Wellness the Ayurvedic way; Taking Rajasthani crafts global
Ayurvedic wellness and personal care brands in India are creating a legacy with unique offerings. Jaipur-based enterprises are taking the Pink City’s craft legacy to global markets. Dwij transforms textile waste into functional, ethical, and aesthetically pleasing products.
Hello,
Current economic mood check: cautious optimism.
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that the government is committed to increasing state capital spending to support economic growth, and said that the economy has remained resilient despite global headwinds.
However, she did caution against complacency, urging "quiet confidence" in making and executing the right decisions.
Confidence in the country’s economic resilience was also echoed by RBI chief Sanjay Malhotra, who emphasised India’s foreign exchange reserves, low inflation and a narrow current account deficit as buffers against US tariff risks.
The trade tensions have even permeated the tech ecosystem and spurred a Make-in-India drive against tech giants like Alphabet and Microsoft, pitching companies like Zoho and MapmyIndia as domestic alternatives.
Also, the rupee may be going international very soon. The RBI this week announced fresh measures to push global acceptance of the rupee, including new reference rates for major trading partners.
Breaking the dollar’s dominance? Now that’s the real challenge.
Lastly, meet the man who just became the fastest person to climb to the second floor of France's Eiffel Tower on an all-terrain bike.
Cyclist and social media sensation Aurelien Fontenoy climbed 686 steps of the monument to reach the second-floor platform, the last accessible by stairs, in 12 minutes and 30 seconds, breaking the previous record by almost seven minutes.
In today’s newsletter, we will talk about
- Wellness the Ayurvedic way
- Taking Rajasthani crafts global
- Giving old denims a second life
Here’s your trivia for today: Within the English language, which author has the most published books?
SMB
Wellness the Ayurvedic way
In a world that runs after quick-fix beauty solutions and chemical treatments, Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to wellness and skincare. From nourishing oils like Kumkumadi (Saffron-infused oil) and Bhringraj (False daisy oil), to herbs such as neem, turmeric, and Ashwagandha, Ayurveda prescribes nature’s pharmacy in a way that it restores balance and radiance naturally.
SMBStory has curated a list of seven Ayurvedic wellness and personal care brands in India that are creating a legacy with innovation and unique offerings.
Key takeaways:
- Baidyanath Group’s most popular product, its flagship Chyawanprash, has become a household staple across generations. What sets it apart is its century-old legacy and deep expertise in traditional formulations, combined with the ability to innovate for contemporary needs.
- Over 55 years since its inception, Medimix distributes its products across India, excluding the South Indian market, as per the brand’s agreement with the AVA Group. Besides that, the brand exports to over 30 countries, including the US, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan, among others.
- Established in 1963, Khadi Natural is rooted in the Gandhian philosophy of ‘khadi’ that promotes self-reliance and local employment. The company evolved from the Gramodaya Ashram in Ghazipur, and now operates from New Delhi, under the leadership of managing director Gaurav Singh.
Top Funding Deals of the Week
Startup: PostHog
Amount: $75M
Round: Series E
Startup: Kapiva
Amount: $60M
Round: Series D
Startup: Petpooja
Amount: Rs 137 Cr
Round: Primary and Secondary
SMB
Taking Rajasthani crafts global
Jaipur has long captured the imagination of international tourists with its grand architecture—celebrating centuries of Indian royalty—bustling bazaars, and a craft tradition that weaves history into everyday life.
Bridging the gap between local artisans and global buyers are enterprises that ensure the former’s skills, passed down over centuries, continue to flourish. Here are some of the brands taking Rajasthan’s crafts to international shores.
Export ready:
- Lavanshi Arts, under CMT Arts (India) Pvt. Ltd., was founded by CM Kumawat in 1976. The company manufactures and wholesales a wide range of handicrafts made from, including wooden, brass, marble, sandalwood, metal, and bone inlay.
- Raja Arts, a dealer of traditional Rajasthani craft products, has exported over 3,300 shipments to more than 113 buyers across markets in North America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Gulf countries, with key clients, including Celebration Of Arts, Cezama, and Oriental Antique Trade Estate.
- With a team of 11–25 employees, Bubber Handicraft INC exports decorative handicrafts, handcrafted clocks, meenakari metalwork, silver-plated brass bowls, and other traditional Rajasthani products. It has an annual turnover of Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.
Startup
Giving old denims a second life
According to the UNEP, 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated globally every year. Of this, India produces 3.9 million tonnes of clothing waste annually, yet recycles just 4%, according to IIT Delhi.
In 2018, Soumya Kalluri, a mechanical engineer, launched Dwij, meaning ‘second life’ in Sanskrit, to rescue such textile waste and transform it into functional, ethical, and aesthetically pleasing products. Dwij offers a range of everyday bags and accessories made out of discarded denim, including totes, backpacks, slings, and pouches.
Soumya Kalluri, a mechanical engineer turned sustainability entrepreneur, left her corporate career at John Deere and Godrej to give discarded denim a second life through her Mumbai-based brand Dwij.
News & updates
- Funds: The RBI proposed linking corporate foreign borrowing limits to financial strength and scrapping cost caps on most such debt in a push to improve funding flows. The RBI's proposal allows firms to raise up to $1 billion or 300% of net worth, whichever is higher. This replaces the earlier $1.5 billion cap under the automatic route, which needed specific approval for larger sums.
- AI deal: BlackRock Inc.’s Global Infrastructure Partners is in advanced talks to acquire Macquarie-backed Aligned Data Centers, targeting a major beneficiary of AI spending in one of the year’s biggest deals. Aligned could be valued at about $40 billion in a transaction, one of the people said. An agreement could be announced within days.
- Hack: A hacking group has launched a website to extort its victims, threatening to release about a billion records stolen from companies that store their customers’ data in cloud databases hosted by Salesforce. The dedicated data leak site on the dark web aims to pressure victims into paying the hackers to avoid having their stolen data published online.
Within the English language, which author has published the most books?
Answer: L. Ron Hubbard.
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