'Making books is equal to meditating for me', says Niranjana Krishnakumar who runs Citta, an online business offering handmade notebooks and sketchbooks. The word citta itself means mindfulness in Sanskrit and through this, she offers more than 100 plus notebook designs that you can choose and get customised for sizes ranging from A3 to A8.
We personally love their burlap notebooks that come decorated with handcrafted vintage clocks, flower baskets and more, made with paper and fabric. Citta also offers books with fabric covers mainly featuring Ikat designs. Their jute books and glitter-cover books are just as appealing. And if you're into floral designs, Citta offers a whole range of them including watercolour designs and books with marbling effect created on the cover. These book covers are sourced from all over India and few European countries and some even carry art created by Niranjana herself.
Her customised books sell like hotcakes and you can get anything done from quirky, abstract art printed or painted on the covers to Indian motifs painted on them. Our favourite is the filter kaapi notebook. What really makes Citta stand out is the fact that all the books are bound using jute ropes, breaking away from the traditional binding methods. Niranjana also works with a team of autistic adults to help her make these books. And all of these have 100 GSM sheets which can be used for water colouring as well. Prices start from just INR 99 (A7 book)!