Simple living, high thinking

Anita Sachan's life reads like a novel on self-discovery. After making strides in the fashion scene, she found her true passion, meditation.

When one thinks of veteran fashion designers, an im­age pops into the head. Perhaps someone sur­rounded by assistants, drawing out their latest collection, someone who seldom listens to the birds sing. Anita Sachan, however, paints a completely different picture.

Growing up in the city of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Sachan is the youngest in her family, with all her siblings pursuing a medical career. Fashion was just enter­ing India, which piqued her creative flair. She decided to move to Delhi to study fashion design at the famed National In­stitute for Fashion Technology.

Her first foray into the fashion world came in New York. The city gave her the experience of a lifetime and when she moved to Dubai, she was once again in a country where fashion was at the foetal stage. Her experience came in handy as she was part of the creation of UAE'S first fashion boutique, Georgio, catering to Emiratis and the royal families. This de­mographic wore extravagant wedding and evening gowns, which Sachan de­signed. Today, Sachan is a fashion de­signer, director of two companies and a brand ambassador. None of these posi­tions is as important to her as her role as a meditation instructor.

There came a point when Sachan re­alised that she was at the pinnacle of her success, "Once you have achieved your goal, you wonder, now what? At that mo­ment I came into meditation naturally. Each day, meditation gives me satisfac­tion, contentment and balance in life."

Essentially, meditation is a pause but­ton in one's day. "Your body functions in sync with your breathing. Once medita­tion regulates that, your body is regulated and you can achieve clarity, focus, and eventually better health," Sachan said.

She urges that for every single human being, this balance is essential. To main­tain harmony at home and in your minds, meditation is paramount. The more one meditates the happier one is, and the hap­pier one is, the more one meditates, it's a happy cycle.

In a country with more than 200 na­tionalities living and working, harmony for existence is a necessity. Sachan works with the Consulate General of India to bring meditation and yoga techniques to the local community, government enti­ties and educational institutions. She has also helped set up yoga day, June 21, for several years in a row.

Sachan's simplistic outlook has ex­tended to her fashion sense, "If you are beautiful inside, clothes really play a very negligible part. Your style should be simple, crisp and comfortable."

She explains her shift with the anal­ogy of a bird, "One has to fly with two wings, otherwise you will be stuck in vi­cious circles. I had one wing: my fashion label, I thought if I take care of that, I'll be satisfied. But I reached my goal and I was stagnating, until I started balanc­ing the other wing, my spiritual being. Now I can soar."

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