By candlelight

With the festival of lights here, it's little wonder that candles and diyas are selling like hot wax. And when the candles come with ethnic Indian aromas and an eco-friendly tag, the celebrations seem even more special.

With the festival of lights here, it's little wonder that candles and diyas are selling like hot wax. And when the candles come with ethnic Indian aromas and an eco-friendly tag, the celebrations seem even more special. We spoke to David Crawford, the owner of Crawford Market Exquisite Candles and the great great nephew of Arthur Crawford, the first municipal commissioner of Mumbai after whom the Crawford Market structure was named, to know more about his business and love for candles:u00a0

The name game
I wanted to call my brand Crawford Market, not just because of my roots, but because the name stands for quality and value-for-money. I was surprised that the name was up for grabs when we set the process rolling earlier this year. We launched our product on Independence Day this year, because it reflects the flavours and essence of India.

Candle in the wind
We're the only makers of bee wax candles in the country. All the raw material that we use is 100 percent natural. The benefit of using bee wax is that when lit, the candle releases pollen that purifies the air. While other scented candles might camouflage the smell of a room, these candles get rid of the smell completely. They come in five Indian scentsu00a0- cinnamon, natural, tulsi, lemongrass and clove.

Claim to flame
I've learnt a lot of things by way of trial and error. The weaved wick of the candle ensures that the flame doesn't go off under the ceiling fan. It also took me a good two months to find the right glass for the candle exterior. To a buyer, our product might look like an ordinary candle, but there is a lot of research that has gone into its making. It's a nineteenth century name with a twenty-first century attitude.u00a0

Lighting up lives
We've tied up with an NGO called the Community Outreach Programme (Corp) that provides us with manpower. We're currently a team of 11 workers, most of them being underprivileged women, who would otherwise have difficulty finding employment in Mumbai.

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