Anandhi has over three decades of experience working with different organizations in Government, Non-Governmental Organization, Donor agencies and Corporates in the space of Cultural and Creative Livelihood initiatives in India and South Asia (Pakistan and Nepal).
She started her journey with TRIFED – Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India and continued working for 17 years ,post which worked with different organizations in the development sector. She was instrumental in strengthening and expanding Tribes India retail stores (Retail chain for Tribal handicrafts set up by Govt of India), strategizing the stores expansion, identifying tribal crafts across India and ensuring marketing of the handicrafts and handlooms.
She also spearheaded the set-up of grass roots level artisan owned producer federations in rural India and facilitated co-creation of products between traditional artisans and designers to transform local products for contemporary markets. The emphasis was to use local resources sustainably with low carbon footprints which are eco-friendly and biodegradable.
She has been with Reliance Retail since May-2021 for a new format SWADESH – for handcrafted Products.
LinkedIn: Anandhi Dasaraj
Instagram: Anandhi_Dasaraj
Facebook: Anandhi Dasaraj
Q. How has been your journey from IIFM so far?
A. As destiny would have it – fought my way to join IIFM (being the 1st Batch – we didn’t know what we was in store for us!). I guess it was a turning point of my life – and have never looked back (35 years now and it still feels like yesterday).
Got placed in TRIFED through Campus recruitment and continued to work for 17 years in different capacities and locations (Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai).
The Coffee Day caption – “A lot can happen over coffee” was so true that the course of my life changed because of a casual chat with an ex colleague – the next day I went off for an interview which made me quit a cozy Govt Job and join a Social enterprise funded by the ICICI Foundation thereby exposing me to the possibility of working in the field of Creative enterprises and creating rural employment using creative skills.
Life has been kind and has put me in the right place at the right time – all by the grace of the Almighty. Having worked with the legend Shri Rajeev Sethi, Founder and Chairperson of The Asian Heritage Foundation for over a decade was a great learning and exposure to what rural India can make for contemporary India. Shifting gear and working on few assignments with World Bank on Creative livelihood projects in India and South Asia was an eye opener. The potential to create social and economic empowerment for rural women was multifold and the governments initiatives leading the women into SHGs and Producer companies was perfectly timed. The main challenge with projects funded by various Donor agencies /Govt bodies is the constraint of being time bound and hence not sustainable post the project period. Marketing of produce being the challenge in the sector.
I see a silver lining joining SWADESH -as the main challenge in the sector is marketing and a big retail brand like Reliance can be a game changer for the sector.
Q. What were some of the key milestones/learning in this journey that you would like to share with us?
A. The journey has been tough and challenging – as one tries to break the glass ceiling and barriers. The biggest learning is that nothing is more important than hard work and commitment to the job and the cause you choose.
First milestone was leaving a stable job and getting into private sector – but never compromised on the sector and people I wanted to work for – Tribals or rural artisans – once you set a goal then the journey becomes playful and enjoyable.
Shifting my base from Hyderabad to Delhi was a major shift in terms of work culture, also adjusting to the aggressive attitude of people and battling racial discrimination because of the colour of your skin or the caste you belong to….
My advise is to be confident of who you are and where you come from. Never compromise on your values for getting accepted by people. Remember the Journey of life is your and yours alone – so go ahead and face the world.
Q. What is the most satisfying part in your career?
A. That am able to contribute in a small way in preserving the hand skills of artisans and give the grass root communities livelihood options to live with dignity in their environment and surrounding’s without them migrating to cities to work as laborers.
Q. Has your learning at IIFM helped in shaping how you approach your professional roles?
A. IIFM Laid the foundation to groom my personality – from being a very docile and introvert person to face the world with confidence. The field trips and Organizational Trainings (now called SI & Project Work) gave me the exposure to face hardships and confidence to deal with tough situations. The experience of living in dense forest areas in Ashram schools or Forest Guest houses in Naxal infested villages at an age of 19 -20 years shapes your personality and endurance.
Apart from this it taught me how to deal with difficult situations logically and increased my analytical thinking without panicking.
Q. Who (or what) are the biggest influences or drivers in your careers? What would be your advice to freshers and IIFM graduates who are looking to choose similar sectors/roles.
My biggest influencer has been my Mother – who paved the way for my professional life by standing with me and always drilling into my head the thought to be independent and confident of whatever I do. My father’s values and professional ethics inspired me to follow his path and be compassionate to all coworkers and subordinates without discriminating them.
I was fortunate to meet many Gurus who showed me the path and was inspired by their work to respect the beautiful cultural heritage our country has. The Cultural and Creative livelihood’s is next to agriculture and the potential of this sector to revolutionize the life’s of people in the villages is immense.
My advise to freshers is to travel to rural India and explore the heritage of our ancient civilization, we still have living heritage that needs to be protected and promoted. The intellectual property our artisans have will vanish if not protected. It also has a huge potential to generate employment.
Q. What are your favorite memories during your IIFM days?
A. Best part of my life was my life at the campus. As the first batch of students, we were the path breakers and learners. The faculty and students were learning together I guess and the bonding was very strong like a family, celebrating festivities together.
Some unforgettable events at the campus –
Holi – Experiencing the Holi festival at the campus was an experience in itself – Getting hunted to dragged and dumped into the pool – where all the guys felt it was a major achievement – not sure whether I liked it or hated it -but it was an experience – the fun was to dress up in colorful Ghagra choli from our field trip to Gujarat and enjoy a drive into the city and have Top and Town ice-cream at TT Nagar.
April Fool Day – Some of our batchmates had the most innovative and fun ideas – almost the entire lot of students were brought to the IIFM gate on one pretext or the other with the made- up accident drill done to perfection by the Guard and students – also bringing in the faculty in the middle of the night!!
Hyena hunts -night outs- The most stressful nights at the campus was working on assignments all through the night and taking a walk in the campus and get chased by Hyenas. I was the first student to be stung by a scorpion – the pain was unbearable but batchmates entertained me all night.
Treks to the lakes around the campus
Sunrise and Sunset at the Campus: Being a fitness freak at campus, would always go for a run in the morning and enjoyed the sunrise on most mornings – days I didn’t go for a jog out, beloved Chandu Bhai would wake me up with Garam Bed chai 🙂
Me and my Roommate Hemalatha discovered a beautiful location to view the most stunning sunsets from that spot and had named it SHANTI STHAL -from where many love letters were written too!
Q. What was the biggest contribution – critical role in shaping you as an individual?
A. My Mother who led my path and helped me in my dream to study at IIFM and made me live life on my own terms.
Q. The best buddies / seniors /faculty at IIFM? Some memorable tidbits that you like to share?
A. My Local Guardian Professor Jayram was the best LG one could have – we were lucky to be invited for monthly dinners and was exposed to drinking wine at his place. Once we ended up in a situation of getting chased by Local men in an open jeep at T Nagar market that freaked me out – so we ended up in his house – I still remember and value the advice he gave us – “Never give someone a chance to commit a crime”
Buddies – the entire batch was very closely connected as we were only 27 students on the campus – so we were like family – but some lifelong friends are- Hemalatha my Roomie and Anjali Bhatnagar Koul.
ADVENTUROUS GALS: We had many girly times together – driving into town for an ice-cream at Top and Town, sleeping on the terrace in our sleeping bags to beat the summer heat in the rooms – so the guys couldn’t digest the fact that we girls were brave – so they decided to sleep one floor above us -only to be bitten by some poisonous bugs!
Our Drinking adventure – We gals decided to drink and smoke up just before we passed out – our kind batch mates smuggled in some booze and cigarette’s – in spite of the warning we ventured into the terrace post our drinks and next morning got to know that the guys had eves dropped to our secret conversation about our boyfriends and fantasies!
Q. What was your typical day at the work? And how does it look like while you are on a break?
A. Typical day is working with team, meetings & connecting with Artisans, shortlisting products and crafts to be showcased.
My breaks are mostly doing creative stuff – visiting exhibitions etc.
Q. And how about weekends, hobbies, family and anything else you want to add?
A. Catching up with friends, listening to music, Cooking/cleaning up, getting the home organized, reading spiritual books. Outdoor activities like walking in the parks / driving.
I am single and love living by myself.
Q. Favorite Books, movies, authors?
A. Spiritual books by OSHO/ Sadhguru, Paulo Coelho, Dr.Brian Weiss, Devdutt Patnaik
Q. IIFM is driven by alumni’s passion and commitments towards its goal. How would you like to contribute to IIFM or IIFM alumni, students?
A. I am willing to commit my time to interact and mentor the students.
Q. Any suggestions on who you want to get profiled/interviewed here?