At the wedding of Rajat Barjatya, scion of the Hindi film industry’s premier family — the Barjatyas of Rajshri Productions — the decor and the stationery were two items which drew the attention of art cognoscenti. While the decor was designed by artist Aruna Purohit, the cards, bags, envelopes and letter designs were created by a modest woman who has built a burgeoning home industry as a designer of exclusive cards, bags, packaging and other auspicious paper items needed for a wedding.

Minal Desai, married for 19 years, had never thought that she would one day become designer to some of the most prestigious shops and families for their stationery and gift-wrapping. "My mother had this artistic gift of creating ethnic gift bags and cards and I must have learnt by watching her or I must have inherited her aptitude. I used to make cards or gift boxes for my friends till one day, a friend asked me to go commercial. I got my first order from the Catholic Gymkhana in Mumbai for mithai boxes. Word-of-mouth publicity gave me instant encouragement and I was on my way to becoming a well-established entrepreneur. I took a short course in craft from Nirmala Niketan in 1994 and the next year, started my business. I make cards, eco-friendly boxes and bags, stationery and gift-wrapping items.

"Today, in five years, my business has grown 500 times. I get cardboard, Ganesha and Lakshmi icons, jute fabric, acrylic, cotton and silk fabrics, basketry, paper, dry flowers, ribbons, beads, silver trinkets, stones, shells, chattai and readymade bows from all corners of India. I use these in designing boxes and bags. I have a catalogue of designs from where clients choose their style. I manage my production with a team of three live-in bais and seven karigars who come in each day. Large orders are executed in the family factory and delivery is taken by clients who pay on time. This way, I’m happy and my clients are satisfied. I have worked for Sindhi, Punjabi, Marwari clients and a number of corporates. For those who prefer western-style bags and gifts or cards, I create beautiful designs with flowers and bows. But my major business is in ethnic designs." Minal says, as she looks forward to expanding her company.

— VP

Did you know that Rashtrapati Bhavan banquets given by the President of India to visiting world leaders or royalty are governed by three different coloured lights? Reportedly, they are blue, red and white and each goes on when a course is in progress, a course is over and a fresh course has to be served. This was so also at the recent banquet given by President Narayan to the visiting US President Bill Clinton and his family.

"The man with his finger on the switches watches the celebrity chief guests’ plates and whenever they put their forks and knives down, turns on the light for removal of plates," says Ranjana Salgaocar, author of The Pleasure of Your Company, one of India’s most successful books on etiquette and manners for all occasions, "If other guests have not kept pace with the honoured chief guests, it is too bad for them for they cannot continue to eat a course of food when the celebrities are twiddling their thumbs." The book also teaches personality enhancement through social graces and public relations through properly designed entertaining and hospitality, which are a modern gateway to global business.

Ranjana has written the book after personally experiencing the entertaining system in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and at the Prime Minister’s Hyderabad House parties because she comes from an eminent family and is married into the famous industrialist family — the Salgaocars of Goa. "My father was a commissioner of police. So we travelled a great deal on transfers and had a busy social life. Whenever I went to parties or formal occasions with my father, I would wait for him to deal with the situation at the dining table or at the party and then copy him. At home, I would make small notes on the rules and regulations of social life and the protocol observed on important occasions. These notes just kept piling up until four years ago, I thought: Why not put them together as a book! I began working towards this objective and in 1996, The Pleasure of Your Company was published by us and distributed by the IBD".

Ranjana’s very useful and timely book features table manners, weddings and theme parties for all occasions, proper use of expensive China, linen and cutlery. It offers a guide to wines, cheeses, liquors, liqueurs and food. It describes social graces, Indian and western hospitality traditions, and gives tips on acquiring a gracious social personality. The book is a veritable manual on behaviour in a world which is becoming smaller by the day.

As an offshoot of this book, Ranjana became involved in yet another interesting activity. "Many people asked me to do workshops for them. But I picked and chose those I wanted to do. In the past four years, I have conducted about 20 courses for corporate executives who have to do business abroad or entertain in the course of their business. A company is free to invite spouses to these sessions if they wish. But I don’t do courses specially for women separately. There are finishing schools for women to receive similar education. But for men who are upwardly mobile and have to travel for business, these workshops are extremely useful".