Chumbak

It is common knowledge now about how I love featuring entrepreneurs on SHP. Today, I bring to you two such awesome women- Alicia Souza and Shubhra Chadda and of course, lurking in the background- the anonymous benefactor Darth Vader.

Chumbak started four years ago (and died to be re-ignited earlier this year) as an idea in Shubhra's mind to create India inspired fridge magnets. And then she met illustrator extraordinare, Alicia Souza and...... do you think I'm going to use the clichéd "The rest is history!"? Think again! Well, Shubhra and Alicia went their separate ways, rather separate countries- Alicia moved to Australia. They re-connected a few years later and finally Chumbaki was born.

I'm going to start the peek into Chumbak's fun products with Alicia and Shubhra's first love: Chumbak fridge magnets. And unlike most other 'India inspired' products, Chumbak's stuff is priced very reasonably.

Fridge magnets too banal for you? How about a tin of Indian flavoured chocolates then? Supari, Coconut, Garam Masala and Ginger! I would buy those just for that colourful fun tin!

Here is a peek into some of Chumbak's loot. Look at how far A & S have come from fridge magnets! So, the loot includes- Boxer Shorts, Posters, Keychains, Tees, Bookmarks, Luggage tags, Notebooks, Postcards, Charms, Coasters, Mousepads, Mugs, Piggy Banks, Playing cards and even Hadmade soap! Phew!

My first glance at Chumbak's webstore and 'Travel pens' caught my eye. Whazzat? City guides in a pen. These travel pens have banners inside them, giving you a quick "Lonely Planet Lite" information on each city- What to eat, where to go, what to buy.  Quite unique isn't it? Way to go girls!

Visit Chumbak's online store to buy their fun products. Or you can find them on Facebook here.

Suggested reading:

Story of Shubhra and Alicia's struggles as an entrepreneur on their blog: The joys and sorrows of a startup.

How it all began- I think this inspires aspiring entrepreneurs to keep trying at it, even if it is a 4 year journey like Chumbak's was.

Alicia's wonderful illustrations on her blog.

Sound Horn Please for these inspiring women!

Pop Goes the Art: Nidhi Chopra

 Ever thought of breaking out of that boring 9-5 job and making it on your own someday? Well, Nidhi Chopra, then Karnavat, did exactly that. Armed with a graduate degree in Mass Media and a pop art painting she had made as a gift, Nidhi started 'Pop Goes The Art'. And take a look at how far she has come!

Send PGTA a photo of yourself or a loved one and you get a hand painted canvas a la Andy Warhol!

... Or hand painted personalized clocks 

Like the previous SHP post on 500 BC, here are some more kitschy bags! How dreamy is Madhubala?

These gorgeous laptop desks makes the prospect of spending long hours working on the laptop easier to bear.

How about some colourful cushion covers? I loved the colourful one on the evolution of means of transport and then given my Buddha fetish, of course the Buddha!

 

Love Indian kitsch? Here are some printed wall clocks. Don't you love the 2nd one? It doesn't have the usual images that we see everywhere defining what Indian kitsch is...

Loved all the eye candy? Hop on to Pop Goes The Art's website or Facebook page if you want to place an order or enquire about prices.

I'm leaving you with some lovely PGTA boxes, as a peek into tomorrow's post on my box fetish. Check back in tomorrow! The Lakshmi boxes are PGTA's latest Diwali launch. Order while still in stock!

{Photos credit to: Pop Goes The Art}

Aarohi Singh: Bangalore Exhibition

Aarohi doesn't need any introduction, but for those of you might have not  paid attention to the desi kitsch wave in the Indian art scene, Aarohi is on top of that wave- riding high! I woke up this morning to the email that she is having an exhibition in Bangalore and regret that I couldn't attend filled my usually happy Friday :(

So instead, I'm writing this post. SHP's B'lore readers, please do go take a peek at her colourful hand-painted baltis, kettles, center tables and trunks and take some home. And for those of you in Madras, B'lore is a 3 hour train ride and its a trip worth making! Details below!

The hot pink of the poster should give you an indication of what's in store for you ;)

For more details of the exhibition and to take a look at Aarohi's unique artwork visit her blog, Art by Aarohi.

Bollywood Cushions: Urban Barn

So many many times I've looked at kitschy cushion covers from some of the talented South Asians I've featured or drooled at similar features on other blogs and sighed wondering why owning one required me to either pay prohibitively for shipping or even worse wait for my next India trip to cart them back *Sigh*

So, you can understand my delight when I found these lovely Bollywood/India themed ones at Urban Barn. which is geographically at least slightly more gettable!

How about some really innovative ones made from jute rice bags? They made me think twice about throwing my rice bags out! I heart everything re-purpose-able and recyclable.

 And of course, these are 'Made in India' and carted here ;)

{Image credit for all products to Urban Barn}

Funk: Anisha Tolani and Roopa Udeshi

Anisha Tolani wrote to me a few weeks ago saying she wanted to surprise her business/creative partner Roopa Udeshi here at SHP. Awww... How could I refuse?!

So here goes....

Anisha and Roopa were batchmates at University and decided to go into partnership to start FUNK- an outlet for their creativity. Anisha paints canvas shoes and braids ear phones and Roopa decorates clutches, laptops and nails (and even the odd umbrella!) As we all know how difficult it is to strike out on our own, kudos to Roopa and Anisha on starting FUNK...

Some of the results of their collaboration-

Like their stuff? Hop onto their Facebook page.

Item Number: Play it Loud, I Say!

In founders, Inderjit Nagi & Syed Ali Arif's, own words- "What an Item Number is to a Bollywood film, Item Number is to you- a brand conceptualized to spice up, glamorize and boost the style quotient of your house or wardrobe."

 And they are ABSOLUTELY Bolly-licious!

I think the Shree 420 book is my favourite. The combination of the floating lotuses and the B&W photos absolutely knocked me down!

The Meena Kumari one is my favourite, I'm posting a closer look, so that you can all agree with me ;)

Check out the Andy Warhol-esque Helen! And of course the completely OTT gold bikini Item number Zeenat Aman which isn't me, but is still kitschy-ness at its best!

You can find Item Number on Facebook here. Item Number retails from Attic in Santacruz (W) and Azaad Bazaar in Bandra (W), in Mumbai, while talks are on with many stores across the country. Many many more soon, I hope!

I love everything Indian, colourful and kitschy; not necessarily in that order and I hope you guys loved 'Item Number' as much as I did!

All images credit: Item Number