Story Of Tribe Chatari
deAsra Foundation had the opportunity to be a part of a vibrant workshop for young college enthusiasts – our future generation of entrepreneurs. Here is an inspiring story from the workshop held at the Garware College, Pune that can ignite the other young entrepreneurial minds.
Tribe Chatari is an elegant and picturesque store that has an array of tribal products. The idea of this store was born in the mind of Mr. Shrikrishna Paranjpe, an architect and a photo journalist who studied tribal communities across India. As he was fascinated with the diversity and the beauty of the products, he wanted to help these communities portray a part of their lifestyle to urban locals. He even stayed in Dahanu, a village in Maharashtra where
the Varli tribe resides. Through this experience, he was able to understand the intricacies involved in making products.
This desire was put into action after an immense amount of research. Mr. Paranjpe also mentioned how the workers from the tribal communities stayed with him while they worked on the products. In fact, the store in Pune was also designed by these artisans. This ensures a complete journey into the lives of tribal communities. Today, Shrikrishna Paranjpe and Poorva Paranjpe run this store very successfully in Pune. They get a number of customers who are interested in handicrafts. Some of these customers are also from the U.S., U.K and other foreign countries. Mr. Paranjpe is not only a very knowledgeable man, but he also makes sure that he imparts this knowledge upon his customers. He is also writing a book on the tribes in Maharashtra which includes insights on all the tribes of the state. Tribal Chatari aims at empowering the people from tribal areas. It helps these groups to gain an income, sustain in this economy and be a part of the community. Mr. Shrikrishna is also grateful for his experiences with the tribes and he believes that there are a lot of lessons to learn from them.
Mr. Shrikrishna Paranjpe and Mrs. Poorva Paranjpe also own Balmudra, a company that makes professional portfolios of children to bring out the uniqueness of every child. A strength of their partnership is how well they treat their customers. Their customers are extremely satisfied with their talent and interpersonal skills. Their ability to connect with customers and their efficiency is truly a key to their success. Mr. Paranjape has utilized his gift of learning, photography and kindness to create a niche but much-needed market. His versatility, enthusiasm and depth of knowledge are characteristics that distinguish him from other entrepreneurs.