In this inspiring feature on Fashion Model and Miss India Runner-up 1991 Sakala Debrass Appachu, we derive that one may create a fulfilling and wholesome life by cultivating one’s talents and preferences. She tells Melissa Randhawa that she has sustained a well-lived life by turning three passions into useful pursuits —her love for art, fashion and making friends.
Like many of us, Sakala is wellness-minded and is blessed with an exquisite taste in lifestyle. Her aptitude for making friends which is a trait that she’s inherited from her parents, has bridged a network of movers and shakers across India, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. However, she credits homegrown values such as empathy, love and self confidence to make her home away from home a bright and warm one. “Values such as these are indeed priceless”, affirms the diva who moved to Doha with her husband at the turn of the millennium.
“I moved to Qatar and started to work in media and marketing of magazines. Then, after 19 years in the business, I set up an events consultancy through which I run a lot of fashion and lifestyle related events. It was a natural progression”, recalls the glamorous business owner, “given my proximity to the industry and a network of dynamic people”.
While art and fashion are easy to enjoy and manifest into one’s day, these interests may not lead us all to become art collectors and models like Sakala. However, they can provide a wealth of knowledge for curious-minded souls that have tuned their social media to the art and fashion network. In fact, Sakala has kept her passion for these industries going strong for the last three decades. When the pandemic hit, she invested in her work and cultivated hobbies and interests in all things beautiful. Her villa has since become a treasure trove adorned with trunkful of fine Indian sarees and artifacts that were sourced from her hometown in Coorg.
On any given day, you’ll find Sakala harnessing from across the globe a bevy of vibrant and talented people, all who are somehow united under a common comfort zone of Sakala’s bright and optimistic nature. She’ll effortlessly connect with people in global media, book publishing, university education, as well as the fashion and the arts scene. Her distinctively warm voice and presence as a host comes with a measure of curiosity, and her rapport as an engaged listener and moderator enriches the discussion.
In fact, when I’d met Sakala at a Fashion show in Dubai, we’d clicked within minutes over a joke that we’d recalled from a British comedy show called ‘Keeping Up Appearances’. That was nearly two decades ago. We’ve since kept in touch electronically, when one phone call later in 2020 she’d had me convinced me to speak at an event hosted for Sustainable Fashion with Harmeet Bajaj, Raghuvendra Rathore, Roni Halou and Prasad Bidapa. Sakala enjoys making friends and connecting people across her prized network.
Fashion Director Harmeet Bajaj is a professor, designer and sustainability champion.
Fashion Designer Raghuvendra Rathore is an entrepreneur who produces leather goods and high end chocolate. He owns a palace resort and jungle lodge, and he has a fashion institute in Jaipur that he has opened called Gurukul.
Fashion Designer Roni Halou, Fashion Trust Arabias 2019 winner for ready to wear is also known for sustainability and upcycling.
SIX Insightful TIPS and practices from SAKALA, the 5’11 tall and slender lady who still poses for fashion labels.
Be it the pandemic or any other crisis, one’s ability to schedule time for meaningful activities can become a salve for savouring life – one precious day at a time.
1. Make time to nurture your passion
“In my spare time, I love to read, spend time with my family, and my favourite pursuit is researching and curating art. I live art, breathe art, specially Indian art.I’m constantly browsing websites on art, reading up on art and listening to experts talk about art.”
2. Balance one’s love for food
“I love food, and believe in a healthy balance between working out and eating right. I’ve been blessed with a good metabolic rate. Touch wood.”
3. Cultivate a useful circle of people and information
“In the 30-odd years of working, I firmly believe that given all things being equal, it is your networking skills that makes you stand out and memorable to others. I made it a point to keep in touch with everyone; it was not an agenda, it was because I am a “people’s person”.
4. Stay Relevant
“You keep yourself relevant if you are in the loop, keep abreast with trends, and are still ‘in the game’”.
5. Re-invent yourself by developing your talent
“I constantly re-invent myself. When I joined media, I spread my wings into business events – a natural progression, a good concept, tweaked by good information, good speakers and attendance, making it a relevant event . I’ve successfully conducted many events from Business Excellence Awards to now in November, the Qatar Trade Summit. I believe the whole [world] is a web of network, taking the ‘six degrees of separation’ one step further.”
6. Be comfortable in your own skin
Sakala recently admitted on a live radio interview in October 2021 that the girl who loved to play sports in spite of how it tanned her skin is equally comfortable wearing heels even though she towers over most people around her.
If this almost sounds like something that you can already do, then here is how Sakala has taken these interests forward. She explains, “Even before my Miss India title, I’ve upheld my inherent attitude toward uniting people for good causes. Then, in 2020 when Covid-19 became a global reality, I realised that I needed to generate value in order to give back to the community. After creating a plan that was based upon my research, I began to host a series called ‘Made in India’. It was hosted on social media platforms —Instagram and Facebook. It took-off brilliantly and has brought additional strength to this national movement”.
The good
“Cultivating one’s skills and talents to scale new heights in one’s career, business or social life.”
The bad
“Ignoring one’s personal interests, natural skills and ways to beautify one’s existence.”
The trendy
“There has been a huge push towards sustainability, recycling, zero waste and upcycling, a serious trend within major countries in the Middle East. It is important for a country such as Qatar that credits to its name the World Cup and an upcoming shopping mall —Place Vendome.”
By: Melissa Randhawa 📩 Consulting Editor 🌎 Dubai | UAE
🌎 Melissa Singh Randhawa Is a Dubai-based news editor who loves sailing, art, economics and astronomy. As Brand Ambassador for SheScapes Global and the Delhi Poetry Festival, her network portfolio is rich with diversity. She is a sustainability champ at heart, a spokesperson for the International Fashion Innovation Conclave and works with NGOs for the United Nations. Born and raised in Dubai, she enjoys research writing about the UAE and those who shape the nation (Khaleej Times —Business & Culture). With 27years as a published journalist, her byline appears in the UK, HK, UAE, USA & the Far East media.