My name is Dilsad Banu, and I started CraftCloudIndia in 2024, though my story really begins a little earlier than that.

I spent years as a teacher before I became a homemaker, and that shift, from a classroom full of students to the quieter rhythm of running a home, was a bigger transition than I expected. There was a season where I needed to find something that was quietly mine again, something that let me create and feel useful in a new way, on my own terms.

That something turned out to be candle-making.

I started melting wax and testing fragrance oils at home, almost as a way to rediscover a sense of purpose. There was something steadying about the process: measuring, melting, pouring, waiting. It reminded me of teaching, in a way, the same patience, the same attention to small details, the same quiet satisfaction of watching something come together carefully. What began as a personal ritual slowly became something I wanted to build into more.

Kolkata is where I make every candle, and the city's unhurried, detail-oriented way of doing things has shaped how I approach this craft. I wanted CraftCloudIndia to reflect that same patience: nothing rushed, nothing mass-produced, just care put into every jar.

But as the brand grew, I realised I wanted it to be about more than just my own candles. Having made the shift myself, from teacher, to homemaker, to entrepreneur, I understand how much it means to have the chance to build something of your own. So alongside CraftCloudIndia's own collections, I've been building a small network of fellow women crafters, makers who pour their own candles, blend their own scents, or work with their hands the way I do. My hope is for CraftCloudIndia to grow into something that doesn't just sell candles, but creates space and opportunity for other women to do the same.

Since the beginning, a few things have never changed. Every candle is hand-poured, made to order, in small batches. Every wax we use is eco-friendly soy, never paraffin. Every fragrance is chosen for how it makes a space feel, not just how it smells in isolation.

What I hope you feel when you light a CraftCloudIndia candle isn't just a fragrance. I hope it's a small reminder that it's never too late to begin again, the same reminder I needed when this all started. That's the moment I was chasing then, and it's the same moment I hope to keep creating and sharing, one candle and one maker at a time.