Inspirational Stories: In the winter of 2017, Mohit Ahluwalia and Jagjyot Kaur visited Bali for the perfect vacation. The couple returned home with fresh optimism and aspirations in addition to lovely memories from their trip. The well-off professional couple quit their jobs to launch their own company. Both Mohit Ahluwalia and Jagjyot Kaur were employed as human resources managers. Mohit Ahluwalia was a sales professional.
Crafting Joyful Living with Raamaé
The Chandigarh couple established “Raamae” in 2019, a home and lifestyle company that offers cushion covers, tote bags, blankets, and pouches that are hand-block printed by skilled artisans. Raamaé, a Balinese word, describes the kind of life that Balinese people lead—finding joy despite residing in a crowded and chaotic world. “A trip to Bali I took a few years ago was the turning point of my life. There, I noticed the potential of a substantial handmade product market as the Balinese were creating quality and aesthetically-pleasing products. I wondered why Indian handmade products don’t enjoy the same popularity that their foreign counterparts did,” Jagjyot was quoted as saying to shethepeople.tv.
How Raamaé Champions Block Printing Artistry
Mohit told The Better India that when visiting marketplaces in Bali, they came to realise the superior worth of Indian-made fabrics with block printing, both financially and in terms of gaining the patronage of consumers. The same goods were “not given much importance in India,” he continued, despite the fact that Bali had a huge market for them. After returning home, the pair decided to promote block printing and support artisanal livelihoods. After abandoning their more than ten-year corporate occupations, they co-founded Raamae in 2019. Currently, they provide 60 various product categories, including quilts, wallets, purses, and pillow coverings, for purchase in India and abroad.
Raamaé’s Journey of Modernizing Block Printing
In 2018, they travelled to Jaipur to take part in a two-day block printing workshop with regional artisans. Three months later, they showed quilts and pillowcases in Delhi. They initially limited their conversations with the painters to colours and patterns. However, traditional patterns were subdued and had little colour, and many people preferred traditional interior design with a touch of contemporary design. As a result, they changed the appearance throughout time to suit modern clients. The business, which started with 4 lakh rupees, now brings in 18 lakh rupees each month, or 2.16 crore rupees yearly. The principal suppliers of their orders are Rajasthan, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mysore, Goa, Kerala, Imphal, Assam, and Mizoram. American and UAE customers are also catered to by them.
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