From a love of cloth to a boutique
I trained as an engineer and went on to do an MBA, then built a career in finance — first with a major public sector bank in India, and later, after moving to Bengaluru, in a banking KPO. Through all of it, textiles were the thing I couldn't put down. I haunted the city's craft exhibitions, brought fabric home from every trip — Bihar, Chandni Chowk, and further afield in Thailand, Singapore, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland — and shared what I found on Instagram.
I worked right up to the end — literally until about 48 hours before my son was born — went back after my leave, and was promoted to a senior role within a month of returning. On paper it was going well. But managing a high-stress job while my mind was at home with my infant was a quiet kind of impossible, and eventually I chose to walk away and focus on what actually mattered.
People had already started asking me to source pieces for them. In 2017 I decided to do it properly — and that's how Desi Bihari began.
Since then I've learned the trade the slow way: travelling to weaving clusters, sitting with the people at the loom, and learning to tell a true handloom weave by feel. I source the fabric, design the pieces, and look after every made-to-measure order myself.