Meet Aroon and Misha Shivdasani, a dynamic mother-daughter duo with a tremendous passion for the arts.  Aroon Shivdasani is the Executive Director and Founding Member of the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC) and is especially well-known for bringing different forms of South Asian art to New York City for the past 13 years.  Her personal goal has been to help emerging artists by offering them a platform to tell their stories and venues to showcase their talent. 

Misha, Aroon’s daughter, is following in her mother’s footsteps, with her own vision – MISHA NICOLE.  Misha is taking her passion for fashion and love for Indian textiles and designs, and is creating a venue in New York where wearable art and unique fabrics, jewelry, and designs will be displayed.

CitySaheli had the opportunity to interview this inspirational team.  Here’s what they had to say.

CitySaheli:  Could you tell us what inspired you to start the IAAC? 

Aroon:  In 1998 New York did not know Indian artists existed.  There were no visible Indian art galleries, theatre, film, dance and music groups.  Mainstream America was unaware Indian artists in all these disciplines were alive and well.  I decided it was high time America was made aware of India’s rich heritage, that second generation Indians realized the wealth of their cultural heritage, and that New York was enlivened by yet another fabulous culture to add to its tapestry.

CitySaheli:  Can you tell us about some of the events held by the IAAC?

Aroon:  I will first give you the annual events we have established and then two of my most memorable events. 

We schedule an annual Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora that travels from February to November – a month in each gallery or museum; an annual Erasing Borders Festival of Indian Dance that has been hailed by the New York Times as “stunning”; an annual Playwrights Festival in conjunction with the Lark Theatre; an annual MIAAC Film Festival of Indian Independent and Diaspora Films that made the NY Times compare us to Sundance.

One particularly memorable event was our Perspectives of Gandhi Festival which included a screening of The Making of the Mahatma (by Shyam Benegal), Feroz Khan’s play Mahatma vs. Gandhi, Godse’s play, and finally a conference at Columbia University with Gandhian philosophers, playwrights and filmmaker on the perspectives of Gandhi.

Another was a staged reading of Shashi Tharoor’s novel Riot, adapted for the stage to encourage discussion of the Ahemadabad riots in an effort to create understanding and tolerance.  Shabana Azmi played the extreme Hindu, Madhu Jaffrey played the extreme Muslim, Shashi Tharoor played the extreme Sikh and Tunku Varadharajan was the Voice of Reason.

CitySaheli:  Misha, what impact has your mother’s involvement in the IAAC had on your life and how has your mother and her role in the IAAC inspired you?

Misha:  My mother’s impact on me has been tremendous in her passion and dedication in what she believes in from the arts, India, her family and her friends.  She has such grace and confidence, is such a giving person, an amazing mother and a beautiful person.  She has given exposure to so many people, taking their talent to the next platform by giving them the proper exposure in the correct avenues with the right audiences. By knowing how to identify art that should have more awareness and would appeal to a larger audience, she has given a lot to society. I believe that giving people a platform to showcase their talent is critical in helping them succeed. My new venture, called MISHA NICOLE, seeks to do the same with Indian fashion as in the way my mother did with the Indian art. 

CitySaheli:  Please tell us more about MISHA NICOLE.  What inspired your idea to open a shop and venue like MISHA NICOLE?

Misha:  MISHA NICOLE has been an evolving concept that has been within me for 15 years.  As I have grown up surrounded by culture and the arts, and most importantly as an American Indian woman, I have always been in love with the textiles, colors, embroidery and richness India offers. 

I would always try to take these elements found in India and implement them into my wardrobe, but truthfully, it was not so easy.  I would take old pieces of my mother’s saris or jewelry and wear them with my western clothes. I would get compliments from so many people, especially in the fashion industry, but it took sitting in my room safety pinning things together or cutting things up.  There was never a wearable product that I could throw on to look fabulous that incorporated these Indian elements. 

I went into the fashion industry to learn every component of the trade, from store line sales at Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, to wholesale sales at Ferragamo and Tods, buying in all product categories, while also taking classes at FIT, volunteering for 7th on 6th, and working at the Bryant Park tents during fashion week.  As I worked in the industry, I always had this concept in my mind, and it kept evolving as the market changed. 

I realized there truly was a demand for inaccessible products from India in the US.  MISHA NICOLE will provide a combination of emerging global brands with established brands, in a cohesive and exciting environment.

CitySaheli:  Is your interest in fashion focused on Indian designers specifically?

Misha:   MISHA NICOLE is a fashion forward store that is built around the concept that many of these Indian coveted items and Indian designers are inaccessible to the NYC market.  All merchandise will be worked back to Western brands and basics like denim jeans and t-shirts. Combining emerging Indian brands back to the established Western brands will truly create unique and fashion forward outfits.

CitySaheli:  When do you expect MISHA NICOLE to open in NYC?

Misha:  Fall 2010 – but you can register now on http://www.mishanicole.com to receive exclusive offers and stay connected with us prior to our launch!  We have a Pop-Up Shop on April 16 at the Paramount Hotel in Times Square, 4pm to 9pm to preview what’s to come.  You can also find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MISHANICOLE

CitySaheli:  What impact do you think MISHA NICOLE will have on the awareness of Indian designers in the West?

Aroon:  Misha has worked in the fashion industry her entire adult life.  She graduated with a major in Communications and subsequently worked in luxury retail (Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Ferragamo, Tods).  I do believe she will make an indelible mark on the Western fashion industry by exposing it to the Indian designers she introduces to this market as well as the impact Indian textiles and designs have on Western fashion depicted through Misha’s own special creative lens . She has amazing vision and creativity when it concerns clothing or accessories.

CitySaheli:  Could you tell us about the IAAC’s  “Global Runway’s Night Out.” 

Aroon:  It is a Benefit for the IAAC, completely organized by MISHA NICOLE and her team.  It will be a fabulous evening of Global Fashion, cocktails, a phenomenal fashion show featuring designers from India and the US, attending designers, celebrities, a rocking after party and, for those who wish to purchase some of the clothes, there will be a pop up shop the following day, April 16th, at the Paramount Hotel from 4-9pm.

CitySaheli:  What is your advice for other young woman pursuing a career in the arts? 

Aroon:  The arts reflect life, they celebrate life and they educate people about all that is beautiful, as well as all that energizes our senses and allows us to live life to the fullest.  Young people pursuing careers in art have to be passionate about it, willing to put in time and effort without great financial payoffs.  I don’t have percentages, but a small percentage of artists really become commercial successes.  However, the fun, the joy, the learning, the giving involved while pursuing a career in the arts is unmatched by anything else in the world.