How a Pune start-up didn’t just survive the pandemic, but tripled its revenue

In an interview, Pallavi Mohadikar Patwari, who founded Karagiri with her husband talks about essaying the turnaround and corporate responsibility towards handloom artisans.

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A Pune-based startup that works with 800 weaving families across India to make handloom saris has posted a revenue of Rs 3.20 crore in July, exceeding its projection by three times and defying the grim global business environment.

“At times like this, some strategies need to change. A lot depends on how smartly you navigate the situation and convert the pandemic into an opportunity. For us, almost all deliveries were shut and business was down from the beginning of March till the end of May, but right now, our workshop is buzzing and we are delivering 200-300 orders per day, which is three times our pre-Covid figures,” says Pallavi Mohadikar Patwari, who founded Karagiri with her husband, Dr Amol Patwari, in 2017. In an interview, she talks about essaying the turnaround and corporate responsibility towards handloom artisans:

At what stage of the pandemic did you return to the drawing board to strategise?

Someone from my family had travelled to China in October-November and when they came back, they described the grim situation there. We knew the coronavirus was going to come to India, so we decided to ask ourselves the tough questions very early. What if the situation becomes really bad in India and nobody buys saris? What if people stop celebrating festivals and weddings as before? We were quite worried about this. We were thinking how to manage the situation in a way that our sales would not plummet.

What were some of your innovations?

The natural solution was to come up with low-cost products. Our average price is Rs 6,500 per sari but, as a desperate measure, we launched a collection with a selling price of Rs 3,000 per piece. That was the first time we were entering a low-price zone but we got a very good response. After two months, we observed that the new segment did not affect the sales for high-value products. Then, we came back to a marketing strategy where we decided to promote both segments separately. The new segment added an extra mass to the audience. Coming up is a new line of ready-to-wear saris that millennials, a segment that does not wear saris, as a rule, can drape on easily.

We also decided to use the lull during the lockdown to plan our collections for Diwali and other festivals of the season. We created a lot of stock and it is because of that we have doubled our expected revenue. We also kept our gateway open and kept taking orders, promising our clients that we would deliver only when the lockdown ended. We started delivering from June.

How did your company tackle the impact of the lockdown on the weaving community?

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We work with weaving families from seven to eight states, with clusters in places such as Varanasi. On an average, two or three people from every family is involved in weaving. We kept up the orders and all of our weavers were working during the lockdown and earning. In one case, a weaver from Pauni, near Nagpur, has four daughters. The son, a security guard, lost his job and the weaver was the breadwinner during the lockdown. My grandfather was a weaver of Kosa saris in Bhandara, near Nagpur, and I grew up seeing him work by the light of an oil lamp, which was a very difficult thing to do because weaving needs a lot of precision. In our company, we look at ourselves as family members of the weavers and we grow together.

Dipanita Nath

Dipanita Nath is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. She is a versatile journalist with a deep interest in the intersection of culture, sustainability, and urban life. Professional Background Experience: Before joining The Indian Express, she worked with other major news organizations including Hindustan Times, The Times of India, and Mint. Core Specializations: She is widely recognized for her coverage of the climate crisis, theatre and performing arts, heritage conservation, and the startup ecosystem (often through her "Pune Inc" series). Storytelling Focus: Her work often unearths "hidden stories" of Pune—focusing on historical institutes, local traditions, and the personal journeys of social innovators. Recent Notable Articles (December 2025) Her recent reporting highlights Pune’s cultural pulse and the environmental challenges facing the city during the winter season: 1. Climate & Environment "Pune shivers on coldest morning of the season; minimum temperature plunges to 6.9°C" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the record-breaking cold wave in Pune and the IMD's forecast for the week. "How a heritage tree-mapping event at Ganeshkhind Garden highlights rising interest in Pune’s green legacy" (Dec 20, 2025): Covering a citizen-led initiative where Gen Z and millennials gathered to document and protect ancient trees at a Biodiversity Heritage Site. "Right to breathe: Landmark NGT order directs PMC to frame norms for pollution from construction sites" (Dec 8, 2025): Reporting on a significant legal victory for residents fighting dust and air pollution in urban neighborhoods like Baner. 2. "Hidden Stories" & Heritage "Inside Pune library that’s nourished minds of entrepreneurs for 17 years" (Dec 21, 2025): A feature on the Venture Center Library, detailing how a collection of 3,500 specialized books helps tech startups navigate the product life cycle. "Before he died, Ram Sutar gave Pune a lasting gift" (Dec 18, 2025): A tribute to the legendary sculptor Ram Sutar (creator of the Statue of Unity), focusing on his local works like the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Pune airport. "The Pune institute where MA Jinnah was once chief guest" (Dec 6, 2025): An archival exploration of the College of Agriculture, established in 1907, and its historical role in India's freedom struggle. 3. Arts, Theatre & "Pune Inc" "Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak were not rivals but close friends, says veteran filmmaker" (Dec 17, 2025): A deep-dive interview ahead of the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) exploring the camaraderie between legends of Indian cinema. "Meet the Pune entrepreneur helping women build and scale businesses" (Dec 16, 2025): Part of her "Pune Inc" series, profiling Nikita Vora’s efforts to empower female-led startups. "How women drone pilots in rural Maharashtra are cultivating a green habit" (Dec 12, 2025): Exploring how technology is being used by women in agriculture to reduce chemical use and labor. Signature Style Dipanita Nath is known for intellectual curiosity and a narrative-driven approach. Whether she is writing about a 110-year-old eatery or the intricacies of the climate crisis, she focuses on the human element and the historical context. Her columns are often a blend of reportage and cultural commentary, making them a staple for readers interested in the "soul" of Pune. X (Twitter): @dipanitanath ... Read More

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