%u201CIt%27s%20too%20good%20to%20believe.%20Thank%20you%2C%20Academy.%20And%20thank%20you%2C%20Sir%20Richard%20Attenborough%2C%20for%20focusing%20world%20attention%20on%20India%2C%u201D%20said%20Bhanu%20Athaiya%2C%20who%20made%20history%20after%20winning%20an%20Oscar%20for%20Best%20Costume%20Design%20at%20the%2055th%20Academy%20Awards%20for%20%u2018Gandhi%u2019%20in%201983.%20In%20time%20like%20now%20when%20the%20craze%20of%20designer%20gowns%20for%20international%20awards%20is%20very%20prominent%20and%20dominated%2C%20Athaiya%u2019s%20confident%20walk%20towards%20the%20stage%20in%20sari%20and%20radiant%20neckpiece%20%2C%20back%20then%2C%20was%20truly%20a%20sight%20to%20behold%20and%20cherish.%26nbsp%3B

The%20costume%20designer%20shared%20her%20win%20with%20her%20British%20counterpart%20John%20Mollo%20but%20what%20is%20interesting%20to%20know%20that%20she%20is%20still%20the%20only%20Indian%20woman%20to%20win%20an%20Oscar%20till%20date%20.%20Celebrated%20music%20composers%20AR%20Rahman%2C%20Resul%20Pookutty%20and%20Gulzar%20are%20some%20of%20her%20male%20counterparts.

In%20one%20of%20her%20authored%20article%20in%20Scroll%2C%20the%20acclaimed%20costume%20designer%20remembered%20how%20she%20got%20the%20chance%20to%20work%20on%20%u201CGandhi%u201D%20.

%u201CAfter%2017%20years%20of%20visiting%20India%20repeatedly%2C%20on%20his%20quest%20to%20make%20a%20film%20on%20the%20life%20of%20Mahatma%20Gandhi%2C%20Lord%20Richard%20Attenborough%20finally%20got%20down%20to%20starting%20the%20venture%20in%201980.%20The%20veteran%20British%20director%20had%20realized%20that%20India%20is%20a%20complex%20country%2C%20with%20myriad%20cultures%2C%20castes%2C%20religions%20and%20communities.%20The%20production%20was%20not%20going%20to%20be%20an%20easy%20task%20to%20handle%20and%20he%20also%20knew%20that%20he%20required%20an%20Indian%20costume%20designer.

%u201CWith%20this%20in%20mind%2C%20he%20had%20asked%20his%20production%20office%20to%20arrange%20for%20interviews%20with%20the%20best%20costume%20designers%20in%20India%2C%u201D%20she%20said%20and%20elaborated%20how%20veteran%20actress%20Simi%20Garewal%20helped%20her%20in%20first%20meeting%20with%20the%20director.

%u201CSimi%20arrived%20at%20my%20workshop%20and%20said%20to%20me%2C%20%u2018Listen%20carefully%20%u2014%20a%20foreign%20film%20director%20is%20coming%20to%20India%20to%20make%20a%20film%20on%20Gandhi.%20Would%20you%20like%20to%20work%20on%20it%3F%u2019%20I%20did%20not%20respond%20immediately.%20Several%20questions%20were%20passing%20through%20my%20mind.%20I%20thought%20to%20myself%2C%20would%20I%20be%20able%20to%20do%20it%3F%20The%20stark%20look%20of%20Gandhi%u2019s%20dhoti%20was%20frightening%20in%20comparison%20to%20the%20razzle-dazzle%20of%20Hindi%20cinema.%20Simi%20shook%20me%20and%20said%2C%20%u2018This%20is%20an%20important%20assignment%20and%20a%20great%20opportunity%20to%20show%20your%20talent%21%20I%20am%20fixing%20an%20appointment%20for%20you%20to%20meet%20the%20director.%20Carry%20your%20biodata%20and%20wear%20nice%20clothes.%20Both%20of%20you%20will%20have%20a%20lot%20to%20talk%20about%2C%u201D%20she%20wrote.

In%20December%202012%2C%20Athaiya%20returned%20her%20Oscar%20citing%20health%20reasons%20as%20she%20felt%20that%20%u201CAcamedy%20would%20be%20the%20safest%20place%20for%20her%20trophy%u201D.%26nbsp%3B

Been%20working%20in%20the%20film%20industry%20for%20over%2050%20years%20and%20100%20films%2C%20some%20of%20her%20other%20work%20includes%20Aamir%20Khan%20starrer%20%u201CLagaan%3A%20Once%20Upon%20a%20Time%20in%20India%u201D%2C%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%20starrer%20%u201CSwades%u201D.

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