OUR STORY

Urmi – meaning “waves” – embodies motion, resilience, and new beginnings. Just like the waves that never cease, Urmi symbolizes growth and transformation. Every product is crafted with care by women from coastal communities, carrying with it a story of empowerment, sustainability and hope.

First Wave

By the side of the blue sea in Kozhikode, people live with the sound of waves every day. The waves bring fish, stories, and dreams –  but also worries. Many families here depend on the sea for their income, which is not always steady.

Back in 2016, iLAB started a project called the Coastal Education Enhancement Mission (CEEM).
It was made to help children from coastal areas continue their studies and aim higher in life.

But soon, the iLAB team noticed something important – many students stopped studying after 10th grade. Not because they didn’t want to learn, but because their parents couldn’t afford it. When family income went down, education became the first thing to stop.

That’s when iLAB understood – to help the children, we first needed to help the parents.

The Second Wave – Mothers Take the Lead

And so, in 2018, the Parent Empowerment Program began. Mothers from the community came together to learn, talk, and grow. They shared their struggles and slowly built courage and confidence.

At that time, a small but powerful project started — the mothers were trained to make paper seed pens. These were not ordinary pens — made from recycled paper, each pen could grow into a plant.
The mothers worked carefully, pouring their dedication into every pen.

When the pens were ready, they sold over 10,000 pens all across India. It was more than a product, it was their first step into earning, creating, and reaching far beyond their community. That small success became a wave of hope, showing them that they could achieve bigger things, together.

This small program started to grow like a wave. With the support of Anaha Trust, it became something bigger – the Coastal Livelihood Acceleration Program (CLAP).

The Third Wave – Learning to Rise

CLAP began in Kappakkal with a group of 75 women. They joined hands to learn new skills – digital tools, social media, small business ideas, and financial literacy.

They visited industries, met trainers, and learned how to turn ideas into income. They started believing in themselves again.

These women didn’t wait for the waves to bring something new – they decided to create their own waves.

The Fourth Wave – The Birth of Urmi

From CLAP, a new dream was born –  Ūrmi, which means wave. Urmi is the brand created by these “kutty Ideas” of small businesswomen with big dreams.

Every product – a candle, a tote bag, or a handmade craft – carries their love, hard work, and creativity. Each one tells a story of a woman who decided to rise again.

Urmi is not just a brand. It is the story of courage, learning, and change. It is a wave that started small but keeps growing stronger.