Marigold millionaire and food entrepreneurs

Dear Reader,

India is home to more arts and crafts than one can ever learn about. Some crafts are specific only to a village because of its unique climate or topography or because a community of artisans settled there and has not moved out.

Not surprisingly, Sushmita Kaneri, a software engineer, decided to revive the dying crafts after meeting some artisans who were practising various art forms. She set up Gullakaari in 2023 to provide sustainable livelihoods to artisans, writes my colleague Aruna.

Gullakaari has revived 13 art forms across nine states and has created a network of 1000-plus artisans who make eco-friendly functional products in contemporary designs. Its annual revenues will hit Rs50 lakh this fiscal (the second year of launch).

Last week, I spoke to Arup Kumar Ghosh, who incurred losses when he first attempted to grow marigolds over 0.25 acres in Kolaghat, West Bengal. He then went to Thailand and learned to prepare seeds and saplings of the high-yielding Tennis Ball marigold variety, which produces bright, firm flowers in two months of plantation.

Today, Arup sells over four crore saplings apart from flowers and seeds of marigold, clocking Rs6 crore annually. He is also helping hundreds of farmers to shift from unprofitable farming to marigold cultivation.

Entrepreneurs in India are reviving and popularizing regional foods to preserve culinary heritage, promote sustainability, and cater to health-conscious consumers. My colleague Anu has put together a piece on five new-age entrepreneurs who found success in the business of traditional foods like sattu, cold-pressed oils, millet-based laddus and more. 

Our Sunday story is on Maharashtra’s Shetphal village, where each house has a designated place for snakes, including cobras, to rest and bless the family. Even the children play with snakes, and there has been no instance of snakebite ever! 

Happy Reading!

Warmly, 
Rashmi