Ashna Sanghi redefines gifting trends in Chennai with her offering of exclusively curated hampers 

From wine and cheese to monogrammed toiletries, the month-old Mead of Poetry promises to make your prezzies a conversation starter. Ashna Sanghi, the talent behind this venture tells us that it all began when she “found that there was a dearth of specialised and exclusive gift wrapping and gifting options in Chennai — especially when hunting for a last-minute gift.” Besides using fresh flowers and luxe boxes, Ashna offers end-to-end gifting solutions by curating the gift hampers according to your budget, time constraint and the occasion. A recent hamper for a newborn designed by Ashna, saw besides cute and cuddly elements — interesting add-ons like the milestone cards and ‘letters to my baby’ kits.

Flower power
Using exotic flowers like hydrangeas and agapanthus besides green chrysanthemums and lilies for decorating her hampers, ‘saying it with flowers’ came naturally to Ashna who has been dabbling in the art of ikebana since her school days in Kolkata. Though she was part of competitive platforms, it wasn’t until she came to Chennai that the youngster decided to juxtapose her innate skill with flower arrangements with her eye for luxe and personalised gifting ideas — to launch Mead of Poetry last month. “It was in time for Valentine’s Day,” says Ashna, adding that the name fora her venture was chosen based on a Norse legend, where the drinker of the mythical ‘mead of poetry’ beverage attains unbound intellect and scholarly instincts. The 26-year-old assures us that similarly, their brand stood for exciting solutions and vision for any gift requirements. There have been tricky moments when from one family she got multiple orders for Valentine’s Day — and her biggest challenge was to make sure that every hamper was unique and exclusive.

Wrap and roll

Unusual requests like a birthday gift hamper for a father from his new-born baby is all in a day’s work for Ashna. The box was stuffed with fun and affectionate items like a plushie that said ‘My Dad, My Super Hero’ besides other fun gifts. When she had an order for a groom-to-be, the hamper saw personalised products that included monogrammed toiletries. In fact, Ashna is known to accept projects that may seem impossible — like a customised planner in a day’s time. Ashna, an Economics graduate, who just finished with a batch of Holi gifts, tells us how beyond personalised gifts, her hampers are also known for quirk and quality with brands like Soxytoes, Fabelle chocolates and such. In fact, the next busy season for her is the popular festival of Gangaur (on March 27) — a Marwari festival that celebrates marital love where families exchange gifts that often include summer drinks and sherbets. Mother’s Day is another hectic day for this entrepreneur. Ashna assures us that she also accepts gifts items that only need wrapping and floral decoration, and the only prerequisite is that it “must come in a box!” Orders can be placed on her social media pages (Instagram and Facebook).

From Rs 1,350 onwards.