UNESCO recently declared Ahmedabad to be a 600 year old world heritage city. A sixty year old bungalow in a city that already enjoys such a prestigious tag is therefore not a rarity in itself. But housed in a quiet lane in Ahmedabad, ‘Kuchaman House’ still manages to be fairly unique. Home to a family of people, it is also the dwelling place of two adopted and much loved canines, two gorgeous tortoises, hundreds of fish (in a live pond) and a full-fledged bustling nursery called ‘MyBageecha’.
‘MyBageecha,’ an entirely online nursery started off more as a passion than as an enterprise. “The germ of the idea was really sown when my father would find it difficult to procure certain plants or seeds and fulfil our gardening needs,” begins Saumitra Kabra, the co-founder of the start-up. Though he had studied animation and design in New Zealand and had even served time at agencies, Saumitra found himself drawn to greens and nurturing. “Somewhere then we felt we should create a platform which would fulfil the gardening needs of homes, especially those in urban India that have perpetual challenges of time and space. Thus was born www.mybageecha.com [1],” he shares.
Completing its first anniversary, MyBageecha is an online nursery that today stocks virtually every kind of plant, pot, decorative knick-knacks for your green patch and much more. Having tie ups with nurseries and vendors across the country, their range includes flowering plants, air purifiers, foliage, indoor plants, succulents and cacti. There is also a large variety of seeds available starting at Rs.30 only. “We were also very clear that in an apartment, plants should not be placed in the balcony alone. We wanted them to find a place of pride as decor too. This is where my design sense coupled with my father’s green thumb came into play,” reveals the young founder. Together, the duo started experimenting with succulents and a variety of soil till they created and designed their very popular ‘terrariums.’
Their site has an entire section devoted to terrarium kits that are a DIY product. The purchase includes a glass bowl, a specifically composed soil mix, moss, charcoal, pebbles, gravel, decorative bric-a-brac and the plant itself. The whole idea then, is to assemble and decorate the plant as per your taste following a detailed instruction sheet that comes with it. “Our terrariums are very popular for several reasons. When a family puts it together, they also invest some emotion in it and later take very good care of it. It is very different from buying a ready-made plant. It also makes for a great gift. Several mothers have thanked us as their children have enjoyed getting their hands dirty and are now connecting with greens better,” says Saumitra. And what is the charcoal and moss for? The former keeps the plant bacteria resistant, making it safe for homes and the latter retains water, making the terrarium easy to maintain. Their terrariums are ranged between Rs .999 and 2,500 each.
Though there are other online nurseries, what has given them an edge within one year is their capability to ship across the country via FedEx, their availability over the phone to promptly resolve any query and the sheer comprehensive range of greens and gardening needs that they provide. On the cards are a whole new range of wooden and resin pots and water terrariums that will need no soil. “We are only one year old and surely have a long way to go. But the best part about our job is that it allows us all to stay close to nature every day,” signs off the young entrepreneur.