Amidst Nature – A piece of Nature that stays with you

We received this wonderful little planter’s container at an International Women’s Day event organised by The India Diaries and Everything on a Plate. Somewhere the name ‘Amidst Nature’ struck a chord with us and so we decided to get to know them better.

As a mother of a three-year-old, we’ve been wanting to teach our little one about sowing seeds, watering and nurturing a sapling and watching it grow and this little gift came handy at the right time. Now we eagerly look forward to the little springs pushing their way through the soft soil reaching out to the sunshine.

It made us wonder that if such a humble activity can bring so much joy to us, if more and more people everywhere took to planting and gardening in their own little way, our world would be calmer and a compassionate place to live in harmony with our children.

And so I decided to share with you the story of Amidst Nature so that you too may get inspired and encouraged just like me to start with a little sapling at home.

The Lifestyle Portal is proud to introduce you to the founders of Amidst Nature – 58-year-old Anil Rajadhyaksha, a B.Tech from IIT Kharagpur, Electrical Engineering, currently running a plastic factory and 27-year-old Neha Rajadhyaksha, a BMM, ECCed who has worked in Marketing, PR and Social Media, and apart from volunteering with many NGOs, is also an educator, photographer and an avid blogger.

How did it all begin?

“We always wanted to live in the countryside, so we decided to have our own small farm. We managed to make our dream come true in 1997 and today we have about a 100 fruit and vegetable bearing plants, and flowing plants too,” smiles Anil.

Friends and family who have visited the farm have raved about the produce and always asked Anil for help setting up their windowsill.

Anil runs a plastic factory where they make measuring cups that are meant for a pharmaceutical company as well as garment pins, socks hooks, hangers etc. for a huge clothing brand. A friend requested him to make planters that were easy to carry and keep in a windowsill or inside the house, so they made a few for their friend and had a few extras left over. Whoever came home, asked us to make more for them and Anil realised that these little planters were getting famous!

So starting with an initial investment of Rs. 2.5 lakhs, Anil and Neha embarked on the journey @AmidstNature that was based on the surrounding beauty of Mother Nature.

Challenges faced

Since their planters are very cheap in cost, the basic speed post charge seems high. Normally the delivery charge is lower than the price of the products because the price of the products is high. But as these planters are very light on the pocket, hence at times people often get confused.

So #AmidstNature sends their planters via regular post and sometimes the orders get delayed, which they have no control over. Though some people request Anil to send them by courier, (where he requests them to not waste their money), but 95% of the time the orders reach within a week.

What makes Amidst Nature so unique?

Well, what made Amidst Nature unique for me is that it gave my daughter and me a special moment to watch the little seeds sprout into tender little saplings, but on a larger scale, here’s what makes them unique in Anil’s words –

• Our planters have been carefully designed to ensure that an individual of any age can hold it with ease as a variety of grooves have been provided around the planter to help aid grip.
• The bottom of the planters allows smooth drainage for excess water.
• Apart from being kept on the ground and on various platforms, our planters can be hung with hanging clips as well.
• The planters are recyclable and eco-friendly.
• They are very light in weight.
• Easy transportation and re location.
• The colours are cheerful and brighten any garden, windowsill & even your work desk!
• Our prices are one of the cheapest in the market.
• We donate an amount of our profit to various NGOs

Various products & services available at Amidst Nature

Amidst Nature offers planters in 31 colours and shades. They also sell a few plants depending upon the customer’s requirement.

Anil tells us, “Our Vermicompost is a favourite but it is subject to availability. Not only that, you can get fruits and vegetable seeds from us as per availability. We also have organic fruits and vegetables that we haven’t begun selling on a large scale but we inform interested customers when they are available. Currently, everyone, has their heart set out on Mangoes growing in our farms.” Neha adds, “We also help people observe the miracles of Mother Nature, for example, we show the life cycle of a butterfly to various NGOs and individuals interested.”

 

Colours & pricing of Planters available

“Since our planters are very durable once people stock up we need to target more customers,” admits Neha. She continues, “Surprisingly, our customers have come up with more ways to use our planters around the house! They have used the different colours to spice up the desk at work and in office and use them to sort their stationery… Blue for pens, Green for pencils, Red for U-Clips and more! Our VIBGYOR set is everyone’s favourite. Some even use it for storing potpourri around the house. Kids use them as building blocks while their parents use them to play colour sorting games and more.”

If you wish to buy their planters they are available in the following dimensions, material and colours–

• 9.5cm square top, 6cm square bottom, 10cm height.
• Material used: Polypropylene
• Each colour planter costs Rs. 11 / Rs.15 and the black costs Rs. 6.
• As for the VIBGYOR set, each planter costs (Set of 7)
• Vibgyor, Indigo: 11 each
• Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red: 15 each
• So your total would be just Rs. 97.

Amidst Nature also has a Tiranga set, each planter costs ( Set of 7 )

• Orange, White: 15 each
• Green, Indigo: 11 each
• 15.5cm square top, 12cm square bottom, 14cm height.
• Where your total would be just Rs. 93.
• Amidst Nature will soon be coming up with a bigger size of the planters!
• 

List of Clientele

Anil tells us, “A number of nurseries from all over India buy our planters in bulk regularly. They say the customers love their size and their colours. Apart from that, we get clients through our Facebook page, there are gardening enthusiasts who buy planters on a smaller scale as well. What’s more, we have customers from Maharashtra, Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Bangalore, West Bengal, Hyderabad, Chennai, Manipur, Orissa, Gujarat and more. In fact, we’ve also had people from Pakistan, Nepal and Dubai ask us how they can buy our planters, sadly as the delivery charges are high we ask them to reconsider before ordering. We would love to send our planters across but even the basic speed post charges are huge.”

For those of you who’re are still contemplating whether to start your little window garden or spruce up your workplace with these vibrant colourful planters and happy little plants, just drop a line to Amidst Nature at contactamidstnature@gmail.com and watch the magic begin.

Collaborate with us:

Write to us at tanya@tanyamunshi.com if you’d like to get featured or collaborate with us at The Lifestyle Portal.