Albert Einstein has famously said, “Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought."

Einstein’s thought perfectly encapsulates the essence of creative minds. They see what the rest of world sees but are able to perceive beyond other’s imaginations and create something extraordinary.

Sharmila Agarwal is one such creative individual. Blessed with an inventive mind and a tenacious spirit, Sharmila is a renowned Ikebana artist, author, painter and much more. The Hyderabad based creative genius traversing diverse platforms making her mark in every one of them.

She is a world-renowned Ikebana artist par excellence and has been practicing Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, for the past twenty-two years. Armed with a Master’s degree from the renowned Ohara School of Ikebana, Japan, Sharmila has been conferred the unique individual title of 'Koyo' which means an orange maple leaf in Japanese language. She likes to take an innovative approach in Ikebana and loves to create Avant Garde style.

Sharmila is also the founder and ideator behind Prisha Publications, a publishing powerhouse established in 2018. The platform has published 50 books within a short span of time and wheel of success is rotating towards setting higher goals.

Sharmila is also an accomplished painter and artist, specializing in Indian Miniature Paintings. Her work has been displayed in various solo and group shows all across the country.

In a conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review, Sharmila opens up about her professional and creative endeavours.

Introduce us to Prisha Publications. What was the underlying idea behind the venture and how has it grown since inception?

I created Prisha Publications, a platform for writers & authors with the motto, 'You create, we design, print & publish on an international vista for you'.

Prisha Publications was established back in 2018 when I published two of my own books on Ikebana (Japanese flower art). Initially, the venture was started without any further plan and financial strategies. But with time we have grown from strength to strength.

Based in Hyderabad, Prisha Publications has published over 50 books so far. We promote literature, art and culture through our books. So far, we have published various kinds of books such as books about painting, ikebana, poetry, story, colouring books for different ages and anthologies on multi subjects.

Prisha Publications has a translation division that translates literary work into Hindi, English and Telugu. We have embraced the digital age by publishing most of our books on Kindle. We also offer professional guidance and conduct workshops for the upcoming writers to enhance their skills in editing, creative writing and story writing.

"Sharmila agarwal is one such creative individual. Blessed with an inventive mind & a tenacious spirit, sharmila is a renowned ikebana artist, author, painter & much more"

Take us through your entrepreneurial journey of setting up Prisha Publications? Also tell us about the challenges you encountered on the way and how did you overcome them?

The journey towards establishing Prisha Publications as a successful venture has been a uphill battle. After publishing my first two books on Ikebana I was engrossed in promoting them and reaching as many people as possible. I visited most of the book shops of that time in Hyderabad to get a place for my books and used to leave them there with a simple wish to get recognized; believing in that what you give, comes back to you.

The challenging part arrived after my first two books were published. My choices were either to shut the publication house with just two books or take it forward. Having no concrete plan in mind to take Prisha Publications forward, I was in a pickle.

But my love and respect for books did not allow me to give up. I was aware that since we were new in the market, it would be tough to get clients. I used to sit in my study for hours looking online or searching publishers for what type of books they are making. I would also talk to my writer friends enquiring if they would like to publish their works with me. It was then that my dear friend Dr Saumya, who is a poet herself, gave us our first work, a poetry book. Titled Verses and Strokes, the book was written and illustrated by her children Prisha Gupta & Shaurya Gupta. She also helped us bag another book, Swirls and Words, a poetry book written by one of her friends, Beenu Mehta.

These small steps encouraged me and I became hopeful. I realized that depending on clients is not a way to establish my dream project, I also need to look and search for new paths. I collected my poems from my diary, loose pages, notebooks, art papers (I write while I paint) and typed them to start my first poetry book, Chand Lamhe. I started colouring books with my own art works with the help of my nephew Rishabh Jindal, a medical student. To reach more people I started working on anthologies.

Slowly family and friends started noticing that Prisha Publications is taking its roots. My husband Sanjay supported me immensely at the time. I planned and published an international anthology, Ikebanists Around the World with 98 participants from 17 countries and 7 schools. It turned out to be a huge success and received praise from many corners of the world. Clients started coming with their coffee table books and ideas. We have not looked back since.