Verve and Louis Vuitton Diaries #6 Nivedita Singh

'Dora BB' soft monogram bag and iPad case in monogram canvas, both from Louis Vuitton. Monochrome printed shirt, marble printed jacket, black cropped pants, metal watch, vintage studs and tan wedges, all from Nivedita’s personal collection.

An Analytical Mind
Nivedita Singh, Behavioural Scientist

Nivedita Singh could easily have been a supermodel. She talks, carries herself and moves in front of our camera with a supremely elegant air. The svelte scientist towers over us all, but her personality is a firmly grounded one. Besides running her own consultancy in Delhi, Nivedita also teaches counselling and works with a number of NGOs, schools and foundations as a psychotherapist and an enabler. She speaks about a programme called ‘Teachers As Mentors’ — one that is very close to her heart — for which she trains teachers in the basics of therapy, so that issues can be first acknowledged at the classroom level. It’s been a long journey, one which began with her teaching history at the University of Delhi before she found her calling in human dynamics. “I find it very fascinating to be able to work in a field like this one,” she says. “I felt that I had the innate qualities to do this. It’s not something you can really learn from scratch; you have to have it in you to begin with. And I knew that I did, which is why I made the shift. It was pretty much like a second master’s degree for me.”

Nivedita’s career brings her a fair amount of personal fulfilment, especially her intensive work with parents and children, but she also explains that it can be either a bane or a boon at home, since she has an adult daughter. “It is good, in a way, because you learn and understand where people stumble and why they do. Because of my training, the work I do and the people I meet on the job, there’s a lot that I can recognise…but sometimes it can become a bit much. I’ve been told quite often to ‘just stop being the therapist and stop analysing everything’ and I do have to respect that!”

Her home is minimalistic, yet bold in a way. Subdued hues are complemented with a pop of colour or two, and subtle mother-of-pearl inlays tie it all together. She explains her style philosophy, saying, “I believe in making your presence felt without creating a ruckus. I like the fact that I don’t follow the herd, and I don’t do it just for the sake of being different. I think that’s something that I see in LV, too. The monogram is a symbol of power, but at the same time, it’s non-fussy.” As we browse through her clothes for the shoot, we soon realise that Nivedita herself is quite non-fussy. Travel, food and sports consume her non-professional world, which she feels is something that everyone should focus on as an essential in life. The leggy beauty is at her very best in chic trousers, a stylish shirt and a jacket, all complemented with a stunning Louis Vuitton purse. She knows exactly where to look and how to move but that’s not surprising, given how intuitive she is.