Manisha Ogale is no ordinary designer and manufacturer of hand-painted articles. She has a few achievements to her credit. Sonia K Kurup finds out

Ladies, and gentlemen — if this catches your attention, have you ever thought of or desired a stylish bag that can carry all your things? By all… I mean all, even your house and car! Thane-based artist Manisha Ogale has just cut that quest short for you. The 36-year-old mother of two, and designer created a hand-printed fabric bag the size of, if you count the bag hand strap, a three-storeyed building! The feat has also got her a nomination in the Guinness World Records (GWR)!

Recently, at the well-lit Korum Mall in Thane, Manisha meticulously worked for 10 hours 44 minutes to hand-paint a 21 ft x 27 ft bag, as the curious crowd stayed, watched, and walked in and out of the atrium space.

“As I was running late initially — I had planned to finish the painting within 12 hours — I got a bit nervous. But by afternoon, I was more relaxed. I heard people telling the anchor who was asking questions that what I was doing was a great initiative and they were happy that a Maharashtrian girl was attempting something big at the international level,” Manisha narrated.

Manisha sketched images related to her theme ‘Save Mother Earth’ on the enormous fabric bag. These images had messages such as ‘save every drop’, ‘go green’, and ‘no plastic bags’. “I was happy that kids at the mall were interested in what I was doing and parents were also enthusiastically explaining the concept to their children,” she pointed out.

Manisha also holds a record in the Limca Book of World Records (LBWR) for hand-painting a huge kurta in 29 hours and 27 minutes.
“I always had an urge to do something larger than life, something that will inspire common middle-class girls,” she said about this achievement. “Finally, the day arrived when I could paint a 40-ft high and 20-ft wide kurta for LBWR,” she mentioned. Now, Manisha is eagerly waiting for a response from GBR’s office in London to confirm her new record.

Like in most Indian middle-class families, Manisha too was forced to secure a job in an IT company and settle down with a family. She did both, and yet found her way back to what she had always liked — painting. “After marriage, I quit my IT job and shifted to Pune, where I felt alone and friendless. I was sitting idle at home when I decided to take art and craft classes for kids. Soon, I was tutoring children in a few schools in Pune.”
In no time, Manisha’s designs were selling well at a couple of shops in Thane. “Now I even get orders from Kanpur, Delhi and Dubai,” she said, adding, “Often mouth-to-mouth publicity helps me get good orders.”

Designing, however, is not all that she does. “I also have an activity centre for kids and run an initiative for women that holds seminars once every month,” she said.

Curiously, what motivates this ‘record-maker’ to keep at these tasks, while she raises two lovely girls, Mohika and Gitika?
“I come from a very simple Maharashtrian family. My father lost his job when I was in school, so ever since Std XII I have been working. I worked before and after college hours at computer institutes, I took up a data entry job and also worked at a gas agency,” Manisha admitted, without any qualms.

Her childhood struggle taught her many valuable lessons: One being to take up challenges head on. Way to go girl!