Tiptoeing her way to ‘crafts’dom, 28-year-old Bengaluru-based entrepreneur Sneha Petnikota’s recent venture is an amalgamation of three things she’s ardently passionate about – crafts, social work, and all things handmade.
She chats with us about what keeps her ticking, as she readies up to hold free crafts sessions for underprivileged kids in NGOs in and around the city, as part of the venture.
“I’ve always believed in the power of a personalised touch. I feel a neatly done handmade gift or card has so much more value. Hence, I began to google up a lot about how to make different things – postcards, scrap books, greeting cards, with an intent to start something along the same lines. I started out with an official page and decided to pay a lot of heed to very detailed customisation,” says the software techie turned entrepreneur, who believes that the idea majorly sprung when her corporate career was in the doldrums. “Stamp and doodle started when I was struggling to figure what’s more important to be in life and not just surviving paycheck after paycheck and feeling like you’re stuck in a rut. My husband Ashwin Hemdev and a couple of close friends egged me to believing that it’s worth giving a shot to follow my passion and interest.”
Roughly about 10 months later, the start-up is already making waves among the younger folks in town. “While it’s been an encouraging journey, what’s most important is that albeit there being a surge in digital and installation arts, a lot of people are sitting up to take notice of the old-world charm of handmade crafty works.” On days when she isn’t taking up orders or teaching kids the fine art of crafts, the intrepid traveler loves to bring out the adventurous streak. “I’m very passionate about skydiving, and recently completed a course on the same from Oxford, London.”
While she considers herself fortunate enough to be doing what she loves, the DIY expert is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer with an eye for the needy. “I’ve always believed that everything you do must have a social intent. While entrepreneurship is largely about profit making, I believe in doing something that the under privileged can benefit from. And that’s one aspect I’d like to ask all budding and established entrepreneurs out there to give a thought to.”
Divulging about the road ahead, she says in conclusion, “ There are quite a lot of sessions in the pipeline. The idea is to acquaint kids to the fine art of paper crafts, and enable them to make a living out of it, while unleashing their creative flair at the same time.”
