Passion and self-confidence made her a designer... Punita Trikha

"If there is a desire to do something in the heart, then no work is difficult." This small mantra of life has brought many ordinary personalities to the heights of success and made them stand in the line of well-known celebrities. Just a few years ago, Punita Trikha was also one such ordinary personality who, before her marriage, left her glamorous job as an air hostess at "Lufthansa Airlines" and settled down like a common Indian woman, engrossed in her husband and children. However, the desire to do something that would make people know her by name kept gnawing at her from within. As days passed, twelve years went by, but the anxiety of not achieving any milestone pushed her into deep despair. Even the advice of doctor friends and relatives to "keep yourself busy somehow" could not lift her out of her mental monotony. But as they say, opportunity knocks on your door once, and hardworking, sincere, and optimistic individuals do not delay in seizing it.

Mary Loui, a well-known jewelry designer from Paris, came to meet Punita one day with a friend and, just for fun and to pass the time, taught her some tricks of stringing pearls and beads on wires. What started as a small effort to make things for her eight-year-old son Sahil to play with and wear in his school dramas, gradually developed into such a passion that it reached the point of obsession. While stringing glass and plastic beads on wires, her imagination unknowingly transitioned to weaving expensive pearls and crystal beads into wires.

Two months later, when she met Mary Loui in London and showed her some of her jewelry pieces, Mary's eyes remained wide with surprise, and she could only say, "You have everything it takes to be considered an artist." For Punita, these two words were enough to climb the ladder of success. After returning home, she dedicated herself to this art with such enthusiasm and indomitable self-confidence that by skillfully weaving beads of new colors and shapes into wires with her imagination every day, she refined her art to such an extent that her colorful beaded jewelry was elevated to the status of costume jewelry. While costume jewelry is quite popular among people of all ages abroad, as the colors and designs of jewelry are given the same high status as fashion in clothing, here, costume jewelry is a new trend. It is presented not only to match the colors of clothes or in contrasting colors but also to be worn attractively with simple outfits. Therefore, this jewelry is so liked in the fashion world that foreign buyers, who look to India for new fashion trends, are also exploring new possibilities for costume jewelry here, which is surprisingly emerging rapidly in "Punita Trikha Creations." An example of this is the immense success Punita has found in the fashion and film industries. On one hand, famous fashion designers want to showcase her jewelry with their clothing collections, while on the other hand, the heroines of Feroz Khan and Jackie Shroff's films have also worn jewelry designed by her. She has designed jewelry for films like Janasheen, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, and the Hollywood film Marigold. Besides this, seeing her success and appreciation in Bollywood, her jewelry is being eagerly accepted by many popular actresses and producers. Rani Mukerji, Celina Jaitly, Pinky Hirwani, Sushmita Sen, Anil Kapoor's wife Sunita Kapoor, Jackie Shroff's wife Ayesha Shroff, Fardeen Khan, Salman Khan, and Jackie Shroff are permanent customers of Punita's jewelry.

Starting jewelry making in January 2002 and achieving immense success, Punita has a precious collection of over one hundred and fifty countless designs. These include colorful pearls and Swarovski crystal beads, colorful feathers, glass leaves, flowers, fruits, and charming charms, as well as butterfly-shaped curls, snake necklaces, fish necklaces, and crowns. The numerous colorful designs are so captivating that one's heart yearns to wear them. How did she achieve such distinguished success so quickly after starting to learn? When asked, she says it was possible only through the self-confidence that arose from a strong will to do something. Along with this, she believes that every person who can think well can become a good artist. Believe it or not, whatever she thinks, her hands create. Laughing, she adds, "Let me tell you a secret. In the early days, I ran out of all the beads for my work, but the passion in my heart and mind was so strong that to bring my imagination to life, I didn't spare noodles, macaroni, dry fruits, dried mushrooms, marbles, electric wires, and even safety pins, children's crayons, and color pencils. I made fashion jewelry from them too. People might not like to wear them, but I can make attractive jewelry from rice, lentils, small stones, and waste material."

The most special thing about Punita's attractive jewelry, influenced by her imagination, is that she makes it with her own hands. She does not use any machine, pre-made design graphs, or the help of an artisan to make it. Perhaps this is the reason why every design of hers has high-quality artistry along with a unique and wonderful design.

Punita, who considers this art not a means of earning money but a way of life, is also fulfilling her responsibility as an artist towards society by teaching this art free of charge to women, social organizations, and orphaned children at their centers and at her workshop in Greater Kailash, inspiring them to become self-reliant. She wants people to cherish her art as a heritage even after she is gone, and perhaps this is the essence of every artist's life. She says, "Of course, the artistry hidden in my designs has brought me to this point, but my goal is not to earn money by selling my art in the film industry. As an artist, I want to establish my identity in this industry and give myself and other artists the recognition that every artist associated with this industry wants to achieve, which is the Filmfare Award!! But in our industry, far from establishing any recognition for such artists, there isn't even a category for them in the awards, so how will this be possible? To this, Punita says with a laugh, "If you are optimistic and determined in your purpose, then everything is possible".