For Anu Bhatia, colours hold a special attraction. "As a child, I became fascinated with colours. The last page of all my notebooks invariably had coloured drawing and paintings. I just loved to draw," she recalls.
But her interest in art remained as a small time hobby, which completely faded when she got busy with college life, and then marriage. In 2012, when her kids went to high school, she picked up the brush again.
"Suddenly, I found a lot of time at hand. So, I started painting on canvas, and began visiting art galleries - Lalit Kala Akadami, India Habitat Centre, Art Mall, among others. I made some real good friends from the visitors at these art exhibitions; all of whom encouraged me to paint, grow as a person and broaden my horizons," she says.
From canvas, she slowly proceeded to fabric, and began painting dupattas, saris, stoles, etc., in cotton, and soon moved to organza, crepe, chiffon, pashmina, and now silk is her canvas. "My daughter, Tanvi, made a Facebook page and uploaded pictures of my hand painted fabric that got some response," she reveals.
After Bhatia gained confidence in her skill and a few admirers, she set up her home business in 2014, called Laalitya by Anu Bhatia. She largely gets orders from her Instagram page, @laalitya. "My latest series, In Love with Silk Painting, is based on the serti (closing or fence) silk painting technique. The designs are outlined with gutta or water-based resist, which are applied to white silk that has been pre-washed, dried and stretched (on a stretcher)," she informs.
From acrylic on canvas to silk paints, Bhatia kept re-inventing herself through selfstudy. "Laalitya means graceful, beautiful and lovely, and I make sure that all my pieces fits this standard," she says, adding, "I focus on sustainability and promote slow fashion by using eco-friendly dyes and natural fabrics. My pieces are created for posterity and can be passed on through generations."
The pandemic has posed many challenges for this homepreneur, but she remains undeterred. “The business has reduced remarkably, but I evolve with each experience. Believe in yourself. This too shall pass,” she signs off.