machine all by itself, she sat near it, and remembered how her mother used to operate this machine. She felt that, “I have to create something concrete that won't need to be redone. It is just me and the machine or the needle”.

Bhanu, as she increased the speed of the machine felt in her mind that, “Everything seems clear and purposeful. I see the needle go up and down and then an object appears. Upon the beautiful lehnga  was a design in blues and creams, the colours of the ocean Jazz loved so much. Every pattern was of foliage or flower in flowing swirls, as if together, in print and hue, it told of the oneness of Earth. At last the work was done, Bhanu with a sense of satisfaction said, “I am fulfilled, I am at peace in my creation.”

Bhanu spent all her summer vacations stitching frocks and frills for her siblings. She mastered her steps, and understood the art of spinning as she enjoyed each and every moment of her work. Her parent too noticed her hard work and didn’t let her determination falter. They decided that she should go to Mumbai.

That’s when she decided that she was ready to try her hands in fashion. Getting an opportunity wasn’t easy in a city like Mumbai, where young amateur people were struggling hard to gain fame, but Guru Dutt Sahab gave her a chance to design costumes in the 1956 film C.I.D., from that very moment Bhanu’s career boosted, this was like “a dream come true”, thought Bhanu.

One day, Bhanu was working in her office. Those days people had no means for communication. Her assistant named Simi one day came running to Bhanu, and said, Listen carefully — a foreign film director is coming to India to make a film on Gandhi. Would you like to work on it?’

I did not respond immediately. A number of questions were passing through my mind. I thought to myself, would I be able to do it? The stark look of Gandhi’s dhoti was frightening in comparison to the razzle-dazzle of Hindi cinema.

Simi shook me and said, ‘This is an important assignment and a great opportunity to show your talent! 

I became ready, the audition was held at the Sea Rock Hotel at Bandra in Bombay where Lord Richard Attenborough’s production office was located. After a long interview, he informed his team that he had found his costume designer for Gandhi. He then gave me the script and asked me to meet him the following day to discuss it. “What a script it was! It brought tears to my eyes”. 

Bhanu wondered that, it was entirely her responsibility to look at each and every costume requirement. It was a daunting task as the life span of 50 years of a global icon had to be recorded on celluloid. Meanwhile, the other main characters of the film started coming in for fittings. The biggest hall at the Ashoka Hotel, Delhi, was filled with hundreds and thousands of costumes on racks, and mountains of bundled-up dhotis and kurtas, and piles of footwear. Apart from the principal and character actors, I also had to prepare the wardrobe for the crowds. Every other scene had crowd shots of hundreds and thousands of people – and everyone had to look appropriate to the location and time. I would leave the Ashoka Hotel at 5 a.m. every day. The wardrobe and catering departments were the first to arrive on set. I had nine assistants to dress the crowds, so that they could be ready for the shoot at 9 a.m. The extras would alight by the hundreds from buses, and they would line up at the catering table for breakfast. This was my time to select the right people to be in the front rows, as well as the others for the different scenes.

The film was premiered at the Vidhan Bhavan in New Delhi. The then President of India, Giani Zail Singh, was present, along with Lord Attenborough, some of the British actors and all the Indian cast. Gandhi was a great success and audiences the world-over were captivated. People said that they emerged as changed human beings, on leaving the cinema hall after seeing the movie. India became a place of pilgrimage afresh for Gandhi admirers. Visitors went to Mani Bhavan in Bombay, to pay him homage, and to the Khadi Bhandar to ask for ‘Gandhi cloth’ or khadi. Designers in New York were inspired to use the dhoti-salwar and Nehru jackets in their fashions. These became a hit along with the tunic, kurta and pant.

Bhanu burnt the midnight oil and designed costumes for the movie, and very soon Bhanu's hard work paid, as she became the first Indian to win an Oscar Award. Bhanu realised that she had the courage to dream big, and this courage gave her fame.