Story No.2 -A visit to Buzzaria -A story to be told by Kriti

Buzzaria

Touch, feel and even a smell, go much beyond this physical world. Why else would a certain whiff make you shut your eyes and reminisce in memory; gaud in details of a particular time and place; move you away from the present to the ethereal? There is a particular smell that I associate with every country, city or town.

Buzzaria affects the visual sense. It is a bombardment of colors that uplift! Uplifted you move around to pick up an item or two, study it, keep it back or buy it. During all of this, somehow there is a want to connect with the people of the place. A need to associate with the creators of the products there – a feeling that says - “this is good for me!”

That lane in Lado Sarai may have a thousand different things that could be explored, but the signage of Buzzaria attracts one like a magnet and true to its magnetic nature – it does not make it easy for you to leave. One realizes that the budgeted time for Lado Sarai was completely hijacked by this one place!

The store was referred to me by a dear friend, and I went there to get some of those healing bracelets they stock. There was a huge demand for the same in my family since they saw it on my friends’ wrist. And so I went to buy those bracelets. I came back with those, a couple of stuff to add to my wardrobe and guess what more – a business associate!! Go figure…  Shopping spree I think not!! It turned out to be more of a value-add to my life, a lesson that I need to learn and the result of which I await.

All said and done that feeling has not left me – “this is good for me” – the inner voice resonates! “This is good for me” I repeat! 

by Kriti Mukherjee

https://www.facebook.com/SocialPotpourri 

Sulekha's words :)

Sharing the first post for the contest A visit to Buzzaria- A story to be told
Sulekha can be found on www.socialpotpourri.com.
She has started building on her dreams.Her dream is socialpotpourri Do check out her dream...and read her post.

Mamta

In Sulekha's words....

I am an amateur psychic; I sense things and sometimes see visions too. One fine day I found myself at Buzzaria on the move, Noida. Something compelled me to seek out this unfamiliar place, it called out to me. I didn't understand the pull, but I just knew that I Had to visit this enigmatic and exotic place called Buzzaria.   Normally, a practical, logical person, I didn't understand this urgency to be at this place I had just heard about.

The moment I walked into the place, I felt a sense of peace, of homecoming. The smiling hostess reaffirmed my faith in my instincts; I knew I was at the right place. I was in the presence of kindred spirits, I could hear them whispering, welcome friend. I was offered a cool lemon drink to quench my thirst and a warm smile which spread from the lips to the eyes.

As I looked around, I saw bright splashes of colours all around. I breathed in the smell of pure joy, dreams and felt the positive vibes. I touched the multicoloured skits, felt the texture of the elegant kurtis, and feasted my eyes on the exotic tribal jewellery. The healing paintings were a charm and I wanted to take them all home. After admiring the multicoloured juttis and chappals at the store, I stopped at the healing crystals counter; this was where I had been called to. The bracelet I picked up turned out to be a chakra balancing bracelet, I couldn't put it down.

The place was a visual feast; I tried on a cream kurti with bright floral cuffs and collar. A blue and white stole begged to be wrapped around my neck. While I was shopping, a voice kept urging me to share my dream with the lovely ladies present there. I introduced myself and told them about my future plans and they didn't find it strange that someone they had never met before was baring her soul to them.

I lingered for a while, after paying for my purchases. My feet refused to listen to my head and stayed firmly put. The warmth and the camaraderie at Buzzaria captivated me and broke down the usually solid and protective walls around my logical mind and heart. The connect I felt was reciprocated, and after spending an unashamedly long time conversing with the talented ladies present there, who were now my friends, I went home reluctantly.

Sulekha Rawat

A visit to Buzzaria - Story to be told

I had created this event on FB,thinking I will choose 3 stories to share,each story coming forward is so beautiful,that I cannot choose,so turning them over to all of you,to read,comment and decide.
I love them all :)
Mamta
A Visit to Buzzaria-Story to be Told 



We are celebrating 180 days of existence :)
with a contest ........

When we visit a Place it creates Memories in our Mind. Those memories we access to feel happiness in terms of what pleased us, the colors we saw, what we bought, the experiences we had with people, the drive that it took us to get there...The fruitfulness of it all. A memory that we associate with the Place.....We want all of You to access your Memory Banks & tell US your experiences of your Visit to Buzzaria :)

The 3 Best versed experiences will get posted on our Blog
http://bluelotus-diary.blogspot.com/

The Most Liked Story will get a goody bag of vouchers from 5 of the 40 brands at Buzzaria
Creating A story is using one's imagination & reminiscing events...like a Fairy Tale...that would depict what your Visit Meant to U :) & in the Process to US...We are Eager to Hear Your Story
Sent the post via email to buzzaria.ra@gmail.com
Max words 400
From
The Buzzing Angels @Buzzaria 

The Social Entrepreneur's Diary: When I Complained to God !!

The Social Entrepreneur's Diary: When I Complained to God !!: Image from the Facebook community with the same name For those who have been reading my blogs, the title of this blog post may strike ...

Buzzaria (A multi brand retail store)

Buzzaria - An Indian Bazaar.....By Blue Lotus

For Women....By Women

The name has originated from the word "Bajaria" the local market at Sawai Madhopur.I am and was in complete fascination with the name and the local bazaar.Voila! one day while staying at The Ranthambhore Bagh.....I knew I am going to call my store Bajaria or inspired from that word....I was wondering maybe bazaria...buzaaria....and then Eureka :) next minute I got the word Buzzaria...what fun I was maha impressed with myself...haha....

Why an Indian Bazaar???

India is rich in culture.I find the diversification fascination. The varied religions,languages,traditions and festivals.

The colors,the spices,the artisans and the CRAFT…makes me wonder, how can one country have so much beauty.

My country makes me dance…the music, the dance forms, the talent.

With equal love and enthusiasm we accept all that comes from other cultures,the luxuries,the brands,the art of retail, the twists n turns in the food palette :)

So,an Indian Bazaar is an amalgam of all the above and ever changing and ever growing.

Buzaaria is the synthesis of an Indian Bazaar. A Bazaar Buzzing in all possible ways.

Buzzaria the brand belongs to Blue Lotus.

Blue Lotus has seven more brands

GodBless - Candles and Blessings

Mimathyma- Fashion as varied as the Butterflies

MeriJaan- Fun with Color and Textiles

EcoStorey - Go Green,Go Eco Friendly...that's the Buzz

HandsOn - The Handmade World

IamRa - Healing Services and Products

BluPear - The Indian Ethnic Chappals for your paer :)

All the above brands and many more by various social enterprises, NGOs,Fair Trade Organizations,Product Designers and Fashion Designers.

Women Entrepreneurs and various start ups of 2011 in the design space have come together in one space to give you a glimpse of the India...of the Now. 

Buzzaria is the traditional,the ethnic,the contemporary,the new,the modern,the latest,the old,the fashionable,the hip and the fun stuff all do a merry dance together.

The choice is humongous,you have to see it to believe it :)) 

http://www.facebook.com/GodBless.Blessings

http://www.facebook.com/Mimathyma

http://www.facebook.com/MeriJaan.Bluelotus

http://www.facebook.com/EcoStorey

http://www.facebook.com/HandsOn.Bluelotus

http://www.facebook.com/IamRa.Lotus

http://www.facebook.com/BluPear

So now you are part of the process of the birth of Buzzaria...Thanks for reading this story.

Love n GodBless... Mamta Mamta

Location

Bhram House F/343 Lado Sarai, Old M.B. Road, Mehrauli,Near Crescent Mall, New Delhi, India 110030

Hours

Mon - Sun: 11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Email

buzzaria.ra@gmail.com, bluelotus.connect@gmail.com

Phone

+91 11 45793261,+91 9873550983

Website

http://bluelotus-diary.blogspot.com/

Directions

If you are coming in from IIT,please take the 5th left and once you cross the CNG petrol pump and crescent mall...kindly turn left touching the mall wall and we are the 2nd building on the right.

If coming in from Gurgaon,you will need to go ahead take a U turn and come back.

If coming in from Qutab Minar,you will again have to do the same as above.

If coming in from Saket,Sainik Farm,or Saket Metro Station

known as Mehrauli Badarpur Road

After Saket metro Station,there is a red light,go ahead,for around 4 minutes till you see a cut on the right.

Enter into Lado Sarai,the cut is on your right.There is a board saying Ch.Prem Singh,come in and take the road parallel to the main road known as Old M.B Road,ths is basically to your left.So right and them immediate left.

You will immediately come across maharaja carpet,we are the other end of this road,an approx 10 minutes walk/drive.....you will come out at the other end next to crescent mall..

We are right next to Super Tyre House.

Actually visible if you peep in immediately after Crescent Mall Ends.

Nearest Metro Station - Saket

phn 011-45793261

M - 9873550983

Buzzaria DELHI’S BEST NEW SHOP (in TimeOut magazine Nov 2011)

DELHI’S BEST NEW SHOPS

Buzzaria

In a city where kitsch is king, a new store with its whimsical wares is sure to create the right buzz. Welcome Buzzaria: a loud mela of kitsch and Indo-Western merchandise.

Mango walls with pink paisley greet you at the entrance. The inside is a mélange of every possible hue. Variously coloured portions of the walls provide a backdrop to the different brands, merging perfectly with the bright merchandise.

After running Tribal Route in Mumbai, owner Mamta Mamta returned to the city with a new store under the umbrella of her mother brand Blue Lotus. Buzzaria has six in-house and over 20 others brands at present. Each range has a different story to tell. If you are in the mood for an ethnic shopping spree, turn to hand-embroidered chappals from BluPear, healing crystals from IamRa, vibrant kaftans with block prints and beadwork from Mimathyma, or brocade silk bikini cholis paired with ghaghra skirts from Meri Jaan.

In a philanthropic mood? The chunky pearl-and-kundan handmade jewellery from Hands On (run by an NGO) or stuffed toy owls made by autistic children are sure to make you feel better about spending. And the rustic home accessories made of guava wood, coconuts shells and other natural materials from EcoStorey certainly get the green signal from us.

However, if kitsch’s your thing, jump with joy, as the store is the first to bring Mumbai brands Quirkbox and Bechain Nagri to our city. Slip into kooky pop-art dresses, shorts and jackets from Quirkbox, give vent to your mixed emotions with T-shirts from Ediots, overdose on Bollywood with bags and clutches from Item Number, and finally, try matching the illustrations of NID designers with your own doodles in notebooks from Bechain Nagri.  

Before you decide to make a pit stop at this little shop though, be forewarned that it’s not likely to be a quick stop. And once the store ropes in new brands and expands out to fill its basement and first floors, the hours spent browsing here could lengthen to days. Akshita Nahar

F- 343 Bhram House, Old MB Road, Lado Sarai (4579-3261). Qutab Minar. Daily 11am-9pm. Products from Rs.25.

http://www.timeoutdelhi.net/consume/shopping_details.asp?code=554&source=1

Kaftans by Mimathyma.
Mimathyma a brand owned by Blue Lotus available at Buzzaria.
One of Most Beautiful Butterflies found is The Purple Emperor, called the Mimathyma.
MimaThyma here represents clothing made with painstaking effort as varied and as beautifull as the Butterflies in the world.
Through Mimathyma we are working to bring forward the world of block print,tie and dye,bandhini a tribute to the crafts and crafts persons of Rajasthan.
Modelling by Kashish Sharma and Photography by Aditi Gupta

The Elephants

We are very cute...And very Happy -The Elephants...
We are busy wondering why you haven't taken us home :)
Made by a Fair trade organization...Quality A+.Toys are lab tested.
The organization is working with the diabled and the handicapped.
Available at Buzzaria -011-45793261

I believe I can Fly…………………………………now

BY - SHARMILA

I believe I can Fly…………………………………now

If you happen to walk into this store called “Buzzaria”, near Crescent mall, you can see my work, prominently displayed.

Looking back three months, I had no inkling,that my label would be recognized one day, but then I had not counted on Mamta coming along

I called myself an ’Underground Designer’, as I had been operating from a small basement for 7 whole years…… typically like a bird, still in it’s egg, pushing, and yet not strong enough, scared of the known and the unknown.

In our country, if you are a damn good designer, well, that’s not good enough! You need to know marketing, branding, networking, and of course, you need to have DEEP pockets. In short, your creative abilities can take you only so far, and no further.

Inspite of being so passionate about my work, and being a qualified designer ( an A+ from NIFT delhi) I had become a victim of the circumstances and I had reached a deadlock!

And then Buzzaria happened…..

Initially, I had a tough time believing Mamta’s terms, they were too good to be real- my own label, my designs, timely payments, shelf space, a good margin! I started simply because I had nothing to lose. That was September..

Its December now:  I create and only create, because there is Mamta, who just goes on selling.

It’s Christmas time and I am merrily riding on mamta’s vision, as I am sure other designers will soon too.

THANK YOU MAMTA

Sharmila's creation.Modelling by Kashish Sharma. Photography by Aditi Gupta

The Zing Blog: On being an entrepreneur and business person : How...

The Zing Blog: On being an entrepreneur and business person : How...: When Umesh asked me to write an article, I just said yes because I love writing :) … and then, I visited this blog, and peeped around, oh...

The Zing Blog: When work does not give stress: How to make work f...

The Zing Blog: When work does not give stress: How to make work f...: After the great response to Mamta's earlier post , we decided to ask her to do another guest post on what is work. Here she is on what i...

The Zing Blog: The Creative Entrepreneur : Is an entrepreneur cre...

The Zing Blog: The Creative Entrepreneur : Is an entrepreneur cre...: Recently a young girl came in to my store. She had recently discovered the art of quilling. She was a journalist before she discovere...

Blue Business Junction: The Exhibition @Gurgaon

Blue Business Junction: The Exhibition @Gurgaon: "Last weekend we had taken over my friend Sangeeta’s living room and her life :) My very own Indian Bazaar …was born in April 2011.A..."

The Exhibition @Gurgaon

Last weekend we had taken over my friend Sangeeta’s living room and her life :)


My very own Indian Bazaar…was born in April 2011.An experiment, which brought immense happiness, contentment and excitement .Me and the family whose home I had taken over all were so exhilarated with the entire experience that I repeated the entire exercise, a month later.Voila!!! We were very successful, yet again, being in love with retail, I was super excited.Two months in a row, same location, both the exhibitions super successes…WOW!

I tried counting the number of colors,failed miserably:)

The first exhibition, the first customer was my friend Sangeeta and she asked me to hold an exhibition at her home. I dilly dallied for couple of months and then kind of closed in on some date.Spreading the word, sending sms, emails, designing the marketing all brings up lots of harrowed folks, but, then the adrenalin rush when the final products are all ready is a great ego booster.This time we had designed a poster, first time we saw all our brands on a single surface, felt GOOD!Designing each logo, coming up with the brand idea and then the brand name, most of it, is though, all jumbled up inside you and from the clutter; you have to reach the space of complete clarity.This process takes sometimes very little time and sometimes, months and years.    






                                         We are a start up, and like any start up have lots of teething issues, and also I found people cannot fathom the variety of brands, it will eventually sink in…The entire idea being so new.At the end of this exhibition, I felt the exhibition requires its own unique identity, Moving Bazaar,Bazaar on the Move, Home Bazaar, and many such options floated around and then I decided on “Weekend Buzzaria”

I am sure the Giraffe never expected this 

My team and I met Sangeeta and her family and all her friends, for those three days we were part of their lives. Phoebe the 6-month-old Yorkshire terrier stole our heart. The domestic help, the two maids who informed me when I entered ,Oh she won’t answer her phone as she is not near her phone:) this was in response to my query of where is Sangeeta? They loved the stuff and spent hours helping us set up the Bazaar, and what do I find, the next day, they came shopping and not only that they invited their friends too. This was simply fantastic. 


The BluPear Chappals crossed all income barriers :)


Sangeeta’s mother in law and sister in law live on the ground floor. Aunty I have known for 30 odd years as Sangeeta’s husband Vicky (Vivek Chopra) is my classmate from school. Though this was the first time, I was getting an opportunity to show her, what I do. I had brought everything to her doorstep.

Aunty Sukirta is an energy healer, has been teaching Reiki for a very long time. She does PLR sessions, angel card readings, crystal therapy, theta healing etc, so Aunty does not really go on regular shopping jaunts. When I saw my Bazaar from her eyes, I felt so good…so very good.


A friend’s friend Anjuli visited with her friend and they were amazed at the range of products, they fell in love, with the Skirts, the Chappals and the Jewelry. They shopped to their hearts content, continuously declaring that they are very conservative shoppers, they do not know what has come over them. Then they came back the next day, Ira, with her daughter who was wearing her mother’s slippers bought the previous day. Oh, I was on cloud nine seeing this little girl smiling her feet dazzling with the silver BluPear Chappals, and she bought one more for her daughter & her daughter’s friend. Anjuli came back too with her husband to look for more skirts,Mimathyma skirts were a big hit.

All tables were covered with Jewelry - no food here :)

The star of the show though was Shweta Chopra, Sangeeta’s daughter; her birthday is around the corner.All her aunts bought her gifts of her choice; she got herself lots n lots of Mimathyma skirts.Shweta is in first Year College and is not into truly ethnic Indian attire, but she loved the skirts as they appealed to her as fun n young and yet Indian enough to make her mom happy that she was willing to wear something other than her shorts.I am sure we will come back to the Chopra household this time invited by Shweta, next year, very close to her birthday…Ha-Ha


Vir for the first time saw so many women all in the span of 3 days shopping to their hearts content:)and that too at his home. Moreover, of course when we had issues, with the tempo guy and the packing staff, not turning up and dear Vir, even with his fractured arm, decided to assist us in best possible fashion. You see he was the man of the house for those 3 days as his dad was out of town.


Namita,Sangeeta’s sister in law, came straight from school, she is a teacher, she looked at me with her twinkling eyes and said you know I saw your poster I had to come straight to the first floor, without even going home for lunch, I just couldn’t resist. The glee I saw made me forget all the stress n strain of setting up the bazaar:)


I can go on and on about Sangeeta’s hospitality, the lovely coffee, the food, the garden her lovely home and her smiling and calm face, but she will make mince meat of me:)
Oh I can surely tell you she is a wonderful Business Coach, and also completely involved in running the training workshops on Productivity.(Mission Control Productivity Workshop)


I also got a chance to meet my school batchmate Kamal, after some 30 odd years. He spent practically an hour pouring over all the jewelry and picking up stuff for his nieces, daughter and wife. It was very gratifying to see that a Man could also go through such a humungous range ofproducts and ask us the why and how’s about many of the pieces.


Our bazaar did attract a fan from FB Arunima, who came in saying she saw the Chappals on FB, bought one pair, went out down the stairs and after few minutes came back and said give me the other one too.
I think that has been the fastest return customer :)


Thanks Anu Behl for coming all the way from GK2....for the IamRa Bracelets


Thanks Nilufer for taking our visiting cards to your dinner party :)
Thanks Kiku, Meena, Nandini.
Thanks Kavita, Sagrika, Anita, Anu, Dr Deepika, Kanika, Mehek, Sarviki, Urmi and all the other whose names I could not gather. 
Special thanks to the gentleman who came and asked for the cards with store address and said we look forward to visiting your store, start it soon. He spent an hour choosing stuff for his wife and daughters.
Special thanks to Sonu Vandanaa Chhabra, Sonia Sharma (I am sure you saw your groove), Preiti Singh, Sumita Pant Joshi


We are still, fine-tuning, the art of moving our goodies. Moreover, while going to Gurgaon found us in a very helpless situation. In walked an old friend Sunil heading back to Gurgaon and offered to carry a carload of stuff:) And in the bargain i discovered he is a collector and one of his passions is to collect Hundis (Promissory Notes) Then on our way, back I asked my cargo person who happens to be Sunil too, to help us out, he and his dad came to take the stuff but the helpers did not turn up:( Sunil who now turned into an angel moved all the big boxes all by himself and got us home well before it turned midnight :)If anyone is looking for a good cargo guy Gautam Roadways are good people.


Now off to do more planning work for the next one this one is atAabha’s home in.Noida

Love n Happiness n Happy Shopping 

Mamta Mamta

My Very Own India Bazaar II

After the completion of a successful event for the second time where in the 

The Idea of My Own India Bazaar is to offer products to customers from different walks of life, wherein the products are manufactured across the country & some from outside of it too, some rich in culture & tradition, some that heal, some that are unique, some that are eco friendly, some manufactured by rural women, some by women who have self empowered themselves. The effort here is to make such exhibitions a regular affair where all included starting from the craftswomen, the embroider, the hand block printer, the manufacturer, the employees of the manufacturer, the designers, the marketing team  basically all included in bringing forth the product get a sustainable income.

Have posted a few pictures for all of you to get an Idea about the Bazaar & make the effort of making your presence felt in the next one. Do keep a watch on this link for the next Bazaar

http://www.facebook.com/TheEntrepreneurAlchemist

Below are the links to our pages-Do have a Dekho

http://www.facebook.com/IamRa.Lotus

http://www.facebook.com/Mimathyma

http://www.facebook.com/BluPear

Blue Business Junction: Exhibition of Indian Ethnic Fashion and Accessories

Blue Business Junction: Exhibition of Indian Ethnic Fashion and Accessories

Exhibition of Indian Ethnic Fashion and Accessories

The Idea of My Own India Bazaar is to offer products to customers from different walks of life, wherein the products are manufactured across the country & some from outside of it too, some rich in culture & tradition, some that heal, some that are unique, some that are eco friendly, some manufactured by rural women, some by women who have self empowered themselves. The effort here is to make such exhibitions a regular affair where all included starting from the craftswomen, the embroider, the hand block printer, the manufacturer, the employees of the manufacturer, the designers, the marketing team  basically all included in bringing forth the product get a sustainable income.

Attached is the Link of a an Event that turned out to be a success & a few photographs to accompany the Event.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=190422201002798

IamRa

Healing Crystals & Semi-precious stone Bracelets.

Here's part of our collection of bracelets presently available for sale in Mumbai as in other regions.

We have given a brief description of the beneficial properties of every crystal and stone embedded in each piece, so you can choose which suits you best.

Sometimes a crystal / stone "chooses" you. We advise you to pay attention to your calling and follow your instinct, to reap maximum benefits from the power of these wonderful gifts of the universe. Should you require assistance from us, in helping you choose your jewelery, send us a private message and we will be glad to help.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=41800&id=185378994816131 

If you know what you want and have a specific combination in mind, let us know, so that we can customize a piece for you!

We can also courier your favourite piece of jewelery anywhere in the world!*

You may also email us at:
IamRa.lotus@gmail.com
bluelotus.connect@gmail.com
Available at Buzzaria (New Delhi) and Colour Mantra ( Bangalore)

Remember to say....I AM RA! :)