WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

born in Mumbai in 1976 Dviti had completed her graduation from Mumbai University in 1997. She is a creative artist and Bharatnatyam dancer. She started her career in sales and marketing, married early, separated, but that did not dilute her confidence and she persevered with her journey. Today she runs a successful business. ”

By Rajesh Ghadge

NAVIGATING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

Dviti Bhalla was born in M u m b a i i n 1 9 7 6 a n d completed her graduation from Mumbai University in 1997. Dviti is a creative artist and Bharatnatyam dancer. She started her career in sales and marketing, married early, separated and sadly had to stay away from her children for almost 6 years, but that did not dilute her confidence and she persevered with her journey. Today she runs a successful business. “I was married early, when I was hardly 19, and I continued my graduation when I was already married, ” she said adding that due to some adverse circumstances she separated from her husband in 2005. “It was an abusive relationship and I could not continue to live with it. I was forced to stay away from my kids for 6 years. My real struggle started after the separation in 2005 when I was left all alone without any support.” “Slowly and steadily I started getting accustomed to my new life and with the help of one of my friends, I got the chance to work with a reality show in Mumbai, ” she said adding that first opportunity she received was from Sanjiv Kapoor ' s Food Food reality show. “I was working as an executive producer for the reality shows. I worked for almost a decade in this industry and during this time I did Indian Idol, Masterchef India and Ex Factor India shows.” She worked there for almost a decade but owing to illhealth, she decided to leave. “I was opertated and decided to leave the shows and during that time my son was doing his masters in Prague and I had to visit him there, ” she said adding that it was this time when she decided to stop working and start something of her own. “I always wanted to start my own venture right from the beginning but never got the opportunity or suitable environment.” Dviti got married once again when she met her soulmate in 2008 while working on the sets of a reality show. “I was the executive producer and he was a photographer. When I decided to start my own business, my husband and kids s u p p o r t e d m e w h o l e heartedly in my plans, ” she said. After she decided she wanted to do something of her own there was no looking back. “I started soap-making in 2017 and we shifted to Goa.” There is very interesting story behind Dviti shifting to Goa in 2019. “Goa was always on our bucket list as my husband is from Chandigarh and I belong to Gujarat, but we both needed to live in a warm tropical climate.” “The soap making venture started due to a push from my aunt who was into the same business and when I quit my job in 2017, I was doing nothing although I h a d a p l a n o f s t a r t i n g something of my own. My friends and family helped me in my journey and my aunt's push made me go for it.” Starting a new venture and running it successfully are two different things. “For almost one year I was struggling. I used to make small quantities and sell them and then make a new stock and this continued for some time. During that time my unit was also in Mumbai and I had to do lot of up and down travelling. I had also faced loses during that time but I did not give up and persevered.”. Soon Dviti decided to plough on ahead and she started a company called Nature' s Point with the brand name of Merak Naturals. “Under the Merak N a t u r a l s b r a n d w e manufacturer soaps, shower g e l s a n d b o d y w a s h , ” informing us that this different f r o m t h e s o a p s t h a t i s available off the shelf. “We have different processes and formulations that makes this soap different from the ones available on the market. We use glycerin extracts in the

soap.” Dviti has developed a wide range of products that include haircare products such as shampoo, hair masks and hair gel. “We have a range of products that also includes serum and soon we will be launching travel kits, face packs and hair tonic,” adding that she had also applied for the Khadi License. “We use oil, butter and natural fragrances in our products making it more organic. We don't use of any kind of preservatives in our products.” D v i t i b e l i e v e s t h a t h e r products last longer than a year due to the use of organic ingredients. “We don't use of any chemicals. Many of our products include herbs, for example our best-selling product is a hair oil that is made from 32 herbs and 5 oils and vitamin E. I have always got the good reviews from my friends and family ,” said Dviti. Dviti is not doing any big promotions or advertising at the moment since this is a selffunded product. “Currently, I a m d e p e n d e n t o n m y Instagram and Facebook pages for promoting my lines and I have around 1500 followers at the moment,” said Dviti adding that initially she d i d s o m e p o p u p s a n d participated in exhibitions, “but now we have appointed three dealers in Goa and we are negotiating with a forth one from Jhansi.” “Initially the supply of the raw material was major challenge as I was unable to procure large quantities and that was making the end products expensive.”. “My husband has been a huge support for me. He even helps me with the designs and branding and now I have hired a team who look after the social media content and design for us. Now people come to me for the consultations for hair fall issues and skin problems and I suggest to them the best solutions as I have done studies in this field.” Dviti has big plans lined up for the future to reach out to a wider customer base. “I want to approach boutique hotels, private villas and appoint more dealers.. I also want to create the awareness on the difference between natural and organic products. Once I get my KVIC license, I will start approaching hotels, ” she said. Dviti's journey has just began and she has a long way to go. She is a determined and strong willed woman and she will not leave any stone unturned to reach to her desired destination.