CHENNAI: Follow your dreams, they just might come true. For Bhavana Botta, a 23-year-old commerce graduate from Ethiraj College, her start up venture Saahagika that was launched recently was a story of triumph against all odds. And most importantly, it was a realisation of her childhood dream to become a new-age entrepreneur. As the door of the quaint silk boutique, nestled in Srinagar colony in Saidapet swings open, you step into the cosy ambience of the store, where your eyes meet the silk stoles with intricate designs, artfully crafted brass figurines and an array of saris and kurtas in vibrant colours. And at the helm of the flurry of activity is Bhavana, who greets you with a warm smile. A passionate quest to be a conscientious entrepreneur, Bhavana says, inspired her to set up Saahaagika. Her business idea based on Ahimsa silks and Organic silks-alternative silk fibre and silk crafted without using chemicals was also an initiative to encourage sericulturists and tribals who evolved an ethical way of silk cultivation.She is now busy directing her mother to take care of a customers pouring over her niche collection of saris. Bhavana who was born with Cerebral Palsy, was always keen on starting her own enterprise for youngsters, says her mother, Kalpana, who translates Bhavana’s answers by following her eyeball movement, with the aid of an alpha numeric chart. “Initially she wanted to start a mobile library because she felt it was difficult for people in wheelchairs to access libraries, later she hit upon the idea of setting a coffee shop. After doing a lot of research, she came up with the idea of selling Ahimsa silk,” explains Kalpana. Inspired by Kusuma Rajiaha, the pioneer in Ahimsa silks, Bhavana contacted him with the help of family members to get his insights. Moreover, she also set out to understand the demand for Ahimsa silk in the market to make a fool-proof business plan. She visited nearly 12 boutiques in the city and conducted a survey among her family members to gauge their buying patterns, says Kalpana. Following which, Bhavana entered into an agreement with Jharkhand Handicraft Development Corporation to source the material. “She then took a loan for 2 lakhs from IOB bank to buy the stocks,” says Kalpana, underlining Bhavana’s decision to be self reliant. Bhavana was also aided by a motley crew of youngsters — her sister Nandini and her friends, who were inspired by her drive to set up her own business. “I wanted to do it for Bhavana. I admired by her goal to become an entrepreneur,” says Aishwarya, an engineering student, who turned model for Saahaagika. “Everytime we took a photo, Bhavana would look at it and approve. I really liked the way she did it,” adds Aishwarya. “Bhavana was also particular about the colour combination for the website. If I did something wrong, she used whack me and make me get it right,” grins Nandini, who came up with the idea for creating a website for the boutique. Her supportive friends Ashwath, Sridhar and Srikanth, all aspiring designers, conceptualised the silky design for the brochure, the concept for the logo and fine tuned the eight-hour photo shoot. Incidentally, when the shop was inaugurated, Bhavana’s first client was Poonam Natarajan, chairperson of the National Trust of India and former director of Vidya Sagar. “It was very sentimental for all of us because she was the one who began rehabilitation for Bhavana when she was barely six months old,” says Kalpana. At present, a modified Eye Gaze technology is being designed in IITM to help Bhavana manage the stocks independently in the shop setting. Bhavana has big plans to upscale her business into a boutique with a coffee shop and an in house library in a year’s time. Moreover, the gung-ho entrepreneur is also keen to make her venture online soon.
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