Go GREEN

In winters of 2017, while sipping their cup of hot coffee, three best friends were discussing an important topic of "How can we change the world?". No prizes for guessing that one of them was me. Over the years, this question has stuck with me and has been one of my consistent deciding parameters when making life choices. However, unlike my other two friends, I did not know then how I would be playing my part in bringing the change. When I look around today, I find a lot of my young cousins and friends to be in the same boat as I was. Even though I am proud of the change-maker journey I have traversed so far, my 25-year-old self wishes I knew a person like Jagruti Khabiya Jain in the past. A bio architect student who is the founder of Araatrika, an eco-retail venture, is a power-packed creator of environment-friendly products (specifically, happy pencils) that sell like hot cakes in India and abroad. Looking back at the company's registration in 2017, Araatrika and Jagruti have come a long way with impressive business turnover, and retail shops spread across Rajasthan, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and many more. Beyond business numbers and achievements, what drew me towards her were her life philosophy and practices. Jagruti walks the talk by having adapted green and zero waste lifestyle herself. I had a great time conversing with and learning from her. I hope you enjoy the parts of our conversation below.

1. Go, Chase, Your Dreams- Jagruti is an epitome for Mary Poppin's below quote.

"Go, Chase, Your Dreams. You Won't Regret it. Anything can happen if you let it."

For a short duration before starting her venture, Jagruti worked for a bio-architect firm in Auroville. This firm was into the creation and upcycling of earthly products. She enjoyed the work a lot but, had to return to the Pune city. Even though she started working in Pune, her inner self was constantly nudging her to do something for the soul. Had it not been her determination and hustle, Araatrika might not have seen the light of the day. You might ask - what did she end up doing to make her soul happy?

She followed her passion by working on multiple DIYs after her 9-5 job. But, her dreams were bigger than making creative stuff and putting it in her showcase or merely gifting to family members. She would take her 50 different DIY products to different Sunday flea markets and sell it across. How did she end up quitting her job and working full time for it? Her CA friend, who is her husband now, believed in the idea and guided her to scale it up.

2. Green Unit- From the time Jagruti joined her venture as a full-time employee, she brought in the energy needed to remove the greyness in the world. Her company's name signifies this very fact and is a Sanskrit word that translates to the removal of all darkness. Araatrika's team continues to bring in some more green instead, and the numbers prove it all.

They have sold 4,20,000 paper-made pencils so far, which amounts to the rescue of 20-feet long 16,720 trees that would have been otherwise used to make wood pencils. I was quite overwhelmed by these numbers itself but, there was more in store. Jagruti brought in her passion project- upcycled diary, which is made from waste fabric and printing industry scraps.

With 20 eco-friendly diaries, we could save 1 kg of fabric from getting to the landfill. Unlike many other creative heads, Jagruti designs sustainability into each of its products. During my conversation with Shekar Prabhakar, CEO of Harisu Dala Innovations Pvt. Ltd., he mentioned an insightful thought below.

" We talk so much about climate change, sustainability, and so on. It is the time the responsibility shifted from externality to being internal to you (sic)."

Jagruti has internalized and implemented this thought in every way possible through her green unit.

3. Get something down to a fine art- Jagruti might have started with 50 odd products, but today she stands tall with 5-6 niche products. For long term and consistent growth, was it necessary to trim it down? She said the focus was the key, and all these products are usually high in demand. So much so that the demand for newspaper pencil outruns the supply, which is one of the best issues an entrepreneur can have. In terms of her responsibilities too, she identified her core strengths which are in creative design and sales. Using this reflection exercise, she delegated the rest to the team who love to contribute their part in Araatrika's success. Her practices of cutting down all unwanted stuff and focusing on critical parts are helping her move mountains. Steve Job's quote justifies it to the core.

" Focus and simplicity...once you get there, you can move mountains."

Her advice to anyone wanting to succeed in the area of their passion is priceless.

a)It's scary if you have to leave your job, but do it anyway,

b) have a mentor, and

c) stick to what you love.

My 25-year-old self wishes I had known her for it would have accelerated my change-maker progress. What interesting awareness ('Jagruti') did she bring to you? Do share your feedback, stories, and comments below.