'Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have — life itself.'    Walter Anderson

This quote sums up, in short, the life of Sanjay Guha Thakurta, who was diagnosed with a rare, potentially life threatening condition, at the peak of his well-paying IT career.  Shaken by the knowledge of his condition, he set out to find out his real calling.  Family responsibilities meant that he had to keep his day job, but during weekends he travelled the length and breadth of Bengal with bauls (wandering mendicants whose songs are rich with folklore) and fakirs, so that he could lead a meaningful life in whatever time he had left.  These sojourns took him through many villages replete with potters, weavers, wood carvers, villagers working with Dokra and so on and noticed one common thing - they had no takers for their art, they were starving and ruthless middlemen were exploiting them mercilessly.  

A watershed moment in his career helped him make up his mind, and in 2013, he decided to bid goodbye to his IT career. Rangamaati was thus born - an ode to the rich, red soil that houses the craftsmen from Bankura, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Shanthiniketan and Purulia.  Sanjay embarked on a mission to get the artisans what is rightfully theirs - an adequate compensation for their skills and a life of dignity.  Years of exploitation by middlemen naturally made the artisans view Sanjay with suspiciion and he says that the biggest challenge he faced was earning their trust.  It was not an easy ride, with no access to capital, which meant he had to put all his savings into Rangamaati, and even sell off his wife's jewellery. 

Today, he has steadily growing, dedicated customer base around the world. He regularly ships to USA, Russia, France and a handful of other countries as well as to regions across the nation.  Sanjay is extremely proud of his 'creators' as he calls them and what they produce.  There is no compromise on the materials that go into the creations, nor on the authenticity of the products.  Sanjay requests consumers to be conscientious shoppers, emphasising that the handicraft industry is one of India’s greatest assets.  

We are proud to have Rangamaati and Sanjay on IndyMandi.  Let us contribute our mite to preserving the dying crafts of our beautiful motherland, before the artisans give up their crafts for want of patrons who support their art. 

You can shop on Rangamaati here.