New Delhi : Determined for transforming the lives of artisans from the remotest areas in the country, Nitika Ghosh established a social enterprise (Khoj.City) in 2019.
In a very short span of six months, the enterprise has emerged as a potent platform for artists to showcase their creative talent while also earning them a respectable means of livelihood, bereft of any discrimination.
Boon for Artisans
From the last several months, Khoj.City has been gaining popularity among the artisans around the country. Not only the platform has been instrumental in promoting their articles but providing them with a good amount of earnings as well.
The most interesting thing that fascinated artisans is the fact that there is no sort of discrimination. Khoj.City accepts products from artists living in the remotest areas of the country. The product range with Khoj.City includes handmade gifts, art collectables and paintings, stoneware and ceramics, handpaintedjewellery& accessories, handcrafted sarees and crochet kidswear.
Indian Artisans across the categories living in any ‘shehar, ‘gully’ or ‘nukkad’ can take advantage of the platform. The only criteria to be part of the enterprise is quality. A lot of people who are now selling their products on this platform are working from their homes. They maintain an inventory and as the order comes, deliver it. In their own words, it is a ‘hassle-free way of delivering happiness bundled with nostalgia.’
Concept of Living Memories AtKhoj.City
Nitika Ghosh, Founder & CEO of Khoj.City says, “Noticing the similarities between art in different areas despite class differences propelled me to create a community of artisans & creators from all over the country, which appreciates the art & talent of individuals, facilitates every artist to enjoy the same privileges and helps them find their identity.”
She adds, “The enterprise is the vision of bringing the world closer so that you can get those little things that you crave for or have a memory attached with, without any hassle and without actually having to travel to those places.”
Explaining her statement, she says, “People move to new cities to build a future for themselves, often having to leave behind a place that once they called ‘home’. Life changes with leaps and bounds but what remains unchanged in a corner of the heart are the memories of home. Now, imagine if we told you that we can take you closer to your cherished memories. Wouldn’t that make you feel content? That’s exactly what the journey of Khoj is all about.”
“We tend to remember the exact taste, texture, and emotions that were once felt, even after ages. With this mission, Khoj set off in the pursuit of happiness”, she says with a sparkling smile on her face.
Journey to Khoj.City’s Success
Initially, the project KHOJ went live with the jewelleryNitika had hand-painted as a test product on the khoj.city website. Meanwhile, she scouted for like-minded creators on social media and received a good response from housewives as well as corporate women who were passionate about art.
“Having received our first order after two months, I got my first intern Love from NIFT, Kannur, who worked hard with me till we recruited a technical team. We kickstarted our branding journey after the third operating month,” she says.
Today, within a short span of six months, the startup has grown into a six-member-strong team, handling a community of 25 artists nationwide and serving at least 20 orders per day.
The Team KHOJ
The team at Khoj.City consists of eight members. While the foundation was laid by Nitika Ghosh, many others joined her in the novel pursuit.
The prominent among her associates include Pragati Gupta (Creative Designer), SujataAdhikari (Creative Digital Officer), Parantap Banerjee (Creative Cinematographer), Sudhanshu Kumar (Creative Photographer) and Surya PratapRajpoot (Creative Editor).
It is pertinent to mention that each of the Khoj employees is mandated to update his skills by attending an event relevant to his field every month anywhere in India. A happy place with zero hierarchy, Khoj also has other employee-friendly policies like mandatory work-from-home.
This News is distributed by Digpu News Network
