#NICEStories: Dus Dishaa – Creating a Unique Experience Through Walks

There truly exists no better way to thoroughly explore a city, than by foot. Long walks down winding paths, while listening to stories about the places you are visiting and being able to map your own path across the city while visiting historically famous areas and monuments is an experience like no other. This is what Dus Dishaa brings to you, curated special walks across Prayagraj, tailored to your wishes and expectations.

#NICEStories: Vibrant Hues- The Beauty of Hand Embroidered Sarees

Sarees, a cultural imprint of India known worldwide. Six meters of long vivid colors that catch an ethereal beauty transforming a person. Each thread is a piece to a story portrayed by the artisan in their preferred language. VibrantHues, by Rituparna De and her two co-founders, aims to achieve her vision of bringing out the artisanal beauty of sarees to showcase to the world. Along with sarees, they have also recently started product lines in stoles, dupattas, hand-made jewelry, kantha embroidered bed covers and cushion covers, etc.

#NICEStories: Investing in Adukale, a Food Cultural Business

Looking to fund your cultural enterprise but don’t know how it works? Our recent talk with one of the investors of Adukale – a food-based cultural enterprise covers just that. Adukale is a cultural food enterprise selling ready-to-eat items made with natural ingredients without any added preservatives. Investor Ashwathnarayana talks about the process and challenges behind investing in cultural enterprises. Ashwathanarayana along with his ex-colleagues at Infosys started a Social Venture to invest in early seed level companies that are heading towards becoming promising startups. He talks about the process and challenges behind investing in cultural enterprises. Read on to find out what Ashwathnarayana has to say about Adukale’s growth along with the broader picture of being an investor in other such cultural enterprises.

#NICEStories: Travelling through Time with Heritage Inspired

Ever wondered about the rich legacy left behind by our ancestors? Heritage Inspired is here to traverse the trails of history and find out answers to millions of unanswered questions about our deep heritage.
Experiential and insightful tours etched in the prosperous South Indian heritage, Heritage Inspired promotes all-inclusive luxury tourism.
Follow Anand Rajarathinam’s detailed journey as he weaves out an enterprise out of a sheer passion for Indian history.

#NICEStories: Paytaan – Revamping the Indian Leather Footwear Industry

Paytaan is a cultural enterprise that focuses on the manufacture and trade of leather footwear like Kolhapuri chappal. 

Kolhapuri chappals date back to over 800 years ago worn mainly by the royal lineage- a matter of honor. This elevates the importance of this uniquely crafted product in the cultural history of India. Paytaan is more than just chappals – they are focused on building a better ecosystem for this industry while creating an international brand for Indian craftsmanship.

Let’s take a deep dive into the roots of Paytaan with the founder, Anurag Kokitkar.

Part 3 – Brand Strategy: What’s in a Name?

How often have you judged a book by its cover? A brand name and logo is the jacket worn by any enterprise.
How can you imbue meaning into a brand name? Which palette makes up the perfect logo? How can you sync the brand name with the brand characteristics? Read on to understand how to convey the brand story with the brand name and logo. From Branding expert, Preeti Sawhney.

Part 2 – Brand Strategy: Creating a Brand Identity

Some things cannot be fixed with a simple cosmetic surgery, especially a concept as long-lasting as a brand identity. Brands, especially in their early stages must work towards creating a cohesive brand identity.

How can you craft a brand impression for your enterprise? How can your identity convey an experience tailored to the customer’s expectations? Read on to gain brand strategy expert, Preeti Sawhney’s insights as she explains the components of a brand identity.

Different Funding Sources for Entrepreneurs

The pitch to secure the right amount of funding is daunting for any entrepreneur. Furthermore, securing the right method of funding is an important factor as well.

Read on to gain insights into equity, loans, grants and practices to follow to raise capital.

#NICEStories – Zishta: Bringing Traditional Indian Cookware and Crafts Back into your Homes

Ever seen your grandmother’s initials etched on your mother’s utensils? India has always carried forward the practice of passing down utensils and serveware generationally. Zishta was started by Meera Ramakrishnan, Archish Mathe Madhavan and Varishta Sampath with a vision to revive and leverage traditional wisdom to make homes more environment friendly and holistic.

Currently serving over 22 countries, Zishta brings to your homes heritage crafts and cookware from their place of origin. Follow Meera’s journey as she highlights the benefits of these age-old practices, and what it takes to make a business sustainable.

#NICEStories: How Plume Jewelry is Redefining Trends in Heritage Jewelry

Wanted your jewelry to speak your mind? Featuring Plume Jewelry, a house of handcrafted fine jewelry. Rupali Gupta and Rakshit Jargad founded Plume with the vision of redefining trends in fine silver jewelry through creative reinterpretation of heritage crafts and design. They create ethno-contemporary designs executed with heritage craftsmanship.
By converting customers’ designs into final pieces with their in-house expertise, Rupali and Rakshit focus on delighting and winning customers. Read on to find out how they are striving to carve a niche in the affordable luxury jewelry space with Plume.