"Awareness precedes change",says Jai Dhar Gupta

A growing population increased consumption due to economic prosperity, poor urban planning, the absence of effective waste management, lack of emission standards for industries and vehicles, poor quality fuel, etc are just a few reasons that India has 13 of the top 20 worst air quality Cities in the World. The World Health Organisation has declared Delhi as the City with the worst air quality in the World. 

Jai Dhar Gupta, Founder of Nirvana Being is best described as a serial entrepreneur who has built businesses in the US and India. He is passionate about Clean Energy and has developed businesses in Wind and Solar Energy space in India. Being an entrepreneur, he has started to test and develop a portfolio of credible environmental products that can help protect our families.

Under the brand, Nirvana Being, He  is focused on launching sustainable, stylish, reusable and affordable environmental products that have a mass market in India due to our deteriorating quality of food, water, and air. Nirvana Being has recently launched its first flagship store at Khan Market, New Delhi and is looking at expanding throughout India.

Another segment introduced by him is Mace Brand, which is a global leader in safety and security, provides high-quality products like Pepper sprays, stun guns and personal alarms, to ensure the personal safety of senior citizens, children, women and men alike.

In an interaction with Jai Dhar Gupta : 

Why did you opt to startup with a venture like Nirvana Being?

The idea struck me while I was training for a marathon in 2014. While preparing myself for the long run in Delhi’s morning air, I got a lung infection. What started as a gentle wheeze, became a patch on my lungs — soon I had compromised lungs that led to a serious shift in lifestyle. After 11 months of medical treatment, through a chance conversation with a Diplomat, I learned about air pollution and its health effects – it was like a light bulb went on. I immediately started to look for solutions to protect me, both indoor and outdoor. I found that friends and family started asking for everything that I adopted.  I had no option but to find safe solutions to protect myself, both indoors and outdoors, I was the first customer of everything Nirvana Being promotes. Hence, Nirvana Being was born.

How do you ensure that your products stand out in the market & you deliver the best?

Mace has been the original trusted brand for personal defense sprays, while continuously adding high-quality security products to the brand line through the years. Mace supports their products by providing warranty and educational programs for all the various products and services. Mace brand is the original trusted brand of pepper spray for self-defense against attacks. Mace Brand is the original manufacturer and the market leader in defense sprays.

What makes Nirvana Being apart are our scientific and environmental values. We have created a portfolio of highly tested and certified products that protect our customers, both indoors and outdoors. Again, I am the first client, so the product has to deliver quality and value. In addition, we are environmentalists and would never sell anything that has a short life or is disposable in nature. It is the values and thought the leadership that set Nirvana Being apart from any competition.

The Vogmasks come in different colors and prints to match your outfit. Reusable Vogmask has gone a step further and introduced a line of designer masks by Manish Arora. These were a part of the designer’s Spring/Summer collection showcased at the Paris Fashion Week last year.

Are you planning to introduce some new products?

Yes, we are planning to launch few more innovative products which will be announced soon.

Mace is the No 1 brand in safety & security quality tested product. How was your journey from idea to achieving this target?

It has been an eventful journey where I along with my team learned more about the market gap between the problem and their solutions with regards to women safety and security along with environmental conditions.

What makes you passionate to work for the betterment of the society?

The deteriorating environmental condition of Delhi and the increasing crime rates against people especially women in Delhi inspired me to work for the betterment of the society.

The biggest challenge for Nirvana Being was to make people aware about various products. How did you overcome it?

We inhale about 12,000 liters of toxic air in a day as opposed to a few liters of water – while we spend endless amounts of time filtering our water, there is no consciousness/awareness about the largest raw material our body consumes, that is air.

In order to overcome the challenge, the Nirvana Being’s team donned the hat of environmental activists to disseminate information and knowledge. To strike the right chord, the brand collaborated and sought help from a number of environmental activists, NGOs, parents, lawyers, citizens suffering from chronic problems, health professionals, educators, RWAs, media, pharmacies, wellness gurus, schools, and also thought leaders who brought momentum and ideas to the awareness campaign.

What is your advice & suggestion to the entrepreneurs & common people?

I would only like to advice to the entrepreneurs that ‘’Don’t be scared of taking risks. Always seek to bring about a positive change in society that is what real disruption should be about."

For common people, I would suggest them to wake up and get the concern about the changes in the society. Corporate and individuals instead of feeling helpless or doing what is convenient, need to reduce their carbon footprint and question every decision/action – buy local, don’t buy disposable single-serve items(especially drinking water), ditch diesel, save energy, focus on solar/renewable, etc.

What is a roadmap for 2018?

Planning to take Nirvana Being to markets like Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand and more. Most urban areas of the developing world are plagued by air pollution. The focus for this year is to take the conversation beyond Delhi to other markets like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. The overseas growth will follow in due time. Going ahead, we want to expand our product portfolio with additional solutions and spread our reach beyond Delhi NCR.

Jai Dhar Gupta  is a strong believer of the fact that‘awareness precedes change', together with concerned citizens and NGOs.He has also worked with the Delhi Government air pollution task force, chaired by Delhi Health Minister, Mr. Satyendra Jain.