The Weekly Observer Volume 18 Issue 4

The Observer An IIJNM publication

Road accidents on the increase in K R Puram in spite of B-TRAC | P 2

Vol 18, Issue 4 Tuesday, September 19, 2018

Take 6 months to reach us, say managers Sahana S

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Generic medicines are missing from the Jan Aushadi store at N R Colony |. Credit: Sahana S blamed the lack of supply on bulk orders and transport issues.

Venkatesh.R, the store manager at Mahalakshmi Layout, said that they have 300 to 400 generic tablets to treat hypertension, diabetes and cancer, but medicines like Glimepiride, Glarzine, and Imatanib are in short supply because they take six months to be delivered.

The stores at Tata Silk Farm, NR Colony, JP Nagar, Yelahanka, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Mallathalli face the same problem.

Vinutha Mohan, manager at Tata Silk Farm, said while general medicines like paracetamol, antibiotics and cholesterol tablets are available, drugs like Glimepiride will be replenished within 15 days.

While at Rajarajeshwarinagar there is no insulin, there is a scarcity of hypertension and diabetes medicines in JP Nagar, according to store managers Sunil HR and K Hemanthkumar.

Matters have improved, though, at Mallathalli after an initial shortage of drugs, store manager Satyanarayana S said.

Supervisor Chintamani Prasad at NR Colony blamed inadequate production and patent issues for non-availability of tablets like human insulin, and Basalog Injection.

The store managers ask customers to come a week later.

Phanindra C, an officer at Canara Bank, told The Observer: “I came to buy first aid kits and regular medicines like Axcer tablet.

They keep on postponing.”

Many customers said the stores must display lists of unavailable medicines, so that they can go elsewhere to buy the drugs.

Retired health department official Mokashi .Vsaid: “I prefer Jan Aushadhi stores to normal drug stores, but most drugs like paracetamol are unavailable, and they don’t even put up a list of unavailable medicines.”

Homemaker Sharadha.R is a regular visitor to the Jan Aushadhi store at Mahalakshmi Layout. She buys most of her requirements from the outlet. Despite shortages, people like her still flock to the kendras because medicines are cheaper there. sahana.s@iijnm.org

BMTC conductors are disappointed with low salaries Shashank Dipankar

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MTC bus conductors are dissatisfied with their salary as they feel it does not match their hard work. ‘’My insufficient salary created several problems in looking after my family of four. Conductors of private bus companies have better salaries and perks than us,” said Narendra K, a BMTC bus conductor.

To earn more, the conductors work irregular shifts and sometimes more than 12 hours a day.

“Life outside is hard.Sometimes I don’t get time for my family,” said Nagaraj a BMTC conductor.

The conductors are also dissatisfied with the BMTC for not revamping the system; they still follow a 30-years-old framework.

“Conductors get forms which have details of buses and routes and the number of kilometres each bus needs to travel.These have not been updated for 30 years. Many places have changed with time, so we face problems,” said conductor Basawaraj M. Expensive healthcare is an-

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Pourakarmikas demand BBMP should fine those who don’t segregate | P3

Many generic medicines go off shelves at Jan Aushadhi stores an Aushadhi stores, opened under a central government scheme, are facing a shortage of diabetes, hypertension, and cancer drugs. Though there is a huge demand, multiple issues have kept these medicines off the shelves.

“This is my first visit to the store. Though rates are less here, tenoretric (used to treat hypertension) is not available,” Geetha KC, a a resident of NR Colony, informed The Observer.

The Jan Aushadhi Kendras were established to provide quality generic medicines to the poor cheaper than at drug stores. Out of the 35 Kendras in Bengaluru, at least seven don’t have these drugs.

According to the website www.medicine.net, generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side-effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug.

When The Observer contacted the Jan Aushadhi stores at Mahalakshmi Layout, Tata Silk Farm, NR Colony, JP Nagar, Yelahanka, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Mallathalli, the managers

The Observer

other issue. “If one member of my family gets sick, a huge amount of my salary is used up there, and I face monetary problems.

They should at least give us a health cover,” said conductor Manjunath.

The increments they get are irregular and delayed for 3-4 years.“If there is a mismatch between the number of tickets and passengers, they not only penalise us but also withhold our increments,” added Basawaraj M. “The cost of everyday items has gone up, but our salaries hasnt”

added Ajay, another conductor.

K.R Vishwanath, chief traffic manager (operation) BMTC said, “We have a difference of Rs 30 cr between revenue and expenditure. We can’t afford to pay more salaries to our employees.

Who will pay for the hike? No one is satisfied with their salaries in BMTC.” The last salary hike of 8% was in 2016, which was raised up to 12.5%after protest, but it was still less than the hike of 33% in 2003. shashank.d@iijnm.org

News Briefs Karnataka: Chief minister HD Kumaraswamy rolls back bus fare hike announced by the government road transport corporations. (TOI) National: Supreme Court indicates it may quash the case against five activists and set up a special team to probe the crackdown by Maharashtra police against them for their alleged role in the Bhima-Koregaon violence last year. (DH) •Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu meets external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and seeks her help to initiate a dialogue with Pakistan for opening up the Kartarpur Sahib corridor.

•In the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, the victims’ relatives have opposed the Tamil Nadu government’s move to release the convicts.

International: British Prime Minister Theresa May says EU and non-EU nationals will have the same immigration rights after Brexit. (The Hindu) Business: Finance minister Arun Jaitley says Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank will be merged to form India’s third largest lender. Employees’ job will be protected and service conditions won’t be diluted. (TOI) •Gujarat HC strikes down a GST provision as unconstitutional.

Sports: Sri Lanka knocked out of Asia Cup 2018, beaten by Afganistan by 91 runs. (The New Indian Express)

City Weather Forecast: Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers Maximum temperature: 28 degrees Celsius Minimum Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius Rainfall: 10.5 mm Realtive humidity at 0830 hours: 88%

CITY

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The Observer Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Despite B-TRAC, accidents Dark and disorganised, on the rise in KR Puram Government Aquarium is in a sorry condition

Even educated people don’t obey rules: Expert

Sindhuja M

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Shrabona Ghosh

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ack of proper traffic management in KR Puram has increased accidents since 2016. In 2018, 152 accidents have been reported.

“KR Puram is a most accidentprone area. On Tuesdays, it faces heavy congestion near the market area. The signals here do not work. Even if they work, nobody follow them. The construction of a skywalk is pending,” Srinivas Rao, a KR Puram resident, informed The Observer.

A total of 299 accidents were reported in KR Puram in 2016.

That number increased to 304 the following year despite the Bengaluru Traffic Improvement Project (B-TRAC) being in force.

Road and traffic expert MN Sreehari said: “B-TRAC was launched for traffic management.

Through it, traffic discipline can be established, reducing accidents. Even educated people do not obey traffic rules,” he added.

Accidents happen because of an increase in the number of vehicles, impatient drivers and violation of traffic rules.

“Bengaluru has a population of 1.23 crore. Eighty lakh vehicles is a huge number and manually not possible to control.

Implementation of electronic gadgets will help in traffic controlling,” Sreehari added.

Pallavi, a resident of KR Puram, said bad roads and traffic congestion hamper her travel.

The toll road at KR Puram lacks proper traffic management. Twentyseven deaths were reported there till July 31 this year | Credit:Shrabona

Source : Bengaluru Traffic Police Jaydeep Mahata, an engineer, said he faces traffic jams between KR Puram and Hoodi because of Metro construction.

DCP traffic (East) Anupam Agrawal said: “KR Puram, on the outskirts of the city, needs a lot of investment in foot overbridges, streetlights, and footpaths.”

KR Puram traffic sub inspector, who did not want to be named, said: “The jurisdiction of KR Puram traffic police station has spread across 25-30 km. It is a

Citizen’s Voice Section 377 With the Supreme Court reading down Section 377 of the IPC, there's obviously been a country =wide celebration of the legal recognition of homosexuality. But if we talk about the social recognition of the homosexual individuals themselves, where are we there? Have we been able to stop the systemic invalidation of their sexuality? Have we normalized their individual choice? Have we been able to wipe out the heterosexual supremacy? All these question remain even today when the constitution wakes up from the colonial-era ban on homosexuality. It's going to be a long road to freedom, it seems.

Ayanthi Bera, IIJNM student

Streetlights I am a resident from Sathya Nagar, Maruthi Sevanagar, Bangalore. I am writing this letter to seek your help with regard to the issue of streetlights which are not working in our area for the past

few days. I have complained in the website for Bangalore where complaints are registered (www.ichangemycity.com), but no action has been taken still now.

Praveena.P, IIJNM student

Social Media I am writing to express my concern regarding the ill effects of social media. Social media is one such platform where most of us spend a considerable amount of time. Hence, it becomes necessary that we use our time judiciously.

Information overload is also a rising concern these days, and it is important for a newspaper like ‘The observer’ to disseminate the idea of news literacy.

Rudrankar Raha,An IIJNM student

Stray Dogs

I am writing to emphasise on the manace of stray dogs around my college. Through the Observer, I would request to encourage the authorities in taking action.

Anuradha S, IIJNM student.

large area and difficult to control.”

“Traffic management is limited.

Road safety is the responsibility of individuals. We expect commuters to cooperate and help us in managing traffic,” Anil Kumar, police inspector at the Traffic Management Centre, said.Traffic management can help in reducing accidents, but as Sreehari points out, obeying basic traffic rules will make people’s lives safe. shrabona.g@iijnm.org

he Bangalore Aquarium, India’s second largest, seems to be in a state of neglect, a condition that threatens to rob its sheen.

Display boards at the fish tanks are either misplaced or missing.

Visitors find it hard to read boards that are in place.

“The place is dark, making it difficult for visitors to read the descriptions,” Naveen, a class 9 student of Sri Gayathri School and first-time-visitor, informed The Observer.

The facility, also called Government Aquarium, was established in 1983.

Balaji and Hanthi, a couple from Hyderabad, said: “The aquarium would have been in a better condition, with various species, if a private organisation had run it. There are some tanks without display; in others, many fish species are packed together.

Also there is a repetition of species in more than one tanks, like arowana, Molly and Zebra fish. Thus there are no proper boards for the displays. The room is too dark, with no proper ventilation either.”

However, there are other visitors who say the aquarium is in a better condition than other private aquariums.

Antony Farayra, a visitor from Coimbatore, said: “Comparatively this aquarium is better than others. The floor here is dry. Some aquariums have leaky tanks and wet floors. Here fish tanks are cleaned regularly. There are no dead fish. The fish get proper food and oxygen. The room is dark because light increases the temper-

Display boards are either misplaced or missing in government aquarium | Credit: Sindhuja.M ature.”

Curator-in-charge Dr Vikas said: “The aquarium has been taken care of the fisheries department of Karnataka. Eighteen staff members take care of the aquarium. They clean the tanks once in 15-20 days. Water for the tanks is disinfected. Around Rs 2.5 lakh is allotted to the aquarium every year. Thousands of visitors visit the aquarium as it near Cubbon Park and the Museum.

We have 35 different species here.

It is hard to bring in new species because they are temperaturesensitive. The description boards are misplaced because we regularly change the places of fish.

The aquarium is best for educational purpose for students up to class 10” sindhuja.m@iijnm.org

Metro connectivity helps popular places to get more visitors R Yohanjali

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etter connectivity provided

by Namma Metro has led to an increase in footfalls in popular places around stations.

Visitors to the Government Aquarium in Cubbon Park have increased because of the Metro.

“Now that the Metro has come, we have more visitors than before,” SJ Vikas, curator-in-charge of the aquarium, informed The Observer.

The Cubbon Park Metro station is 550 metres from the aquarium.

For people getting off at the station, the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum and Venkatappa Art Gallery are also a short walk away. The Vidhana Soudha station, also on the Purple Line, is also at a walkable distance from the aquarium.

“We have 900 to 1,000 visitors on weekends and 200-300 on week days. Most visitors are

Better Metro services has eased the travel for visitors | Credit: Yohanjali .R youngsters who come along with their friends in the evening,” Vikas added.

“We travelled by Metro because we are new to Bengaluru. It is very convenient,” said a tourist

from Hyderabad visiting the aquarium.

Another visitor said: “I am used to travelling by the Metro. I come to the park every week to relax.”

But a few people say Metro connectivity hasn’t helped to draw more visitors to their establishments.

Sadhana KA, senior curator of the museum, located on Kasturba Road, said: “I don’t know whether it has any impact. The number of visitors depends on the facilities we have. A lot of people come when a new thing is inaugurated.”

The museum is estimated to receive around 10 lakh visitors each year.

“I don’t think the Metro has helped. People will come if something good is there. The transportation problem has been there for a long time,”the curator added. yohanjali.r@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Tuesday,September 18, 2018

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Punish citizens who don’t Poor infrastructure, costs let aspiring segregate: Pourakarmikas highathletes down Say unseparated garbage causes them losses

Sayantan Sarkar

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Yajush Gupta

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nhappy over delayed wages, pourakarmikas from Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) are demanding that BBMP enforce bylaws that allow it to penalize citizens who do not segregate waste.

“If waste is pre-segregated, we can easily pick up the dry waste at a more suitable time since it doesn’t smell.... The problem begins when waste is mixed,” S. Ismail, a waste picker from ward 158, informed The Observer.

Mansoor Ahmed, who works at DWCC No. 167 in Jayanagar, is upset because people lack awareness. A large amount segregated waste can be reused and recycled.

“I leave at 6.30 in the morning to collect dry waste, but most of the time, I have to segregate dry waste from wet before collecting it. This takes a lot of time,”he said.

Has he ever complained to residents? Often they don’t listen and argue that it’s not their job to segregate waste, he said.

“Mixing of wet and dry waste leads to a massive loss of garbage that could have been reused and resold. A simple change in routine and a little consciousness can

More than 55% of the city’s waste is dumped in landfills. Almost 40% of this is recyclable, but makes its way to landfills | Credit: Yajush Gupta change things,” says Ahmed.

Unsegregated waste leads to a loss to the pourakarmikas as the dry waste that could have been recycled is dumped in landfills.

According to BBMP bylaws, citizens who do not segregate waste are to be fined. However, the bylaws have not been implemented.

“The rules exist, policies are there, but implementation is important. There must be an announcement that people who don’t segregate waste will be penalized,” said BBMP Medical Officer (Health) Dr Sandhya Jay Kumar.

“It’s not a big task. Wet waste

is organic and can be thrown in the kitchen bin, and dry waste can be disposed of separately.

Everybody is aware that they should segregate, but they don’t care...,” she added.

More than 55% of the city’s waste is disposed of in landfills.

Almost 40% of this garbage is recyclable, but makes its way to landfills where it loses value.

“If they segregate the waste, it will save our time and labour as we wouldn’t have to do it manually. It’s not our job,” said Mohammad Imran, who works at DWCC in ward 177. yajush.g@iijnm.org

Trash lying around, a stinking problem at Basappa Circle Citizens complain BBMP doesn’t care Sounak Das

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eaps of garbage lie unattended from Nawab Haider Ali Khan Road footpath till Basappa Circle, causing distress to pedestrians and shop owners.

Basappa Circle is located 1 km from Lalbagh main road. ‘’The situation is nasty. We have requested the BBMP to clear the mess many times. Once in a while pourakarmikas come and take away a portion of this filth. But it all becomes the same the next morning,’’ N. Chiranjeevi, a resident and shop owner of the area, told The Observer.

Garbage has been piling up in this area for a long time. Residents and shop owners allege that garbage is dumped here at night by unknown people. Also, nearby hotels and restaurants contribute to the mess. Since there are no dustbins installed, people throw waste haphazardly on the road.

The garbage is a breeding

Residents allege that garbge is dumped here at night by unknown hands. Credit: Muralidhara S ground for mosquitoes and flies which can cause diseases such as malaria and dengue. The rubbish piled up here is mostly solid waste: plastic, old tyres, discarded shoes, food remains and rotten vegetables. Cattle from a nearby cowshed come here to wallow, adding their excreta to the filth.

Akshay Heblikar, an environmentalist, said: “When organic matter decays, it becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, resulting in the rise of diseases.

This affects the pedestrian as well the resident. Segregation of waste is necessary; it is the BBMP’s responsibility. However, some onus falls upon the shop owners as well. They should install dustbins and use them for dumping waste.”

According to Rule 4 of the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000, it is obligatory on the part of municipal authorities to arrange for collection,segregation,transportatio n, and suitable disposal of municipal wastes of municipal towns and cities.

BBMP PRO L.Suresh has a different view of the situation.

“Garbage is collected thrice every day. Segregation of dry and wet waste is done under the supervision of experts. No dustbins are required. But residents should also do their duty. They should dump waste at a particular place where it becomes easy for us to collect,” he told The Observer.

“This is a common problem.

BBMP is failing to execute its duty and we are suffering,” said G Sayeed, an assistant at a tyre shop along Lalbagh Fort Road. sounak.d@iijnm.org

lack of standard infrastructure, equipment and physical education is hindering aspiring athletes in Bengaluru and rural areas of Karnataka.

“Overall 80% of a person’s capability is determined by his/her genetics; only 20% can be trained”, said NP Rameshan, regional head of infrastructure, Sports Authority of India (SAI). “Physical education is, therefore, critical for aspiring athletes.”

Physical education, aimed at developing a student’s physical competence and skills, is neglected in India, Rameshan informed The Observer. Bengaluru has few schools and colleges that have physical education as part of their curriculum.

Commenting on the state of facilities at Sri Kanteerava Stadium, Jaiprakash Shetty, a sprinter for the past two decades, said: “Kanteerava Stadium has a synthetic field for athletes, but the grass field has been given to the Jindal South West Holdings Ltd (JSW) for conducting ISL matches. Athletes have to constantly train on a synthetic track as they don’t have access to the ground, which strains their calf muscles.”

Karnataka Athletic Association boxing coach Sourav Guha noted: “The state of the boxing ring isn’t good. It hasn’t been changed since 1990s.”

“One of the major issues with the city is that parents do not give full freedom to their children in taking up a career in sports.”

SAI’s Bengaluru centre has a synthetic athletic track for sprinters which is made of polyurethane granules, a synthetic hockey field and a blue turf from Sports technology International, Australia, a tennis courts, an outdoor volleyball clay court and other outdoor

Athletes do not have access to the grass fields at Shri Kanteerava Stadium | Credit:: Sayantan Sarkar facilities that are on a par with international standards.

Rameshan said that in rural areas, people are more “genetically advanced” as they work in fields and factories but do not have money. The problem lies with the cost of sporting equipment. Archery equipment costs Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh. “People who have the potential might not have the money to possess these equipment. The government does not take care of these issues properly as funds provided are minimal.”

Rana Subee, a kho kho player at SAI, emphasized on the importance of looking after athletes. “At SAI, we have a separate dietitian and analyst for every sport which helps in improving our game.

States in India can improve their facilities by following in the footsteps of SAI.” About the cost of sporting facilities, Rameshan said: “It is a concern for aspiring athletes. The nation wants gold medals, but we are not even able to provide the basic infrastructure.” sayantan.s@iijnm.org

Around the City •The Art Of Decoupage Workshop Bangalore, September 23, 11am-6pm, Vivanta By Taj, MG Road •An Introduction to Transactional Analysis, 9.30am on September 21 to 5.30pm on September 22, Lahe Lahe •Professional Art Classes, Craft Classes, Certification Courses & Art Workshops, 10.30am on September 22 to 6.30pm on Jan 9, 2019, The Living Walls Studio •Workshop on Painting Figurative Portraits by Murali Krishna,

September 23, 11am – 2pm,The Open Box. •Storytime Yoga to celebrate Families - With Happy Living, September 22, 5pm – 6pm, Enerjuvate Studio & Cafe – Jayanagar.

•Voice over Workshop, by Malini Gowrishankar , September 23, 9am – 1pm,Lahe Lahe , East Bangalore.

•Rasta midnight cycling, Rasta Cafe, 9:30 pm on September 18 to 6am on 19 September.

•Clay modeling workshop, September 20, 3pm - 6pm

Observer Team Editor: Sahana.S Page Layout: Yohanjali R, Sindhuja M, Renuka Thakare, Sounak Das Photo Editor: Sayantan Sarkar Desk: Shashank Dipankar, Yajush Gupta, Shrabona Ghosh, Sounak Das

Reporters: Sahana.S,Shashank Dipankar, Shrabona Ghosh, Sindhuja M , Yohanjali R, Yajush Gupta, Sounak Das,Sayantan Sarkar Supplement: Akanksha Kashyap, Surbhi Jain

Culture & Society

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

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Poetry’s coming-out party Poets taking the public stage offends classicists but seems perfectly sensible in the age of social media, writes Akanksha Kashyap

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poken-word or ‘slam’ poetry,as it is better known, is a performance art. Poetry has always existed in two worlds, written and performed. Spoken-word poetry can be a recital or just a rant. But the concept of writing a piece of poetry solely for performance, and of spontaneously responding in verse, is not exactly a novelty to most Indians.

“The urban slam that you’re looking at is so much tamer compared to the poetry in qawwali,” says Manisha Lakhe, co-founder of Caferati, a writer’s forum in Mumbai.

“But it is a good thing and we are getting there.” adds Harsh Shah, who performs poetry at Habitat, Mumbai, “We are in a very experimental stage where we can try a lot of stuff because it is the beginning,” Social media caught onto the possibilities of the genre after Aranya Johar’s ‘A brown girl’s guide to gender’ came out last year. The sensation it created allowed a number of other unrecognised poets like Yahya Bootwalato become in-

of Poetry College in Mumbai, “People speak on topics they have no idea about. They speak about depression and mental illness and advocate on issues they have zero knowledge about.”

Harsh Mehta, a poet who also performs at Habitat, thinks the criticism is misplaced. He says there are several poets who have gained recognition for the quality of their work, and not because they espouse social concerns.

Spoken poetry is in its infancy but is already attracting some commercial interest, Nishant Upadhyay performing at an event in Bhopal. | Credit: Soumya Vyas

ternet stars overnight.

But using poetry to debate social issues hasn’t gone down well with everyone.“People use metaphors and dramatic gestures to enliven their poems. But that kills the grammar and the essence of poetry,” complains Nishant Upadhayay, a poet who hails from Bhopal.

“If slam has become popu-

lar, it’s because some poets express themselves better than others,” says Lakhe. “But I see hollowness in 'social cause' poetry. It's silly to rant against capitalism and then go order coffee at Starbucks. There's a lots of chaff when it comes to slam poetry written for a cause. I'm cynical about poetry written for clicks.”

Says Anish Vyvhare, owner

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poken poetry maybe is in its infancy but it’s already attracting some commercial interest. “The community is growing in terms of the number of shows, poets are trying to create their own fan base. We are still building an audience that will pay and watch a show where only two or three poets are performing,” says Mehta.

“In Mumbai, more and more people are paying for poetry, anywhere between Rs.100 to 500 a show,” says Lakhe. “Yes, venues that are free draw more crowds, but people un-

derstand when a nominal charge is demanded. For good poetry, people are willing to pay and there are little offshoots, like story-telling and the like which draw in crowds as well. Many small poetry groups charge simply because venues are not free, and there's only so much goodwill you can bank on,” Vyavhare thinks it bizarre that poets want to be paid by people to watch them perform or read. “No one asked me to do poetry for them, I do it for myself. For me to go and ask the world to pay me for it is ridiculous,” he says.

Whatever the criticism, there is no denying the fact that there is a growing audience who are interested in poetry reading; and that should be music to the ear of every lover of the written word. If the argumentative Indian chooses to use poetry to debate the issues of the day, so be it.

At the least, it is an improvement over the utterly vacuous nonsense that masquerades as political discourse in today’s world.

How to dress a celebrity A young entrepreneur creates a niche business dressing the rich and famous, says Surbhi Jain

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olly Jain has an unusual calling.

She launched a career as a celebrity ‘drape artist’ at the age of 28 and has mastered the craft over the past 15 years. Married into an orthodox Jain household where she wasn’t allowed to wear any attire other than a saree, she decided to turn her love for dressing up into a vocation.

She learnt the art of wearing the saree in different ways.

Draping sarees became her life’s passion.

“I was my own inspiration and my dad was the biggest motivator and support in my life. He always believed in me and said that I am here in this world for a reason.” Dolly had quit school after the seventh standard. “Before becoming the artist that I am today, I used to hide the fact that I was not a graduate. But it does not matter how educated you are if you know how excellent you are at your job.”

“Initially when I started my career as a drape artist, a lot of people were judgemental and used to say that I was absolutely mad to do something

Sonam Kapoor, as the actress is herself a style icon. “But she made it easy for me with her amiable nature,” recalls Dolly.

Her biggest moment was receiving a compliment from Nita Ambani who told her, “Dolly you have magic in your fingers”. Such praise makes Dolly work harder.

When asked about the financial potential that such an out-of-the-box career choice has, Dolly remarks, “I see a lot of scope for this as girls prefer to wear western clothes and face difficulty wearing sarees.

Designers like Sabyasachi Mukherjee are coming up with extremely heavy garbs, which definitely needs an expert for dressing them up”.

Dolly Jain with superstar Sridevi. | Courtsey: Dolly’s Instagram

like this. But they must regret saying it now as I have made my name out of it”.

The biggest challenge she has ever faced was dressing

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he has set an example for all those women who aspire to make a mark in the world and has proved remarkably successful by getting into the Limca Book of Records, and wining the Coca Cola and Jain Ratna Awards.

She has broken her own world record thrice, draping a saree in 18 seconds flat, something she can do in more than 300

different ways. She holds workshops on the art and trains a group of 22 girls. Her work requires to travel 20-25

stance, if we have any miscommunication with any members in the family, we talk about it calmly and clear

Dolly Jain features in the Limca Book of Records. | Courtsey: Dolly’s Instagram

days in a month but still she manages to keep her family together.

To maintain a close family life and keep everyone together, she follows a simple routine.

“Whenever my daughters, my husband and I are at home, before going to bed, the four of us sit together and discuss things. For in-

it up, apologising to each other and making sure that we never carry the issue to the next day. This is one system we follow religiously”.

“I never thought that I would come this far. I can now proudly proclaim that I won the gamble that I took in my life,”concludes the drape artist.