Stephanie Vaccaro

By: centraljersey.com
ROCKY HILL – When graphic designer Darshana Merchant heard about the T-shirt design contest sponsored by the Mary Jacobs Memorial Library Foundation, she wanted to create a submission because the library had been so good to her and to her family. The contest is another attempt to raise awareness in the community that the library is in need of financial support to keep its doors open.
Ms. Merchant, whose winning design was selected out of more than 140 entries, has lived in Rocky Hill for nearly 20 years. They chose Rocky Hill because of its proximity to her husband’s work and the quality of the schools in the area.
"I’m from Mumbai, but I can’t say that word because I left when it was called Bombay," she said.
Ms. Merchant came to the United States not having ever touched a computer, but studied both 2-d and 3-d design at Mercer County Community College.
"I taught myself Web design as well, thanks to all the books in this library, so they were my main source of information," she said.
After having worked for an ad agency, she now mostly does projects for friends, work that primarily related to Indian classical dance called Arangetram. Cermonies are generally held before the recital, which is generally a solo performance. She creates invitations, brochures, photo books and e-cards.
"I do a lot of work for that," she said, as well as having created and hosting her son’s violin teacher’s website.
Her inspiration for the color selection of the design, orange and gold, comes from Rocky Hill itself.
"In the summer, Rocky Hill is full of these beautiful daylilies, and this whole area is full of orange and green," Ms. Merchant said. "After the dreary winter with all of the snow, I thought it would perk things up a little bit."
"I have always loved reading, but in India we pay to borrow the books," she said. "Nothing is free. Over here we pay through taxes. Everybody pays that lump sum, while in India you generally are members of library and you can borrow books."
"It’s unbelievable how much of a boon this library is," said Ms. Merchant, who has often sought out books related to her field. "And if the Internet is down at home, we come to the library and use them."
Her mother-in-law came for a three-month stay when her son was born and made use of the library’s resources as well.
"She was so excited to see all of the Audrey Hepburn movies over here," she said. "She said she saw around 100 movies in three months time. She always remembers that."
Ms. Merchant explained that her mother-in-law lives in the suburban area of Mumbai and does not have the same access to movies, leaving her to create her own collection – in which she approximates the titles close to 1,000. She relished her access to the Mary Jacobs Library during her stay.
"This library has been so good to us," said Ms. Merchant. "This is so convenient. We live five minutes away."
"What I want to do is give to the library," said Ms. Merchant. And she will do just that, using her $100 prize to purchase shirts for her family and friends.More of Ms. Merchant’s designs can be seen on her blog at darshanadesigns.blogspot.com.
The T-shirts will be on sale in a few weeks and will also be worn by the library team participating in the Run with Rotary, scheduled for May 1.