What do you do for a living? “I package memories,” came an excited voice from the other end of the phone. Before comprehending what he meant by that, Namit Maheshwari, founder of Kagaz Ke Phool, could not contain his excitement and explained, “We write biographies of people like you and me and present it to you in the most beautiful way possible.”
It is evident to say that Namit always liked cheering people up by compiling memories. But, little did he knew that one small incident on his grandmother’s birthday would be the foundation stone of his unique startup. “I asked everyone in the family to share their memories with my grandmother in letters. I collated the letters in a handmade book and gifted it to my grandmother on her 70th. The tears in her eyes and smile on her face after seeing the book made me realise that all people want it acknowledgement from the people they love,” Namit says. And that’s how, Kagaz ke Phool was born.
But was it that easy? Of course not. First thing Namit had to do was to drop out of the classic Indian route to a fool-proof career — engineering college. “The future looked foggy when I left the college but once I stepped out, I felt a sense of confidence in myself. That was the first time I knew that the idea would work,” he says, with a gummy smile of his face.
Another stepping stone was finding a team for his new born company. “I needed people with different skill sets. The process of writing a book needed an interviewer to get the appropriate information from the client, second to write and third to edit it in a narrative format. And then comes the process of designing the book,” he explains.
Spending 13 hours at the printer’s shop to come up with a design is another story Namit will never forget.
With a lot of focus on minor details and intense customisation, the business grew. And the hours spent delivered its results. The design became the favorite of the clients. “For different kinds, we have different designs and we present them in a fine wooden box, we like to call, “Tijori”,” he says.
With over 21 biographies and memory packages sold in India and overseas, Namit can see a promising future for his venture. Pratiti Ahluwalia, the first client of Kagaz Ke Phool couldn’t agree more. “I gifted a biography to my father on his birthday and he said it was the best gift he received ever,” she says happily.