The Poonchh Collection is probably one of the hardest things I have ever done. With so many moving parts and so many points of interaction and departure…this collection was truly a labour of love. For anything else, I might have given up a long time ago. But then, like anything that has taken time, energy and effort…the satisfaction is huge

And with a huge part of the collection already sold out, I am happy to say that I will be able to help quite a few dogs
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I want to share my journey with you.

It started as a small germ of an idea. What can I do to help? Write out a cheque? That would be a cop out and the easiest way to ‘give’ to a cause without actually doing any work. But, could my day actually afford time on the street as the team at www.strays.in were doing? No.

So the next step was to figure out a way to help in a method/ format only I could. What could I bring to the table? Paint? Auction a painting?

Easy enough. But not enough.

That is when a chance conversation with Rakesh  Shukla ( founder of The Voice of Stray Dogs) on how to make the Indian  Stray dog a hip and stylish statement, something to aspire to have…sparked an idea.  And the Poonchh Collection started to take shape for me. I wanted to do something colourful, new and in essence very much ‘me’ in design sensibilities.

I was very conscious that I did not want to use any heartbreaking or gut wrenching imagery in this collection. There is enough of that to see around us. I wanted to create something that would be a joy to behold and a feast for the eyes.  And as an artist, I also wanted to experiment and see in how many ways I could translate the concept into reality, while still not losing either commercial value, or artistic sensibility.

This collection also needed to be a conversation starter.  I want more people to ask /to question, to read about the stray dog. And hopefully in the future ‘opt to adopt‘.

To see the awareness campaign posters, please click here.
To see the animation video on Animal Birth Control, please click here.

Keeping costs, time and money in mind, I had to come up with creative ways to make this collection actually come to life. And without help from my husband Supreet Singh and my friends Reza and  Vinay Diddee, it would not have been possible.

I sat and cut, about 70 meters of fabric into 18 inch squares, to get them ready for screen printing. I waited patiently for samples to go back and forth between many vendors before quality and money could both be okay-ed.

The printing facility added to my woes, by NOT allowing women on the shop floor. This meant that, Supreet or Vinay, had to be present to get my work done.  Printing happened in three places and the cushions, cases, bags in different places by different karigars ( skilled workers). The material was bought in different lots, at different times and again from different places.

The hand dying was done in a dingy little attic in a lost lane in Bangalore. And the wooden blocks were hand carved by master craftsmen.

Reza and Supreet did the Photography in our make shift studio- my living room. That is Rafi in the following picture, I borrowed  his 13″ Mac Book for the shoot.

And my friends, Divya Chauhan and Meghna Vakada helped by being perfect models. Meghna, even opened up her home to me and plied me with endless cups of chai.

I DID NOT haggle over money with anyone for the making of this collection. I wanted to keep everyone happy and satisfied, so that the ‘vibe‘ attached to each piece was positive. It did not make sense to me, to try and negotiate over a few rupees here and there, and then talk of helping the stray dog by giving a bunch of money away. Every piece has been hand made and ‘sampled’. And NOT made on a factory floor. In fact most of it has been made by small shops that have 2-3 karigars only.

The gold bags have been hand painted and the thread work done by me.

Why? Because then I can truly say that ‘I’ helped the cause. Not by remote control but by my blood, sweat and tears. And trust me there has been a lot of all three in the making of this collection.

I have to say, I met some wonderful people over the course of the three days of this exhibition.  I also made a new friend in Kelly, a volunteer member of VoSD.

Thank you to everyone for making the Poonchh Collection a success.  I know both Rakesh and Kelly join me in saying thanks from the doggies.

I am happy to finally reveal the entire catalog for this collection. Please click here to see the details.

And I invite you and your friends to come for the show starting tomorrow…

To read about the genesis of this collection, please click here.

To see styled images of the collection, please click here and here.

To see the awareness campaign posters, please click here.

To see the animation video on Animal Birth Control, please click here.

To see the dog portraits, please click here.

To see Kajal’s sketches, please click here.

I know I have tested your patience these past few weeks with constant posts related to raising awareness on the plight of the Stray Dog. Thank you for being so loyal and interested enough to keep coming back day after day.

So here it is now – the BIG reveal…

The clue in that ‘blink-and-you-miss-it animation’ mentioned here was the bag I am carrying.

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Tote Bags

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Yes!! The Poonchh Collection includes Tote bags among other things.
And here is that bag…

Oh! and did I mention, it’s available in over 20 colourways?
This entire collection is based on three simple stray dog silhouettes which have been used to form a variety of designs.

And do keep track of my Facebook page, as I plan to keep posting more images there.

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Cushion Covers

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Truth be told, this whole collection started with cushion covers, which was the first home accessory that I thought of doing.  One thing led to another, and I ended up with a whole range of accessories

The cushion covers are plain with a single dog print on one side, and on the reverse side, the same print forms a pattern. This allows for the cushion to be displayed on either side.

The cushions are made in cotton canvas and poplin, the highest grade that I could find.  The finishing is impeccable and includes interlocking on all seams and a zipper on the bottom of the cover.

And again, they are available in multiple colourways

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iPad & Laptop Sleeves

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I have done a range of iPad and laptop sleeves too!

The laptop sleeves  fit a MacBook Air 13″ beautifully. It’s a little snug on a MacBook Pro 13“. And then pretty much all the Netbooks fit in with a little wriggle room on top.

Available in 15 different colourways!!

The sleeves are made with the finest cotton canvas  and poplin and screen printed  with loving care. The inside of each sleeve is lined with polar fleece to keep your iPad/laptop safe from scratches. It also has a soft padding to ensure a shock free existence.

The trimming is real leather so you can only dry clean or spot clean.

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Clutches

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Uffhhh!! I forgot to tell you about the clutches… yeah, I have those too!
Available in two sizes no less and in multiple colorways again

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Phone Sleeves & Key Pouches

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And then there are also some more assorted goodies.

There are sleeves for your phone, an iPhone 4 fits beautifully. And most Nokia and Samsung ones do too.

I also made a little key pouch (for want of a better word here). It’s pretty neat!
Can carry a phone on one side, money or cards on the other and keys on a ring.

It’s a very good ‘all-in-one/all-I-need’ kind of pouch.

And there are some art prints of my paintings and sketches available too.

And like I said before- Do keep track of my Facebook page, I plan to keep posting more images there.

I will post a comprehensive catalog on the site closer to the date of the exhibition: 10-12th Feb 2012.

These sketches are of Kajal. She is a beautiful dog, that Rakesh of VoSD, picked up on a recent trip to Goa.  She was a little bruised, battered and lonely when he found her. Today, after four months of unconditional love, she positively glows with good health. I am not sure what prompted him to decide to adopt her out of all the other strays on the beach… but I am glad he did.

She has the most intense eyes, as if rimmed with jet black Kohl- hence her name. These sketches are done in Pen and Ink and are approx. 10″ x 16″ each.

I have painted her before (you can see that portrait here).

This portrait is of Kalia. It is done in acrylics on canvas and is 10×12 inches.

This portrait is of Geeta. It is done in acrylics on canvas and is 10×12 inches.

Animal Birth Control

A single pair of dogs can in their lifetime alone see between 60,000 – 70,000 in progeny.

It is not possible to control that huge number on the streets. Not only is it illegal to kill a stray dog but it would be inhumane to do so. Add to that woes of abundant garbage as ready food supply, territorial instincts, disease and an indifferent, and at times, plain scared  ever exploding human population- what do you get?

Disaster of epic proportions waiting to happen!

How can we change this situation?
Better garbage Disposal and Animal Birth Control.

If that first pair are spayed/ neutered. Then the cycle ends. They live out their life of about 3-5 years on the streets and it’s over.

What can you do?
Call your local Animal Welfare center and follow up on the ABC program in your locality. FYI- an already spayed or neutered dog will have it’s ear notched (a little bit of the tip cut off).

If it’s not effective enough, then do what these little girls did. They spent their own pocket money to spay a community/street dog they named JLo. Read/see their story here.

Or get it done yourself. It won’t cost you more than one fancy dinner!!

Note- This animation plays in a loop three times and then stops. To replay after that, you will need to reload the page.

Have you ever seen anyone that’s cornered, battered or bruised, constantly looking over their shoulder in fear?
Tired and scared even of their own shadow?

I have.

Just open your eyes and look around. It’s the same for animal or man. When you’ve been beaten down once too often, there are only two options – Either you roll over and die or you get back up and defend yourself.
Either option is bloody and negative.

The outcome can change if we change.
Stop the hurting. Intervene with love, affection, understanding, awareness….

Do you have it in you do that?

This portrait is of Heer . It is done in acrylics on canvas and is 10×12 inches.

No man is an island. There is space for everyone, if we only change our perspective.

Affection doesn’t cost you anything. It is the same across social, economic, religious, cultural or even geographical boundaries. It’s one of those rare gems that when you use and ‘deposit’ in the safekeeping of another… it comes back manifold.