DESTINY'S CHILD.

“It’s not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves" - William Shakespeare.

Many a time, I have asked myself this question –“Am I destiny’s child?”

Looking back at the 40 good years that I have lived, many instances in my life affirm my belief in destiny, and my answer to my question would be a YES!
I strongly believe that everything in life happens for a reason and things are meant to be, that no force on earth can stop them from happening!!

* After graduating in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering in the year 1992 and working in the related field for a year and half, I soon realized that it was not meant for me. I hated what I did, and my heart was clearly not in it.
I was miserable. Soon enough, I mustered up my courage to tell my parents that I wanted to follow my heart and study fashion—my passion! It was a time when every Indian parent dreamt of seeing their children either becoming doctors or engineers, so obviously my parents were devastated. But I was adamant and convinced them I would be successful in this field, because this was where I was destined to be.

*I was 27 years old when I got married and back then, it was considered a pretty late age for an orthodox Udupi Brahmin girl to get married.
Since I knew that it would be an arranged marriage, I had a couple of requirements: the boy had to be highly educated, and he had to live in the US (as mentioned in my earlier post, it was my dream to come and settle down in this country). But when things weren't going my way, people started sniggering behind my back and many of them doubted I would even find a suitable boy from India, let alone the US. My parents were under tremendous pressure but I stuck to my convictions. Though late, my husband, who matched both my requirements, did come into my life. We met one week, got engaged the second week, got married the third week, and I was in Chicago on the fourth week. It has been 16 good years of married life in my dream country.

*When the best of doctors couldn't figure out the reason for my infertility and suggested adoption , I had this strange gut feeling that a baby would be born to me. I remember those emotionally draining days, the endless self-pep talks, where I constantly told myself that the time hadn't come yet, and when the time was right it would happen. Yes, it did happen at the age of 40, and I had one of the best pregnancies one could ever ask for. Looking back, everything seemed unreal. However, I believed in the power of prayer, and Sundari was an answer to my prayer and my belief in destiny.

* 2007--the year that left me heartbroken after a bitter split from my then group of friends. This incident left me vulnerable and totally disillusioned about friendship. I created a wall around myself and wasn't ready to go through the pain and agony all over again. But this was God's way of telling me that it was not meant to be, because if this incident hadn't happened, I wouldn't have had a chance to meet so many lovely human beings whom I consider my close friends now. You have seen them modeling in my earlier posts, but today you will get a chance to know them through me.

Today I dedicate this post to my dear friends who have enriched my life and made it more meaningful through their unconditional love and support, and I mean it!!


MASABA:
Born to famous parents, the legendary cricketer Sir Vivian Richards and the national award-winning actress Neena Gupta, Masaba Gupta wanted to be an actress like her mother. On her way back from auditioning for her first role, she enrolled herself at the famous SNDT College of Designing in Bombay just as a backup plan, and she hasn’t looked back since. This was her tryst with destiny. Known for her bold colors and quirky prints with a Caribbean influence, her brand was soon recognized and endorsed by many actresses. Her first store in Juhu opened in 2009, and within a short span of 5 years, she was appointed as the director of another clothing giant "Satya Paul". With a second store at Khan market in Delhi, which opened recently, she is one young designer who is definitely going places.
I bought my first MASABA sari in the year 2010, and have since been an avid MASABA fan. With many MASABAs in my closet, it was time to introduce my good friends to this quirky yet chic brand. This time when I came back from India, I picked up a MASABA sari for each one of them and, obviously, the next step was to showcase them on Sage&Slingback.

For all MASABA lovers, if you are in Bombay, visit the MASABA store in Juhu. Here is the address:
UNIT No: 8, New Sujata CHS, Plot no:28, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai. 
Phone:022- 65298694.

SUHANI PITTE:
This celebrity accessories designer was recently enlisted by the World Gold Council as one of the top ten most inventive jewelry designers of the world. She is also the younger sister of the famous clothing designer Anamika Khanna, one of the top five designers from India . Though not a big fan of contemporary jewelry, I have always thought that her work was different, and wanted to own a couple of pieces.
I wouldn't be wrong if I admitted that I went to Hyderabad this time only to visit her store (she retails only in Hyderabad) and see her creations in person.

If you are interested in buying SUHANI PITTE jewelry in Hyderabad, here's the address:
Suhani Pitte
2nd floor( above Elahe), 476 Milestone Road, Road No 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad.
Phone: 91 40 3221 2495.

Today, in this post, I have grouped some of Suhani Pitte’s creations with MASABA to add that extra contemporary edge!!

NIRMALA MOHAN:
She is our Martha Stewart, who loves cooking, gardening & photography.  If I ever crave a hot cup of filter coffee or a homemade masala dosa on any given day, then it is Nimmi's house for me, my home away from home!!


Nirmala Mohan is wearing a half & half MASABA, where one half is the Kali print silk crepe and the second half is the Ikat black and white cotton. This sari can be worn both ways.

She is wearing a 3 strand antique finish dolki neck piece from AMRAPALI.

VANDANA RAO:
This English major is a voracious reader, an amazing cook and a great host.  She's very much into photography & loves traveling. She is one friend who has been such a positive influence in my life and without her push, Sage & Slingback wouldn't have happened.


Vandana Rao is wearing a half & half MASABA, where one half is a raw silk in black, and the other is a camera print on silk crepe & can be worn both ways.

She is wearing a gold plated bow necklace with bidri star print by SUHANI PITTE.

POORNA SHENOY:
This software engineer is a big Bulls fan and the food connoisseur of our group. I can easily call her my 3 am friend who is also my biggest critic & my well wisher. One phone call and she drove all the way to be a part of this photo-shoot.


Poorna is wearing a half & half MASABA with one half in muslin cow print & the other half a yellow silk.

She is wearing a hammered gold-turquoise neck piece from CURIO COTTAGE with hand painted gods on it.

ANU GUPTA:
Extremely easy going and helpful, she is my favorite person to style and, trust me, she carries herself very well.



Anu is wearing a hand print silk MASABA shirt with a Sabyasachi palazzo.

Anu is wearing a gold plated  SUHANI PITTE choker with cylinders.

ANNA SEN:
She is my fitness guru and my dance instructor, and one of the most inspiring people I have ever met in my life.  I love her flamboyant personality and never-say-die attitude.


Anna is wearing a camera-printed MASABA blouse with half and half hand print MASABA sari. 

Anna is wearing a gold plated cage choker from SUHANI PITTE.

SAPNA SIBU:
She is the epitome of creativity & I am in awe with her talents and creative pursuits. So for this particular post, I requested the creative duo Sapna & her husband Sibu to shoot us. They happily agreed and we have the results in front of us.


Sapna is wearing a MASABA muslin runway dress from the recent "Postcards from Banaras" series.

Sapna is not wearing any jewelry here as I wanted the dress to be focal, instead she pairs up this dress with a neon colored clogs from Anthropologie ( See group picture).

JAYASHREE RAO:

I am big on prints on prints & mix and matching. So here I have taken 3 MASABA separates and have put it together into an outfit. The asymmetrical raw silk top is paired with a muslin Tamil print palazzo and a bubble gum pink net dupatta with gota.

I am wearing a 3 strand AMRAPALI uncut diamond jadau.

The exquisite Meenakari work on the backside of the neck lace.