Look at her and you would probably think she is a statuesque woman of 30 with beautiful hair and a smile to-die-for. Though well past 30, former Miss India (of 1978) and daughter of Hyderabad's Raja Dhanrajgir, Sabita Dhanrajgir Umrigar, leaves you no room to wonder how.
She is one of those few beauty pageant winners who didn't choose to enter the much-coveted film industry. Instead, she chose to bask in a familial life and pursue her hobby of designing saris.
“I was offered a lot of films. But I found that it's not a place that I wanted to be. Even modelling was a fluke. I went to Bombay and Shyam Benegal asked me to do a toothpaste advertisement. But I was never comfortable about it. If people would ask me, I would say that I'm not a model. I've always loved designing saris and wanted to get married and have children. Even when I was in my studio, I would have my children with me,” says Sabita.
She was in Bangalore to showcase her line of embroidered saris with her daughter Zara, who displayed her range of evening dresses.
“My clothes are made for weddings and cocktails. I love detailing and embroidery, in a way that looks good even from the back. Most of my saris have geometric or floral patterns on sheer material, mainly georgette and chiffon. I prefer designing stuff that you can wear forever. I still wear saris that are more than 25 years old.”
Sabita set up her embroidery centre in 1980 and she has been quietly weaving her magic around the world ever since. “I went to a fine arts college. Around that time, I started making my own saris. I was 19 when I had my first exhibition. So I was designing saris much before Tarun Tahiliani or Rohit Bal. The rest happened through word of mouth. Before I knew it, I was getting so many orders that there were times I thought I couldn't handle it. It was getting bigger than I had ever imagined. I think sometimes things are meant to happen in a certain way.”
Sabita often works with her husband Neville Umrigar, a jewellery designer. Together, they design for high-profile clientele like the Royal Family of Kuwait. “My life revolves around my husband and children. My son helps my husband with the jewellery and I help my daughter with her designs. We've done everything together as a family, so much so that our holidays, whether in London or Kuwait, are mixed with work. I never design for anyone I am not comfortable with,” she confesses.
Sabita has over seven workshops, each specialising in a particular line of embroidery like resham, sequins and beads or zardozi. “I love subtle designs. But a lot of women want bling and they are ready to pay for stand-outs. For many years I couldn't think of bright and blingy designs that I wouldn't wear myself.”
Sabita has always been about understated simplicity, so much so that it's hard to find too much information about her even on Google. She is happy being away from the limelight.
“I don't think I can get busier than I am. But I love what I'm doing and I feel a sense of responsibility for my saris. I ensure that every piece is perfect. I try to ensure that the person wearing the sari comes through, more than the sari itself. The people I grew up with dressed elegantly and a lot of my work is influenced by the saris my grandmother, mother and aunt wore.”
