Some of the most beautiful journeys begin at home, around a dining table scattered with colours, brushes, and half-finished sketches. For Mugdha Khandelwal, it started that way, with her two young daughters during their school holidays. She would set up little painting sessions to keep them busy, showing them how to mix colours and fill in shapes. But somewhere in between their laughter, the smudged fingers, and the quiet afternoons, she found herself picking up the brush more and more, until she realised she wasn’t just teaching them, she was rediscovering a part of herself.
For fifteen years, Mugdha had worked in the finance sector, living a structured, deadline-driven life. But a move from Jaipur to Bhubaneswar and the needs of her growing girls made her choose family over career. “Being there for my children was my priority,” she says. She didn’t step away from work to chase a dream, at least not at first. It was simply about being present for them. Yet, in that pause, the colours she had loved since childhood quietly returned.
The small canvases she painted alongside her daughters soon grew into bigger, bolder work. Without formal art training, she learned by doing, letting each day’s practice teach her and letting instinct guide her hand.
When she came across exhibitions where folk art was being adapted into wearable pieces, a thought struck her. Rajasthan’s miniature art deserved the same chance to step out of galleries and into daily life. Back in Jaipur, this idea took shape as ADA, her brand under Mugdha’s Graffiti Arena. The name, meaning a woman’s graceful style, reflects the elegance of her hand-painted handbags, sarees, and stoles.
Every ADA piece is painted by traditional Rajasthani artists whose skills have been handed down for generations. For Mugdha, it is not just about creating something pretty, it is about preserving the purity of the art form. “It’s not the bag people are buying,” she says, “it’s the art. They are walking with the heritage of Rajasthan.”
One of her most personal collections is her bridal clutch line, inspired by the love of Radha and Krishna. In the Kishangarh school of art, their eternal bond is painted with such tenderness it seems to live on the canvas. Mugdha brings that same intimacy to her clutches, each telling a moment from their Raas or Shringaar. “A bride can carry with her a love story as pure as Radha and Krishna,” she says.
For her, ADA is as much about empowering the artists as it is about making beautiful products. By commissioning original paintings, she helps these craftspeople reach a wider audience. “If folk art stays only on walls, it remains unseen,” she explains. “But when it’s on something personal like a handbag, it can travel across continents.”
Her work is steeped in faith. Krishna’s joy and playfulness inspire her, while Ganesha’s strength and wisdom keep her steady. She often paints Ganesha in bold red, with a grand elephant form, a combination that fills her with courage.
The road has not been easy. There have been doubts, financial adjustments, and the constant balancing act of being a mother and an entrepreneur. But her message to women is clear: “Never lose your confidence. Keep your willpower strong, and the road will clear for you.”
Mugdha is now writing Mothers, a book about the realities of raising children while holding on to your passions. It is a subject she knows deeply, and like her art, it is meant to speak for countless women walking the same path.
In choosing to slow down for her daughters, Mugdha unknowingly found her life’s work. Through ADA, she carries forward the colours of Rajasthan, the devotion of Radha and Krishna, and the belief that love for your children, your craft, and your heritage can create something lasting and beautiful.
