I don’t know how many of you are privy to this information or remember me from my blogging days but I used to be an avid blogger back when i had started my journey in the world of content and social media. Not as someone who wanted to write for financial gains but someone who needed a creative outlet to be able to walk through the life with an open heart and to feel & embed experiences in the memory, of both joy & grief.

I’ve been mulling over this of late, and since I mostly live inside my head, words at times softly escape my lips but picked up a pen after almost 2 years today.

I have had a couple of good heartfelt conversations in the last few days with my beloved customers, brands, creators regarding my vision for Masala Chai and what does it truly stands for. As simple as I can put it  —  it's a curation of everything this heart loves and desires, and not a marketplace. An idea that might not have been conceived before and came to me for the fact that I wanted to create & curate something truly heartfelt that has values as well as aesthetics, both of which defines my being, my life and certainly did not want to introduce yet another marketplace in India then the many we have already. 

Seen on me: Ezra Beaded Earrings made in Nagaland

Those who might not know this, I personally curate everything here. I spend days and weeks interacting & working closely with small, artisan led businesses to bring together some unique and rare finds, some handpicked from their existing designs and some custom designs that you may not find anywhere else. In both the cases, the entire process usually takes 2-3 months right from sampling to production until it goes live on the web shop. And if you ask me what's really the driving force here then it's the process - the personal touch behind each & every product and the collaborative effort & impact is what inspires me to keep moving forward no matter how hard the journey may get.

And that’s why everything is curated in small batches (another question that I have been asked) so it doesn’t burden anyone — the artisans who are making the products or the curator (that is me) who is investing in their crafts. 

Bhumi Tribal Bangles: An indigenous design made by Tribal women artisans of Nagaland.

It’s a balance of all good things together — ethical supply chain, upright & fair payments, quality, eco-friendly products and sustainable packaging as well. An idea that has taken more than a year to come to life. Surely for many it may seem to have blended with that of a regular marketplace but if you are someone like me who feels overwhelmed, confused and utterly bored by seeing the exact same curations everywhere and crave for that personal touch then you would know how to differentiate.

And if you do then do send a bit of love to the pieces you like including all the karigars who’ve crafted them for you. I hope you like all curations just as much as i do!

Why blend in?
Lastly, I have never been a person who has tried to blend in with those around but has rather carved my own path in life and fought my own battles to kept that connection alive between where I am today & where I truly belong. And this is an extension of all that i have lived and believed in —
to never blend in,
to forge my own path,
to never forget my roots...

with a hope that it will resonate with many others out there ♥️

Much love,

Tanvi M