Be it the Sachin Tendulkar shirt that hangs on the mannequinor the sarees embroidered in gold thread, each stuff at the Indian Story has atale to tell. “We believe that the work of the craftsman should be honoured”says Pooja Swaika.
Pooja and her sibling Ayesha, co-founders of Swaika labeland Indian Story say, “We were not content with the Swaika brand. So we decidedto bring Indian Story to people.” The Indian Story is an effort to verticallyintegrate the entire process and journey of the product from inception throughmanufacturing and ultimately retail, the sisters reveal.
For Ayesha who shuttles between India and the US to buildthe brand, “The Indian Story provides a platform to young and upcomingdesigners that allows them to work with craftsmen and artisans across thecountry and create products at par with the best, globally.”
But aren’t Governments taking care of their craftsmen?“Government’s role is restricted to setting up emporiums. But the stuff youfind in the emporiums is incredible craft, but very jaded. We already have somuch of it. The emporiums have been unable to contemporise the aesthetics,” thesisters tell.
So what is it that the sisters do differently? Pooja says,“We at Indian Story contemporize Indian design and craft. We make productswhich you could sell anywhere. But what sets us apart is that a good share ofour profits is invested back with our workers.” At the Indian Story there areproducts to suit everyone’s budget. Ask the sisters the highest price of aproduct, they refuse to quote the price. But they warn you that it runs intolakhs of rupees. Ask them what is their sales turnover Pooja says, “We are notbothered by the pressure to sell our products, this is not our main income.Even if we get one customer we are happy.” This is one store that remains open 365 days a year, unlike the othersthat open only during season time.
For the sisters, setting shop in Goa is more genetic. Theirmother Mamta was a veteran Geography teacher in Calcutta. It was on a familyholiday in Goa that Pooja decided that this is where she wanted to be. The restof the family moved from Delhi to settle down. Their story, the quintessentialIndian story of being indian anywhere in india
With big names from Bollywood and the cricketing worldpatronizing their products, the Swaikas have made a lasting impression. Soweather it’s a shrug made from yarn dyed checks from Salem or a little planterpainted by the people who do truck art, a mad Bollywood theme, or a Tangaisaree woven with a little Banarasi silk you can find it all at the IndianStory. You just need to hunt a bit.
