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In the world of modern home styling, it’s rare to find a decor piece that blends tradition, elegance, and versatility with such quiet confidence. Enter the Brass Uruli – a timeless vessel from South India, reimagined by Hitah Home Goods as a statement of cultural pride and sustainable craftsmanship. Whether it’s Diwali, Navratri, a housewarming, or simply a moment to beautify your home, the uruli adds instant grace. Here’s how this humble heritage item can transform your festive decor. A Tradition Rooted in Ritual The uruli, a shallow metal bowl, traces its origins to ancient households in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Traditionally used in cooking and rituals, it was also placed at the entrance of homes filled with water, flowers, and light as a symbol of welcome and prosperity. Today, it retains that spirit—now gracing coffee tables, pooja rooms, and entryways with seasonal beauty and spiritual symbolism. Simple Yet Sophisticated Styling The beauty of the brass uruli lies in its simplicity. Here are just a few ways you can use it to decorate your space: Float fresh flowers like jasmine or rose in water for a fragrant welcome. Add floating candles for soft, golden light at night. Use it as a centerpiece filled with potpourri, beads, or colored water during Diwali or weddings. Place it at your puja altar, enhancing sanctity without clutter. The warm hue of brass complements any decor—ethnic or contemporary—making it a versatile investment piece. Handcrafted with Heart Our urulis are crafted by rural artisans using traditional methods of metal shaping and polishing. Each piece carries the imperfections that make it human – evidence of craftsmanship over machinery. When you buy a Hitah uruli, you’re not just purchasing decor. You’re supporting heritage and sustaining livelihoods. Pair It with Meaningful Decor Urulis are often paired with: Incense sticks from temple flowers Beeswax candles Natural rangoli or flower petals Together, they create a sensory celebration – fragrance, light, and visual harmony. Whether you’re preparing for a celebration or simply want to set a mood of gratitude and grace, the uruli becomes a sacred circle of beauty in your home. A Thoughtful Gift Looking for a housewarming or festive gift? The uruli is: Unique Culturally rooted Meaningful and functional It tells your loved ones: “May your home always be blessed with light, love, and beauty.” Bring Tradition Home​ The Brass Uruli is more than a bowl. It is a vessel of culture, memory, and mindfulness. Add it to your home today and let its silent elegance speak volumes. Explore Hitah’s Brass Uruli Collection

For centuries, incense has been used to create calm, inspire devotion, and elevate everyday spaces. But not all incense is created equal. Many commercially available incense sticks contain synthetic perfumes, charcoal, and harmful binders that can compromise the very wellness they’re supposed to promote. At Hitah Home Goods, we believe fragrance should be sacred – not toxic. Here are five compelling reasons why it’s time to switch to non-toxic incense today: 1. Protect Your Health While You Relax Many mass-produced incense sticks contain charcoal, chemical binders, and synthetic fragrances. These can emit toxic substances such as benzene, toluene, or formaldehyde when burned, especially in enclosed spaces. Non-toxic incense, like ours, is made from dried flowers, natural binders, and essential oils – so you get all the aroma and none of the harm. “What you breathe in matters as much as what you eat.” – Ayurveda wisdom 2. Experience Real Fragrance from Nature Artificial fragrances may be overwhelming or give you a headache. With non-toxic incense, the aroma comes from nature itself, really upcycled flower petals, and herbs – offering a soothing, authentic olfactory experience. Each stick you light release the quiet strength of real botanicals, not lab-produced perfumes. 3. Support Sustainable and Ethical Practices Our non-toxic incense is made from upcycled temple flowers, repurposed with respect instead of being discarded. This prevents pollution in rivers and landfills and gives new life to sacred offerings. Every time you light up an incense stick, you’re choosing sustainability and honoring tradition. 4. Empower Women with Every Stick At Hitah, our incense is handcrafted by women artisans in Kanchipuram who receive dignified employment, fair wages, and social security. By choosing our products, you’re helping rural women gain financial independence and pride. Your incense can light a diya—and a woman’s life. 5. Clean, Long-Lasting Burn Our incense burns evenly for over 60 minutes, without leaving black ash or acrid smoke. No fillers, no shortcuts – just pure fragrance and a clean experience, every single time. This makes it ideal for meditation, yoga, prayer, or simply relaxing after a long day. Make the Switch Today Switching to non-toxic incense isn’t just a lifestyle choice – it’s a health, environmental, and ethical decision. At Hitah, we invite you to try our hand-rolled sticks made with sacred flowers, passion, and purpose. Explore Our Natural Incense Collection

This article originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of the printed and online edition of Desh Videsh magazine. Read the original article here. Desh Videsh Sacred Petals with a Purpose: Crafting Sustainability and Empowerment In Indian households, flowers are used to adorn temples, home altars, during festivities, and by women to adorn their hair—a tradition rich with cultural significance. However, by the end of the day, these flowers are often discarded. India generates over 8 million metric tons of discarded flowers annually, much of which ends up polluting rivers, canals, and other water bodies. In Kanchipuram, known as the temple town, flowers are central to daily life, from temple rituals and marriage ceremonies to community events. At Hitah Home Goods Pvt Ltd (HHG), headquartered in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, I took the initiative to upcycle these flowers into premium quality incense sticks, preventing them from ending up in landfills or water bodies. This journey began as a personal mission of mine after retiring early from the University of Miami, where I was a faculty member in the Department of Biology. Driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact and leave a legacy, I relocated to Kanchipuram, despite not knowing the local language, to fully dedicate myself to this cause. The Aroma Project – The Seed of Inspiration Hitah Home Goods was inspired by The Aroma Project (https://TheAromaProject.Org), founded in memory of my mother, Mrs. Chhobi Sarkar, a lifelong teacher dedicated to education and empowerment. She founded an elementary school named “AROMA.” Her core philosophy of empowering women and supporting children’s education remains a guiding principle for Hitah Home Goods. Empowering Women and Stimulating the Local Economy At the heart of Hitah Home Goods is my commitment to empowerment. We provide training and employment opportunities to women from economically challenged backgrounds, helping them achieve financial independence. In many villages, women typically endure seasonal, backbreaking work, often paid less than men and lacking regular hours. My aim is to change this by offering regular work hours that accommodate women’s familial responsibilities while contributing to family income, instilling a sense of purpose, routine, and self-respect. Additionally, their wages are deposited directly into their bank accounts, giving them financial independence. While full-time employment is not yet the norm, we adhere to government regulations to provide social security benefits, including retirement benefits, wherever possible. Environmentally Friendly Practices My commitment to sustainability is woven into every product we create. One of our key offerings, agarbatti (incense sticks), is made from upcycled flowers. These flowers, which would otherwise end up in landfills, are transformed by trained village women into high-quality incense sticks. While still in its formative stages, we have already diverted about 5,000 kg of floral offerings and unsold flowers from polluting water bodies and municipal landfills, and we are building our capacity to upcycle 500 kg of flowers per day. Hitah has conducted rigorous research to develop incense sticks with a burn time of over 60 minutes, offering a pleasant fragrance.In addition to incense sticks, Hitah Home Goods produces 100% natural beeswax candles. Traditionally, after honey extraction, tribal communities in the Ranchi district of Jharkhand would discard the bee hives. I personally trained these communities to sustainably collect beeswax and produce candles while ensuring the bee colonies are not harmed, providing them with an additional source of income. The beeswax is used to create long-lasting, non-spluttering, non-dripping candles with no chemical processing.Hitah prefers beeswax over plant-based waxes, which often take up land that could be used for food cultivation, aligning with our commitment to responsible resource use. The Meaning of Hitah and the Logo The name Hitah (Sanskrit, pronounced Hetaha) means ‘beneficial.’ My mission is to create products that are beneficial to humans, the community, and the planet. Our logo, designed in dark brown to symbolize Mother Earth, features a red dot inspired by the traditional kumkum or sindoor worn by women in India, signifying feminine strength, passion, and action. The intricate design on the left is a Kolam, a traditional Tamil Nadu art form created with rice powder by women at the entrance of homes, symbolizing prosperity, creativity, concentration, and compassion for other living beings. This pays tribute to the women who have kept this ancient tradition alive. Commitment to the Planet and Future Generations At Hitah, I am committed to harnessing the earth’s resources with care and doing my part to leave behind a thriving planet. By upcycling delicate resources like flowers and employing sustainable beeswax collection practices, we contribute to environmental preservation and reduce waste. Our eco-friendly products, sustainably manufactured in one of the holiest and ancient cities of India, benefit people without harming the planet. Looking Ahead As Hitah Home Goods continues to grow, I plan to expand our product range while staying true to our core values of sustainability and empowerment. Part of the revenue generated from product sales will continue to support educational and creative activities for economically disadvantaged children, carrying forward the legacy of my mother, Mrs. Chhobi Sarkar. How You Can Support I invite you to support our mission by bringing home our environmentally friendly incense sticks and other products made by women, helping protect water bodies and empower women and children. By purchasing our products, you help divert discarded flowers from polluting landfills and support the livelihoods of women in economically challenged communities. Every purchase makes a difference. Visit https://HitahHomeGoods.Com & https://TheAromaProject.Org to make your home a sanctuary of eco-friendly products.