Choose Kandvari Karvanh, a natural detergent and keep chemicals away from your clothes
Though Sumant Bhushan was born in New Delhi, he has always considered Kandbari, a small hill station in Himachal Pradesh, his home. So even though he completed his LLB and practised law in India's capital, the hills called out to him. And he ultimately followed that calling. "People usually migrate from Kandbari as there are no job opportunities here," rued Bhushan one day to his childhood friend. At first, they toyed with the idea of mass-producing granola, but shot it down when a better idea occurred to them - a chemical-free detergent.
We don't want to be an elite product. We want to be both economical and accessible
Sumant Bhushan, Founder, Kandvari Karvanh
About 30 years ago, a few regions in Nepal, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh used to supply reetha (soapnut), a natural soap with anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, to larger cities. "In fact, there is a village tribe in this region called the Hadi, whose job was to go door-to-door and collect reetha in exchange for money," explains Bhushan. But as industries made the switch to chemicals, the whole ecosystem, from people who used to grow reetha to the Hadi tribe, started crumbling due to dwindling demand. But the tide has since turned as people now want to make the shift from chemicals back to organic. And to ride this wave, Bhushan started Kandvari Karvanh, a company that produces natural laundry detergent, just last month.
Did you know?: Reetha is known for keeping clothes soft and preserving their colour
Available on Amazon from October 13, this product is made of powdered reetha and citrus, which gives it that wonderful fragrance. "Ideally, it is for people allergic to the chemicals in the detergents we use and people who are environmentally conscious," says the 29-year-old, adding that, "Not only is the packaging of these detergents plastic, the harmful chemicals also flow into our rivers and pollute them. It is a vicious cycle." With Kandvari Karvanh, 110 grams of natural detergent comes in a sleek glass bottle and is sold for `160. So, if you want to keep your clothes and your conscience clean, it's time to make the switch!
With a team of four and a promise to three villages that they will buy reetha from them, they have managed to sell 50 bottles so far
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