Flying high: Two young achievers from gujarat

An ace shooter and a fashion designer might not have anything in common. However, scratch the surface, and you will see that their aspirations are almost the same. Both are young, have worked hard, and made the country known throughout the world. While Lajja Gauswami shot her way to fame with her rifle, Shalini Saran did it with her designs. We had a chat and got to know them better.

Lajja Gauswami, 20
Shooter

It was her father's revolver that ignited Lajja Gauswami's interest in the sport. She grew up seeing her father carry it to work everyday. "He was in the police and the revolver always drew me to it," says 20 yearold Gauswami from Anand, Gujarat.

The first cadet to make it to an international shooting competition, Gauswami has faced a lot of problems in her short career span of four years. "Shooting is an expensive game. One needs a lot of money to excel in it. Unfortunately, my family cannot support me and the government is also not doing anything. The only support I have is from the Mittal Champions Trust, supported by steel magnate Lakshmi Niwas Mittal, that supports athletes and sportspeople," says Gauswami.

In spite of the many odds she has faced, the fighting spirit in her makes her charge ahead relentlessly. "There was a time when I could not practise because I couldn't even afford the bullets. On an average, a shooter fires 300 to 400 rounds of bullets in a day, and one bullet costs Rs 12," says Gauswami. There were times when she had to borrow a weapon to participate in championships.

"It is not easy to play a sport in India which does not enjoy the sort of public support that cricket does. But I won't give up." But without the support of the government, there is little that this Olympic prospect can do. "I don't have a personal coach. I need a personal coach for better results."

Once she has achieved her shooting targets, she aims to become an IPS officer. Kiran Bedi is her inspiration. "I want to be like her," she says.

Shalini Sarna, 33
Costume designer

It was the Indian Oscar entry Paheli that catapulted Shalini Sarna onto the big league. After earning accolades for her original costume design in the movie, she is busy designing for the fashion, film and theatre industries in the US.

An NID alumnus, Sarna is currently pursuing a course from the California Institute of the Arts. A true-blue Amdavadi, Sarna aspires to take Indian design and textiles to the international market. Quite recently, Sarna did the costume designing for a film titled Efrain, directed by University of Southern California graduate, Matt Breault.

"The experience in India has helped me grow as a designer. It gave me a better understanding of client requirements and design solution. It has also allowed me to bring the unique richness of textiles and exquisite hand-crafted techniques- embroidery, weaving and unique block-prints-of Gujarat to the international market. That makes my creations stand out," says Sarna about her work.

"I find people wearing blockprints or tie-and-dye skirts during summers in the US. Indian prints and embroidery in new patterns with a Western look is common. Embroidered kurtis worn with tights are popular and so are jootis and chappals. I even get to see a variation of dhoti-style pants and harem pants worn by women in the US," says Sarna. With India and Indian celebrities becoming a source of inspiration for international designers, here's hoping that Sarna makes it even bigger with her designs.