P-Tal, a copper and brassware company, returns cheques received from all the judges on Shark Tank India

A brand that began as a college project under SRCC (Shri Ram College of Commerce) and hails from Panchkula, Haryana, supports the Thathera community, a Hindu and Sikh artisan caste in India, whose traditional occupation is the making of brass and copper utensils. These artisans originate from the village of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar, Punjab, renowned for its traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making, listed as one of the crafts in the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. P-TAL, which stands for Punjab Thathera Art Legacy, appeared in season 3 of Shark Tank India and achieved something unprecedented. Let's hear from the CEO of the brand, Aditya Agrawal, about the entire event that sparked on social media.

The brand, which offers brass, copper, and Kansa products, appeared in the 50th episode of Shark Tank India. They experienced a rare moment when all five sharks offered them a deal for their efforts to revive the dying brass and copper tradition in India, which is not only diminishing but also beneficial for health. They received Rs 20 lakh each from Sharks Aman Gupta, Anupam Mittal, Amit Jain, Namita Thapar, and Vineeta Singh at 0.64% equity, but what succeeded later was even more surprising.

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The brand shared a heartwarming video on their social media handle showcasing their artisans thanking the sharks for their support and belief in the brand. While one artisan was happy about the appreciation they received from the sharks, the other was thrilled to see himself on TV for the very first time. "The artisans do not have access to any OTT app or TV, so when we showed them the episode, they had pure child-like emotions on their faces when the judges appreciated their work, which was adorable to see," said Aditya Agrawal, the CEO of P-TAL, to Local Samosa. This prompted them to share a message for the sharks along with a cheque as a token of appreciation.

Yes, you read it right: the brand, on behalf of the artisans, returned the blessing cheques along with brass cocktail glasses made by these artisans to the sharks when they received the funding. Overwhelmed by the response, they wanted to give the cheques back to the sharks to show their gratitude. Although the video shows the cheques as the cheques of love and blessings given by the artisans from 'The Bank of Blessings', the co-founder said this was a collaborative idea of the artists and the owners to give back to the sharks to show their trust and support in the brand.

The brand is known for such gestures, as they have impacted 55 families of artisans, increasing their monthly incomes by over 1200% in the last 3 years, educating 84 Thathera children, empowering 87 women, creating 92 entrepreneurs, and eliminating 880 kgs of plastic through their endeavor, as stated by them.