How Mannats began

In Nidhi Ghai’s own words

If someone had told me years ago that one day I would be running one of Patna’s well-known boutiques, with a team of over 45 people, I probably would have laughed.

Because honestly, fashion was not even the career I was supposed to pursue!

The path chosen for me

I studied at Notre Dame Academy, from Montessori to Class 12. My father believed that a woman should have a profession that allowed her to manage both her home and her career. So, according to him, teaching or becoming a beautician were the ideal choices.

He sent me to Chandigarh to study dietetics, along with a course in beauty and salon management. I completed my dietetics course, but deep down, I knew neither was my calling.

Life had its own plans

I returned to Patna, got married to the boy I had been in love with since I was 15, joined Patna Women’s College for my postgraduate studies, and eventually pursued B.Ed because my father wanted me to become a professor.

I joined Radiant International School as a teacher and even applied to DPS. I received offers from several prestigious schools in Patna. On paper, everything seemed to be falling into place.

But life had another surprise waiting for me.

Mannat

Just when I was about to join DPS, I discovered that I was pregnant. Mine was a complicated pregnancy, and I spent the entire nine months on bed rest.

My husband, who had been working on a ship in the US, had returned after the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks and started a cloud kitchen called Utsav.

And then came the most beautiful chapter of my life — the birth of my daughter, Mannat. She had come into our lives after so many prayers and mannats, and that is how her name became so special to me.

But becoming a mother also made me realise something about myself. I had never really wanted to teach. It simply wasn’t my cup of tea.

Finding my calling

When I went to Mumbai to visit my brother-in-law, who was working in television and films, I spoke about how I felt. Everyone encouraged me to do what I genuinely loved.

And suddenly, I knew exactly what that was.

Even during college, my friends would ask me to design their clothes. I had an instinct for colours, fabrics and combinations. The moment I saw a fabric, a design would begin to take shape in my mind.

Fashion wasn’t something I had planned as a career. It was something that had always come naturally to me.

My brother-in-law took me to meet some of his designer friends and visit a few boutiques in Mumbai. I bought a few pieces, brought them back to Patna and organised an exhibition at home.

And guess what? It was a huge hit!

One master, one tailor

That little exhibition gave me the confidence to take the next step. I hired one master and one tailor and started a small tailoring unit from home.

Mannat was just six months old at the time. I was a new mother, figuring out motherhood while trying to build something of my own. I was fortunate to have incredibly supportive in-laws who took care of Mannat and encouraged me wholeheartedly.

Slowly, the response grew. I ordered more collections from Mumbai, and people loved them. At a time when Patna’s market was largely flooded with collections from Delhi and Kolkata, Mumbai’s designs felt fresh and different.

I could see that there was a space for something new.

22 July 2003

Soon, my little home-based venture was ready for its next step. My husband was already running Utsav from a shop on Boring Canal Road, and I started with just one-third of that space.

And on 22nd July 2003, Mannat’s Boutique was born.

A name inspired by my daughter. A business born out of passion. And a dream that I hadn’t even known I was going to chase.

What started with one master, one tailor and a mother with a baby at home would slowly grow into something much bigger than I had imagined.

But that is another story — the story of how those small beginnings became Mannat’s Studio, the people who became a part of this journey, the challenges, the lessons and the customers who placed their trust in me.

When I look back today, I realise that sometimes the best things in life happen when you stop trying to fit into the path chosen for you and find the courage to create your own.

I didn’t plan to become a boutique owner. I discovered who I was meant to be.

And that is where my journey began. — Nidhi Ghai