#mad4india

Many animals suffer because they are ill-treated by humans, and when in need, nobody takes care of them. We often forget that animals and plants are also living beings. The condition of Dogs in Cherai, Kochi was quite bad. Then, Peshwa, a 57-year-old woman, stepped up and started taking care of the dogs through “Cherai Tails”.

Peshwa’s Life and Worries

Peshwa was born in India in 1964. Her father was a Gujarati, and her mother originated from Switzerland. She left India when she was 16 and moved abroad. She taught in London for many years and moved to India back in 2014. She began living and teaching in Mumbai.

During vacations in May, she used to spend at least a month in Cherai. She was devasted by the increasing dog population and sand shell excavation on the beach. The beach felt narrower with each passing year. The burning of plastic waste near the beach became a common practice.

Spreading awareness among people of Cherai

The condition of Cherai worried her. She began by educating people to take care of their city and value the resources available to them. Peshwa left Mumbai and permanently shifted to Cherai. Peshwa started collecting the waste plastic bottles from the beachside every day. On the beach, she observed a dog die because of canine distemper over 10 days.

The Saddening Condition of Dogs in Cherai

The condition of stray dogs at Cherai was bad. Every weekend stray dogs were dumped. Breeders threw out the ‘mistakes’: the pregnant dogs, the mixed breeds, and even leave plastic bags with disabled puppies inside.

One day she experienced something similar to what she observed days back. Another dog, Janghri, was dying. The dog belonged to an auto-driver. Peshwa helped the dog. She sold her laptop, took the dog to the vet, and got the dog treated.

Helping Dogs in Need

Helping Janghri motivated her to help other dogs as well. The auto-driver she helped and a vet, Dr. Ashkar Ali, joined her in the cause. It finally came into existence. It only takes in dogs that are in danger or ill. Many people reach out to Peshwa for help.

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Peshwa believes that all humans and animals deserve a safe space to live. The dogs taken in by Peshwa receive a high protein diet. Chicken and fish are an essential part of their meal. The first year is essential for building the immune system and organ growth.

Future Plans

Every year it helps approximately 250 dogs. In addition, with the help of the doctor, they have also sterilized over 500 dogs in the area. This step has helped in reducing unwanted breeding in the area.

Natural Dyes – Were always the plan

Manya Cherabuddi has always had a thing for bright primary colours. There was a time when she would spend hours in her mother’s garden, transfixed by the beauty of the blooms. She had no idea at the time that she would one day employ garden resources in such novel ways to create Natural Dyes.

Manya found solace and creativity in her mother’s well-kept garden since she had always been drawn to producing art with natural elements.

As a child, she was always collecting leaves and flowers. Manya, a natural colorist in her 30s shares that when she was younger, she had no idea that her passion for the outdoors would one day become her career.

Manya didn’t keep the skill to herself and instead began hosting classes on how to create natural dyes and colour fabrics. She has attended over 150 seminars and instructed over 5,300 pupils, both young and old, from all corners of the globe.

Manya, who was born and raised in Hyderabad, attended the University of Virginia and earned a degree in both the arts and business. Before beginning to create natural dyes, she worked for almost six years in several firms. The events leading up to this have very little linearity. But she got her business sense from her parents, who both hailed from entrepreneurial families.

She explains, “I wanted a career where I could merge art and business.”

A new Chapter Begins

Sharing what we got

She made a lot of mistakes, but this way she taught herself. She continues, “I decided to provide seminars because I hoped that doing so would facilitate the education of others.”

Later in 2019, she attended a class on natural dyes at a place called Colour Ashram in Goa, which further solidified her determination to pursue this path professionally.

Throughout the session, she was able to see the topic from a new angle. She learned about the eco-friendliness of natural dyes. People’s usage of chemical colours is bad for the environment and the skin. Most of us don’t give much thought to where the dyes used to dye our linens, curtains, and clothing originate from.

The chemical dyes are damaging to the environment and may cause cancer, but most people don’t have time to stop and think about it. She emphasises that producing natural dyes is a waste-free procedure since even the leftover water can be used to irrigate plants.

Workers in the [chemical dye] sector suffer from health problems, and the area where the dye is manufactured becomes barren and contaminated. She explains that this is a vicious cycle, but that breaking free is attainable with hard work.

Colors permeate our world, from the clothing we wear to the handkerchiefs we carry. It won’t happen overnight, and she know that, but she still think it’s feasible. Since there are natural alternatives, she constantly wonder why people choose to choose those that are loaded with chemicals.

Natural dyes production is a fascinating and entertaining process. And if enough people use it, it can lessen the tremendous amount of pollution and carbon emission that goes into creating chemical dyes,” she adds, adding that although this was first a pastime, she knew she would have a career in it when she had mastered the art form.

In 2020, Manya began offering classes in ecological dyeing under the moniker “Treehouse.”

Natural colours, such as haldi (turmeric) or a flower, may aid in recovery from illness. Yet, working with the colours to create them is a really relaxing procedure. She devised a plan she dubbed “Find Your Calm,” which included activities like producing natural dyes to help people relax. People were understandably worried due to the epidemic, therefore the show went over really well.

Seeing the reactions of everyone around her kept Manya going.

“Visiting the park, gathering flowers, and colouring with loved ones is a popular pastime. All the grownups who attended her classes suddenly felt like youngsters. They would be giddy with delight,” she recalls.

During Holi, she shared the knowledge of how to generate natural colours with others. Manya utilises ingredients found in the kitchen and yard to create her vibrant colours, including turmeric, beetroot, spinach, red cabbage, tomato, and a wide variety of flowers.

The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.”  – Conrad Anker.

The mountains possess an enchanting allure that beckons to our souls, murmuring captivating tales of adventure and unexplored possibilities. And this very pull leads some to places where they transform their lives and even impact thousands of others. For one remarkable individual hailing from an average and humble background, the magnetic pull of the Himalayas proved irresistible, leading him on an extraordinary journey and he named it “my Pahadi dukan”.

The story of Himanshu Dua, who happens to be the co-founder and CEO of “My Pahadi  Dukan,” which is a unique e-commerce store, is one of those real stories that have origins in the mountains and have impacted thousands of individuals living in the remotest areas of the Himalayas. It deserves to be told to the world.

 It is the story of Himanshu Dua and his three friends, who were wandering to find motivation, and they found their life goal in the mountains. Today, he and his three friends, Shubham Tandon, Mohammed Anas Zubair, and Rohan Sehgal, have created a platform called ” My Pahadi Dukan” where people from far away in the mountains are able to showcase their products not only to the people living in India but also to an international audience and make a better living.

 The Journey of Himanshu Dua from a Student to “My Pahadi Dukan “ Founder

Dua belongs to Bahadurgarh, which is a small town in Haryana. He graduated from the botany field and holds a master’s degree in forensic science from Delhi University. However, since his childhood, he has been exposed to travel. During his school days, he got the opportunity to visit Leh, Ladakh. 

The awe-inspiring landscapes of Leh and Ladakh seemingly whisper their enchantment to him, forever captivating his heart and igniting and seeding an unwavering passion for their tranquil beauty and the simple people living there. 

A Prodigy of our own, Phunsukh Wangdun( AKA “3 Idiots” famous character) institute

Apart from his degrees, he has also done 2 fellowships at the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Ladakh(HIAL), which is famous for its founder, Sonam Wangchuk, the person on whom the fictional character of Phunsukh Wangdun in the 2009 film ‘3 Idiots was conceptualized and played by Mr. Perfectionist Amiri Khan. It seems “Himanshu” took the lesson “Knowledge ke piche bhago, success jak marte huye piche aayegi” (Gain knowledge and success will come automatically) seriously and put his soul and sweat into finding something where he can make a difference in people’s lives.

How did the Idea of My Pahadi Dukan come into existence

So he came up with the idea of opening an e-commerce store dedicated to selling these hidden treasures from remote villages to domestic and international customers. This idea was original and had the power to transform people’s lives by allowing them to earn money simultaneously.

 Himanshu and his co-founders felt it was a great opportunity to create something sustainable and profitable. Naturally, their first motivation was to create something to help people living in these regions. And boy, have they delivered? Today, their startup has the backing of IIT Mandi Catalyst, Mr. Ritesh Agarwal from Oyo Rooms at IIM Kashipur, and they have secured financing from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare.

What products do they sell, and where are they sourced from?

The platform has a customer satisfaction rate of almost 98%, and they are able to dispatch their products all over the world, including India, because of their unique style of working, where they take preorders as well as deliver fruits and other products in good shape by using vacuum -free packing.

 What is” My Pahadi Dukan “  aiming for in the future?