Anushka Niara Mitter dashes into Shoppers Stop at Elgin Road’s Forum Courtyard Mall like a bundle of joy. Beaming infectiously and walking with long, jaunty steps, the 17-year-old makes her way to the Zink London counter, where the Spring-Summer collection designed by her are on display. “She came in like she owns the place,” laughs Nilima Mitter, Niara’s mother and a specialist in the reconstruction of fine jewellery.
Like some 30,000 kids in India every year, Niara was born with Down syndrome, a congenital condition where a defect in chromosomes results in intellectual impairment and physical abnormalities. But that has not stopped Niara from expressing her artistic self, which takes pride of place in Zink’s bright and breezy collection for women, across 450 stores in India. Last September, Niara received a standing ovation after she launched her collaboration with Zink and walked the ramp at ITC Sonar, with her father Ananjan Mitter, a technophile and innovation entrepreneur, in tow. “It was bold of Zink to make Niara the showstopper for the event. As we walked after the professional models had exhibited the collection, I felt part of a larger world, an inclusive one, and not just the one of father and daughter,” recollects Ananjan.
‘Zink London understood that neurodivergent artists can bring in fresh perspectives’
The Spring-Summer collection at Zink London, as designed by Niara Courtesy Nilima Mitter
“Malini [Singhal], the founder of Zink (and a family friend of the Mitters), was impressed with Niara’s art and wanted to give her an opportunity. She and Zink understood that neurodivergent artists can bring in fresh perspectives and her team guided Niara for months on the trends and colour palettes to use. It was an exciting journey that culminated with the outfits you see in the stores, each of which is adorned with a tag bearing Niara’s face,” explains Nilima, her satisfaction with her daughter’s achievement etched on her face.
As an artist herself, who also teaches at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Nilima brought up Niara in spaces inundated with colours and art. “She always had paints or crayons in her hands. We encouraged her to colour outside the margin, knowing that her picture will keep getting bigger,” says Nilima. From an early age, Niara developed an affinity for flowers and floral patterns, something that continues to underpin her art today. “She has a particular fondness for roses, but her other favourite flowers keep changing, often depending on the season,” says Nilima. At 10, Niara had her first solo exhibition in Mumbai (where she was born and raised), with all 35 paintings sold out in a matter of hours. “The crowd in the gallery was so vibrant, and the paintings were being booked as if there was a live auction in progress. It dawned on me then that her art has a certain power that naturally attracts people,” says Ananjan.
Niara with her mother, Nilima Courtesy Nilima Mitter
Niara started painting when she was eight. Her first teacher in Mumbai, Rumeli Chakravarty, was a big factor behind Niara falling in love with art. Initially, her parents did not make too much of her skills, but once canvases started accumulating, they could sense something special. “When we started showing her work to others, who had more reason to be objective, it was clear that Niara’s art could make an impact,” says Nilima. Even though those around Niara did not take too long to identify her gift for art, Niara herself “doesn’t realise or care how good she is.” Apart from painting, Niara is adept at yoga and playing the piano. Occasionally, she also scribbles tiny stories, many of which embellish the door of her room at the Mitter’s residence in Elgin Road. “Her art has matured over time, but it only happens when she allows it to happen. We can prod her all we want, but she has to allow things in her mind for them to take place. Once Zink got in touch, she started drawing silhouettes on gowns. That’s because she was able to pick up that she can now draw on clothes,” describes Nilima.
‘Niara prefers abstract ideas over real ones and likes landscapes more than portraits’
Floral patterns are a recurring theme in Niara’s paintings Anushka Niara Mitter’s Art/Facebook
“Niara has an inherent flair for colours, and her strokes are so spontaneous as to seem prodigious,” observes Atrayee Roy, Niara’s art teacher since 2015, who dedicates at least one to two hours every week towards harnessing Niara’s potential. “During the initial days of our interaction, she’d present me with a card, containing a flower and the figure of a girl, at every class. She prefers abstract ideas over real ones and likes landscapes more than portraits,” says Atrayee, who sees her primary task as that of clarifying complex colour concepts to Niara and “channelising her natural abilities”. When the Zink project came in, Atrayee worked on it alongside Niara and was pleasantly surprised with the sheer ease with which her student was able to produce some of the designs. “It’s not as if she was struggling everyday to create what she did. Yes, there were designs that took a lot of time and involved going back-and-forth with the brand. But there were others that she made just like that, as if she wasn’t even fully conscious of what she was doing,” narrates Atrayee, who is gradually exposing Niara to the work of the masters, including that of Vincent van Gogh.
Niara with her present art teacher, Atrayee Courtesy Nilima Mitter
When she is not painting and sometimes even when she is, Niara has her “amazing playlist” on full blast, with everything from ABBA to Justin Beiber, from Beyonce to Bollywood. “She has a wicked sense of humour and enjoys comedy shows like Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah,” says Nilima, who points out that Niara can speak three languages (English, Hindi and Bengali), but only does so when she wishes. Atrayee, for one, has never heard Niara’s voice (though she has received written messages) and My Kolkata also missed out on listening to Niara talk about her art. “We feel that she has to talk more in unfamiliar surroundings and in front of people she doesn’t know very well. We’re trying to facilitate that through small actions, such as letting her pay for her own purchases at stores and slowly putting her in situations where she has to talk to strangers,” shares Nilima.
After shifting from Mumbai to Kolkata, Niara found an excellent support system at Akshar School, where, according to Nilima, “Niara was given the scope to explore her art, without which we couldn’t have survived in Kolkata”. Spending time with the Mitters makes it clear that the city has not always been receptive to Niara’s needs. For all its obsession with art, Nilima feels that Kolkata can do much more to build an inclusive environment for artists, especially neurodivergent ones. “Everyone’s busy, they have their own lives to manage. I acknowledge that and I have no expectations. At the same time, I’m a strong believer that something great will happen with her life,” says Nilima.
‘For brands wanting to work with Niara, monetary considerations are not the only factor’
Niara with her father, Ananjan Courtesy Nilima Mitter
As for the next steps, the Mitters are happy for their daughter to continue partnering with Zink. Ananjan feels that “Zink has quietly stepped in to pioneer a business outlook that combines fast fashion, art and humanity”. For Nilima, “we’d love to carry on with Zink, since they’ve held Niara’s hand very gently… for brands wanting to work with Niara, monetary considerations are not the only factor. Empathy and emotions matter just as much”.
For Niara, though, the future is just another canvas. Unfazed by her growing fame and her evolving talent, she is content with her music, dolls and colours. She does not paint to prove a point, to forge a career or to undermine her disability. She paints because she wants to. In a society where most prisms towards the specially abled remain disappointingly narrow, it is art that makes Niara thrive in the world of infinite possibilities.
