The corporate code for art

This commitment to the unique was furthered in 1985,when she decided to set up the Jindal Art and Creative Interaction Centre (JACIC) in collaboration with the NCPA. The thought behind the centre came from her travels throughout the country. As far as art was concerned, Sangita found little unity in the diversity. "Though India is one country, different parts of the country are not aware of what’s happening in other parts," she says. And the JACIC was set up to rectify that in a small way, as a platform for interaction.

Though she has her family’s support, it was on the condition that her home should remain on top of her list. "Sajjan supported me fully but he said that I must never do anything for money. That all the finance had to come from within. Also, of course, that the family and children had to come first. So, mostly I work from home," she says, with a mobile phone in her hand — indicating that she is always on call.

Besides working for the centre, Sangita takes a keen interest in the social side of the family business. The architecture oftownships built around the Jindal factories has her mark on it — with schools and recreational centres given prime importance. In 1996, Sangita started the project she is best known for — an art magazine which filled a long acknowledged gap. "Most newspapers were cutting down the space they used to give to art as it was no longer commercially viable," she says. But Sangita proved otherwise. The latest issue of the quarterly Art India News Magazine hits the stands in April — and today it has a circulation of 10,000 copies.

Not that Sangita did not have her fair share of doubts. She was sure that that the magazine be a loss-making proposition from the onset. Sangita was also nervous about how the editorial content would be received. "All of us were apprehensive as people in the world of art can be quite cynical — they thought the magazine was just a hobby for someone from a wealthy family," says Sangita.

On the eve of the magazine’s second anniversary, most of these doubts have been allayed.Today, the proud mother (Sangita has one son and two daughters) pays her magazine the highest compliment: "My two daughters are quite proud of the magazine."