Arts & Culture
Founded by Crawley, England, based Ramya Vandana Chintakindi around three years ago, Prakruti Creations specialises in handmade eco-friendly paper artistry inspired designs.
Prakruti in Sanskrit means nature and ahead of Diwali, the festival of lights, this year, Chintakindi has designed a unique set of diyas or lamps especially with children in mind. Her eco-friendly Diwali 2020 range is planned as a perfect fun-filled family activity, including a range of colourful Rangoli Diyas and the Suvarna Diyas or golden lamps, adorned with religious symbols.
The unique idea came to her as she wanted to create something for children to look forward to in the upcoming holidays.
She explains: “During the pandemic I was able to keep my five-year-old daughter engaged with various activities, but with Diwali coming up I also wanted to educate her about Diwali and tell festive stories.”
Arriving flat in the package with a set of LED lights, the collection inspired by various luminary lamp designs is easy for children to assemble.
“Each lamp has to be folded and glued on one end and the bottom has to be attached; the given lights are then put in the lamp and ready to decorate your home with this festive season.”
The lamps also come with the option to add a personalised message, making it a great gift idea for Diwali as well.
“I am making diyas with ‘Ik Onkar’ and other Sikh symbols incorporated in them so it caters to everyone, and not only just Hindus,” says Chintakindi, who describes herself as a “Paper Artist”.
Joining the ranks of “Small Biz 100”, a national campaign highlighting some of the UK’s most inspiring small businesses, the idea behind Prakruti Creations came as Chintakindi identified a market for unique and beautiful paper decorations, which cater to people who are inclined towards environmentally-friendly products and services.
Chintakindi, who has a Master’s degree in environmental management, thought of the idea in 2016 when she wanted to decorate her house using flower garlands and home decorations but only found plastic ones in the market. These after a single use would go directly to landfill and add to existing plastic pollution.
Within a year, the environment enthusiast turned her passion into a successful business, selling products like cardstock bouquets, cake toppers, custom theme banners, re-usable birthday décor, 3D cuts and much more.
The designer-entrepreneur reflects: “What a privilege it is to be recognised as one of the Small Biz 100 this year. I am keen to share how my business has developed. Having previously been a chemical engineer, I wanted to create an eco-friendly business with a difference.
“Using less plastic has become more mainstream and this is what I am passionate about. Parties, events, and many other occasions need beautiful decorations.
“Paper is the basis of all my creations. Paper is biodegradable so my products not only make a party or event look good, but you’ll be doing your bit to look after the planet too.
"I am currently looking for investors or companies who might be interested in investing in eco-friendly decor options. So, I can take my ideas from my worktable to the public in a sustainable and wallet-friendly way."
*More fun concepts and ideas will be explored during iGlobal’s DiwaliFest2020 – register now for the biggest Diwali event of its kind.