Kitsch Hits Karnataka

Most college graduates have their heads brimming with creativity and the urge to make a difference. The initial enthusiasm and idealism soon withers away and what is left is a fragment of a dream. Not in the case of some of Bangalore’s young entrepreneurs who have decided to give flight to their dreams through novel initiatives.

Since the age of 16, Naadia Mirza had been organizing birthday parties and surprises in Bangalore. She went on to major in ‘Creative business’ in college and came up with the idea of Dotted i. What started as a cake shop has now diversified into an enterprise that deals with an impressive product range, event management and experiential gifting. With a team of 25, Dotted i has built a considerable client base in Bangalore who swear by their innovative party ideas and cakes.

“There is huge scope in Bangalore and as long as I can keep creating ideas, the sky is the limit,” says Naadia effervescently.

Shubra Chadda from Chumbak says, “Someone once told me that India is going through this phase where it is rewarding entrepreneurs. I really believe that Bangalore and other cities help startups.” According to her, “Every time I travelled, I bought back a memory of that place in the form of a fridge magnet. For some strange reason, you could never find great quality and fun magnets in India.” That’s where the idea of Chumbak began.

With encouragement from friends and family, and firm about

enjoying doing whatever they did, Team Chumbak gave tourists coming to India something interesting to carry back with them. Fridge magnets, bobbleheads, keychains, photo frames, mugs and a whole lot of other paraphernalia featuring motifs like the ubiquitous Indian auto or yogis are Chumbak’s forte. The team fervently believes that “India is such a wonderful topic and you never know what comes your way.”

Killi, which means Parrot in Tamil, represents the vibrant and fun nature of its owners Deepika Ramji & Sneha Makam. Their work philosophy is “the love towards India and everything Indian, and a motto to create a difference in the art world with completely kitsch and desi art and design.”

Classmates from Chitrakala Parishat, Bangalore; the twenty-three year old girls specialized in sculpting and graphic designing respectively before hitting upon the idea of starting their own venture. Their love of travelling and photography is evident in their product line that ranges from tea tables, mirror frames, palangulis, piggie banks, hair brushes and several others.

“Our favorite themes are chai & auto, we just can’t do without them,” say the duo. The famous Indian auto may not appear very appealing squelching smoke on the streets, but when it comes to kitschy art, it sure is a winner.

-Raintree Media Features