At BrilliantRead Media, it is our constant endeavour to bring meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community. As part of this, we invited Ritu M Bansal for an exclusive interview with us. Ritu is an Entrepreneur, Leader, Artist, Fashion & Design Consultant. She is the Founder of Rangaai.
Rangaai is an exclusive limited-edition clothing brand that makes elegant clothes in a holistically sustainable way. It uses Natural dyes * Shibori * Eco-printing and sticks to small batch dyeing hence they are limited in nature. The brand has garnered significant love from its customers because of its uniqueness, creativity and authenticity. It continues to grow with the trust of their increasing customer base. Let’s learn more about Ritu’s incredible journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Ritu:
Could you please talk us through your background and your journey?
I was born in Punjab and raised in Chandigarh. My family moved to Chandigarh due to the rise in terrorism in Punjab. I had a simple childhood and was mostly kept away from the hardships of life. I was the third girl child among four siblings. I have two older sisters and one younger brother. The eldest one was an ideal sister type who would take care of me and solve my problems and the other one was a naughty type who would steal my things and create trouble.
I was okay with studying, just right. First division always but nothing that great. I used to hate Maths, so I completely avoided it. I was more inclined towards arts, crafts and creative stuff.
After the 10th board, I had fine arts as a subject and I fell in love with it instantly perhaps because it aligned with me so well. While doing 12th, I decided to take admission in College for Arts, Sec-10 Chandigarh, for two reasons, my seniors were doing it and there wasn’t any requirement of maths for admission. Whatever it was, I would rather say it was a defining moment for me which laid the solid foundation for what I am today.
When I took the entrance, I got 3rd position among the 7 seats in the general quota. This was a huge thing for me. I had an amazing 4 years and made very good friends.
After that, I went for masters in Rajasthan University. Another two years immersed in art. During this time, I used to travel to Delhi quite often. I used to attend a lot of workshops and lectures in Delhi all of which added to my knowledge and evoked my curiosity even more. But somehow I was uncertain of my career path so after finishing my masters, I did a year long diploma in Interior designing.
It sounds funny now. That happened because there was no clear path of career after doing MFA except clearing NET or JRF, which I could never crack. That was 2006 and the very next year I got married to my long-time boyfriend. And in the same year, I joined Punjab Lalit Kala Academy as an executive board member and I continued to participate in art exhibitions.
In 2010, Summer (my daughter) was born and in Feb 2011 we left Chandigarh and went to Pune looking for a better future in the Startup world. Rangaai was started there in 2015 as a need for me to pursue creative interests.
The journey has been interesting, challenging but full of learning so far. Most importantly it adds some meaning to my life which was long missing. There is no better joy than being able to combine your love for design/art with work. I kind of love it now. It leads me towards the path of self-growth.
How did you discover your passion?
I would say, Passion is a bit of an overrated concept. While passion can provide meaning, it’s ultimately the sense of purpose that drives us. Rangaai was born to satisfy my need to find meaningful engagement with life. The usual everyday monotony didn’t satisfy me, I needed more from life.
As I was struggling with the art galleries in Pune and Mumbai my husband suggested, finding something that was not so conventional. During one of the brainstorming sessions, I realised that my entire wardrobe was customised. It is either hand-painted or block-printed by me or I had it designed by a designer.
I had Kalamkaris, Ikats, and Khadis in my wardrobe. I loved hoarding different textiles. So textiles was another area of interest for me. I started exploring options in fashion and textiles and that’s how Rangaai came into being.
Despite the challenges, what keeps you going when things get tough?
Challenge brings the opportunity to get better at doing things and for me, self-growth is the purpose of my life. Compared to who I was just 5 years ago, I have come a long way and it makes me happy.
Five years ago, I just went with the flow, now I’m in control of my life! I used to be shy, now I’m not afraid to speak up. My thinking was fuzzy before, now I see things much clearer.
What are the three most important lessons you have learned in your life?
Self-acceptance – You’re perfect just the way you are, even if you’re still figuring things out. This is your journey, there’s no rush! It’s okay to have things you’re not so good at, just try to get better. And don’t forget your good stuff, use it to your advantage!
Importance of clarity in thought – We often jump to conclusions without thinking things through. Plus, there’s so much stuff going on that it’s easy to get sidetracked. But if we just take a moment to stop, think about what’s happening, and really look at things closely, we can change any situation we’re in.
Nurturing relationships – Even if you get really good at your job, it shouldn’t be your whole world. Taking care of loved ones – kids, parents, partners, friends – and helping others actually makes you feel better too!
In your opinion, what are the keys to consistency and success?
We all stumble sometimes. It’s part of life. Instead of getting down on yourself, try to forgive yourself. Say “sorry” for the mistake, and then let it go. Dwelling on it won’t help. See if you can learn something from what happened, so you can avoid it next time.
Most importantly, promise yourself to do better tomorrow. Remember, everyone messes up, but the important thing is to keep moving forward and learning.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
Finding your passion can take some time, and that’s okay. Trying out different things, like volunteering, taking classes, or joining clubs, can help you discover what you really love.
Remember, hard work is definitely important, but don’t forget to have fun along the way! Great things often come from a combination of effort and enjoyment.
Last but not least, what about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
The best part about my journey is that there’s always something fresh to learn! It’s like every day is a surprise gift. Maybe it’s figuring out how to squeeze more into my day, maybe it’s learning a new skill, or maybe it’s even working on something totally new that I never even thought of before. It feels like there’s no end to the exciting things I can discover, and that keeps me fired up to keep going!
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
