Step by step towards a sustainable future

Since I was young, I have always felt a deep respect for Gandhi.
I remember seeing him on television, dressed in simple white cloth, facing some of the most important moments in history with calm strength: India’s independence, non-violence, human dignity.

Everything was already there.

The Origins

In 1988, I travelled to India for the first time.
There, I discovered small shops selling fabrics and garments made according to Gandhi’s teachings: hand-spun cotton, simplicity, respect. From that moment on, those places became my reference point , even for something as simple as a shirt. Gandhi believed that every person should spin and weave the fabric of their own clothes.
Just imagining it feels extraordinary. Yet that thought stayed with me, quietly guiding my path.

Yoga

Then yoga entered my life. I studied and practiced at the University of Benares, where I fell in love with a simple, traditional form of yoga — essential, honest, timeless. I still remember my very first class.
The teacher wrote a question on the blackboard: “What is the purpose of yoga?”
 And underneath: “To find balance between body, mind, and soul.”

It took me years to truly understand those words. Eventually, they became part of who I am.

Incenses - First Aproach

At first, I didn’t like incense. It felt artificial, overwhelming, almost fake. Then one day, my teacher lit a different kind of incense. The atmosphere shifted. Warmth, presence, silence filled the space. They were rare incenses, produced by a small workshop in Bangalore. “Too expensive,” he said. I decided to find them. A few weeks later, I was there. I bought seven kilos. Back in Benares, we began making our first boxes by hand , one by one. Inside were incense sticks, ancient poems, symbolic images.

Messages. Awareness. Respect. I have always tried to produce honestly, without compromise.

2011 - Natural Incense Company

In 2011, together with my friend Prakash Gopalorao, I founded Natural Incense Company in Mandya. We became the first incense factory in the world certified for 100% natural ingredients by a recognized international certification body. Everything is produced cold, preserving the natural properties of each ingredient. Our honey comes from the Himalayan mountains, resins from African deserts, woods from India, Peru, and the Himalayas, and essential oils from Italy, Bulgaria, France, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Nepal.

Today, 32 women and 3 men work with us.
Every day, we produce between 2,500 and 4,000 packs of incense, always without compromise.

Then Came Cotton

For two years, I searched for a place capable of producing true cotton, the way it once was made.
And I found it. An ashram in South India, deep in the forest, still working according to Gandhi’s teachings.
Seventy women weaving by hand, on looms without electricity.
Simplicity. Dignity. Time. We chose to produce with them, alongside them.

Handmade Paper

The same happened with paper.
At the foothills of Mount Everest, a small family produces handmade paper using the bark of the Lokta tree. Where roads end, at 2,950 meters above sea level.Art, history, and culture passed down through generations. This has always been my guiding principle. Looking back, I see a single thread. A continuous path shaped by encounters, teachers, hands, difficult choices, and quiet determination. Challenges are part of the journey , as they are in yoga, and in life.

Charkha Yoga

Charkha is the spinning wheel.
The gesture that transforms raw material into meaning. Charkha Yoga was born from this vision. Yoga and meditation garments made from 100% pure cotton, certified 100% natural incense, oils, fragrances, accessories, and objects for the home. Everything handmade. Everything created in respect of the teachings we have received. But Charkha Yoga is more than products. It is about creating work in villages, supporting women, slowing rural exodus, choosing quality over quantity, nurturing inner growth, and honoring things made with the heart. This is our path.

If you feel it resonates with yours, you are welcome.