Originally reported and written in June 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

Flawed and fabulous is how Anurag Bhandari describes his products. 

The founder of Ek Kalakaar Designs, a sustainable studio dedicated to handcrafted designer furniture, has gone through life priding himself on his creative choices, and taking the road less travelled, even when the path wasn’t very clear. 

As I chat with him, it becomes clear that a love for nature is deep-rooted in everything he does. And this reflects in the ethos of his brand. 

“I had a degree in transportation design and was then engaged in my family business for a decade. But I soon realised it wasn’t my cup of tea. I couldn’t cope as I wasn’t of a business bent of mind, but rather a creative one,” shares the 38-year-old from Ahmedabad in conversation with The Better India. 

As he spent his days wondering what profession he should turn to, a sense of uncertainty lay ahead when a series of family disputes in 2017 pushed him out of his family business. Even so, it was as if the universe itself had answered the question of whether he should leave the business and take a leap of faith. 

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“While the way forward was now clear, I did not have a lot of savings to go full throttle into something,” he notes. 

As he was wondering how to proceed, Anurag realised he had always held a fascination for furnishings and decor. He’d also seen furniture design as a space where he could explore his creative side. And so he decided to dive into this space. 

Moulding waste into exquisite decor

Make a decision, and things fall into place in the strangest of ways. That’s what Anurag witnessed firsthand........

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