A natural calling

Youngsters start own companies that sell and promote organic farm products and green solutions

A natural calling

Youngsters start own companies that sell and promote organic farm products and green solutions

It has been two years since Mumbai-resident Vaibhav Dugar shifted to Pune, lock, stock and barrel. The journey so far, of setting up his own company has been exhilarating and edifying, he says.u00a0

Green initiative: Vaibhav Dugar, owner of consultancy firm; Swati
Maheshwari, who sells organic products

An engineer by training, Dugar has donned many hats before 'his calling' came. An electronics and communication engineer who passed out of University of Pune (UoP) in 2007, he originally hails from Mumbai and had come to the city for higher education.

Post his graduation, he returned home and worked for two years - first with an event management company and later in the marketing division of a television company.

"I had job offers from IT companies after my engineering, but I couldn't imagine myself sitting in an air conditioned office and doing coding. What I wanted was a field job and I tried my hand at a few things, but all along I was interested in doing something connected to organic farming or green solutions. That's why when I had saved enough money, I decided to shift to Pune and start my consultancy business providing green solutions," he said.

And that's how his company 'Ek Titli' came into being.The company, he said, provides green solutions for corporates on events such as World Earth Day, besides helping firms move to environment friendly products like solar heaters, among others.

"Recently, I have taken up consultancy for farm owners who want to shift from traditional farming to organic farming. We help them in doing it from beginning to end including getting all technical support. Besides that, we have started a unique thing. We help people grow their vegetables at home. If they are interested, we visit their house to check their terrace, we survey and put up a vegetable bed, sow seeds of vegetables required, among others," he said.

Like Dugar, public relations graduate Swati Maheshwari's love for nature made her jump for joy at her aunt's offer to start a firm in partnership to sell organic products. Started in November 2010, right from conceiving a brand name to generating a market for products through online marketing and designing the products, Maheshwari has done it all.

"My aunt had a friend in Pondicherry who makes these products and exports them. She was ready to give it to supply the products to us, but my aunt was not confident enough to start the company without help. When I learnt that there is already a person ready to supply and my aunt can help me financially in purchasing it, I convinced her to start the company. And I'm proud to say that very soon we will reach a break even stage," she said.

Maheshwari said her company sold organic products such as soaps, shampoos, oils, among others, but only in a niche market so far. "We have tied up with premium shops but very soon I'm sure the market for these will expand as they are not expensive and yet environment friendly," she said.

College Katta
Are your loyalties divided between Mumbai and Pune teams in the IPL?

I cheer for both the teams as I am connected to both of them. But I am eagerly awaiting Mumbai Indian matches as they are the best among the lot.
ufffd Zuber Sheikh, student, Viman Nagar

Previously, I used to support the Mumbai Indians but after seeing Pune Warriors India's performance, I now support them completely. It's difficult to support one team when the two are playing against each other.u00a0
ufffd Upendra Singh, student, Vadgaon Sheri

I still support Mumbai Indians because I like the team. They have a much balanced side compared to Pune. The Pune team has few popular names and large number of new
players.
ufffd Savin Chauhan, student, Lohegaon

Notice Board
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The International Institute of Information and Technology (I2IT), organised a day-long seminar on 'Detection and Prevention of Corporate Fraud'. The seminar was held recently at their campus in Hinjewadi. It was conducted by Jagdeep Singh, Associate Director of Ernst & Young Pvt. Ltd, who spoke on current trends in corporate fraud.
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