Operating in the USA as a device developer for a number of years, Alankrutha Chandra and her husband, Meher Gundavarum, yearned to are living a toxin-free existence.
“I used to be at all times vulnerable in opposition to residing a chemical-free and sustainable existence. On the other hand, it was once tricky for me to construct that existence in The us,” remembers Alankrutha in a dialog with The Higher India.
The tipping level got here all over the COVID-19 pandemic when the sector was once close down. “It made me realise a large number of issues however most commonly how necessary it has turn into to are living an natural existence,” she says. Short of to come back again house and take a step in opposition to their dream of residing sustainably, the couple returned to India in 2021.
They co-founded Elephant In You – Farm, Clothes and Keep, a sustainable logo based totally in Hyderabad. Their logo is all issues sustainable from meals and keep to clothes.
“The elemental wishes of people are safe haven, clothes and meals. Our logo supplies those 3 necessities grown sustainably and organically,” she says.
Again to their roots
“Whilst we had been holed up in our houses all over the pandemic, I brainstormed concepts. I used to be positive that I sought after to create a healthy logo that is helping other folks are living a extra sustainable existence,” remembers Alankrutha.
For her analysis, she determined first of all clothes.
“Ever since I used to be a kid, I suffered from pores and skin hypersensitive reactions. After I wore sure garments, I’d get this crimson rash. I by no means took it very severely as it will vanish once I took a bathtub or got rid of the garment,” she remembers.
After researching, she discovered that such allergies are most commonly led to through chemical dyes. “I used to be getting increasingly delicate to many garments. I discovered in regards to the means of herbal dyeing on-line and that it originates in India,” she provides.
Alankrutha determined that she sought after to be informed the artwork of herbal dyes and returned to India in 2021. “I discovered a herbal dyer in Telangana who introduced me a thrilling, bartering be offering. I’d expand a website online for them and in flip, they might educate me dye garments naturally,” she says.
Inside of a month of coaching, Alankrutha was once in a position to grasp the fundamentals of herbal dyes.
“Something that was once transparent to me was once that herbal dyeing is an artwork. It isn’t one thing mechanical that anyone can do. It has its personal attractiveness and I sought after to have interaction the small group of herbal dyers provide within the making of my logo,” she says.
“I’m taking part with NGOs and farmers that ship unbleached natural cloth to make the garment and dye them naturally,” she says.
Natural meals, herbal clothes and farm existence
With Elephant In You, the couple sells a ready-to-wear assortment equivalent to shirts, attire, hoodies and bottoms in unbleached natural cotton, linen and hemp materials that use herbal dyes. On the other hand, clothes was once one a part of an approach to life, and Alankrutha sought after to create one thing that is helping other folks are living sustainably.
“I sought after to hide the 3 necessities of residing sustainably. Meals was once my subsequent goal. For this, my husband’s circle of relatives farms got here in to hand,” she says.
A farming fanatic, Meher, informs that he had at all times sought after to check out natural farming. Whilst Alankrutha give up her process and moved again to embody the farm existence, Meher adopted swimsuit a 12 months later.
“His circle of relatives has an 8-acre farm and it was once the very best position for us to check out out natural farming. We requested for 4 acres of the farm to change to herbal and natural farming,” she says.
The farm now has 40 sorts of fruit timber (10 sorts of mangoes, 3 sorts of guava, pomegranate, sapodilla (sapota), candy lime or mosambi, Java plum, lemons, famous person fruit, avocado, Singapore cherry and extra, pulses equivalent to pigeon pea (toor dal), inexperienced gram (moong dal), black gram (urad dal), Bengal gram (chana dal), legumes like cowpea, (lobia), peanuts, and the oilseed sesame in addition to seasonal greens and 3 sorts of indigenous rice.
The farm is open for guests to head and be told natural farming and revel in farm existence. “They are able to get a glimpse of farm existence and likewise discover ways to make natural compost and manure and develop their very own meals naturally,” says Alankrutha.
After conquering the meals and clothes facet, the couple is now waiting to transport directly to the ‘keep’ a part of their logo.
“At the farm, we now have constructed a limestone house for ourselves. “The home assists in keeping the home cool all over summer season and therefore we save so much on electrical energy. Our subsequent step is to construct a dirt space with eco-friendly fabrics for other folks to revel in true, original farm existence,” she says.
‘Be the elephant of the society’
Acknowledging that transferring to India and quitting her process was once a significant step in her existence, she says, “It was once as a result of my spouse’s toughen that I used to be in a position to take this step. To everybody else, it appeared loopy to depart our lives in america and are available again,” she says.
“For me, I used to be now not proud of my process and I knew I sought after to create one thing of my very own. The pandemic made the want to transfer pressing for me. I felt find it irresistible was once the suitable time for me to turn into our lives and are living sustainably,” provides Alankrutha.
Speaking about why she named her logo Elephant in You, she says, “All over a dialog with a pal who makes hand-crafted paper, she began to discuss elephants. It was once an interesting dialog as she advised me how elephants, despite the fact that the largest animals within the jungle, by no means deliver an imbalance within the ecosystem.”
“They feed on huge quantities of veggies however stay transferring to other spaces in order that they don’t exhaust one house’s sources. Their excreta additionally nourishes the bottom and acts as a herbal fertiliser for vegetation to develop,” she explains.
That is how she believes people will have to are living in society. “No matter you are taking from nature, take it in an affordable means and don’t spoil it within the procedure. The concept that people will have to are living in solidarity with nature simply as elephants do in a wooded area is what gave the logo its identify.”
One among their consumers, Mahima, who not too long ago bought a get dressed from the logo, says, “I’ve been keen on natural cotton and khadi for a very long time. It’s basically for 2 causes, they’re environmentally-friendly and it helps the livelihood of farmers. Whilst I really like the materials, I may just now not in finding manufacturers that experience stylish designs. Maximum of them seemed old-styled and out of favor.”
“My seek ended when I discovered Elephant In You in an exhibition. Alankrutha’s designs and garments are excellent and stylish. They’re all natural and sustainable. The fabric and tailoring feels excellent at the pores and skin. The most efficient section is they now not handiest deal in natural cotton but in addition hemp and linen,” she provides.
The previous 3 years of transferring to India and putting in the logo had been transformative for the couple. Having a look again, she says, “The logo is a reminder to society that we want to give again to nature as smartly. We need to forestall generating waste and check out to are living a sluggish and sustainable existence. If we don’t get started residing sustainably now, we can lose the fantastic sources that nature has to supply.”
(Edited through Padmashree Pande)