Anju Modi pays a tribute to the iconic woman, Draupadi, known for her fortitude and dark skinned beauty
She was an archer, trained in horse riding, warfare, politics and also chausar (even though her husbands lost her in a game of chess), Draupadi was a woman known for her steely strength and quiet resolve. She may have had five husbands, the Pandavas, to achieve 14 qualities every woman wants in a man, but she loved Arjun the most, he was the one who won her! Enough reason for veteran designer Anju Modi to chose her as her lucky mascot for the PCJ Couture Week. For me she epitomizes courage, breaking tradition and a non-conformist who lived life on her own terms, unapologetically. I strongly believe Mahabharata teaches you how to grapple with uncertainties, indignities and still be poised and resolute. I relate to Panch-kanya or Draupadi, as she is self-respecting, never gets into brawls, even when she is wronged she deals with ignominy with fortitude. That for me is a winning quality, says Anju.
Where Ramayan is idealistic, Mahabharata is realistic—it is about the politics called life, it teaches you survival tactics and hones your skills in the game of life. When Dhritarashtra, the king of Hastinapur wanted to give the Kingdom back to Draupadi, she refused, telling him that her husbands are capable of fighting it back. It is this determination, which made me chose her as the protagonist for my show. She asserted herself in non-violent ways, refused to tie her hair until she had washed it with the blood from Dushasanas chest, who had dragged her in open court, humiliating her. The challenging part was to translate this philosophy onto clothes. But then rather than getting stressed about it, I just switch off and give myself time till morning. When I wake up, fresh after my meditation, I sit down to sketch and it all falls into place, she smiles.
There is an unknown energy, universal force that guides Anju, we are merely a body, the cosmic energy in the universe connects us to each other. And it is this power that Anju draws on when she looks for a muse, and thats how Draupadi came about. Women are a recurring theme in my line, I think being a woman, I want to show them as pillars of willpower and superwomen who take charge, not frail and fragile, and for me Draupadi is a woman who was born from fire, not desire, she confesses.
This time, after her hit Devi line with the inimitable Madhuri Dixit, Anju has roped in a top Bollywood star to carry forward her theme. For me choosing a star is less about looks and more about intellect, so I combed through Bollywood to see who would fit this role perfectly, she concludes.