Building a child146;s world

At the Wednesday Flea Market at a mall in Saket, one stall catches your fancy. There are brightly patterned baby quilts, cute baby clothes, both western and Indian...

Shalini Modi designs clothes, accessories and even furniture for children

At the Wednesday Flea Market at a mall in Saket, one stall catches your fancy. There are brightly patterned baby quilts, cute baby clothes, both western and Indian, a host of cheerful knickknacks with child friendly designs on them, as well as plus size outfits for pregnant women.

It took Shalini Modi 14 years of extensive planning to come up with her pet project: That8217;s Cute, a complete one-stop solution for mother to be and their kids. 8220;I was helping my husband in his export business, handling marketing for him, but whenever I would travel abroad for business, I would be fascinated by how there was this wide variety of clothes, accessories and furniture available for pregnant women and newborns that were not accessible to mothers to be, back home,8221; says the 37-year-old, a mother of three.

So in March this year, Modi launched her own label, providing mums with options in clothing, accessories, even furniture and nursery decor. 8220;When we were deciding on a name for the store, the whole family came up with 8216;that8217;s cute8217;, since we invariably end up saying that whenever we liked something,8221; smiles Modi.

At the store, there are layouts of kiddie nurseries that Modi can replicate for your child8217;s room. A castle theme room comes with appropriate wallpaper and even furniture shaped like thrones. A jungle theme room seems straight out of a Kenyan safari, complete with bunk beds, change tables, storage cabinets and customised bed linen and curtains with the kid8217;s name engraved on it.

While Modi is actively involved in all aspects of the company, there8217;s a design team too, headed by Shivani Bajoria who takes care of the more conceptual part of things. But these are not the only things that they keep themselves limited to, being actively involved in organising baby showers, birthdays, christening parties, even drawing up janam patris for your child. In the few months that they have started, business has done quite well, and now, Modi is looking to launch a new store at Noida8217;s sector II.

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More