India is a very religious country, and there are many temples in India. Every single day there are tonnes of flowers which are offered by the devotees in temples.
Do you know these beautiful flowers contribute to pollution? These fresh flowers are one reason behind land and water pollution.
But today we are going to cover an inspiring story of wasted temple flowers spreading fragrance. Yes, you read that right. Poonam Sehrawat of Gurgaon in Haryana made it possible via his Startup in India – Aaruhi Enterprise. This motivational story will surely help you chase your dreams.
Founder’s Background
Poonam Sehrawat is an Indian homemaker from Gurgaon in Haryana. She had options to join a job, but she wanted to do something innovative. She wanted to do a startup that would benefit society as well. And having a creative mind, she thought of doing something on the lines of flower arrangements and ornaments, mainly popular in Shirdi and Lucknow.
The Idea
The plan was to make use of the wasted temple flowers and turn it into something usable. It was also important to make sure that those did not cause any harm to the environment. She put up boxes for collecting flowers in a few temples in her neighborhood.
They would collect waste flowers from the temple, process them and make useful environment friendly products.
Initial Struggles
When they went to collect the flowers, they observed that there was also a lot of garbage in the boxes. She had to employ a woman to separate the flowers from the other things. But the struggle didn’t end there. The clean and organized bunch of flowers was all washed away by rain. She was disheartened but didn’t give up. She really worked hard and put her heart and soul into the idea and finally came up with useful products like incense sticks, air fresheners, and showpieces.
The first product she had delivered was incense candles on the occasion of Janmashtami to all the temples that had allowed her to put up containers for flowers.
Products by Aaruhi Enterprises
Aaruhi Enterprises has a wide range of beautiful products like diyas, god idols, decorative and festive hampers. It’s surprising and praiseworthy how they make 400 incense sticks from 3kg of dried flowers. We can use the residual of those incense sticks as plant manure. Amazing, isn’t it? They also use red-colored sacred pieces of cloth that are offered to the idols to make a decorative package.
The products have some unique features like:
- Keeps insects/ mosquitoes away
- No chemical added/ 100% natural
- Charcoal free and non-toxic smoke
- Purifies the atmosphere of the house
Success Story of Aaruhi Enterprises
No matter what hurdles came her way, she was unstoppable. She made her way towards success. The products were happily and wholeheartedly accepted by everyone. She is grateful to the people who saw the potential in her and supported her in the initial period. From journals to newspapers to YouTube, she has covered it all.
Working for a Social Cause
The major aim of this business was to work for a social cause, and Poonam Sehrawat was successful at it. On presenting the incense sticks to the temple priests, she received immense appreciation. Everyone was proud of her.
She has also successfully trained over 200 women across several states in flower processing. These women are self dependent now and have found a noble way to earn a livelihood. She is constantly trying to enhance their skill set and empower them. She has received many awards and well-deserved recognition for all the work she does.
To know about Aaruhi Enterprises, please check – Website.
To know about Poonam Sehrawat, please check – Facebook.
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