How often do we see friends who become business partners for the society? The ladies at Purnam promote businesses especially by women and also make sure they are socially correct. Not only did they grow their bond they helped other women find a platform by their exhibitions called Purnam.
- How was Purnam conceptualized
Purnam was conceptualized to help drive exhibitors define their road in life by exposing them to an unlimited number of buyers they would not meet otherwise. The idea is to promote exhibitors from all over the country who display a kaleidoscope of products, while simultaneously promoting social consciousness.
The four of us have been active volunteers with Akshay Pratishthan and are responsible for putting together their fund raising exhibitions and cultural programmes. While organizing these exhibitions, we realized that we could take this initiative forward by putting together more such events that give others a platform to showcase their talent and grow their businesses.
We had some time to ourselves and the ideas were pouring in. An opportunity came our way from Ludhiana to organize something similar there. We did our first show from Purnam in 2006 at the Rotary Bhawan in Ludhiana. Part of the proceeds was donated to Nirdosh, a school for mentally challenged children. The organization was very happy with the response. Not only was the exhibition a grand success, it created a lot of awareness on what the Inner Wheel wing of the Rotary Club does and led to large donations from corporates and individuals towards Nirdosh.
We continued to do these exhibitions in Ludhiana and spread out to Chandigarh and Jalandhar and were now also supporting more NGO’s such as the Guild of Service and Sudhinalaya in Delhi. In 2010, we did our first exhibition in Delhi and in 2011 our first in Dubai. It’s been an enriching journey so far.
- What is special about Purnam
At Purnam we put together lifestyle exhibitions that are a kaleidoscope of creative talent from all over the country – be it a known label from the metros or an artisan from a village. Small traders and artisans don’t usually have an organized platform to sell and honestly don’t have the exposure to the metros or tier I cities. At our exhibitions, artisans are given first preference. To these artisans and traders, we provide stalls at a very nominal rate which in turn is a visual advertisement for them and exposes them to an unlimited number of buyers. It saves them from shop rentals and gives them a platform to sell directly.
The core thought behind PURNAM is to consistently give back to the society.
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Silk road at Purnam What will be the key attractions this year
This is a very special year for us. With the upcoming Summer Festive edition, Purnam completes a decade of promoting crafts and entrepreneurship.
An initiative that has taken the country by storm this past year has been ‘Make in India’ and at Purnam we believe in bringing together and celebrating all that spells India. We have put together an Indian Treasure Trove – from clothes and accessories to beauty and home, Purnam this year will showcase innovations in design of select labels that define Make in India. You have the likes of FDCI designer Neeta Bhargava with her festive organic clothes anddesigner PayalJaggi with her brands Kinche and Kaito that are all about eco-friendly, sustainable and upcycled clothing. We have ‘Silk Road & Beyond’ with its soft furnishings, designer interior wares and clothes that are a fusion of cultures, art and heritage with a fresh modern approach. These and more.
Apart from these exhibitors, we will also be giving a platform to four NGO’s to showcase the talent and products made by the people they support. These are AkshayPratishthan, Guild For Service, Gyan Asha and Delhi Society For Welfare of Special Children
Tell me something about the association and the friendship of the founders
Our association goes way beyond work. We were friends even before we began our volunteer work with AkshayPratishthan. Friendships that work are relationships in which friends help each other belong to themselves. In each other we find strength, courage and confidence.We talk a lot about hope, helping and teamwork.We love our work and are delighted to have encouraged such a wide spectrum of fascinating entrepreneurs.
We have one life, one chance. Together we are strong. WE ARE FRIENDS!
