KOLKATA: The first step towards one’s dreams is never the easiest to take, but one has to take the leap to fly high. And this is exactly what Ushoshi Sengupta, the winner of beauty pageant I Am She – Miss Universe India, has done. The pretty woman who also represented India in Miss Universe 2010 decided to turn entrepreneur and create ‘PLAY’ an out-of-the-box fest.
Festivals are the in thing in India with the millennials’ growing inclination towards them. However, most festivals focus on one thing at a time to avoid problems of plenty. However, Sengupta wanted to bring her love for fashion, music, and art on one platform. That’s how PLAY came into existence, which she organized on 24 June 2017.
“I have heard a lot of friends talk about festivals getting boring. So, I wanted to take that aspect out of PLAY,” says Sengupta. “We kept the event youth focused. Thus, the clothes designed by the designers were also for youth. The same TG that likes music.”
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Most people find it difficult to get an access to the clothes soon after a fashion show. That was taken care of by her and her team. They made the clothes available for the ones interested in trying them on or buying them at an exhibition area where the designer outfits were on sale. “Apart from that we also had other designers display their clothes at our market,” says Sengupta.
This beauty with brains also managed to get some of the biggest brands on board for the first edition of PLAY Fest. The title sponsor of the event was Johnnie Walker. The other sponsors included Kingfisher, Green City, Indiabulls, and GKB Opticals. Two NGO partners in New Light Foundation and Sonika Chauhan 27 Foundation also hopped on board.
“When we started with PLAY, we did not think that we would come this far. PLAY was a product of our passion and love. It was an attempt to bring something new to the city. I’ve traveled the world and I wanted to bring those experiences together,” explains the entrepreneur.
With the first edition turning out to be a success Sengupta now has plans of expanding it into other cities and Mumbai tops her list. “Mumbai is next on my list,” she ends with a smile.
