Shalini Beriwal the founder of MAPP – Magnificence Academy of Packaging Professionals was the guest on The Navhind Times talk show, Talk from the Heart that aired recently on the Goa 365 TV channel. A pioneer in the field of gift packaging, she spoke about her journey, principles of gift-wrapping, requirements for home gift wrapping, various styles and becoming an entrepreneur in this field.
“Gifting is a sentiment and wrapping it according to that sentiment is an art,” stated Beriwal expressing her passion for her chosen career. Despite being a non-graduate woman who studied in an English medium school and joined the workforce much later in life; she has established herself as a successful entrepreneur, business coach and mentor. “When I first decided to get in to this line, there was not just resistance but also a lot of criticism from my well-to-do Marwari Baniya family. However I persisted and went ahead with my husband and brother’s help and support and since then there has been no looking back,” she shared.
Her innovative techniques, professional packaging ideas, concepts, and skills, have made a name to reckon in the world of gift wrapping. Explaining the basic principles of the art, she said, “Knowing what you want to express is the most important aspect as on this, depends your choice of material like fabric or paper, the colour scheme, etcetera.” The other factors to keep in mind, she added, were having a single focal point and then personalizing the packaging/wrapping. “Generally we tend to overdo the wrapping but keep it minimum; 3 to 4 elements is more than sufficient. Remember we want the eye movement to flow and not go all over the place,” she advised.
A beautifully and uniquely wrapped gift is always a pleasure to behold or receive, however not everyone can afford, costly wrapping paper and other materials. “You do not have to use expensive material,” stated Beriwal, “Even cloth, jute or other materials like scarves and dupattas can be utilised along with different types of ribbons. What is important is being creative and keeping the aesthetics in mind. The end product should delight the senses.” The other essentials she mentioned to have in the tool kit for gift-wrapping were glue gun, glue-dots, double-sided tape, scissors and stapler. “If you want to make it a little fancier and crunch you ribbons then a needle and thread are also required,” she added and also explained the Japanese art of wrapping called Furoshiki.
Beriwal is of the opinion that India can be the world leader in gift-packaging and said, ”This industry is booming as it is not limited to wedding ceremonies but also corporate events, birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers and more. We are witnessing a huge demand that needs to be fulfilled with an adequate supply. This colossal demand can be addressed through professional gift packers whose numbers are increasing in our country.”
