As part of our ongoing quest to get you meaningful and powerful stories from the India and around the world, we invited Chinmayee Kusnur for an exclusive interview with BrilliantRead Media. She is the Founder of Khadi Sustainability. Let’s read more about her inspiring story!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with her:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur, please;
I’m Chinmayee Kusnur, a student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, where I am pursuing Bachelor of Science in Interactive Art and Technology, currently living back here in Mumbai. I had to return home in March, just halfway through the semester because of the outbreak. Back to the “Economic Problem”, the idea came from the shortage of masks during my journey back home from Vancouver. My concerns were validated as an opportunity by the visualisation of the under-privileged being unable to procure masks for themselves and their loved ones then for sure the unprivileged because of the shortage, despite the announcement by the Government of India making masks as accessories to be worn mandatorily at all the times when outside in public places. Therefore we started our company, Khadi Sustainability and launched our product, KHADI KAVACH.
The reason behind choosing Khadi has multiple dimensions. Firstly, the obvious: the material: is durable, scalable and washable, aligns with sustainability and reusability, and allows air to permeate through. The second largely overlooked aspect of it is considering that the cloth is hand spun & hand woven, the production itself creates a lot of scope in terms of employment generation, and aids self-help groups. Emphasising on how this can happen, these Khadi masks have been crafted in my native Dharwad, situated in North Karnataka.”
I’m grateful to my cousin Nachiket Jamadar for handling the logistics and making them available. Cloth based masks are ideal in balanced conditions, taking decent care of personal hygiene, while also scoring well on other aspects such as reusability and “low footprint”. India has a population of over 130 crores, and a large chunk of the same cannot really afford even the most basic necessities. Considering this, and the outbreak, it is almost rational to create something that solves both the issues.
We need to democratise KHADI KAVACH for everyone; for those below the poverty line and help them fulfil their right to live.
What if that something could also make us “Atma Nirbhar”? As our Honourable Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi praised during his speech, Khadi is truly ours, and we need to take it to the nation. Back to our nation. We have a long way to go, both in terms of the adoption of Khadi and in our fight with the pandemic.
Khadi Kavach
We began by carrying out a crowd-funding campaign through “Ketto” and were able to create a pool of ₹100,000/-, and since then have distributed such masks to the Indian Army, Mumbai Police, other security personnel, and to the underprivileged. But this is just the beginning, and we are not stopping. Currently, the proceeds collected by selling these masks are used to donate more to those who need them.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
I am currently just a student and while coming back from Vancouver I saw there is a shortage of masks. This led me to do my part to help society.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
My parents and I started working on this immediately after I came back in March.
Our masks are manufactured in Dharwad, North Karnataka. It was extremely difficult for us to transport masks from there as inter-state transport was limited.”
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
For Sure Emotions! This business, Khadi Sustainability, wasn’t started to make money. Our Mantra is ‘To give our Khadi Kavach, to every single needy and underprivileged person in this country.’
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
When we are working towards providing masks to every citizen which is now a necessity in this pandemic, pressure and stress comes secondary.
What has worked well for you so far?
Having begun and come so far, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my parents, without whom this initiative wouldn’t have been possible. I’m also thankful to my Father’s firm – Aquakraft Projects Pvt Ltd, for enabling and boosting this project. Their immense support through this whole process has helped me to donate 4000 masks till now!
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
For me, success here is when everyone who cannot afford this basic necessity has a Khadi Kavach through our initiative.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring entrepreneur?
I am honestly really young to give any advice as I have just started off! However, I would like to say one thing that everyone should do their part, be it small or big to help the society in this pandemic.”
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
