Nutty Buddies: How It All Began

Raghav and Kabir, (5.5 Yrs)

Co-Owners of Nutty Buddies

(Narration by Bhakti (Raghav's Mom)

Interview & Creative writing by: Harinath

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1. The First Spark

“It all started as a simple weekend activity.

I wanted my son, Raghav, to have something healthy yet tasty to eat before his football practice.

So, I made chocolate nut barks at home—packed with Chana and Nuts, but with just a touch of chocolate.”

Raghav enjoyed the taste, and I had managed to sneak in something he usually avoided: Chana.

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2. The Math Conversation

One day, Raghav came home from school looking frustrated.

Raghav: “Why do we have to do math? It’s so difficult. What’s the point? Why does it even exist?”

I tried to explain.

“Hmm… without math, how would we measure things?”

But Raghav seemed unconvinced.

So I tried another angle.

“If there was no math, how would we deal with money? How would we count it?”

That question made him pause. And for me, it sparked an idea: maybe school was becoming too theoretical, too book-heavy, without enough hands-on experiences.

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3. Birth of Nutty Buddies

“I wanted Raghav to learn numbers in a real-world way.

So I thought—why not turn our chocolate nut barks into something more? Let him actually sell them, handle money, and understand value.”

But Raghav was only five and a half. Doing it alone would be too much.

So, he teamed up with his best friend, Kabir.

His parents were equally excited and supportive, and the little venture slowly took shape.

That weekend, Raghav and Kabir got together in the kitchen.

• They made the chocolate barks.

• Cut out and created labels.

• Packaged the chocolates by hand.

• Came up with a name: Nutty Buddies.

As parents, we were amazed by their collaboration. Since they were buddies, and the chocolates were filled with nuts—it felt perfect!

The concept was simple: chocolates with lots of nuts and just a thin layer of chocolate to bind them.

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4. Hitting the Market

To make it practical, the kids got a notebook to record:

• Which flats they visited.

• Who bought chocolates.

• How much money they collected.

Pricing was set at ₹100—an easy number for kids to understand in terms of multiples.

At first, Raghav and Kabir hesitated.

“They got cold feet initially, but soon enough, they figured it out. They went door-to-door, knocked on flats, and sold a lot of boxes.”

There were rejections too.

Some people said no.

But that became part of the learning—understanding that not everyone will say yes.

Others, impressed by their effort, bought chocolates and even gifted the kids a few treats in return.

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5. Lessons in Numbers and Life

The kids felt proud.

They had earned money.

But soon came the realization.

Kabir (dreaming big): “I want to go to Paris with this money!

”Raghav: “I want a smartwatch!”

Kabir’s mom and I looked at each other, smiling, and kept quiet initially.

“They quickly learned that their earnings wouldn’t stretch that far.

They got really upset and started thinking—why are we doing this if we can’t get what we want?

We were worried… but to my surprise, unlike adults, they didn’t cling to the outcome. They enjoyed the activity, felt happy, and then moved on.”

They also got to:

• Add up their earnings.

• Physically count notes.

• See the difference between cash and UPI payments.

It was, in every way, a hands-on math lesson.

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6. Beyond Money

“The biggest win wasn’t the chocolates or the money.

It was that Raghav and Kabir did something independently, faced rejections, received appreciation, and understood teamwork.”

Some parents in the society even praised them, and now, having their story featured in a magazine adds to their sense of pride.

For me, the experiment proved one thing:

“School can sometimes feel meaningless to kids, especially when it’s all theory.

Activities like Nutty Buddies connect learning to real life.

It gives children purpose, keeps their curiosity alive, and makes learning joyful.”

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The Kids’ Pitch to EI Residents

(In the voice of Raghav and Kabir)

“Hello everyone!

We are Raghav and Kabir, and we started Nutty Buddies. These are healthy chocolate nut barks we made ourselves—with lots of nuts and just enough chocolate.

We may be little, but we have big dreams. Selling Nutty Buddies helped us learn numbers, understand money, and build confidence.

So, next time kids in our society come to your door with an idea, please support them. When you buy their products, you’re not just getting something thoughtful—you’re encouraging young entrepreneurs to dream big.”

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Morals & Learnings

For Kids:

• Learning becomes fun when connected to real life.

• Facing rejection teaches resilience.

• Teamwork makes the journey easier and more exciting.

For Parents:

• Children need hands-on experiences to see the value of what they learn in school.

• Encouraging small experiments builds confidence early.

For Big Businesses:

• Keep things simple—pricing, product, and pitch.

• Resilience and customer interaction are as important as the product itself.

• Innovation often begins with curiosity and play.

For the EI Community:

• Support young entrepreneurs by buying their thoughtful creations.

• Small encouragements go a long way in shaping confident, capable children.

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