Discusses Saranya Jeypradeep with The Verandah Club

Saranya Jeypradeep is an upcoming entrepreneur. She belongs to the Kongunadu region of India. Saranya has recently created the herbal brand, Advitya. It is based on her own experience. This devotee of Appakudathan (Lord Narayana in Koviladi near Srirangam) was encouraged by her husband, Jeypradeep and brother, Saravanan to launch, Advitya. Saranya did her M. B. A. from the prestigious P. S. G. Institute of Management in Coimbatore. Her B. A. in Economics was from the well-known P. S. G. R. Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore. She continues to fondly cherish her days at Coimbatore, ‘The Rome of Kongunad.’ 

Advitya means uniqueness, and the unique experiences of Saranya have flowered in the form of a venture. The couple, Saranya and Jeypradeep were blessed with twins, Vendhan and Vedasri. She spoke about her trials and tribulations connected with the upbringing of Vedasri, “Both my kids were born in Coimbatore. While my son, Vendhan was a healthy child, my daughter, Vedasri was quite underweight. She had to spend three months in the hospital. The child was thin, weak, and looked malnourished. Visitors would often put in negative thoughts about my daughter's future. I would get depressed often. The child had to grow up and I waited, until it was 2 years old. Thereafter, I used a lot of native methods to make her healthy. Results started flowing in, and Vedasri became a normal child. Today, she is a Bharatanatyam dancer, and I am proud to see her in her dance attire. Appakudathan has been kind to us.” 

Saranya had done a lot of research in the interest of her child. She spoke to old grannies about the inputs used during yonder days. Saranya learnt that Sesame oil was used in the months of winter and Coconut oil was meant for summer applications. People were known to massage their scalp with oil and wait for some time before having a bath with natural hair wash powders. Unfortunately, modern times and urban aspirations had come in the way of using native products. Those were times, when women had long hair and premature greying was absent. Their hair used to be thick and healthy. Men stayed with a lot of hair for most of their life. People had failed to harvest the knowledge present with the Indian grandmother. Oil had been used by Indians for more than 5000 years. Good native practices had been passed down from grandmothers to granddaughters. However, the nuclear families of today are unable to harvest these benefits. It just took a little over a generation to destroy native knowledge.

The Proprietrix spoke at length about the evolution of modern oils, “The international brands understood the potential of India during the eighties of the last century. They used creative means which kind of acted as a substitute for family bonding. Indian women had good tress of hair, and this added to their Lakshana-s. Synthetics and chemicals offered conveniences but reduced the quality of life. Premature balding in men and greying of hair in women became the issues. Plaits became short ponytails.

People had already migrated from handmade, homemade products to factory-made products which were manufactured with the aid of harmful chemicals. Indian hair oiling tradition disappeared completely. Appealing brands walked in, and big money became their goal. The public thought that they would turn to a star like Sri Devi overnight. Oils with preservatives were packed in unhealthy containers. Harmful Sulphur did much harm. These oils destroyed the roots and blocked the hair follicles. Factory products played a major role in hair fall. I saw all of this and decided to bring up my daughter with natural products,” stated Saranya. Advertisements, packaging and attractive schemes had destroyed people's interest in native knowledge. Quickly packaged stuffs overtook good items made at home. 

The entrepreneur spoke about Bringaraj and Neem which helped in bringing down scalp allergy and infections. Shikkakai (Acacia) was the other item that she spoke about. She shared information about the benefits of Fenugreek and Neem leaf. Saranya Jeypradeep had used her products with her daughter for about 7 years and she discovered good results. This emboldened her, and further improvised the scope of beginning it as a start-up.

Saranya went back to the roots. She searched for time tested methods. The grandmother's input was taken in. "Sundried coconut becomes copra in about 4 weeks. The oil is extracted thereafter. Oil produced this way stays for 6 to 9 months. I made oil with Amla, Aloe vera, Black cumin seeds, Coconut oil, Castor oil, Curry leaves, Hibiscus, and Vetiver. My daughter grew up with this homemade oil. The Books, the internet, and the native knowledge helped me to prepare this. My daughter came up well due to our native knowledge system. All my cousins were astonished seeing her hair and her nice complexion. They wanted to understand my methods. Finally, they stated that they would buy it from me,” stated Saranya enthusiastically.

She added, “I began as a homepreneur. Seeing this, my brother suggested that I should use my management background and become an entrepreneur. My husband was extremely supportive. What had started in 2018 for the intimate circle, became a brand in 2020. My relatives finally wanted a child like my Vedasri. She gave me great joy and I am an entrepreneur because of her. The will power of a mother made me do it. Grace of Lord Appakudathan of Koviladi made us happy. We owe everything to him. Our family business is known as ‘Appakudathan Dye Works.’ Now, we have Advitya soaps, shampoos, face wash powder, hair wash powder which contains 15 herbs, and of course oil, which was the first product,” smiled Saranya while talking about her own learning curve.  The lady has flowered into a mature entrepreneur. The innate strength of the Indian women has been well harvested by Saranya.

Saravanan, the elder brother of Saranya is a devout person. He travels to Srirangam, and the Appakudathan Temple often. The elder brother would switch on religious lectures during travels and even holidays would not be spared. He wants kids to assimilate good things connected with our culture while growing up. Making the kids listen to religious and spiritual sermons connected with Lord Ranganatha was part of this exercise. 

Advitya is marketed through Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Word of Mouth. The products are available in Flipkart and Amazon too. Saranya Jeypradeep had understood the benefits of natural products through her observation and experience. Our Indian native knowledge system and the will of a mother has created the venture, Advitya Herbal Products. Such ventures herald the beginning of native start-ups. The wisdom of India is the much-required antidote in the world of today. 

Saranya Jeypradeep - 93453 59991 

Mr. Rajesh Govindarajulu is one of the founding members of the Verandah Club Pvt. Ltd. He is a leading columnist, historian, jeweler, and entrepreneur. He is a heritage enthusiast who is earnestly working to revive the past in the light of the present. Experiential learning about the history of Coimbatore is his main course of interest and he is also a panel member of many colleges in the city.