The Founder's Story, Part 3: The Heart of the Mission
Nitin SahrawatIn the previous chapters, I've shared my journey of reinvention and the catalysts that sparked the idea of BestIndian™- the need for honest, natural products in an industry full of chemicals. That was the mind of the business. But a business built on ideas alone is hollow. To endure, it needs a soul.
I'm publishing this part of my story now, in light of the recent Supreme Court ruling on stray animals, because I believe sharing proven, personal solutions is more important than ever. I have hesitated, as this part of my story is deeply personal, and as someone who has long adopted solitude and disappearance from public life, I find it tough to open up. But if my opening up can help the cause of these voiceless animals, then it is a story that must be told.
My business philosophy, and the 25% pledge, were not born in a boardroom. They were born on the once lush and now dusty streets of my hometown, Dehradun.
The Silence of a Lost Landscape
When I returned to Dehradun after 15 years in Mumbai, I was searching for peace. Instead, I was confronted by a crisis. The green city of my memories had changed. The mango and litchi orchards that once defined my neighborhood had been cut down to make way for housing projects.
A depressing silence had replaced the sounds of nature, the nests and the birds long gone. I realized I couldn't just watch. I had to act. My new mission was to bring the birds back.
It was a bureaucratic and physical challenge. It took numerous personal visits to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation to secure permission to plant on a barren, trash-filled ravine that nobody cared about. Once I had the permission, I drove numerous times to the Forest Research Institute to pick up rare native Indian saplings- Kadamba, Swarnchampa, Rudraksha, etc.- transporting them myself to ensure their safe arrival. This back-breaking, solo work became a form of meditation, an act of hope. I named this urban forest Atal Vatika. Slowly, miraculously, life returned. The silence was broken by the calls of Grey Hornbills, Golden Orioles, and Rufous Treepies nesting in the trees I had planted, and it felt like a small piece of the world's harmony was being restored.
The Helplessness of the Unloved
While the land was healing, its inhabitants were suffering. Theirs wasn't a silent problem; their plight was immediate and unavoidable- one which my conscience wouldn't let me walk away from. I witnessed cruelty I could not unsee- from abandoned calves to the horrific dog poisoning incident of 2019, where almost every dog died within the span of a few hours, in spite of prompt hospitalization. I spent days and nights searching for orphaned, barely three-week-old pups, whom I fortunately found in a utility duct in the nick of time.
Thanks to the efforts of noble souls like Jackie Shroff and Mohit Chauhan, we managed to find homes for three of the puppies after a few months. The fourth just couldn't find a permanent home, so she found one in me and became my fifth. My home and office became a sanctuary, not by design, but by necessity. The solitude I had craved was replaced by the constant, demanding, and beautiful presence of lives that depended on me.
This was a 24/7 commitment. Almost everyday, my professional work at BestIndian™ Luxuries was interrupted by a new unexpected challenge: a new rescue, a medical emergency. These are the 'characters' who started as the supporting cast but were now the directors of the story of my life. In March this year, Thor, my 12-year-old companion who had been my one constant through this entire journey, and Champei, who I had found abandoned in the forest, moved on to the eternal heaven. The emptiness of their absence would have been crushing but for the presence of the rest of my rescued brood: Jumper, whose hind legs were fractured by abuse; Benu (the fourth pup from the duct); Brownie; and Mrignayni.
This wasn't a hobby; this wasn't even a choice, to be honest. It was a complete surrender to a new purpose. It was the moment my life's mission found me. It became my primary calling.
A Business as the Engine for Change
I realized that passion, while essential, is not enough. My personal efforts can help the strays of my extended neighborhood, but what about the helpless animals in the rest of the city, the rest of the state, and the rest of India? I realized that if I am serious about the rehabilitation and welfare of abandoned animals, then this work would require relentless, sustainable funding.
This is when the idea of BestIndian™ truly found its soul.
I realized the company couldn't just be a cosmetics brand. It had to be the engine that powered this work. This mission is the entire reason we reject paid advertising. It is the "why" behind our 25% pledge. This is why we don't just donate a small percentage of profits. It's why we fundamentally restructured our business model to pledge 25% of all revenue to these causes. Every product we create is a means to continue this vital work of rescue and restoration.
This mission is what gets me out of bed every morning- long before sunrise, to walk my dogs and listen to the birds in the forest we built together. And most importantly, this is the proven, grassroots solution to the very problem our nation is debating. We don't just sell products; we fund a movement to heal our corner of the world.
This is the heart of our brand. It's not a marketing story; it is our reason for being.
To be continued in Part 4...
