Not too many years ago, they were probably doing homework together but today Aditi Preyadarshini and Namita Rai are creative and business partners and with their recent venture “All Things Bangalore”, their work is creating a furore online!
Talking about their brainchild, 24-year old Namita says: “All Things Bangalore is an online initiative where we showcase Bangalore through our lens. This Facebook page is for anyone who wants to experience the character of life in Bangalore. Being photography enthusiasts, Aditi and I bring life to the page through our photographs and other interesting articles/ videos.”
“This city has such diversity to offer, but unfortunately with the latest developments, we are losing the old world charm the city was once famous for,” says Aditi.
“So this page is our attempt to preserving these memories with discovering the new developments. In our effort to do so, we’ve discovered so much more about the city we love so much!”
Friends for over a decade now, Aditi and Namita studied in the same school and were working with their respective families till they put together All things Bangalore. Aditi has pursued a graduate degree in business studies from the US and Namita has completed her Masters from Scotland in international business.
What triggered the idea to merge their passion for photography and entrepreneurship? Namita says: “This concept literally came to us at 2 a.m. when Aditi and I were chatting over the closing down of our favourite hangouts like Casa Piccola and Gangarams. We thought we could start an online archive of other places of interest before they shut shop too. From there, we just took to creating a page on just about anything anyone would like to know or see about Bangalore — it’s about people, the food, the festivals, and the landmarks.”
Describing their journey so far, Aditi says: “It has been easy so far considering this is not something we have had to put a lot of effort into because of our passion for photography and our love for the city. We love going out hunting for anything that we’d love others to know about Bangalore.”
The 23-year-old adds: “The only possible challenge we see currently is that Namita is in Toronto for a bit, but we are well coordinated with our responsibilities so we should be able to manage alright.”
“What it takes to create something out-of-the-box is genuine love and passion for an idea you are toying with. We’ve both travelled/studied our fair share across the world, but Bangalore will always remain home and genuinely believe it is the best city to grow up, study, or work in. It is effortless for us since we just cannot get enough of this city and what it has to offer!”
Their Facebook page has had several visitors. “We are overwhelmed by the response. We didn’t expect a 2 a.m. conversation to turn into something people would actually appreciate. In just a couple of days we’ve reached thousands of people and have hundreds of fans on our page. We even have a lot of people offering their help and their inputs, only propelling us to dish out our best of Bangalore, for Bangalore!” Namita concludes.
To catch a glimpse of All Things Bangalore, visit https://www.facebook.com/AllThingsBangalore
This column features those who choose to veer off the beaten track.
