Fashion designer Anita Dongre’s message on importance of a woman’s career is a must read

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The leading designer whose haute couture is an absolute favourite among B-town divas said, “While growing up, I would see that the women around me would work very hard at home but still weren’t well respected because they were economically dependent. It was since then that I wanted to be financially empowered.”

The designer said that she knew very early at 15 that designing was her thing — a passion that soon turned into her religion. “My mother would teach me how to cook and then think that I was learning some ‘basic embroidery’ like all ‘good girls’ are supposed to — she never thought of it as anything more.” She said it was 1982 and how her parents were not very open about her opening her own business, but only later when her mother realised her popularity and appreciation of her work that they finally believed it and accepted as her “work”. “It was 1982 and women were expected to just get married — but I couldn’t be stopped. I sat in my room with two tailors and designed from there because my work has been my religion — it’s that sacred for me.”

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She also drew attention to the expectation that a woman would give up her career as it was less important than a man. “Very often, it’s taken for granted that if there is a choice between a man’s career and a woman’s career — the woman will give hers up.” Also, asking the right questions, why missing a PTA meeting for a working mother make her a bad mom, and it’s totally acceptable if the father misses something for the child.

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A mother of a son, Dongre added, “There have been days I’ve missed his PTA meetings or sports days and as much as I would have liked to be there, sometimes I just couldn’t make it and sometimes my husband couldn’t — why is it always taken badly if a mother can’t make it but it’s okay if the father can’t?”

With a fabulous career still soaring high, she attributed her success to her family and said without them, she would never have made it big.