We’re all driven…driven by the book of goals which we have authored in our minds. Life is too short to stay fixated over one. After all, you only live once! Our woman of the day, Mrs Kavita Kalani, who had a long bucket list of fascinating ambitions, simply couldn’t afford to wait for the right time.

From an intriguing career path to a glam life, she has more than enough material to write a best-selling biographical novel. With a hope that she writes one someday, JWB brings to you a synoptic story of this Renaissance woman. Put on your reading glasses!

JWB: Your career path has been interestingly divergent. Starting from an artist, you’ve travelled a long road to finally own this glam fashion jewellery store. Let’s talk about the journey.

Kavita: I’ve always been a dreamer. I used to challenge myself to achieve everything I desired. The initial major goals in my bucket list were to independently earn for myself and have my own business. To bring them to life, I decided to start early. I started working when I was just 14. I was great with artwork and put up my first exhibition in Nasik when I was a 9^th grader.

JWB: That’s really impressive!

Kavita: After getting married, I undertook a diploma course in Fashion Designing, and then established my first real venture – a boutique. Even after having a business, I didn’t let go of my passion for painting. In fact, I was the first person in Jaipur to introduce Stained Glass Paintings, about 20 years ago. Soon, that hobby too became a part of my business. People admired my work and wanted me to teach them how it is done. I did that for over 12 years, then I had to stop.

JWB: Why? What went wrong?

Kavita: We had to use a thing called ‘thinner’ to keep the paint from thickening. Thinner has a strange smell and inhaling it is bad for health. I started facing respiratory problems, doctor asked me to immediately stop working with it. That’s when I had to switch my path again.

JWB: That must have been difficult. What came next?

Kavita: Jewellery! You know how much we women love that bling. You may not know this, but Jaipur’s ‘Kundan jewellery’ has a great demand in the other states. I studied the demand and well, that was it. I got it manufactured over here, and then exported it to Mumbai.

JWB: How did acting come into the scene?

Kavita: Acting was just a random knock at the door. I was a theater artist in my college days. When I was new in Mumbai and the business wasn’t completely established, I had a lot of spare time, which I used to go to production houses to audition. I landed a few roles in some renowned productions. I just did cameo, because I couldn’t commit for a long time as I had my own business to take care of.

JWB: Which shows have you worked in?

Kavita: I’ve worked in about 35 shows. A few episodes in CID and some soaps with Balaji Telefilms too.

JWB: (Gawking) Managing all that at once must have been tough.

Kavita: Oh no! Nothing is tough. Once you get accustomed to your routine, it is all really easy.

By this moment, I was literally gawking. This woman is a bomb of energy. She has the zeal of a five year old and her persona yells, telling us that she loves what she does. I held my thoughts for later and we resumed back to our conversation.

Kavita: Acting wasn’t something I was doing to earn a living. I was doing it solely for my own fun. My jewellery business was my first priority. It was all going well but the fluctuation in the price of gold in past two-three years made me switch to fashion jewellery.

JWB: So, which city do you love more now – Mumbai or Jaipur?

Kavita: Both the cities are too different. Mumbai has a fast life where nobody is bothered about Mr. Sharma’s son or Mrs. Verma’s daughter. In a way, I find that aloofness good but sometimes I miss the warmth which we have in Jaipur. That is a part of the reason why I visit Jaipur every month.

JWB: Goodness! So many shiny careers! Have you checked all the items on your bucket list yet, or is something still left?

Kavita: Ha-ha! You missed one. I’ve also produced films along with my gang of friends.

(Thanking my genetic goldfish memory for embarrassing me) Oops sorry!

Kavita: Our major project was a regional film about the terrorist attack which happened on May 13^th, 2008.

(Beaming with nostalgia) The biggest singing stars of Bollywood worked for our film. Late Mr Jagjit Singh sang his last song for our movie.

JWB: Oh! That’s wonderful! What’s your production house called?

All my ventures are named after my daughter, Soumya. The production house was called Soumya Productions, and this store is named Soumya Jewels.

The mommy-daughter bond was evident in their demeanours. Soumya hadn’t left her mommy alone with us for a second. From serving us water to taking us around the store, she was always there to help her mommy-dearest. She occasionally snapchatted while we interviewed her mom. At this, we invited her too to join us for the interview.

JWB: Tell us about some more projects your production house undertook.

Kavita: We made documentaries focusing on people suffering from HIV Aids. That was a very emotional subject. With it, we aimed to show the mirror to society. We forget humanity when it comes to dealing with them. They’re still treated like untouchables by a majority of people.

JWB: The Indian Film Industry has been in the limelight for a lot of wrong reasons. Films like Fashion and Calendar Girls have been made upon those subjects.

Kavita: The industry has all kinds of people. While some are really good, the others are really good manipulators. They know what the young aspiring actors are after and they offer them the easy way in. Nobody forces them to take the offer. There are no victims. It takes two to clap. In my opinion, each party is equally responsible for whatever happens.

JWB: Would you like to give a tip to our young readers?

Kavita: (Laughingly) Oh sure. The young generation needs to look up from the screens of their cell phones. They seem to have lost touch with reality and know nothing about the world outside. They must have a disciplined lifestyle. I’m not talking about the strict military-like discipline, but there has to be a basic routine.

Photo courtesy: Pallav Bhargava