Having been around for over half a century, Nari Shiksha Kendra cultivated Aamra, through partnerships and patronages, into a truly empowering brand. Known today as Aamra by NSK it is a must have in every Indian household.
Very few empowerment drives and efforts lead to the creation of a product, brand of platform that is truly enduring. While many offer a robust start, armed with a host of patrons, the Ghaziabad-based Nari Shiksha Kendra (NSK) stands out as a beacon to follow–more than half a century after its inception. Today, not only does it empower a community of women to find their own feet, but the organisation has also become an epicentre to preserve lost family recipes– secret pickle compositions passed down from mother to daughter, for generations.
Today, NSK’s Aamra brand is one that commands respect and admiration–not only thanks to its effort to uplift the community, but also for the products that it produces.
Empowering the homemaker
“Our basics remain unchanged,” says Jaya Bajaj, managing director of NSK Home Products–the retail arm of the community. “The ingredients of our products are pure, the techniques traditional, and everything is 100% hand-crafted by the women. They make seasonal pickles and chutneys, made with recipes curated from homes of women across the northern Indian states,” she says.
Describing the impact of such a product, Bajaj tells me that one of the biggest successes for Aamra, as a brand, is that it successfully managed to help women earn at par with the male members of their family. “This earns them respect in the community, and gives them the ability to provide better education for their children–in hope of a better, secure future.”
This earns them respect in the community, and gives them the ability to provide better education for their children–in hope of a better, secure future.
Home-style sauces and dips for every palatte
While the initiative started with the traditional recipes, the model has since evolved. Bajaj says that the beginning of Aamra happened with a “handful” of “heritage recipes, handed down generations within a family”. “Today, we have home-style sauces and dips, hand-pounded seasonings and innovative spiced honeys. We even have a range of gift boxes, for festive gifting,” she adds.
In essence, what Aamra is today is one of the biggest success stories of a sustainability initiative adopting the modern trends, and adapting to what a younger customer base would demand for. Bajaj agrees that social platforms, such as Instagram, have helped add “a face” to such a small venture. While Aamra relies heavily on a large percentage of returning customers, being present on online channels has helped the brand connect and interact personally with customers–explaining their philosophy behind their products.
The commercial aspirations, however, weren’t new. Nari Shiksha Kendra has been retailing their hand-produced products via popular fashion and home retail chain, FabIndia, for nearly two decades now. “Our products have been present across over 200 stores pan-India. Aamra, our own label, was conceived and brought to reality from 2017–five years ago,” Bajaj adds.
Preserving culture one bottle at a time
It is this story that makes Aamra a collective image of modern yet traditional, and a true example of an empowerment initiative that has not only given members of its community a vocation, but also a voice and a retail footing to run their own venture. In its history of nearly 60 years, of which the products have been in supply to FabIndia for nearly 20 years–and Aamra being functional for five–NSK has seen its journey grow steadily to greater heights.Now, the brand seeks to expand their repertoire. “A year ago, we introduced regional chutneys, including variations from Chettinad and Marwar. We received overwhelming responses for them, and this has encouraged us to experiment with more such rare gems from local cuisines across India,” Bajaj says, showcasing the confidence and the definitive direction in which the venture is today headed.
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