Collectible toys in colorful capsules : a 19-year-old entrepreneur’s vision for the future that reflects India’s 5,000-year history.
If you live in Bangalore, you have probably seen HAPPY TOPIA’s capsule toy vending machines. On Saturday, we held a talk event with the founder of HAPPY TOPIA, Kunzang Chawla, and his mother Dekyi Yangtso Chawla, who is my dear friend.
Kunzang recently graduated from Canadian International School (CIS), which many Japanese children also attend, and is preparing to go to university in Los Angeles in the near future.
He started his own business while studying, and installed his first machine in UB City in November 2022. Less than two years later, he has already installed 800 vending machines in shopping malls and metro stations in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and several other cities.
Currently, a core team of 24 people (aged 20-24) has been formed to manage the company in India with his remote involvement, while he studies abroad. They are creating on building AI-based systems and updating data management.
How we came to organise this event
I first met Kunzang in 2017. He was only 12 years old, Intellectual and intelligent, but still had an innocent look about him. But after not seeing him for a while due to the pandemic, he quickly grew up and became a young entrepreneur.
Dekyi and I belong to the same forum in the global organization, YPO. We often see each other at monthly meetings of the nine members, as well as at various events and parties. Therefore, I have heard about Kunzang’s progress from time to time.
Although an entrepreneur, Kunzang is only 19 years old, and I thought he would have fewer topics to discuss than a businessman with a wealth of life experiences, so we initially asked the participating Japanese students to nominate themselves as potential moderators.
However, as there were no applicants, I decided to hold a round-table discussion with a question-and-answer session, with me acting as moderator. As it turned out, that decision was a blessing in disguise.
Kunzang’s talk was far more overwhelming than I had imagined, and I myself had no end of questions that I wanted to ask him.
India, where social life is valued
The participants that day were four Japanese youths (in their 20s), a Japanese mother and her 15-year-old son who attends CIS, a Japanese wife and her Indian husband couple, an Indian woman and her husband, two Indian employees of a Japanese company (TOTO) and my husband. I really wanted to invite more Japanese young people and children, but many of them are on summer holiday at the moment, so the total number of guests was only 16. But as it turned out, it was just the right number of people for everyone to get to know each other well.
Before getting down to business, I explained to the Japanese guests about socializing in India. In India, people generally feel free to invite people into their homes. Not only on holidays, but also on religious holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, there are many opportunities for relatives and friends, young and old, male and female, to get together and exchange ideas. Many children are able to express their opinions without fear, as they are in an environment where they are regularly in conversation with adults.
Kunzang’s family and childhood
First, I asked Dekyi to introduce herself. Her father, a Tibetan-Indian, was the man who was directed by the 14th Dalai Lama to help build a large Tibetan community in Bylakuppe, Karnataka. The story of how he did this is documented in the record of the time when I invited him to speak at my home.
Note that Dekyi and her husband Amit founded Reward360, a loyalty and rewards-program management company, in 2005. It is a global company with services in India and five other countries. Their story of vitality is very interesting and I would like to interview them about it on another occasion.
The story began with Kunzang’s origins, with a Tibetan mother and a father from Punjab/Sindh, North India. He went through his childhood, when he was involved in social welfare activities, and his first experience of ‘business’, to the founding of HAPPY TOPIA and to the present day. He speaks well and has a good voice. He has a charm that draws people in.
First ‘business’ with 30,000 rupees
Kunzang‘s first business experience was at age 12. It was when he was traveling with his parents. He saw fashionable sneakers in stores in London and Scotland. He saw them from a brand that was not yet available in India at the time and intuited that they could be sold in India as well. He convinced his parents to let him borrow 30,000 rupees to buy five pairs of sneakers. Within a week of returning to India, he was able to sell them all and earn a profit. It was his first “money-making” experience.
“My father is from Punjab/Sindh and is very business-minded, so he took me up on my offer to make a profit.”
In India, which is a diverse country, communities, conglomerates and religions that have historically been strong in finance, trade and commerce are among the factors that shape society. Marwari and Jain communities are also keywords that businesspeople from abroad should know.
Kunzang also has painting skills. asked his parents to buy him a new iPhone when he was holed up in lockdown, but they refused. He decided to earn his own money. He painted acrylic pictures of various characters, including Japanese animation, and sold them to earn money to buy an iPhone. Incidentally, this family loves Japanese culture and cuisine, and frequently dines at Japanese restaurants.
In exchange for boxing
Kunzang also excels in sports. In fact, just before he started his own business, he was obsessed with boxing. His father and grandfather were happy with his enthusiasm, but his mother, Dekyi, was not so happy. Although he won, his face was swollen and bloodied. Even I, as an auntie, wanted to stop when I was shown pictures of his face. In the end, he even placed second in the state competition.
Dekyi did not want him to continue boxing any longer, and instead, she suggested that she would support the project he presented at school. At the time, the adults around him had not expected him to develop such a serious business in a short time.
“The first capsule toys machine was installed with the support of my parents. But after that, I did most of the negotiations myself, going door-to-door. There is always an office in the mall, so I would go there directly.
I have even been stopped by security guards and asked who I was meeting with. When that happens, it's a very important meeting. I would say, 'I can't tell you who I'm meeting with,' and I would put on an act and get through."
“When people find out that I am an 18-year-old entrepreneur, they are interested. If I were 30 years old, they wouldn't listen to me. I'm using my youth to my advantage.”
I sympathize with Kunzang’s walk-in sales
I felt an empathy for Kunzang as he spoke with a smile on his face. It was the same approach that led to the publication of my book "Machi no Hi" (City Lights) and the serialization of my column in the newspaper in Japan.
It was 2001 when I was living in New York. I learned from online news that a children's book publisher had established an editorial department to sell adult books.
I had a flash of inspiration, so I selected a few articles from an email newsletter I was writing at the time, printed them out, and sent them via FEDEX.
I figured that a package arriving from overseas would be more visible. As a result, my manuscript caught the editor's eye and was published. Later, the editor told me that this was the first time such a case had happened.
In 2007, soon after moving to India, I temporarily returned to Japan. I was walking in the center of Fukuoka, my hometown. At the time, I had a copy of “City Lights” with me. When I looked up at the building in front of me, I saw a signboard of the “Nishinippon Shimbun” newspaper. Instead of taking the book home, I stopped by to give it to the editor.
I explained the situation to the woman at the reception desk on the first floor, asking her to connect me to the International Department. As a result, I met with the editor, and it was decided that I would be a monthly contributor to “Radical Change in India”
Mother is strong!
One more note on the subject of boxing, according to Kunzang.
“My mother wanted me to quit boxing, but during the final match, she was the one who loudly and intensely inspired me from the spectator’s seats! She would shout in Tibetan so that others would not understand. Toward the end of the match, both of us in the ring were fading from exhaustion. That’s when my mother said, ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Don’t just stand there! Move! Attack!’ I could only hear my mother’s voice.”
Dekyi…! The mother is absolutely strong!
The Future of HAPPY TOPIA and Indian Mythology
Kunzang said that thanks to the ever-evolving AI technology, even in less than two years, some of the necessary expenses have been drastically reduced. The machines themselves are all battery-powered and require no external power source, and all 800 machines are centrally managed, allowing instant confirmation of remaining battery and capsule levels.
Payment is made by electronic money, so the company can instantly see who purchased how many capsules, where, and when.
Kunzang’s story continues. The Indian toy industry is evolving thanks to the “no imports of Chinese toys” policy issued by Prime Minister Modi last year. Also, that he has a lot of respect for Japanese animation techniques. That he is looking to expand to the Middle East in the near future. ......
Kunzang answered my questions rapidly and was articulate. I was amazed at his quick thinking.
He is considering characterizing the gods of Indian mythology to create content that is unique to India, a country with more than 5,000 years of history. Capsule toys are just the first step. His vision beyond that was a futuristic vision beyond my imagination.
I won't go into the specifics of his vision here. It is exciting to see the future that he and his team are building.
The Great Indian Mythology of Ramayana
Kunzang’s reference to the Ramayana, one of the two major myths of India, triggered a flurry of comments in the room. My husband, who has taken a keen interest in the spiritual world in recent years, also talked about the greatness of the myth.
By the way, there is a Japanese-Indian co-production of an animated film titled “Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama,” which was released in 1992. I had seen the film and was impressed, and Kunzang had also seen it and admired the Japanese animation techniques.
Anyway, the Ramayana has been read uninterruptedly 24 hours a day by monks at this temple for decades. As we were talking about this favorite temple, one of the guests told me that she was from Hampi and her grandfather had a deep connection with the temple. It turned out that the other woman was also from Hampi and their families knew each other. What a coincidence! Our hall is decorated with Ramayana and Hampi motifs. They took a picture in front of a painting of a temple in Hampi. I realized that people are destined to meet each other.
Tea time while enjoying chatting
There is no end to what I would like to leave out, but to my own surprise, this is a very long story.
After his talk, there was a Q&A session from the participants, followed by tea time. For Dekyi and Kunzang, who also like Matcha and Japanese sweets, I baked a sponge cake and flavored it with Matcha cream and red bean paste. I decorated it with chocolate. Then, as I always do, I used the huge knife to cut the cake. By the way, it is W Taro who are holding my favorite healthy taro potato snack, “TARO". Nice coordination.
Message from the participants
“I learned a lot about Kunzang’s business philosophy and his vision for how he plans to expand his business.”
“I could feel from his business talk that he is proud of Indian culture, and I felt that such a person will stand on the back of India in the future. During tea time, we talked about Japanese food and anime, which was a lot of fun!”
“I really enjoyed talking about a variety of topics during tea time, from daily life in India to love.”
“I was overwhelmed by the speed of entrepreneurship and the size of the business network! And his ideas, execution, presentation skills, and voice! I knew that people would follow his warm and smart personality.”
“I learned a lot from the way he talked about his vision for the future and why he wanted to study in Los Angeles.”
I am very happy to have been able to share this hopeful moment with the participants. Thank you, Kunzang and Dekyi!
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