By Rigya Singh:
While visiting Rajasthan, my one wish was to buy everything that Delhi did not offer me. Every state has a different culture reflected in its art and craft. India, being a culture hub that it is, has art filled in its every nook and corner. Sadly, I don’t have nine lives to travel across our country and see for myself what every little town has to offer me.
Recently, an online business venture called www.UnWrapIndia.com was brought to my notice. As a person living in urban area, I know the longing for the ethic articles that seeps us from time to time. UnWrapIndia is a solution for that longing. This website is dedicated to bridge the gap between rural artefacts from remote corners of our vast country and the urban customer. You just need an internet connection and a device to connect to it, to purchase objects from as far as Meghalaya.
This venture was started when the CEO of the website unknowingly bought a Ganesh idol which was ‘Made in China’ (surprise! surprise!). Thus, some visibly irked people brainstormed together to launch this e-commerce portal with easy public access. Some early problems they faced (and still continue to face) were to gain the trust of the artisans. These craft workers have been hoodwinked by people promising to sell their products for a sizeable profit and then doing a complete disappearing act. For them to be wary is understandable, so then the people at UnWrapIndia, make down payments before procuring the goods, hence earning the trust of these workers.
They sell products from various NGOs that support blind people, handicapped people and people with fewer advantages than us and not to forget the penniless but skilled women. Currently around 2,800 products are being sold on the website with a dream to bring this number to 10,000 by June, 2012 and 95 artisans are presently working to provide them with artefacts. They also employ a team to scourge the talent of our nation. Moreover, they are trying to eliminate the menace of middleman that leeches every penny out of these artisans.
They are backed by Adjetter Media who promotes their merchandise both online and offline. At the moment, UnWrapIndia has no offline store but has plans to open one shortly. These products make for a beautiful and unique present to gift someone. Each and every article echoes the beauty and matchlessness of India as it is.
(The inspiration and information for the said article has been taken from: http://www.thebetterindia.com/4642/unwrapindia-gifts-from-the-real-india/)