Exclusive- Ashima Batra gets candid about Kunal Bahl praising her pitch, says 'I felt so much validation when I heard it from someone so big'

Dorabi, the designers of the sustainable fashion company, delivered one of the most intriguing pitches on Shark Tank India 4. Ashima Batra and her family led the hand-dyed fabric brand, which impressed many sharks. In an exclusive conversation with Times Of India TV, the founder Ashima opened up about her experience in the tank.

The tank experience was so intimidating at first. When you enter, the lights, the whole grandeur of the place and when the music stops for a second, and you can hear your heart beat. It was very intimidating at first, but I think even the sharks made us feel a little more comfortable because they could see how my parents were nervous, so they made us feel at ease. Aman actually cracked a joke with dad. So the pitch then felt more easy and the grilling felt more like a discussion in the tank.

I wasn't registering any of it at that time. I was hearing it and it felt unreal, to be honest. That is not what you expect when you go into the tank. That instead of getting grilled you would be appreciated. I felt so much validation when I heard it from someone so big like Kunal Bahl saying that he wishes his daughter could pitch his business like me. It was beyond my expectations.

We come from a family, my parents, my brother, for us giving up has never been an option. My dad's journey has also been full of setbacks. He got knocked down a couple of times, despite being the first generation businessman, he always got up and stood tall against the setbacks. So as a kid, when you see it, obviously, when I had my setbacks, I was sure that I wouldn't give up.

Of course, it was really hard but I started doing my research, and lived by my principles. So from my past learnings, I made Dorabi what it is. And because it was intentionally built, the results started coming very quickly. In three months, we started to understand we had cracked something. I think that was very interesting, and the small wins adding up brings in the confidence that the brand is growing and we are getting it right here.

I think we're just getting started. This is the starting point of something very huge, because getting the kind of validation. Not just being on national television, but by the masters of their Industry, be it Anupam Mittal, Aman Gupta, Kunal Bahl and Ritesh, it tells you that you're thinking in the right direction. So all your future plans start seeming more and more plausible, which I think is going to happen. We are going to become the biggest brand in the handcrafted industry.