I have loved drawing since my childhood. Gradually, I started sketching, painting, crafting and model making too. I attended drawing classes from my childhood till I was in Class X. And I drew and sketched every day, that was my hobby. When I wielded my drawing pencil, it snagged my complete attention. I would focus totally on it, oblivious to my surroundings.

I decided very early on that I wanted to study design in a college of repute. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) was the natural choice.

I have the habit of taking inspiration from things around me and developing ideas. I kept a note of all ideas from my schooldays and drawing classes. I believe problem-solving is the main focus of design, along with creative ideation to reach the goal. Aesthetics is another aspect. I like to follow the work of Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Palestinian designer Zuhair Murad.

'I decided very early on that I wanted to study design in a college of repute. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) was the natural choice.' (iStock)

The exam is two-tiered — the GAT or general ability test was held in February while the CAT or creative ability test was held in May. For GAT, I kept myself updated on the latest fashion and technology trends and spent an hour every day preparing for the general knowledge, maths and English questions. I also used to solve old papers of various design entrance exams.

CAT requires model making. My creativity and all my years of learning came in use here. As I said earlier, sketching was a part of my routine and that helped. I believe it is not the number of hours you put in that is important but regular practice. My strength is monochromatic sketches. Planning was a very important part of CAT — what to sketch first and which colour to use in what proportion. My daily sketching habit helped me take quick decisions during the exam.

You are going to be judged on your thought process and, unless you can justify your idea, a design cannot meet its purpose. Sketching helps to easily explain your idea. Thus for a successful designer, sketching and idea presentation are both very important.

I feel that topping the exam from among several thousand aspirants is the result of regular practice and meticulous planning, along with a bit of luck. I am indebted to my teachers for encouraging my creative ability during my schooldays and to my parents for encouraging me to follow my passion.