Women Entrepreneurship - AspiringShe

Celebrating 72nd Birthday of PM Narendra Modi Ji!

Aspiringshe — Sat, 17 Sep 2022 05:04:41 +0000

His Initiatives to empower women are indeed commendable!

“Our Vedas and tradition have given a call that women should be able and capable to give direction to the nation” – PM Narendra Modi

The life of women, especially in remote villages, was once characterized by multiple daily hardships, even to fulfil their own needs and those of their families. However, under the Modi government, efforts were made to improve each aspect of their lives.

Ujjwala Yojana

Women who live in poor and rural homes were often forced to inhale toxic fumes from cooking fires. These fumes could affect their health and even harm their children. They would then need to spend time gathering firewood, which was hard work in itself.

The Pradhan Mantary Ujjwala Yoanna (PMUY) scheme, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already reached its target of distributing eight crores of LPG cylinders to poor families. Now, it has added another one crore to reach nine crores.

The main reason for providing clean LPG was so that people could control indoor air pollution by using cleaner fuel than coal or oil. Cooking with clean fuels has helped women improve their quality of life and take them out of smokey, polluted environments, giving them cleaner, healthier environments to be in and extra free hours they could use for other things they couldn’t before.

Jal Jeevan Mission

Water is an essential part of our lives. It is especially important in households where there are no proper facilities for drinking water. The Indian Government has launched a program called ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ which aims at providing access to safe drinking water to every household in the country.

Rural and urban households alike were forced to walk long distances to fetch drinking and cooking supplies from distant sources. Even though India has achieved independence seven decades ago, only 17 percent of rural households have access to tap drinking and cooking facilities.

Jal Jeevan mission was launched in 2019. It has helped provide safe drinking waters for over 50% of Indian households. Over 8.8 lakh schools and 8.89 lakh anganwadi centers in rural India now have easy and affordable means to get their daily potable water needs met.

Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

“Let us celebrate the birth of the girl child. We should be equally proud of our daughters.” -PM Narendra Modi

The scheme was launched after the national census results for 2011 revealed detraction in key gender metrics – Child Sex Ratio (CSR) and Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB). CSR is defined as the number of girls per 1,000 boys aged 0-6 years. This ratio has showcased a steady decline, from 945 in 1999 to 927 in 2001. This declined further to 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. Detailed evaluation of the decline showed that SRB was the principal factor.

Dip in these ratios is a significant indicator of gender discrimination and women disempowerment, reflecting both pre-birth discrimination through gender-biased, sex selective abortion and post-birth discrimination by neglecting health, nutrition, and educational needs of the girl child. Research concluded that the strong socio-cultural and religious preference for boys was the root cause of the problem and this provided impetus for the launch of the BBBP initiative.

Since the launch of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao , the multi-sectoral District Action Plans have been operationalized in almost all states. Capacity-building programmes and Trainings have been imparted to Trainers to further strengthen capacities of district level officials and frontline workers. Nine sets of such training have been organized covering all States/UTs the Ministry of Women & Child Development from April-October, 2015.

Stand Up India Scheme

The Stand up India scheme aims at promoting entrepreneurship among women and scheduled castes and tribes. The scheme is anchored by the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

Stand-Up India Scheme facilitates bank loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 Crore to at least one Scheduled Caste (SC) or Scheduled Tribe (ST) borrower and at least one woman borrower per bank branch for setting up a greenfield enterprise. This enterprise may be in manufacturing, services or the trading sector. In case of non-individual enterprises at least 51% of the shareholding and controlling stake should be held by either an SC/ST or woman entrepreneur.

Women in security forces

Now, Sainik schools also started the female admissions with the goal of giving equal opportunity to females in the Indian armed forces.

The Modi government had made an important announcement about the induction of female officers in the Indian Armed Forces through NDA (National Defense Academy). In a historic move, the government decided to open the door for female officers to enter the prestigious academy. This would mean that they can one day command troops, lead ships and fly fighter planes. The decision came after decades of struggle and protests by activists who wanted to see equal opportunities for both men and women in military services.

Three women fighters were inducted into combat positions in the Indian Air Force for the first time in its entire existence in 2018. India also witnessed the first female air force officer representing the country at the Republic Day parade in 2021.

Since 2015, the government has allowed the appointment of female officers in non-Gazetted posts in seven union territories (UT) and central armed forces (CAF). Reservation for females in these services has increased almost doubled in the last eight years.

Meanwhile, the Central Reserves Police (CRPF) has raised three new female battalions since 2014-2015 and also inducts women personnel into its special forces commando CoBRA. India has also gotten its first all-female commando unit recently.

Women in STEM

The Government has encouraged female scientists by providing them with opportunities to pursue their research in different fields. The Knowledge Involvements in Research Advancement through nurturing (KIRAN) programme offers financial assistance to unemployed female scientists and technologists, particularly those who had a break from their careers, for undertaking research in frontiers of scientific and technological advancement. The mobility scheme under KIRAN supports relocations of working female scientists and technologists for two to five years.

In India, there are many female engineers who have excelled in their respective fields. They have also contributed significantly towards the development of our country.

Women parliamentarians

In the 17th Lok Sabha, the highest number of women parliamentarians were seen (78) in comparison to 64 MPs in the previous election. 11 women are currently serving in the Union Council of Ministers, the highest number in nearly two decades! The increasing number of women in political leadership roles brings women to the forefront of policy making, which in turn sets examples and role models, encouraging more women to aspire for leadership roles. — Reference Data The Print

Such achievements in various sectors across the country have given rise to new possibilities for Indian girls and young ladies, who now have greater opportunities than ever before.

The post Celebrating 72nd Birthday of PM Narendra Modi Ji! first appeared on AspiringShe.

Upholding Various Social Causes – The Rise of Priyanka Chopra

Aspiringshe — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 03:48:47 +0000

Her Early life

Priyanka Chopra is on an unbelievable pace of reaching her life goals, achieving new milestones one after another. With an incredible combination of intense determination, superb hard work, unrelenting focus, relentless perseverance, and an extraordinary will to succeed, she has made herself into a global icon, with a huge fan base boasting about 10 million Twitter Follows and more than three million on Instagram.

She was named “The Most Influential Indian in social media circuit” by the digital advertising company PinStorm.

It was 30th Nov 2000, when all the Indians were feeling proud of having a young 18-Year-old girl Priyanka Chopra crowned the “Miss World” title, with her beauty and brains.

That was just one of the countless feathers she would continue adding to her already stunning persona over the years. 16 years later, she continues to wow audiences with her amazing talent and her incredible ability to adapt to different roles seamlessly. She has not only earned a distinct place in Indian cinema but has also been able to bring laurels to India in the global cinema world.

Born on 18 July 1982 in Jamshedpur, India. Her parents Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both were physicians in the Indian Army. Her father is a Punjabi Hindu from Ambala. And mother, Madhu Chopra from Jharkhand.

Due to Chopra’s parents’ professions as military physicians, the family was posted in a number of places in India, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ladakh, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Pune. Among the schools she attended were La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow and St. Maria Goretti College in Bareilly.

Due to her parents’ occupations as military doctors, Chopra grew up in various locations throughout India, among them Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ladakh, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Pune. Among the schools, she attended include La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow and St. Maria Goretti College in Bareilly.

Priyanka Chopra is a symbol of power and strength.

Priyanka Chopra has been praised for her sharp acting skills as much as for her status as an icon for Indian youth. Her success is attributed to her ability to portray various characters successfully. However, she has also been criticized also for giving too much importance to Hollywood films and not enough attention to Indian cinema, but regardless, the actor’s impact remains strong. Young Indian women continue to recognize her powerful personality and follow her career closely.

Priyanka Chopra inspires us to do something meaningful with our lives.

Priyanka Chopra is also known for her contributions to various social causes, especially those concerning girls and women empowerment. She has been involved with several non-profit organizations to help improve the conditions of Indian girls and women.

She has also been involved in the United Nations’ Girl Up campaign, which aims to ensure that every girl, no matter where she lives, has access to education, health care, safety, protection, and opportunities for leadership. For these reasons, she is an excellent choice to support UNICEF’s work in India.

Priyanka Chopra has charmed and entertained audiences with her performances in various films. Little is known about her charitable activities. She is best known as an environmental campaigner. She is also the National Green Ambassador for NDTV. Her efforts include promoting recycling and waste management. She is also the brand ambassador for the Indian government’s Clean India Mission.

NDTV organized an environmental awareness program called ‘Greenathon’. It was organized by NDTV to honor people who contributed to the environment. Priyanka Chopra is the green ambassador of this campaign.

Priyanka is also an active member of a national campaign against water contamination. she is playing an important role in the effort to keep rivers clean. Priyanka says that people had to take responsibility for their actions. She also says that small changes can make a big difference.

Priyanka Chopra has been associated with UNICEF for more than two decades now, and in 2010, she was appointed a UNICEF national ambassador, charged with raising public consciousness about child rights and adolescent health. She has worked closely with UNICEF to make videos and ads aimed to educate people about child rights and creating safe, healthy living conditions for children.

Among the key UNICEF campaigns that Priyanka has been associated with is “Deepshika”, which seeks to strengthen adolescent and young woman’s (AYW) group through imparting to members business and entrepreneurial skill training. The “Deepshika” program has helped more than 65,000 adolescent and young women in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana to improve their business and personal finance skill training and build self-esteem through financial literacy and leadership training. She was also actively involved in the “Awaaz Do” program, which advocates for every child’s right to free school.

Priyanka Chopra & Her Ventures

Priyanka Chopra is not just a name in the Indian and American entertainment industries, over time, the actress has also established herself as a businesswoman by investing huge amounts in a number of companies. Here’s a list of some of her investments.

Bumble, the online dating app founded in 2014 is a women-led company and has Whitney Wolfe Herd as its CEO. Priyanka invested in the company in 2018 and also became an advisor for the dating app during its India launch.

Priyanka invested around $8.2 million in Holberton School and mentioned that she made this investment as the company’s aims sync with her goal of emancipating and empowering women through technology.

Perfect Moment, a luxury skiwear brand has Priyanka Chopra along with her husband Nick Jonas as the investors in the fashion wear business.

Genies is a virtual avatar company that creates digital avatars and collectibles of artists for commercial purposes. Priyanka along with Camila Cabello and Paris Hilton have invested in this company.

Priyanka also invested in the Apartment List, a rental marketplace in 2020 and joined the board of directors which also included American singer Lizzo, and NBA player Andre Iguodala, amongst others.

Last year, the actress started a vegan and sustainable haircare line Anomaly, which has a range of affordable and chemical-free products. Priyanka launched the hair care brand with the foundation so that it may cater to the needs of the target groups.

Priyanka along with her Indian restaurant Sona recently started a homeware venture of the chain Sona Home. She collaborated with restaurateur Maneesh Goyal to showcase her home décor brand that reflects Indian heritage and culture.

She raised her voice to end violence against children

Priyanka Chopra has also been helping to promote the “Dare To Care” movement, which encourages people to become active participants in ending gender discrimination and promoting equality for women. She has also lent her support to the “Ending Child Marriage” movement, which seeks to raise awareness about various forms of abuse, including physical, emotional, sexual, and child marriage, among others.

She is passionate about child protection. With an eye to the welfare of children, she believes that access to education and health care is critical to improving children’s lives in India today. She advocates increased funding for children’s services by governments and volunteers, saying, “We must do everything possible to ensure that every child can live a happy childhood.”

A major focus of Chopra’s work with UNICEF is on educating girls, especially those who have little opportunity to attend school. “There is no greater gift one can give a girl than giving her the chance to learn,” she explains.

Awards

Priyanka has received numerous awards, including a National Film Award, Filmfare Awards in five categories, and People’s Choice Awards in 2016 and 2017. The Government of India honored her with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Forbes listed her among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017. She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010.

The post Upholding Various Social Causes – The Rise of Priyanka Chopra first appeared on AspiringShe.

Women Actors And Their Successful Businesses

Aspiringshe — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 05:05:12 +0000

Being a woman entrepreneur has its advantages. In today’s economy, women are often seen as less qualified than men for certain jobs. This means that women often get hired at lower wages, despite their qualifications. The good news is that women can overcome these obstacles because they tend to excel at things such as negotiation skills, problem-solving and decision-making. These traits can translate into success in the workplace.

Indian actresses are famous for being beautiful and talented at the same time. They’ve carved out very successful careers for themselves. This has given them great confidence.

There are several famous Indian actresses who started their careers in modelling and then went on to become successful entrepreneurs. Today we are talking about some of them including Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, Shraddha Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Sara Ali Khan.

It’s encouraging to see that Bollywood actresses aren’t just good at playing roles; they’ve gone the extra mile to make successful ventures too.

Deepika Padukone

Deepika is having her own company called KA Enterprises LLP. Since then, she has invested in several promising start-up ideas. Deepika is one of the investors in Furlenco and Purplle, companies that provide services for renting furniture and selling beauty items respectively.

She is one of the early-stage investors to invest in Bellatrix Aerospace. According to a report from Livemint, Deepika has also invested in Drum Food International Private Limited. (Manufacturer of Epigamia, flavored Yoghurt”).

She is considered one of the leading and most prominent investors who primarily invested in Blue Smart mobility, a leading electric cab company, operating in Delhi/NCR, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. She has also invested in EdTech Company FrontRow which provides online courses for musicians, dancers and actors provided by celebrities.

Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma is one of the most successful business woman. She started her own production house Clean Slate Filmz in 2013 where she works closely and has been heavily engaged in every phase of the production from choosing scripts to overseeing the final product.

The actor also launched her own fashion label Nush and jewelry brand Giva . The brands aims to target women who are looking for stylish yet comfortable options to improve their lifestyle.

Shraddha Kapoor

Apart from being very successful and having an impressive film career, Shraddha is indeed a savvy businesswoman who invests in high-quality brands that bring the best out of her.

She owns four big brands in different sectors beauty and cosmetics brand MyGlamm, the furnishing brand- BellaCasa, Shunya, a health care product line, and goodness of Ayurveda in modern-day life.

Alia Bhatt

Recently, Alia Bhatt was able to bring out her own clothes range – Ed A Mamma. What’s interesting about these clothes is that they’re entirely made from organic cotton avoiding harmful chemicals used in conventional fabrics.

These clothes were released on First Cry, an online retail shop launching a sustainable fashion label for kids sounds extremely thoughtful.

Sara Ali Khan

Sara Ali Khan has invested in The Souled Store. She believes that the company is a perfect fit for her because it is casual wear and pop cultural clothing line.

She loves pop-cultural things and thinks that they’re just as important as fashion.

The post Women Actors And Their Successful Businesses first appeared on AspiringShe.

Emerging Indian Women Entrepreneurs 2022

Aspiringshe — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 10:20:29 +0000

In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of women who are starting their own businesses. These women are creating jobs for themselves and others through entrepreneurship. They are also helping to inspire the next generation of female entrepreneurs.

Below are the list of few Emerging India Women Entrepreneurs 2022

Shweta Aprameya, Founder ARTH.

ARTH is an impact-led Micro MSME Fintech Company providing access to affordable financial services to millions of under-served micro-entrepreneurs, in India.
Shweta is a corporate professional turned entrepreneur who has more than 15 years of experience in Fintech and Digital Access to Finance. She has set up Social Impact & Fintech ventures for expanding & delivering financial access, choice & control to millions of underserved people in India.

Shivi Jawalia, Founder Chakkiwalle

Shivi founded Chakkiwale in May 2020, a organic food brand.
Chakkiwalle offers around 240 different products, including organic flours, hand-ground spices, millets, dry fruits, and pulses

Upasana Taku Founder Mobikwik

MobiKwik introduced a digital wallet platform that allowed users to make online money deposits to pay bills and other services.
Financial services provided by MobiKwik include loans, DTH recharging, IMPS money transfers, credit card bill payment, life insurance, fire insurance, and accident, life, and life insurance.

Aditi Gupta, Co-founder Menstrupedia

Tired of the myths and misinformation that surrounded Menstruation she took it upon herself to make a change.
Today, Menstrupedia has been used in more than 6,000 schools and has benefited more than 10,00,000 girls in over 14 languages.

Isha Choudhry, Co-Founder ZoloStays

The main aim of the startup was to help students find accommodation with wholesome food.
Zolo Stays has carved its place in the co-living space in India. It has over 600 employees across five cities.

Meghna Agarwal, Co-Founder IndiQube

IndiQube is a chain of coworking spaces that provide entrepreneurs with the right environment to work in without worrying about everyday office hassles.
IndiQube has carved out its niche by offering flexible work options and facilities.

The post Emerging Indian Women Entrepreneurs 2022 first appeared on AspiringShe.

The Most Influential Indian Women Entrepreneurs of 2022.

Aspiringshe — Sat, 20 Aug 2022 07:57:15 +0000

Women have been playing a vital role in the growth of the Indian economy and got successful in every sector. Women’s empowerment is one of the most important factors to achieve economic development. Women are not only responsible for household work, child care, etc. But they also play an active role in agriculture, industry, trade, commerce, transport, communication, banking, finance, insurance, politics, law, science, technology, engineering, medicine, arts, sports, media, tourism, hospitality, fashion, food, environment, business, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, academia, military, armed forces, police, judiciary, social services, and voluntary welfare organizations.

The list includes women entrepreneurs from different states in India who have made their mark in various fields.

List of the most influential famous Women Entrepreneurs of India in 2022

#1 Vandana Luthra – The founder of VLCC

She is an Indian businesswoman who has been involved in philanthropic activities and chairperson of the B&WSSCs. She started her own business called VLCC in 1989, which was a beauty and slimming services center. She later added more services such as haircuts, body waxing, full-body laser treatments, and dermatology services. She was awarded the Padma Shri award by India’s president Pranab Mukherji in April 2013. Vandana Luthra runs an organization called Khushi, which provides scholarships for free education for those from underprivileged backgrounds and physically challenged children.

#2 Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – The founder of Biocon Limited

Kiran Mazumder Shaw is an Indian businesswoman who founded Biocon Limited, one of India’s largest pharmaceutical companies. She was born in Hyderabad, India. This company has entered the U.S. biologics market and is gaining investor interest. As per Forbes, it is the first company to get approval from the USFDA.

She has invested huge amounts of money into building a deep R&D-based biotechnology company. She was ranked India’s 54th richest person by Forbes magazine in 2019 and the world’s 65th most powerful woman in 2018. She has done a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Bangalore University and Melbourne University respectively.

#3 Priya Paul– The chairperson of Park Hotel

Priya Paul is a successful entrepreneur from India. She chairs the board of directors at Apeejay Surrendar Park Hotels. She graduated from Wellesley College (USA) and then began working for her father as a marketing director. She has been called one of the most influential people at age 51. According to Wikipedia, Paul received India’s highest honor, the Padma Shri Award, in 2012.

#4 Ritu Kumar – The Fashion designer

Ritu Kumar is a famous Indian fashion designer from Kolkata. She started out by making wedding dresses and evening gowns. She has worked for years. She operates her business in several different locations in France and New York City. She was awarded the Padma Shri award by the Indian government in 2013. She graduated from school at Loreto Convent and went on to complete college at Lady Irwin College. She later went to college at Briarcliff University in New York, where she studied art history.

#5 Indra Nooyi – The board member of Amazon

Indra Nooyi was formerly the CEO of PepsiCo who now sits on the board of directors at Amazon. She completed her master’s degree from Yale School of Management and worked as a product manager for Johnson & Johnson for several years. She later joined the Boston Consulting Group where she worked as a strategy consultant. She started her career at PepsiCo in 1994, then became its CEO in 2006, and worked till 2018. She was elected a member of the board of directors at Amazon in February 2019. Forbes named her the world’s 11th most influential businesswoman in 2017.

#6 Vineeta Singh – CEO of Sugar Cosmetic

Vineeta Singh an entrepreneur who is Founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetic, a company that manufactures natural skin care products. She has been featured in Forbes India as one of the top women entrepreneurs to watch out for in 2017.

She was also named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs by Fortune magazine in 2016.Singh was born on 21 September 1982 in New Delhi, India. Her father’s name is JagdishSingh and mother’s name is Jyoti Singh. She grew up with three siblings and their parents. Vineeta attended St John’s Academy, New Delhi. She did her schooling from Holy Angels Senior Secondary School, New Delhi, and pursued her graduation from Miranda House, Delhi University. In 2003, Vineeta founded Sugar Cosmetics Pvt Ltd along with two friends. In 2008, she launched her own line of cosmetics under the brand Sugar Cosmetics.

#7 Ghazal Alagh – Founder of MamaEarth

Ghazal Alagh is a well-known Indian entrepreneur, she is founder of MamaEarth (Beauty Brand). Ghazal Alagh was born on 02 September 1988 in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. She has completed her post graduation with the Punjab University, in 2011 she tied knot with Varun Alagh. The couple has also been blessed with a son, whose name is Agastya Alagh. In 2016, she co-founded MamaEarth with her husband Varun Alagh.

MamaEarth is the first Indian beauty brand who doesn’t mix toxic chemicals or materials in their products. Ghazal Alagh wanted to be a businesswoman from childhood, also a good thing that her parents had supported it. The beauty brand was founded because of her hardwork and her husband’s support.

#8 Falguni Nayar – The Founder of Nykaa

She worked for 20 years as an investment banker at Kotak Mahindra before leaving to pursue her own dream business. She founded the company Nykaa in 2012, which sells cosmetics and beauty products online. As of today, the company has become known among Indian women. The company sells more than 850 brands and operates 35 retail locations. She was named “most powerful woman” by Business Today magazine in 2017. She was also awarded the “Woman Ahead” award by the Economic Times. Since 2014, the company has partnered with Femina.

#9 Vani Kola – Founder, Kalaari Capital

Vani Kola founded and manages Kalaari Capital, an early-stage VC fund focused on building startups. She has completed her master’s degree from Arizona State University Having long working experience in Silicon Valley for 22 years, founding two companies – Rightwrok and certus software. She returned to India in 2006. She started her career as a venture capitalist at New Enterprise Associates. Kalaari Capital started operations in September 2012 with a $150 million fund. She was awarded the TiE Delhi NCR Women Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for her contribution to entrepreneurship. She was also awarded an NDTV Women of Worth Award for Entrepreneurship.

#10 Radhika Ghai – Co-Founder, Shopclues.com

With more than 15 years of experience in various industries including fashion and lifestyle, advertising and PR, and others. She became the co-founder of ShopClues.com In 2011, the business was established in Silicon Valley. In recent years, this e-commerce platform has grown into one of India’s biggest marketplaces and now attracts more than seven million monthly visitors. The company serves more than nine thousand cities. She has completed her MBA from Washington University. Her achievements make her an innovator among Indian tech women entrepreneurs.

The post The Most Influential Indian Women Entrepreneurs of 2022. first appeared on AspiringShe.

Starting her business with just Rs. 50, homemaker Meenakshi Walke now sells her rakhi into global markets.

Aspiringshe — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 12:20:28 +0000

Meenakshi Walake, who lives in Chandrapur, Maharashtra, is affectionately called “Bamboo lady.” Four years ago, she started her own business making bamboo products like baskets, trays, jewelry, and lamp, among others. Prices for these ranged between Rs 25 and Rs 2000. She sells these products all over India, including Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

A new beginning !

Meenakshi got married to Mukesh Walke in 2015. She was a housewife for two years. After the birth of her son Abhisar, financial burdens on the family increased, so she had to look for a job as well. Meenakshi began carving wooden items and creating thread jewelry from her home.

This continued until 2018 when tragedy struck. After losing their daughter during the childbirth process, Meenakshi and her husband decided not to work anymore. She thought that the loss was due to excessive work,” says Mukesh. “But I insisted that she continue working, so it would keep her mind off the accident.”

Even though she didn’t jump back into work right away, Mukesh’s words inspired her to go out and explore. She found out about an initiative by the Forestry Department, where for 70 days they’d be training people in the craft of bamboo arts. After knowing wood carving for some time, Meenakshi decided to enrol in a course.

She was interested in crafts when she took this course but didn’t know anything about bamboo before taking this course. After learning it, she felt confident enough to do it.

During the training, we were provided with a hand toolkit. When I got back from my trip, I started making products out of bamboo that I had bought at just Rs. 50.

People who heard about her work from others began ordering products from her. At this time, she was also involved in an event organized by the government in Nagapore, where she saw how much people appreciate bamboo products and further fuelled her work and creativity.

She had her breakthrough moment at the Miss Climate beauty pageant in 2019 when organizers reached out to her. They wanted someone who could create an eco-friendly crown out of bamboo. She was hired after submitting several sketches and went on to make 16 crown pieces for the pageant.

“I was really impressed by their interest in my work and they even asked me if I would be willing to participate in the competition.” “It was a big achievement for us,” she adds.

How the idea came for Bamboo Rakhi?

After the pageant, her identity as a craftswoman shaped like a swan had solidified. She was so creative that she created products like a QR code reader and friendship bracelets.

Her best-selling products to date are her eco-friendly bamboo rakhi. She has bamboo as her main material, but she also uses natural materials like tulsi leaves and rudraksha leaves for decoration. The thread is also woven from pure cotton, making the finished product completely sustainable.

These were not well received when they first came out in 2018. Today, however, she ships them as far away as London. Even the 500 rakhis I had made did not sell. Today, these rakhis have become my identity. “Last year, I sold a total of 10, 000 rakhis for a profit of Rs 3 Lakhs.”

After seeing the success, Mukesh quit his job and started working for her full time, handling orders and communications.

She has sold 6,000 rakhis this year.

She has been conferred with the Nari Shakti award for her work. She was awarded the Woman Hero Award by the Inso-Canadian Arts and Culture Society in 2021.

She makes her own bamboo products and trained over 200 women in the art so far. She wants to see more women become independent and confident.

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The post Starting her business with just Rs. 50, homemaker Meenakshi Walke now sells her rakhi into global markets. first appeared on AspiringShe.

Exclusive Interview With Reshmaa Chabbria Founder & CEO Brand HIIH

Aspiringshe — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 05:55:37 +0000

What is HIIH all about ?

HIIH was born out of the love for craft. The varied materials and how they react and transform with an artisan’s hand is one of the most fascinating things that drive us each day. H2H is a company that believes with good design which blends functionality with design & attention to detail, every piece can lend a lot of character to the spaces it adorns.
Most of our designs are inhouse which we work with a multitude of artisans who specialize in their skill sets to craft them. We hope to someday touch every home with a product crafted by our artisans.

Looking back, what made you start this brand ?

While I practiced Interior design, clients would always look abroad to source for their accessories. Convincing them that craftsman in India could make products just as suited or well done was difficult. Indian accessories in those days was looked at as either very Indian in their aesthetics or the feeling was always that it wouldn’t be as well finished as a Chinese or an Italian product. The belief that our handcrafted products could have the same finish and can work for even the most modern homes drove us to start the H2H journey.

What/ who has been your inspiration and motivation behind this Entrepreneur journey ?

Back when I was working under Arch Shaukat Mukhi as an Interior designer, it was actually him who pushed me to step out on my own. He saw I was ready much before I did.

For H2H, it is the artisans that drive us every single day. Their love for their craft & hunger to be able to grow and create new products with us inspire & motivate us every single day. Clients, especially the enlightened ones who buy for the love of handmade, motivate us to test new mediums & methods with the varied materials.

Any challenges you would like to share with our readers as an Entrepreneur?

Understanding and being able to communicate your story to a customer is one of the most important part of an entrepreneur’s journey. Advice when you begin will come from all directions, being clear on what you expect from your brand and company will empower you to sift through all that and use only and only which would work for you. Most importantly, understanding and accepting that you cannot and will never be great in all aspects of running a business, hence hiring the right talent for those aspects.

We as entrepreneur’s sometimes tend to live in our bubble, but we learn very early in the journey we also need to look at our businesses from outside in apart from inside out.

What will be your message to all other women entrepreneurs?

As women some of us are extremely bad at numbers. Running a business is a passion yes but for you to ensure that the passion is fueled for a long duration, the business needs to sustain. Accounts are something most of us hate but that is one of the most important aspects that we need to grasp very early in the business.

We are inherently multi taskers and caretakers, this is our super power, use it well and the world is ours ! Adapting to an ever changing landscape, whether it is a jump from brick & mortar to e-commerce or even competitiveness needs to become a 2nd nature.

The post Exclusive Interview With Reshmaa Chabbria Founder & CEO Brand HIIH first appeared on AspiringShe.

Is Worry Necessary To Live? – Vaishali Bafna Founder of Thinkashram Centre for learning and growth.

Aspiringshe — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 07:02:38 +0000

This article explains worry becoming the most essential ingredient of learning, growing and living and shares a way to overcome it.

Vaishali Bafna

Educationist, International Brain Gym Consultant & Instructor, Education Kinesiologist,
Founder of Thinkashram Centre for learning and growth

With changing lifestyles, we have evolved and adapted ourselves to a new pattern of thought: “I need to worry in order to live to my satisfaction.” Worry has become a survival tool instead of a threat. We use this tool to expose ourselves to constant threat and keep us in survival mode so that it necessitates the actions needed for us to move forward in our lives.

Worry has permeated into every aspect of our lives. We worry about our work, careers, hobbies, relationships, children, social settings, future, past experiences and even about how to spend our free time. It has gone beyond becoming a habit or addiction; it has become an integral part of each of us, so much so, that it is easily passing down to our future generations as genetic inheritance.

A Mindful Soul is a Worry-Free Soul

While the adults have chosen to be driven by this diabolical thought, it is disheartening to see the new age childhood so inflicted by it, not giving children the choice of free thinking. Children barely learn to move and explore at the time when they are exposed to unfathomable learning targets.

They find themselves running from one skill class to another, one tuition to another, one activity to another chasing the finishing line that they can barely understand, gauge or even see. All parents feel that this is essential exposure but can one think from the mind of a child who thrives on feeling rewarded from the environment?

A child learns to sit, crawl, walk, talk, run and move in various ways by observing and imitating to be able to do what others do. In the early years, a child’s brain develops through replicating, mapping and building the different contexts of the world as he or she learns to imitate. When children are exposed to a fusillade of expected outcomes, which may not be appropriate to their developmental stage, they become confused, are unable to focus with the same zest and lose interest. What they learn over time is what they pick from such lifestyle – ‘WORRY’.

“Don’t be stuck in worries. Move to be in flow with life.”

Free movement develops mindfulness and learning develops thinking. The new age childhood is skewed where minds are pushed to think and learn but are not supported by productive movement, thus stunting the development of the brain.

Children begin to engage in structured sport activities way before engaging enough with the unstructured. They engage in cognitive learning classes with difficult targets before they develop their brain and body enough to engage with them. They learn to play musical instruments without developing the dexterity and strength for readiness. How much they learn and gain in terms of quality, no one knows; but, for sure they learn one thing – compensations.

This skewed brain development soon manifests in lack of interest, erratic behavior, socio-emotional and cognitive struggles. It is not rare to hear of a four-year-old not wanting to engage in outdoor activities, or for a student to express huge reluctance to writing. “My child is a fussy eater….My child is lazy and simply procrastinates from taking responsibility.

My teenager is unable to cope with pressure and emotions…” Parents are only left with accepting these dilemmas. Kinesiology is the promise for the present childhood. It not only enables whole brain development but more importantly, it facilitates it through goal driven movements – simple but profound and essential for the development that has somehow not been
explored enough while growing up.

Thinkashram, focusing on specialized programs anchored through mindful thinking, is an organization promoting kinesiology based education for all ages across a wide spectrum of personal and professional growth and development related objectives; it educates children and adults not only of what they want to learn but also empower them with understanding and improving their
mindfulness.

Children attend personalized programs for diverse reasons – academic, socio-emotional, behavioral – where a wholesome and multi-faceted plan secures them with a growth mindset to life instead of a worried mindset. A specialized parent-child developmental program is also offered for babies in their first year.

Private consultations are offered to teenagers and adults to facilitate them to move forward when they feel stuck in any aspect of their lives, be it for education, work, relationship, self, etc.

The post Is Worry Necessary To Live? – Vaishali Bafna Founder of Thinkashram Centre for learning and growth. first appeared on AspiringShe.

Exclusive Interview with Sanjana Shah

Aspiringshe — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 10:51:16 +0000

Sanjana Shah comes from an Art and Real Estate background. She took over her family’s art gallery business – Tao Art Gallery, which is an established cultural hub of Indian art in Mumbai for twenty years. In the role of the Creative Director, she co-curates exhibitions, writes concept notes, ideates on new potential collaborations, and manages the gallery’s brand image and sales. She is also working as an independent Art Curator and Consultant both in India and internationally.

As an extension of her role as an Art Consultant, she works part-time in her family company, Group Satellite. She oversees the interiors and aesthetics and engages with clients and interior designers for art sales post-completion.

Your thoughts on the significance of art in Interior Designing in an Indian Context.

Coming from a real-estate background, I can personally attest to the immense value addition that good art can bring to ones home. Any interior design is incomplete without the finishing touches of complimenting art and accessories. Especially today with the Contemporary advent of more minimalist, chic and monochromatic interiors, art brings that necessary and refreshing pop factor to the entire look.

I wouldn’t say ‘good art’ refers to expensive art, because that tends to be a common misconception in India! Good art is any art that speaks to its audience, has roots in the current dialogue of art trends, and works well with the aesthetics of a place.

How art form has changed over the last decade in India?

My gallery, Tao Art Gallery, has witnessed the changing landscape of Indian art over the past two decades. From the times when the works of our Modern Indian Masters like Hussain and Raza graced the walls in the early 2000’s, to the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent pick-up in the last decade with the ent ands at the brink of transition again as we enter the new decade, especially with the new normal triggered by this pandemic! The nature of the art scene in Mumbai in the initial years of the gallery limited intellectual and creative growth for both the art consumer and the curator.

Today however things are different, the importance and value of art is rising again and a new meaning is associated with the term ‘art appreciation’ in India. This is the time to expand and encompass a wider idea of art that goes beyond the canvas, curation that explores dimensions, ideas, and parallel thinking in order to open the mind of the viewer.

I believe art can be found in every single thing: installations, theatre, dance, literature, philosophies, music, all of these human expressions are an art in and of itself! It is necessary to create hubs that combine all of these elements into one symbiotic space. Digital too, is now a medium that must be explored thoroughly and virtual art rooms are now an irreplaceable feature for all shows. We are truly in the Contemporary era now and the art form isn’t bound or limited by any mediums or the four white walls of a gallery.

Your Journey as a woman entrepreneur, any challenges you have faced so far while?

I am perhaps not an entrepreneur in the truest sense of the word because I have taken forward the mantle of a family business. But alongside I have also expanded independently my passion of being an Art Curator and Consultant, both in India and Internationally. I have also initiated new avenues in Tao that help the gallery to engage with a larger audience and occupy a more meaningful space in the art world!

I founded the #EducateForArt series with the sole purpose of conserving the rich heritage of global art and allowing audiences to explore the wonders of art in a truly experiential manner through wholesome workshops for kids and adults promoting Art Appreciation, Art History and Art Knowledge.

The journey has been incredibly fulfilling but yes, also slightly challenging. Any expansion will face resistance in the beginning just because you are nudging beyond and reaching higher. There is also the classic scenario of butting heads with the older minds in any organization when younger mindsets enter. The art world is fueled by its social networks and being able to enter that and maneuver your way successfully is a task that requires careful effort and continuous engagement.

Despite every hiccup however, the one thing that kept me going was my passion for my profession! I am lucky to be doing what I love.

How has the current pandemic changed the Art scenario

In the beginning we were all a bit skeptical about the Indian art market recovering from such a crisis! It seemed doubtful that people would want to invest in a luxury commodity like art in a situation like this. However, the art world’s quick innovation and adaptability changed the game and by August, virtual shows and online auctions were booming! People definitely seem to now realize the increased value of living in beautiful homes when stuck indoors for such a prolonged period of time. Many people want to begin their art collection or re-decorate their homes.

Another great development has been the rise of creativity in this period. Any sort of crisis tends to fuel expression and our artists have not held back. A lot of good works have come out of this period and most with reasonable prices, perhaps triggering a newer trend of affordable art. The art from this time will definitely be a special collectible for connoisseurs and collectors to have and remember for decades to come.

From a technical perspective of course the first change was taking art shows entirely virtual. To keep online shows successful, the key will be to choose the art that can be done justice to when viewed online and the thematic curation of shows has to be strong to be eye-catching at a time when everyone is trying to grab eyeballs online.

Collaborating virtually and supporting one another not just nationally, but internationally, is the way forward for the global art world. I was given the opportunity to become the Indian ambassador for the Arte Laguna Prize 20.21 during this pandemic, and I have interacted with ambassadors from different countries on Zoom. So in fact in this global lockdown, there is an increase in mutual under standing and ideation.

Art will never only be about online viewings, in my personal opinion. I have always believed that the art piece is as much about the creator as it is about the viewer. The engagement, the interaction, is crucial and can only be done thoroughly when one is physically present to see it in all its forms and angles. With multi-media increasingly coming into use in Contemporary Indian Art, most art pieces are very layered and complexly created and this complexity cannot easily be captured on camera and experienced digitally.

However, as I mentioned, technology has improved and with a 3D virtual tour it is possible to experience it online in a more than satisfactory way. This is however costly and in the long-term needs to be sustained with other types of engagement to generate sales. As curator it becomes even more crucial today for us to communicate ideas and concepts to the viewers experiencing the art digitally as to avoid anything getting lost in translation. The story-telling narrative in the art will also become even more crucial.

Your message to all our readers especially to other women entrepreneurs and professionals.

I believe that just like life, one’s business too should strive to have a balance. Especially a balance between creativity and calculation! Extremism of any kind can lead to a collapse and consistency in character and commitment is crucial for any kind of success! I feel like as a woman entrepreneur especially in fields that are male dominated, there are moments one feels undervalued or insecure.

However, I do believe that women are able to navigate life with better balance and perspective and have it in them to stay afloat no matter what. I would like to tell all my fellow women entrepreneurs and professionals that no matter what you are made to believe otherwise remember that you define who you are and who you want to become. So tap into your inner sense of self and know that sky is the limit!

The post Exclusive Interview with Sanjana Shah first appeared on AspiringShe.

Special Talk with Chahat Aggarwal

Aspiringshe — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 09:57:15 +0000

When did you think of founding Impact Study?

I’d say it’s the mix of my problem-solving skills and my passion for fair play that got me to establish the Impact Study biz. It was taking too long to get products and services to the market and often at considerable expense; resulting in start-ups losing to the big players creating a sort of monopolization in business. I have seen how these businesses were simply struggling due to a lack of direction and a cohesive overall strategy.

Companies have been exuberantly exhausting their resources on creative and business consulting firms, only to find themselves struggling to bridge the gap between the results of the two. The ordeal of having to delegate finances and time on business consultation or brand positioning and lack of execution direction has been stunting the growth of several potential market leaders.

So as a solution, I started Impact Study Biz an amalgamation of Brand and Business strategy to help start-ups with time and budget-friendly cohesive strategy with execution tools. This provides companies with sustainable growth and access to market-creating fair opportunities for new products and services.

What are the core ideas and strategy you follow at Impact Study?

At Impact Study Biz we leverage technology and data science, to generate brand and business strategy that creates an impact in the market and brings real-world results. Our strategy is simple, we use data, we know how to read the market trends, and build predictable models through technology. The back of our backgrounds lies in branding and management; it gives us an extra advantage to bring these two things together. Our core idea is about building a fair-market. Every startup, innovator, an entrepreneur should have access to the strategy so that they can bring their products and services to consumers. That’s how we build monopsony instead of a monopoly and we do just that, we bring working strategies to this start-up and help them establish themselves and grow their business.

How can one join and learn through Impact Study?

We are always hiring, so anyone who is interested can drop in an email to contact@impactstudybiz.com with the subject “employment application ” and as we see an opportunity fit for the applications we received we hire them. We provide on the job training, we believe that theories are useful but when you actually do the work and get into the core reality of it that is what builds a useful experience.

What are the opportunities you’re building for youngsters?

We hire a lot of freshers and interns in different segments, providing them opportunity to pick from full time, part time or project related engagement. I believe everyone has their unique way of working and we encourage creativity, out of the box ideas and let them explore their own way to get things done. It’s all about building accountability, ability to take decisions, meeting KPIs without putting blinders on them. I promote independent ideas rather than conformity. This helps build them into responsible professionals.

Your Core Strengths?

I say that our superpower is problem-solving. To be able to do that effectively we are Grounded, Creative, and Audacious. It’s this combination that keeps us picking up big problems and we always find a creative solution for it. But it’s our grounded attitude, that reminds us that whatever action we take needs to bring results. Hamilton really captures the senses of your entire company with this line- “I am just like my country, Young Scrappy and Hungry”. That’s what our strength is! We value time and money, just like every other startup. hence we are accountable for our actions for our clients and we make sure that instead of asking them to dream smaller, we work hard to get them closer to their goals in a sustainable way.

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