Mother Nature inspires. On a daily basis. She inspires everyone, every step of the way in life. She inspires stories, designs, moods, wise words, and much more, as she goes about her routine in the most serene way.
Aranyani, a lifestyle brand targeting millennials, named after the Goddess of the forests and the animals that live there, decided to draw its inspiration from the forest to create a range of lifestyle products and accessories. After all, what is more inspiring than the trees, the birds, the animals, their lithe movement, streams dancing to their own tunes and meandering through hills and valleys, twinkling in the sunlight as she plays hide and seek with them through thick foliage . . . you get the picture!
But more about this brand later!
When I received an invitation to the Aranyani Hunt at Jayamahal Palace Hotel, I looked forward to it eagerly. Jayamahal Palace is a beautiful property and it is always a pleasure to visit.
The agenda had a treasure hunt, followed by the brand and store launch, and music from jazz fusion music group Mystik Vibes. There were prizes and goodies to be won.
The event began at 9.30 am on Sunday, 15 Jan on the lawns behind the hotel. It was a gloriously sunny day and we were guaranteed a generous dose of Vitamin D in the Treasure Hunt scheduled for the attendees.
After registering, coffee was served (but, of course!) and I had an interesting chat with the dynamic Aranyani team while we waited for the event to start. Mystik Vibes decided to entertain us with some soul music and I think part of the listening pleasure, for me, came from the great chemistry the group members had between them-it is always amazing to see artists enjoying what they do.
There was time for me to stroll around the venue and take a look at the gorgeous merchandise from Aranyani and yes, I coveted them. You would have, too. Take a look!
And before I could gaze at the ponies in the property next door,
. . . it was time for the welcome note followed by the treasure hunt.
The host for the day quickly split us into groups of six, to get ready for the first of our 7 clues. The first team to solve all 7 would win prizes-a forest experience at Kabini Resort and other swag. The runner up was also eligible for goodies.
We were handed out maps marking the areas where the clues were spread out and spurred on by the sweet promise, we got going with the first clue in hand.
This one was easy enough, since it required us to "find someone who'd get us something to eat" - what with all the teams running over to the refreshments corner.
We had to take a pic of the "answer" and post it on Instagram with the requisite hashtags. The Aranyani team would then respond to the correct answers with the next clue.
As soon as we got clue #2, we set out looking for the answer. I tell you, the campus was huge and I am pretty sure we all burned some serious calories rushing hither and tither.
Here are some of the clues we got:
"Colorful are my petals, but thin as paper. You usually find me leaning crazily and at times, it can get all awkwardly"
Can you guess what that might be? We did, after a few false tries.
The answer was bougainvillea!
Next clue?
"Your prayers to win can be heard loud and clear. Many of them are listening to it now. Including one thick skinned. Find him, get the next clue. Pray you find it now."
Yes, we went through a few crazy guesses before we found our man.
He had our next clue, ready for us to listen to, and act!
We got it instantly and received the next one. This, made us go berserk with plenty of false hits, before we stumbled upon the right answer.
By the time we received our clue #7 and instagrammed our answer, two teams had already reported theirs and were declared winners and runners up, respectively.
We now settled down to some more music by Mystik Vibes.
The moment had now come for the launch of Aranyani, and the CEO introduced the concept behind the brand. He also launched the website, which you can explore here: https://aryanyani.co
More music followed, after which the winners were called to the stage and presented their prizes.
All in all, a pleasant Sunday morning!
About AranyaniRather than being an eco-friendly brand, Bangalore-based brand Aranyani is eco-smart, and their designs for their lifestyle products and accessories are inspired by our rich forests.
"At Aranyani, we live every single day to capture and convert a piece of that divinely inspired artwork into our products"
The product range includes a wide variety of bags for men and women, accessories including coasters, tablemats, wine bottle holders, mouse pads and lots more. The design team heads out to the forest about seven times a year (lucky guys!), spends time in nature studying the flora and fauna, and creates contemporary designs which are then transformed into their collections.
The plain and solid color combinations are inspired by nature's palette and some really bright colors and prints are also available. When you visit the website, you'll find that most of their products are unisex, which is great, I think. In the pipeline is a clothing range for men and women.
"The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life activity; it affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axe-man who destroys it"- Gautama Buddha
During this event, the strong message was "be a nemophilist" - someone who loves the forest and is a haunter of the woods. Don't we all have this in us?
But no need to go to the forest - take a look at Aranyani's e-store
Writer, editor, blogger, social media enthusiast. Love DIY, Coffee, Music, Reading, Photography, Family, Friends and Life. Mantra: Happiness is a DIY Project. In my free time I play with my dust bunnies and show my diabetes who's boss. Tweet as @vidyasury
