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Techies log on to the artist in them

Choose the colourful canvas of art over the monotony of projects and deadlines.

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In namma IT city, techies are busy painting silhouettes and embossing Kalamkari designs on their monotonous work, comprising deadlines and projects. IT jobs might guarantee a steady salary, but after a point, it is time to make a choice between realising your creative calling or continuing with the job in a colourless fashion, says techie Monami Bhattacharya.

After working as a technical writer in the IT industry for about a decade, civil engineer Bhattacharya quit to paint silhouettes. Painting since age four with no formal training, she was finally able to develop a style in adulthood. Silhouettes are in black, a sombre colour, but I realised I could combine it with bright colours like blue, red, green to get unique pieces of art, says Bhattacharya.

Doing justice to her passion meant de-focusing from IT, since the rigours of the profession left no time for picking the paintbrush.

“IT instilled confidence that made me quit the job and take up art full-time,” says Bhattacharya, who now runs a studio off Richmond Road, painting silhouettes and doodles using mix media including enamel, acrylic and oil paints.

She wanted a different type of challenge, and the IT job did not seem to provide that. “Art is barely sustainable, not profitable. At least not in the beginning,” says Bhattacharya, admitting that she has managed to sell about 15 pieces in the last two years.

“But the appreciation from art lovers is euphoric,” she says, revealing her future plans of holding a show by the year end. Embossing Kalamkari designs Like Bhattacharya, Nischitha G, 23, is also an engineer with experience in IT firms. And like the painter, the textile entrepreneur also needed a larger platform to realise her creative side.

“I wanted to do something creative and unique,” says Nischitha. Thus was born Makkala Batte two months ago, with Nischitha investing her savings to create langa davani, frocks, skirts for little girls embossed with Kalamkari patterns.

Currently clothes with Kalamkari designs are not available for kids, especially girls in the 0-5 age group, says Nischitha.

“I realised this while trying to buy a Kalamkari print dress for my toddler niece.” Since she is still with the IT sector and is thus hard-pressed for time, she selects the material and designs and hands them to tailors in Hyderabad (from where Kalamkari originates), who craft out the outfits.

In the last two months, she has managed to sell 80 pieces of various outfits through internet and from her home in Jayanagar. “At a latter stage, I may look at opening a small shop,” says Nischitha.

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