By R. Paul Dhillon
VANCOUVER – Naresh Shukla, a pioneer businessman from Vancouver’s historic Punjabi Market, has run a slew of wholesale and retail businesses including Bombay Sweet Manufacture Inc. and Naresh Foods Inc., at one time being the exclusive distributor of Nabob Tea in North America.
Naresh has been a resident of Vancouver for 46 years and a businessman on Main Street for 41 years, delving into all sorts of ventures including being a radio host. He also ran for Vancouver Parks Board in 2008 and is active in local Indo-Canadian community affairs.
Naresh created Mother India, a trademark of Naresh Foods Inc., 22 years ago to distribute all kinds of household and commercial products like tandoors to local restaurants and banquet halls as well as other Pooja items for the local community.
But where Mother India thrives is in the organic-herbal sector, catering to a growing demand for products that do not have chemicals and are a benefit for people who want a clean, healthy living.
Mother India’s first creation was Aggarbatti (incense) which now comes in over 60 fragrances and is popular for its non-chemical and clean odour. The Aggarbatti, along with the company’s 275 different types of herbal products, is widely available in local Indian grocery stores across Canada.
One of Naresh’s most recent top sellers is Mother India’s Herbal Hair-Dye Shampoo which is available in over 150 locations across Canada. Coming in four colours – natural brown, natural black, dark brown and burgundy – the Herbal Hair-Dye Shampoo is extremely popular because it has no smell, no ammonia and no chemicals. The Herbal Hair-Dye Shampoo blends with olive oil, providing users with colour that stays for one month, leaving no black marks on your scalp or in your tub, requiring only 7 minutes of application.
“This special shampoo is one of our anchor products along with our trademark Aggarbatti. It took us 6-7 years to develop this shampoo in India which is manufactured, packaged, and labelled in Germany” Shukla told the LINK. “Mother India’s Herbal Hair-Dye Shampoo is popular in many communities and households across Canada.”
Other products in Mother India’s herbal line include capsules, soaps, face wash, and cream, among others, all of which are safe for people with skin conditions and allergies as they are all chemical-free.
Mother India is located at 6649 Main Street in Vancouver’s Punjabi Market and Naresh Shukla can be reached at 604-430-6072 or 604-805-3503.
