{"id":19019,"date":"2024-10-23T12:41:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/entertainment\/19019\/"},"modified":"2024-10-23T12:41:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:41:44","slug":"hindustan-trading-company-turns-50-with-new-products-and-a-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/khabarok.com\/?p=19019","title":{"rendered":"Hindustan Trading Company turns 50 with new products, and a documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"HTC<\/picture><\/div>\n

\nHTC is a 6,000 sq ft plus retail space across three floors\u00a0
\n| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Amritha Venketakrishnan\u2019s fondest memories of summer vacations were the days she spent at her father\u2019s office: Hindustan Trading Company (HTC). \u201cI used to fetch colours with just their code numbers from the warehouse attic, and I remember being small enough to fit through the narrow stairs, crouching down to get the desired poster colours or Indian ink customers asked for,\u201d says the third generation proprietor who has been running the store \u2014 that turns 50 on October 25 \u2014 after her late father PN Venketakrishnan\u2019s health started deteriorating in 2010.<\/p>\n

Read more |<\/b>Chennai\u2019s largest art store Hindustan Trading Company enters its 50th year<\/p>\n

\u201cI will never forget getting to sit in the cash counter and give customers their change,\u201d says Amritha, \u201cIt was something I took great pride in doing right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the past few years, 35-year-old Amritha has transformed the originally 300 sq ft HTC into a 6,000 sq ft plus retail space across three floors that not only stocks professional art supplies, stationary, craft material, but also a space for art workshops.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Amritha<\/div>\n

\nAmritha Venketakrishnan with her late father PN Venketakrishnan
\n| Photo Credit:
\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n

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To commemorate the company turning 50, she has collaborated with city-based stationery brand Endless to launch a special edition teal shimmer ink, and will also launch an artist bag designed by the enterprise in collaboration with Kerala-based stationery brand, Lilorosh. \u201cWe\u2019re also having a three-day sale, and a pottery session for children at Deepam, an NGO,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But the launch Amritha is most excited about is the documentary on HTC and her father, and will be releasing the trailer on October 25. \u201cThe essence of the film is going to be my father, his struggles, his way of interacting with customers and how he built this brand up from scratch. Even today, people come back because he treated them with kindness and almost like family,\u201d she says of the film that features artists such as Thota Tharani, Door Santhanam, Mark Rathinaraj, Sandiya Gopinath, among others from the art fraternity.<\/p>\n

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\"Hindustan<\/div>\n

\nHindustan Trading Company\u2019s store
\n| Photo Credit:
\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n

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Amritha explains how many artists say that her father gave them credit, and provided them with supplies when they were in dire need, telling them to pay him back when they could. \u201cEvery one of the stories in the documentary have a common theme and one of them said it best: He\u2019s like a jackfruit, hard on the outside, but sweet on the inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot has been written about PN Venketakrishnan the businessman, but Amritha\u2019s focus is on his role as a father first. \u201cHe did his best in that role too, and tried to give me the best education. Funnily enough, the way he got me admission into Church Park was because he used to supply notebooks to the school,\u201d she laughs. \u201cAside from his passion to work hard, I cherish his deep love for connections and people, and how he did everything to make the customer have complete confidence in their purchase.\u201d <\/p>\n

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\"A<\/div>\n

\nA workshop at HTC
\n| Photo Credit:
\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n

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Qualities Amritha has taken forward too. \u201cWhen I joined the business, my father was clear that I should do it all \u2014 stocking, billing, purchase, accounting. Just because I was the boss\u2019s daughter didn\u2019t mean I could coast my way. I had to work hard and prove my worth, which I did eventually,\u201d concludes Amritha.<\/p>\n

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Published – October 23, 2024 05:46 pm IST<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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HTC is a 6,000 sq ft plus retail space across three floors\u00a0 | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Amritha Venketakrishnan\u2019s fondest memories of summer vacations were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[36669,7191,54828,54829,138,9344],"class_list":["post-19019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-company","tag-documentary","tag-hindustan","tag-products","tag-trading","tag-turns"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t