I am Rekha
I loved
I lived
I lived with love.
I am an artist.
I created.
I am an entrepreneur.
I built.
I am a traveler.
I have seen the world
I love wine.
I love people
My heart leads me,
And I connect with people through my heart,
Building life-long bonds.Come walk with me on my journey for a while.
-Rekha Gadhvi
My desire to build, create, and learn, surpasses my fear. Every challenge I’m faced with, becomes a greater experience, of achieving whom I’m meant to be, and of learning my true power.
I am a big believer in the function and emotion of design. If you hear a voice within you telling you that you will fail as a painter or artist, then, by all means, paint! That voice will be silenced. There is never a right time in life to do great things. One must create that time to listen to those inner voices, and act. Greatness will follow.
The Early Days
Behind us are memories and family, and before us are the dreams we weave. The things we love in our childhood tend to stay in our heart forever. For me, these were my brushes and colours – my art, and a portrait of my mother on the wall. Her radiance, her face and gaze, the flowers in her hair… will forever be etched in my mind.
I was born in Africa, however I began attending a convent school in India at a very early age before settling with my family in our hometown, Rajkot, in Gujarat, India. Those were exceedingly happy times. We lived together in a mansion–my brothers, sisters and parents. My mother, Jaswanti, and father, Narotamdas were very loving and indulgent. Chocolate and coke, with peanuts, in my Dad’s luxury car showroom, were the first remembrances of the luxuries of my cherished childhood.
My father was a hardworking man, who possessed the art and skill to make big things out of small beginnings. He was forced to leave Aden during the Second World War, although being the son of a merchant, he ventured into commodity futures and traded in shares at the Bombay Stock Exchange.
He returned to Aden in 1945 to take over my grandfather’s tobacco business and continued to travel frequently. Eventually, he diversified the family business into furniture and automobiles as well. What is remarkable is that in spite of not receiving any formal education, my father was very knowledgeable and well-known in Aden for his business acumen. Perhaps, watching him build his businesses so deftly, a little of that baniyabudhi seeped into me as well.
When I was 13 years old, tragedy struck our family like a hammer. My mother passed away. All of us grieved and a pall of gloom descended on the family like a shroud. I was the youngest, and the most deeply affected by her death. For the first time, there was something that I could not contend with, and my family could do nothing. It was one of the most difficult times for the family
Journeying Towards Art
As I grew, so did my affinity for painting and art. In the India I was growing up in, people were very set in their ways and ideologies. And in those days, marriage was considered very important. Since I had lost my mother at an early age, my eldest sister and father looked after me and wanted me to get married. My sister would say to my father, “Send her to a cooking class! Painting and art are not going to help her when she gets married.”
The great listener that he was, my father would lend his ear to her, but never stopped me from painting, or fulfilling my dreams. He encouraged all his children, of course, and as the youngest, I was the apple of his eye – the pampered child. I will always cherish his belief in me, and in many ways, it bolstered my confidence in myself. It was as though art was his special gift, and his trust in me, his blessing. It was this art, which helped me when I came to the USA in 1983.
The Seeds Of Art Take Root
I often try to recollect my first artistic works and how the need to paint and create took over my life. It takes me back to my high school days, when even though I participated in other school activities and functions, I enjoyed art the most.
Post school, I went on to do a two-year Diploma course in Home Science from Nirmala Niketan College in Mumbai. I was never inclined towards the traditional four-year college, and my love for art meant that I leaned towards an institution like Nirmala Niketan, which taught arts, crafts, cooking, etc. I have some fantastic memories from those days. We were a group of five friends, and although we’ve lost touch now, I can never forget those delicious Bombay chutney sandwiches we devoured, or the time we bunked class to go for a movie and our college informed our parents. Those were such great times that even getting caught was a thrill in itself.
I always found myself gravitating towards painting as it was calming and engrossing. And even back then, I was quite aware of how much of myself I could so easily give to painting. Yet, every artist’s hand needs guidance. I owe much of my progress to the magnanimity of my Gurus – Sanat Thakkar and Joseph Stapleton, who played a huge part in my life.
In 1979, after college, I returned to Rajkot to live with my father and to look after him. By then all my siblings were married and busy with their own households. My father knew how important art was for me and how much I loved it. So, he was happy to send me to an art class with my friend from high school, Sushma. This was an exhaustive 3-hour class at the Sanat Thakar studio, and it was here that I created my very first portrait of my mother from memory. This portrait will always be most precious to me.
My Mother, My Inspiration, My Soul
My mother was my constant source of inspiration and hers was the first portrait I ever made. I have always been a very emotional person, and it was a natural choice to paint my mother as she was constantly on my mind. It was quite a cathartic experience, as it brought back painful memories of the days before she passed away. The years have done nothing to dull those feelings.
I still have this image etched so vividly in my mind, of standing near her bedroom door while she lay sick in bed, with my father, elder sister and brother next to her. I stood there with no clue about what was happening, with just that feeling of unshakeable dread. We had called a doctor from Mumbai to help her, but unfortunately even he could not save Mummy.
I went on to do several more portraits before finally changing course to working with abstract paintings.
Moving Overseas, New Homes
A year later, in 1980, my father and I moved to the UK. We had British passports and would be joining my two brothers, Krishnalal & Arvind, and my sister Vasanti, who were already settled there with their families. Whilst in the UK, I worked for Korean Co, which was a shipping company buying and selling ships out of Korea. I was an Assistant to the President in the UK office. Simultaneously, I joined an Indian organisation called Indian Cultural Activity, where I taught Indian dance such as garba and dandiya. They would invite groups to participate in annual functions and festival celebrations. I had several students and they loved learning dance from me. We took part in many competitions and my group, ‘Jasmine’, would always win first or second prize.. It was a very enriching period in my life as I interacted with a lot of young kids. I was living with family and had grown quite attached to my nieces and nephews. The more I played and interacted with them, the more I felt connected to my childhood and the ease and pleasure of being a child.
I also had two brothers – Biharibhai, to whom I am very close to, and Narendrabhai – living in Queens, New York, in the US with their respective families. By then, my father had issues with his sight and hearing, and my brothers wished that he came and stayed with them for a while. In August, 1983, I decided to take a break from work and go on a three-week holiday with my father to New York. This gave me the opportunity to meet my brothers as well. My father and I were always close, but my oldest brother and his family also shared a special attachment with me. It didn’t take much for us to extend our stay in America. And around that time, my nephew, Amar, was born. He is the only nephew whose nappies I have changed. He was, and continues to remain, the apple of my eye and after a hard day at work, I looked forward to seeing him.
In those days, I initially worked with a diamond company in the city. A little later, in 1985, my brother, Biharibhai, bought two magazine stores in the famous Philip Morris building. I quit my job with the diamond company, and my sister-in-law and I ran one of the stores. During this period, I was exposed to some rather influential people from within Philip Morris, and The Whitney Museum of American Art, which was located in the building.
It so happened that I never went back to the UK, and the US became home. The Korean company I was working with in the UK called me a few times, asking me to come back. They wanted to send me to Korea to learn the ropes of the business. But by then I had decided to stay back in America. It definitely helped that the weather in the States was much better than the cloudy and rainy London weather.
Art: From Passion To Profession
By now, I was painting on weekends at The Arts Students League of New York. This is where I met my guru, Joseph Stapleton, who encouraged me to pursue my fascination for abstract art. I possessed the innate ability to express emotions on canvas in colors, could better express my feelings through my abstract paintings. Even when he was sick, he called me and said, “Do not give up painting.” His advice has stayed with me forever and always reverberates in my mind.
I pursued my passion to paint with great fervor, and my work finally paid dividends in 1993, with my first art show at The Taj Art Gallery in Mumbai, India. It was organized by Pratima and her husband, Late Shree Shashibhai Morjaria. Pratimaben is the sister of Vipula Savani who is married to Manubhai Savani. Manubhai was my husband, Jay Gadhvi’s, first and last boss. It began when Pratimaben and Shashibhai had come to visit us in New York. They saw my paintings at our home, and the idea to organize an exhibition at the Taj Art Gallery was born. As they say, the rest is history.
Bakul Patel was the chief guest at the opening and Pankajbhai Udhas (a dear college friend of Jay) also graced the occasion. With God’s blessings and the prayers of my parents, it was a huge success. I sold 12 out of 18 paintings, and the press gave me very good reviews. The first painting was of Lord Ganesha, which was bought by a family from Aden. Three were purchased by Boots, a health and beauty retailer and pharmacy chain in the UK. Others were sold to The Taj Art Gallery, Jehangir Art Gallery and to some hotels.
Rekha, the legendary Indian actress, came to see the art show. After she reviewed the paintings, she wrote in my art book, “She is my namesake, what more can I say?” Friends and family wrote good things too, so I came back home rather satisfied and elated. I never imagined that all this could happen to me. I think it was particularly vindicating because of all the struggle I went through to make this show happen.
We had shipped all the canvases to India, but the Customs department in India would not release them. Thankfully we knew the people behind Creative Garments in Mumbai, and they helped us get the paintings released. The four Agarwal brothers – Vijay, Surendra, Birendra and Shiv and their family are very close to us. They have known Jay for over 40 years now, right from the time they started out in the garment business. They have factories, and over the years I have had the chance to work with all of them, except Surendrabhai, who remains a friend I can go to at any time. We finally got our hands on the paintings just two days prior to the exhibition. With my Guru Balubhai’s blessings, I managed to get them all framed in time for the opening.
It was surreal in a way because I had seen people cutting show ribbons in the movies and on television, but this was actually happening in front of my eyes. From within, I was a mess, and kept praying to God to help me get through this experience of a lifetime. Every day people would walk in, newspaper editors would come and interview me, and I couldn’t stop thanking every person who had helped me achieve this milestone in my career. I gained so much, and every single day felt like a brilliant new experience.
Finding Love
I met Jay at a party in 1985 where a common friend introduced us. When we got talking about our families, we realized we were from the same town and I knew his family in Rajkot. His niece, Uru, and I had attended the same school and were in the same class. We met for coffee one evening and talked about our lives, our interests and hobbies. There was an instant connection. We had our first date in December that year. The following Valentine’s Day (February 14, 1986), he gifted me a Baccarat Red Heart, which I still wear every year on Valentine’s Day. Those were special times, and the freshness of new love permeated the air.
Jay proposed in 1987, while we were on a camping trip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. We were in our tent and I just looked at him and said “Yes”! He already had everything planned for the wedding – a priest and a chateau with champagne. After the ceremony, Jay called his brother in Florida, to inform him of the wedding. His brother remembered me as the girl with beautiful eyes from when I used to go to their home to play with Uru, while in high school. He was not happy with our ‘elopement-style wedding’ and gave us marching instructions to return to our respective homes, when we got back to New York. He then called my brother in the following week, to formally ask for my hand in marriage to Jay, and that is how we ended up getting married Indian-style, with the priest at the Geeta Temple in Queens, New York.
Jay was already in the business of suspension parts, and his partner, Harsukhbhai, very kindly blessed him saying his business would grow because he had married Laxmi – the Goddess of Wealth. Today, I am where I am because of Jay, and he has stood by my side through good times and bad like a pillar. Be it work or personal issues, he has been my rock and cornerstone, and constant source of support. My love for him only grows over time.
The Rise of The Entrepreneur
I thought God had chosen Art as my path, but life was weaving a different one for me. The common thread, without doubt, was that I have always found challenges exciting. And this was no exception.
In 1989, whilst on vacation in India, we were visiting our close friends, the Agarwal family of Creative Garments. Out of the blue, Shiv Agarwal asked me if I was interested in importing leather products such as belts and other fashion accessories. He mentioned that he had a friend in the business he could introduce me to, which would facilitate my journey as an entrepreneur. This became the starting point for my first venture, Leather Expressions. I knew it would not be easy, but with the support of my family and friends I also had a sense of unshakeable confidence to meet all the challenges head-on. It would make me stronger, and even more determined to push through victoriously. I met some established leather wholesalers like Magid Handbags, and worked with some great people, including Liz Robak, who was my first customer. My Leather Expressions products did very well in the retail market. It was a great feeling bringing in new products season upon season which I managed successfully for about two-three years.
Next, I began developing a line of beaded scarves. For that we collaborated with Echo Design, a design house famous for its scarf collection under licensed brands such as Ralph Lauren, Adrienne Vittadini and Gloria Vanderbilt. We also worked with Michael Klein from Honey Fashions, who specialised in printed and beaded scarves. He later joined Hand Bag Co., where he continued to work with me. I have fond memories of Michael, who encouraged me to be innovative and bring new products to the table. My march forward was successful and people within the industry began associating me with the business of leather belts, beaded scarves, and accessories of a similar nature.
Soon after, I met Sushil Kumar and his wife, Mira, from Indian Textiles, Mumbai. They invited me to the Heimtextil Trade Show in Frankfurt, where I expanded my knowledge of textiles. Mrs. Ohri, who was also with Indian Textiles at the time, became a good friend, and she introduce me to Kishoreji Jagtiani and his wife Meena, who had an enterprising embroidery business, based out of Lucknow. Following my visit to their factory, where I saw the beautiful beaded saris and scarves, we began working with designers in the USA together. It was a one-of-a-kind experience and quite trying at times as I had to dig within and use my reserves of patience while I worked with a multitude of designers. However, it was extremely rewarding to be back in learning mode. Kishoreji inspired us to come up with a logo of needle and thread and that is how our new venture called Beader’s Touch came to light.