Wear a tea party around your neck

Accessories designer Meha Gupta might just convince you to wear cups and saucers around your neck

Accessories designer Meha Gupta might just convince you to wear cups and saucers around your neck

Who would have thought that a fond nickname acquired in school would one day turn into a brand name for Delhi-based designer Meha Gupta? "I did not like the idea of using my own name as the brand name, neither did I want a name that was impersonal and had nothing to do with me. So I decided to call it Baby Baniya, which was a nickname I acquired in school. The name is a bit mad and conveys a sense of fun, which is what my work is all about," says the 26 year-old Meha.


Neckpiece in felt, with miniature ceramic cups and saucers

Baby Baniya offers one-off statement neckpieces and bags which are quirky, whimsical and fun. According to Meha they fall into the category of neither mass produced costume jewellery nor conventional precious jewels. "I wanted people to understand that jewellery does not need to be precious. Its value lies in the design not the material," she says.

And the twain shall meet
But what got Meha into the Baby Baniya mode was her four year Jewellery and Design course at the Sir John Cass Department of Art and Design at the London Metropolitan University. She realised that she missed all things Indian. "My work in college was a curious blend of my innate Indian aesthetics, with elements of design borrowed from the UK. After coming back home to Delhi, I travelled a lot, and at the end of it I had local materials, objects and handicrafts which I began using in my jewellery. My main concern lay in engaging with these materials, removing them from their original context and purpose, to create jewellery that offbeat," she says.

Let's have a chai party
Among her collection of quirky neckpieces and bags where she combines leather puppets from Andhra Pradesh with cycle parts and twisted wires or hand painted multicoloured parrots from Philippines or Huayruru seeds from Peru (also used by tribals in Orissa for making jewellery) , what stands out is her collection called Ochakai. Japanese for an informal tea party, these neckpieces are made out of miniature ceramic cups, plates and spoons in soothing colours like powdery blues and mustards combined with earth toned felt.u00a0

Call: +91 9910003804
Email: meha111@yahoo.comu00a0
Log on to: Baby Baniya page on Facebook For Rs 1,500 to 3,000 for bags and jewellery

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