They met five years ago in Singapore at a point in their lives when they were each searching to create something meaningful. Having travelled extensively, Yashas Mitta and Sabarinath Kumar have always been inspired by the people they met. Soon enough, they realised their calling was to tell unique success stories and that is how Mukha was born.
Sabarinath says “Mukha is a global magazine (http://www.mukha.co/) for misfits, for those who are bending the system to fit it to their lives, and by doing that are creating meaningful ripples in the communities that they are part of and the world at large. Between the two of us, we have a vast network of friends and communities who are always trying to push the envelope whether it is in art, music, business, travel, etc. As a result we have had the opportunity to interview inspiring people ranging from teen DIY pilots from Dominica to fashion jewellers for a cause from Kenya.”
Yashas adds: “Mukha is largely owned by all of our friends together than just the both of us. That’s what makes it special.
“It is a family project! We are not confined by boundaries, race or colour. Every single interview we have published so far is from a different country and it will be so in the future too.”
Sabarinath has pursued a Masters in International Political Economy from the University of Birmingham and it was during his three month stint in Ghana that he figured his true calling.
Yashas, on the other hand, was in advertising for three years before he decided to quit his job, leave Mumbai and head back to Bangalore to pursue his varied interests, Mukha being one of them.
According to the latter, the duo is incredibly picky about the process involved in meeting and featuring inspiring stories and people. “All the stories we put up comes with proper referencing. We reach out through the friends’ network, find a mutual connect, pull any strings that we can to reach and find the right story no matter where in the world these change makers are,” Yashas says.
Sabarinath says: “Working with each other has made this an incredibly easy shift from what we were doing before because we both share the same vision and we strive for quality over quantity. There are no deadlines and profit and loss statements to worry about, at least not yet.”
Raising the bar has always been important for the partners at Mukha. Sabarinath says: “We’ve got to make sure we do justice to our vision of the site with regard to the people whose stories we tell. The audience has come to expect more of us. Most importantly, showcasing a story that truly reflects what success means to that individual is challenging.”
“The last thing we want to do is make the journeys of these incredible set of people seem frivolous,” Yashas chimes in.
While they have plans to start working with a few select brands that they feel envision the spirit of what Mukha stands for, they are also working at changing some elements on their site, to make it more personalised. “We’re working on a print edition of the magazine that we hope reaches out to educational institutions. It’s incredibly important that the generation of today is aware that there is not one meaning to success and that they can start their own journeys whenever they wish to,” says Yashas.
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
