About The Founder
—————— Hani Anis
Welcome to Kahani! I am so glad you are here. My Kahani begins in Sharjah where I was born. Then, 3 years and one brother later, my parents decided to move us to Cherry Hill, NJ. We lived in a one bedroom apartment with barely any furniture and my mom stayed at home while my dad was the only one working. After a lot of moving around, we finally settled in Rockville, MD -- a place I have called home for over 20 years.
I started out as most South Asian kids do - aspiring to be a doctor. I did all the AP classes, internships, research, and hospital volunteer work but then eventually got to Organic Chemistry in college and decided that medicine was definitely not for me. Distraught, I came home to my dad and said, " Now what do I do"? We decided that business - particularly finance - would be a good fit and turned out, it was.
Fast forward to my senior year of college and with the help of my friends and family, I founded Anis Collections, a luxury South Asian bridal boutique that helps brides, grooms, bridesmaids and groomsmen find their dream outfit for their big day. This business is truly my passion project and my favorite part is doing fittings with clients and watching them react to my custom creation.
I still went off and got a full-time position in Investment Banking, where most recently I was working on digital strategy for a Venture Capital firm. Through the pandemic, I was also freelancing and working for Natalie Barbu's agency. I learned that I loved working on small businesses through my agency work and found that being a South Asian founder myself, there was no agency that really catered to that niche. The more I worked freelancing for South Asian-owned and founded brands, the more I realized that this is the market I wanted to help. In February 2021, I quit my full-time position in VC and went freelance full time. Through word of mouth and my network, I was able to book more clients and the business doubled in less than a month of me leaving my job. I then worked to establish a name, branding and hiring out my team.
Kahani means to tell a story and that is exactly what we believe in doing for your brand through social media and digital marketing. I cannot wait to hear your story!
Our MISSION
Through working with South Asian owned or founded small businesses we hope to use the different avenues of digital marketing, brand partnerships, influencer relationships and more. By offering our services to corporate partnerships we hope to bring more South Asian cultural awareness on a more national and eventually global scale.
SWATI
CHAKRABORTY
Creative Account Director
“I have a deeply hidden and inarticulate desire for something beyond the daily life”
- Virginia Woolf
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Writing blurbs about myself like this has always been an introspective process for me as I am very aware of the fact that my Kahani is still unfolding. It is quite contradicting and frankly, meta, to write down what your story is in such a permanent medium (words on the internet) when really, it is constantly evolving. However, I can at least share and transcribe my past and only share what I hope for the future.
My origin is in New Jersey, where I was born to Bengali parents who migrated from Kolkata, India. I went to college in New York City, where it really felt like the world was my oyster. I majored in marketing, worked in advertising and media, reaped the benefits of the city that never slept while also losing sleep... I truly cherish all the memories created, mistakes made and lessons learned there - it is a chapter of my life that really formed who I am today. However, that chapter is closed and I am now in the greater Boston area where I am a full-time project manager while also freelancing at Kahani Digital (which I am so grateful for).
My hope for my future is that I have achieved my version of happiness - independent of outsider opinion or societal expectations. My journey feels like it is taking me closer and closer to that but obviously, only time will tell. For now, I fill my time with plans to travel, learning Canadian French (fell in love with Quebec City on a recent work trip), anticipating new seasons of my favorite TV shows, analyzing musical albums from start to finish (what’s an album you NEVER skip a song on?) and continuing on a path of self-improvement, all while just trying to do my best as a 26 year old pseudo-adult!
SRILEKHA
CHERUKUVADA
Junior Account Manager
"The purpose of our lives is to be happy"
- Dalai Lama
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Hi! My name is Srilekha, and I'm an 18-year-old business student focused on the intersections of social impact and marketing. I attend the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, majoring in Business Administration, and double minoring in Education and Community Action and Social Change. I absolutely adore writing, especially in a South Asian context, and am so excited to be working at Kahani!!
I am currently the Founder & Executive Director of Plannr, a mental health nonprofit spreading awareness and providing free consults to peers. My mission is to use my marketing and business skills to create a positive impact on my community through grassroots work as well as nonprofit management. I'm incredibly passionate about sustainability, mental health, education justice, and reproductive health awareness. I also work as a freelance professional, having written for Business Insider, Mashable, The Tempest, Urban Asian, Sustain The Mag, and several other publications.
Outside of my work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, writing, singing, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
ANIKA
MATHUR
Social Media and Marketing Intern
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
-Ferris Bueller (Ferris Bueller's Day Off)
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Hi, I'm Anika! I love empowering rising artists through production & business. As a Screenwriting and Playwriting student at New York University, I also write, direct, and produce for film & theater. My expertise in branding platforms through social media and marketing pushes the live events I plan for collaborators. I'm incredibly excited to envision Kahani's venture to support South Asian platforms. I personally founded Bridge Productions to establish a young, collaborative community across artistic disciplines. I currently produce for short films, and execute digital media for off broadway shows and growing organizations; I have also produced, directed and written sketch-comedy to one act length plays.
Zainab
Anis
Content Production Fellow
“I was born/… I was planted”
- Safia Elhillo
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Hi! I’m Zainab and I’m a 20 year old undergraduate English, Film and Television student at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom. I’m undertaking this role at Kahani as a placement for my degree, giving me the opportunity to merge everything I've learned at university with real life experience. Having previously worked as head of creative at my university’s student film and television station producing broadcasts, podcasts and short films, the opportunity to be able to produce video content for Kahani and our clients is really exciting. I love all aspects of video concepting, production, and editing and I am looking forward to building these skills further. Along with that, I have a passion for writing film and media criticism, and have plenty of ideas for Kahani’s blogs!
DEVIKA
BHANDARI
PR And Partnerships Manager
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
- Maya Angelou
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Devika is Kahani's PR and Partnerships Manager. She comes from 5 years of experience in PR, spanning multiple agencies and cities. Some of the clients she's worked with include Live Tinted, Redken, Too Faced Cosmetics, BCBGMAXAZRIA, GAP, and more. When she's not scrolling on social media you can find her trying new recipes, sipping an iced coffee, or attending a pilates class.
I am currently the Founder & Executive Director of Plannr, a mental health nonprofit spreading awareness and providing free consults to peers. My mission is to use my marketing and business skills to create a positive impact on my community through grassroots work as well as nonprofit management. I'm incredibly passionate about sustainability, mental health, education justice, and reproductive health awareness. I also work as a freelance professional, having written for Business Insider, Mashable, The Tempest, Urban Asian, Sustain The Mag, and several other publications.
Outside of my work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, writing, singing, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
