All, however, was not smooth-sailing for this young entrepreneur who was determined to make a foray into a male-dominated field, where everybody from the kaarigars to the bankers were interested in knowing who was the seth in charge of the business. Roopa started her venture with just a couple of thousands of rupees since no financial institution agreed to back her — the financers were unable to relate to jewellery manufacturing as a product. Not one to be deterred, this strong-willed lady not only set about identifying and hiring artists polished in this art but also took it upon herself to impart finishing touches to each piece. Besides the designing and manufacturing, she took care of the financing, advertising, marketing, accounting, retailing and selling of the product. For the first two years, she recalls, she was at one jewellery exhibition or the other almost every 15 days in different parts of the country, displaying her brand and drawing clients to this unconventional jewellery. Even now, six years of sheer hard work and ensuing success later, this designer who herself prefers to wear jewellery that doesn’t intimidate her gives the final nod to each piece of art that is produced by her unit. The only difference is: while earlier she hammered each piece on her dining table, now she operates from her workshop, which has around 40 artisans from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bengal. With the annual turnover running into "some crores," Roopa admits that her business is somewhat similar to her father’s, who was a pioneer in the sanitary fittings industry in Chandigarh. "It was an open furnace then, it is an open furnace now," she nostalgically remarks.

Innovating extensively, this businesswoman has introduced a number of new shades like powder blue, butter yellow, baby pink and pistachio green to the standard thewa colours of red, blue and green. Besides combining thewa with kundan and diamonds, Roopa is also working on the revival of naqaashi, again a Mughal art form, which entails 24-carat relief work on glass.

Using Mughal motifs drawn from old rugs, carpets, paintings and dresses, this revivalist has not only succeeded in bringing thewa to the market but has also turned it into a fashion statement. In addition to her flagship store in Mumbai, she retails through a number of outlets like Ebony and Pantaloon. The clientele for her designer sets and artefacts — the cost of which can range from a few thousands to a couple of lakhs of rupees — includes film stars, models, sportspersons and other prominent personalities.

Undoubtedly, this professional designer gains immense satisfaction catering to individual requirements of her clients and producing pieces that are customised to perfection but what cheers her up most is the fact that thewa craftspersons who were once convinced that their art would cease to exist are now passing on their talent to the next generation.

Mother of an 11-year-old daughter, Roopa admits that she couldn’t have been passionate about her work without the unfailing support of her husband. Devoting 16 to 18 hours in a day to her business, she never manages to sleep before 2.30 am. While confessing that she is unable to spend much time with her daughter, this workaholic also maintains that if the mother is happy, the child is bound to feel happy too. Her daughter, she declares, is growing up into a confident, fun-loving girl who values hard work.

But it is not just all work for this hard-core entrepreneur, who religiously takes a month’s break every year — only to get rejuvenated and charged to go back to work.

Her advice to entrants in this field is: "Make sure you have double the guts and are absolutely foolhardy to get into it."