At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this endeavour, we invited Isha Gupta for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Influencer and Change Enabler. Isha is the founder of Maa Mitahara. Her startup helps moms to stay healthy after delivery. She turned all the grandmother’s remedies into a successful business. Let’s learn more about her incredible journey, her background, and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Isha:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. The disintegration of joint families and the rise of nuclear families created a need and to fulfil it, I have started ‘Maa Mitahara’.
I was born in a Marwari family, where going to college and studying for girls was just a hobby, not a necessity. There was no question of leaving the house to do a job. It was considered bad for a woman to do business and earn money.
I got married at the age of 24 before anything could happen in her life. The parents also found the boy in the Marwari community. But the boy was not like other Marwari boys. He inspired me to move forward in life.
My journey of professional studies, job and finding my existence started after marriage and today at the age of 39, I am the founder of a start-up. I live in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and there I started Maa Mitahara a year ago.
How did the idea of this startup come?
So I got married in the year 2008. My husband Amit Gupta was a chartered financial analyst.
In 2009, I was pregnant with my first child. I lived alone with my husband in Delhi. Mother, grandmother or any elder was not with me. There was no one to tell me what things they should take care of during this period.
I did not take care of myself during my first pregnancy. Eating the same fast food, no time to sleep, nor to wake up. Not any kind of exercise, yoga or exercise. During pregnancy, people behaved as carelessly as they usually do during their youth. Whatever the negligence, one has to suffer the consequences.”
However, the consequences of negligence during pregnancy have to be suffered for a long time. Since I did not take care of my health during delivery, the time after delivery was very difficult for her. It took me around 4 to 5 month to recover. Whereas, Doctors say that if the mother’s diet and health are good during pregnancy, then the recovery time is 30 to 40 days. If it takes more time than that, it means that the mother’s health and eating habits are not good.
But this did not happen during the second pregnancy five years later in 2015. During this time, both my mother-in-law and my mother were with us and they neither had the opportunity nor permission to be careless. After delivery, both the mothers prepared laddus of japa gum, dry ginger, celery, coconut and jaggery. Surprisingly, this time the recovery time was very short.
I understood that this is not just talk, but a very basic and natural need of a mother. In a patriarchal country like India, where women generally do not get much respect, affection, care and equal space, there to a pregnant woman and a post-natal woman are given a lot of care. From North to South, there is a rich tradition of food being fed to women during Japa.
Today there are many such nuclear families around us, where no elders are around to take care of the special needs of the woman during pregnancy. In such a situation, if these women get all the essential nutrients i.e. a complete diet plan in one place in the form of packaged food, then it will be convenient for them. It is said, that necessity is the mother of invention.
The disintegration of joint families and rise of nuclear families created this need and to fulfill it I started Maa Mitahara.”
Today, this startup is providing postpartum nutritional food. Mother Mitahara also has a complete panel of nutritionists and doctors.
Talk us through about your startup; what does ‘Maa Mitahara’ do?
This startup is mainly for pregnant women. It is a one-stop solution for all the problems, needs and queries of pregnant women.
It started with understanding the health and dietary needs of pregnant women after delivery. My own experience was also similar. Being a nuclear family, I was not able to take care of herself during pregnancy and after delivery.
We have made all the traditional things available in one place, on one platform, which is no longer possible for every woman and every family in our modern lifestyle.
Post-Partum Food: Today there is a complete package of post-partum food in Mother Mitahara’s list, which includes Batisa, Haldi, Lodh and Supari Laddus. Also, their special product is Japa Laddu, which has been made keeping in mind the climate of North India. This laddu is given to the mother after delivery in North Indian families. If you want to know which ingredients are used in making which product and what is its nutritional value, then you can check their website. All this information is given with every product, which contains folic acid, omega-3 fat, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and all the essential vitamins.
Apart from this, Almond Halwa is a special thing in their product, which helps in producing milk for the baby after delivery. Which contains protein, calcium and fibre in abundance.
Many times women also become diabetic during pregnancy. Some complain of thyroid or BP. According to their special needs, sugar-free products are also available here, which are made from jaggery or sugar instead of sugar. The panel of doctors and nutritionists associated with Mother Mitahara works to ensure her nutritional needs. Sometimes women consume excessive amounts of nutrients due to lack of information.
Nutritionists say that it is important for every element and herb to be in balance. If the deficiency of those elements in the body is harmful then their excess is no less dangerous. Therefore, it is important that whatever we eat should be eaten under the supervision of a nutritionist.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
It is the motivation to help pregnant women stay healthy both pre and post-partum.
How can customers buy your products?
Today all the products of Maa Mitahara are available on websites and apps like Amazon, Meesho, Flipkart, First Cry and Tata 1 MG. Besides, they also have their own website, where you can get information about those products as well as their other services. Within just one year, more than 500 pregnant women and new mothers have benefited from Mitahara.
The company has done a business of Rs 25 lakh in one year. Right now there is no profit situation, but within a year all the costs have been returned. To reach new clientele, this startup has tied up with hospitals. Future Plans: There are plans to launch pre-natal food products along with post-partum food in the future.
We want to convey to the future mothers the Garbh Sanskar mentioned in our scriptures, Vedas and Upanishads. MaaMitahara has also started providing the facility for the care of mother and child after delivery, but it is still in the initial stage.
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.
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