Living and working in the United States for several years, Alankrutha Chandra and her husband, Meher Gundavarum, yearned to live a toxin-free life.

The tipping point came during the COVID-19 pandemic which made the duo rethink their way of living.

In 2021, they decided to move back to India and  Elephant In You – Farm, Clothing and Stay, a sustainable brand based in Hyderabad.

“The basic needs of humans are shelter, clothing and food. Our brand provides these three essentials grown sustainably and organically,” she says.

On her return to India, Alankrutha decided to learn the art of natural dyes for her clothing line. “I found a natural dyer in Ahmedabad who offered me an exciting barter. I would develop a website for them and in turn, they would teach me how to dye clothes naturally,” she says.

Within a month of training, Alankrutha was able to understand the basics of natural dyes. With Elephant In You, the couple sells a ready-to-wear collection such as shirts, dresses, hoodies and bottoms in unbleached organic cotton, linen and hemp fabrics that use natural dyes.

However, her clothing line is just one part of her sustainable business. “I wanted to cover the three essentials of living sustainably. Food was my next target. For this, my husband’s family farms came in handy,” she says.

They started an organic farm using 4 acres of their 8-acre family land. The farm now has 40 varieties of fruit trees (10 varieties of mangoes, three varieties of guava, pomegranate, sapodilla (sapota), sweet lime or mosambi, Java plum, lemons, star fruit, avocado, Singapore cherry and more.

The farm is open for visitors to go and learn organic farming and enjoy farm life. The couple is now focussing on the ‘stay’ part of the brand. They are planning to build a mud house on the farm for more people to enjoy authentic organic life.