Making dreams come true
As far as Mimi can remember, she first saw her mother’s wedding
sari at 14. A bright red Banarasi,
with hexagon zari bootis all over the rich
silk fabric and helmed by a heavy border and pallu. It was absolutely
exquisite. Since then, every time her mother was rearranging her wardrobe, Mimi
would rush to peek at the red jewel, harbouring wishes about wearing something
similar when she would be a bride.
![]() |
Image by Shutterdown Photography |
Ten years later, when it was time to shop for the wedding, Mimi
was already a journalist, with a busy planner that found it hard to fit in relaxed
retail. When her mother implored her, Mimi mumbled, “Fine, let’s just go to the
shop where you bought your sari from and get something similar. I’ll be set.”
The women stepped into a well-known sari shop in Kolkata. But as
the clock ticked, Mimi just couldn’t gauge why nothing came close to the sari
she has dreamt of. Sadly, she settled for the best of the lot in front of her.
She did like it a lot, but somewhere it was not what she had dreamt of since
14.
On the other side of Kolkata, a young man called up his
girlfriend from a menswear studio selling ethnic wear for the Bengali groom.
“This is atrocious. What’s with the choosing? Why can’t they just pick up
something nice that fits. I cannot deal with this anymore. I have work to
finish!” Calming her fiancé down, Mimi said, “They’re excited about your
wedding. You have to let them enjoy the phase,” even as she heard confused
chattering of her mom and aunt-in-law over the phone…
…………………
![]() |
Pic: My Virtual Artistry |
That is a little vignette from the time I was readying to walk
down the aisle. As much as I fondly remember the phase, if I could time travel,
I certainly would have gone back and done many things differently. The husband
says the same and I reply, “I wish we had someone like HappyShappy back then.”
I had to make do with a wedding sari, which though was stunning,
was not exactly how I wanted. I rushed through the jewellery bit and now I
realise I would have loved a pair of jhumkas much more than the danglers the PC
Chandra lady forced down our throat. My husband was forced to accompany his mom
and aunts for the ubiquitous wedding shopping, something that he would banish
with a click if he had his way!
Anyway. What’s done is done. Back to HappyShappy.com then. This
is a bright and beautiful social
retail portal that helps you create dream boards,
saving your dreams, getting your wishes personalized, customized. Most
importantly, you can buy your dreams, just as you had dreamt of it. Founded by
Sana and Nitin Sood, this is a platform geared to make you happy without having
to move a muscle for it.
Sana, the co-founder of Happy Shappy shifted to Delhi after 27
years in Washington DC to establish and create this company, along with her
husband, Nitin Sood (founder and CEO), who went to study there after growing up
in Punjab. Nitin was previously with the World Bank in DC, and also consulting
with the US Government on highly technical projects. Sana, a mother of two, had
worked at PwC and a Swiss multinational, in sectors of operations and finance. “In
high-involvement positions, we soon realized that life was living us. We were
going through hamster rigmaroles without being able to enjoy moments that
mattered. The decision to pack our bags and leave for India sprang out of that
monotonous existence,” says Sana, whose creative expertise coupled with Nitin’s
technical and managerial prowess is veered towards making HappyShappy a perfect
marriage between an online scrapbook and a retail destination.
It is an online portal where users can browse photos of fashion,
looks, food and travel – save the ones they love into Dreamboards, and then get
the very things they’re dreaming of, at the perfect price. “It aims to give
users the celebrations they’ve always wanted. Celebrations which are not
possible with an endless stream of screenshots that people currently take –
only to forget them just as quickly and not recall them when they’re needed for
planning a celebration,” says Nitin.
![]() |
Pic: Shutterdown Photography |
After a click of the ‘I Want It’ button,’ HappyShappy asks a
user by when they want the item they’re coveting, how much their budget allows
for and any customizations required. Then, it connects the user to an array of
vetted vendors who can bid on making the user’s dream come true, without the
individual or their families running from pillar to post trying to source what
they love.
What sets HappyShappy apart from the Pinterest is that they do
not further the ‘Do It Yourself’ culture. “Despite being popular globally,
Pinterest has found limited resonance in India, due due to its DIY component. Let’s
face it. This culture simply does not exist in India. We are more of ‘Get it
Done’. HappyShappy.com has Indianized the concept of Pinterest to suit local
behavior and needs,” explains Sana. Jesus, how my husband would have loved it the
HappyShappy way ten years back!
HappyShappy.com puts up new inspiration photos every day, images
that link to vendors, blogs, retail sites and more. The great thing about the
portal is that it is not restricted to weddings. HappyShappy is all about
celebrations, be it an anniversary, a birthday party, a milestone, engagements and
so on. “India loves to celebrate and we fulfil every celebratory wish with
dream scrapbooks and the ‘I want it’ button. It is our responsibility to get
the best vendors to the user because this is a relationship we are building,”
says Nitin.
Fashion designers, wedding planners, set
designers, make-up artists, food caterers and
jewellery
designers make the portal a busy online market where bidding
for quality and price is encouraged. Save the ideas that inspire you, the
photos that move you, the visuals that excite you for celebrations yet to come.
It may be the full-skirted wedding lehenga you’ll twirl in, the gossamer chiffon
saree for your college farewell, the LBD you’ll shimmy in on New Years. Just go
the HappyShappy route. The team will connect you to able designers, boutiques,
makeup artists, creators of all things wonderful, in a price that’ll make your
wallet delirious.
![]() |
Pic: Happy Flashbacks |
Next month we complete ten years of marriage. I need to plan
something, FAST. Or maybe, I’ll just log onto HappyShappy.com. Because, I don’t
want a rerun of the chaotic hair and makeup episode on my wedding day. Well,
that is a different story, for a different time altogether…
Comments
Post a comment