All Dipti Tarakanath Swamy has to do is pick something simple, or ordinary. It turns into a stylish icon. She tells Madhuri Velegar K how...

If Hewlett Packard could work from a garage space, what's wrong if she starts off that way too? Dipti Tarakanath Swamy, a light-eyed dynamo from Bangalore, runs an innovative place called ‘Anything and Everything at 39.’ Innovative because she sells garden candles — coloured wax rolled on top of tall sticks that you can poke into wet grass, each of which cost Rs 39! There's also a piece of humble pie, a freshly baked muffin, a ceramic bowl, some Jasmine juice in a bottle, silver earrings, all priced at Rs 39 each!

This And That
Dipti did her early education in Kuwait, then graduated from a college in Bangalore and went on to do a diploma in video and filmmaking at St Xavier's Institute of Communication in Mumbai.

Today what she does is quite different from film-making. She has a unique talent — that of sourcing unusual, innovative products right from food (includes fresh strawberries) and beverages, to jewellery, saris, artefacts, flowers, juices and even pickles for corporate clients, and individuals for special occasions like Diwali, a house-warming, a thread ceremony or a wedding.

Here's how it works
Dipti presents samples of the innovative gifts she provides, which she sources from all around the city, including craft items made by mentally and physically challenged children to various corporate houses. She then customises the product with her own unique brand of design — “in the form of packaging, containers, dried flowers, wrapping and the sheer presentation or look of the product,” which makes the corporate gift customised, and very unique.

Wrapped In Style
Dipti has a mind-boggling range of products you can choose from. A little bit of an event manager, she organises your kiddy's birthday party, with return gifts et al, in a budget, as small as even Rs 39 per child, chocolate cake included!

“The client has to trust me on this, it's what I do best!” she says. “I've always been a hedonist, very much into the frivolous, pleasurable and the superfluous. I like beautiful things, and I like to add beauty to something that is plain and mundane. And this work seemed perfect for me. Variety is definitely a part of my life,” she says excitedly.