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Pune Words as Meet the founders of MAWALA

Aniruddha

The Visionary Behind Meetee

The journey of Meetee Infotainment began during an unexpected period of reflection. In the quiet of the lockdown, Aniruddha, while spending time with his 5-year-old son, Yash, noticed the immense potential children had to learn and understand the world. This realization—combined with his awareness of the lack of engaging, educational mediums to teach India’s rich history—sparked the idea for MAWALA, a board game that blends fun and learning.

Aniruddha brings over 13 years of corporate experience to Meetee. As an Instrumentation Engineer, he played a key role in major projects like the Prototype Center for Kalyani Group, Tata Motors' Engine Research Center, and the Test Laboratories for Cummins India Pvt Ltd. As the Regional Head at Godrej and Boyce, his innovative leadership helped the company break sales records, making his corporate career a promising one.

However, a shift occurred when Aniruddha transitioned into entrepreneurship by becoming a channel partner for Godrej. Just as his venture began to take off, the pandemic struck, changing the course of his life. Instead of being deterred, Aniruddha refocused his energy into his passion for preserving India’s history through innovative methods.

Under his leadership, Meetee’s creative team has now developed over 150 prototypes across 13 different commodities, focusing on bringing historical content to life in ways that inspire young minds. Aniruddha’s vision for Meetee includes several key initiatives:

Mawala in Schools

A program designed to teach educators how to inspire students with India’s history.

Mawala On Wheels

An initiative to expand Meetee's reach by participating in exhibitions and public events.

Durgotsav

A movement to encourage communities to build miniature forts, paying tribute to the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Meetee Digital

A range of upcoming projects, including a gaming app, an AV portal with audio series, short stories, and the Shiva-Vishwa 3D animated series.

Ranangan

A interactive group activity, where the board game takes life size shape and people in large group complete to contribute maximum for noble cause of Swarajya.

Swarriors’ Story books

A series of comic books on war-stories of Swarriors.

Aniruddha is also a poet at heart, having composed many poems in his time. But since the inception of Meetee, his sole focus has been on crafting innovative products and expanding the reach of his vision.

While Aniruddha drives the creative engine of Meetee, his wife, Prajakta, provides essential balance. An administrator at a leading multi-location automobile dealership, she ensures that Aniruddha stays grounded in the practicalities of life, keeping the vision of Meetee on track. Aniruddha’s son, Yash, is the one who unwittingly inspired the creation of MAWALA. With his boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, Yash became the catalyst for the idea, and he proudly claims credit for the board game that grew out of his father’s observations.

Shri Shantanu Kulkarni

Co-founder – Mawala /Meetee Entertainment The Visual Mind Behind Mawala

For Shantanu, Mawala was not just a project — it was a moment of recognition. When he first heard the idea and saw the early vision, it awakened the creator in him. He instantly felt that this was something far larger than a product. It was a chance to bring India’s history to life visually — something he had spent more than a decade doing in his animation career.
The idea felt like home.

Shantanu’s journey began in the corporate world, working at Tata Motors, where he realized the pace and structure of a traditional job didn’t reflect who he truly was. The desire to create, to build, and to express ideas visually pulled him toward entrepreneurship.
In 2008, he founded Virtual Element Studio, long before the world romanticized startups. What began as a small one-person dream grew into a thriving company of over 50 animators, 3D visualizers, and designers, producing high-end technical video content for clients like John Deere, Alfalaval, Godrej, and Procient.

Shantanu stepped into entrepreneurship not for wealth, but for freedom — the freedom to imagine, to build, and to shape experiences through visuals. Over 13 years, he honed his craft, becoming an expert in turning complex concepts into immersive visuals. This mastery became the backbone of everything he later created for Mawala.

His animation studio became known for converting the most complicated engineering and industrial ideas into clear, impactful visuals. This taught Shantanu one of his greatest strengths: the ability to see the invisible and bring it to life. Little did he know that this strength would become essential in building Mawala’s world.

When Shantanu decided to join the Mawala journey, he faced a dilemma: he was running a successful studio that depended heavily on him. The turning point came when his younger brother, Shaunak, stepped up and said: "You go build Mawala. I’ll take care of the studio.”

Shaunak took responsibility for the entire day-to-day management of Virtual Element Studio, not just holding the fort but letting Shantanu explore Mawala wholeheartedly. This support changed everything.

Even more heartwarming was the response from his entire animation team. They didn’t just support the idea — they believed in it. In the early days, the whole Virtual Element Studio team worked on Mawala’s graphics, videos, fort designs, illustrations, and content creation.

Without that team, the brand would have taken years to build. Their contribution is woven into every frame, every fort, every illustration of the brand today.

For Shantanu, Mawala is not “his project.”
It is a creation of him, his brother, and his team together.

CreativeDirection & Visual Identity

Transformed historical concepts into visually stunning fort designs, storyboards, board graphics, and product visuals.

Idea →Prototype → Product

Lead the complete transformation of concepts into manufacturable and market-ready products.

E-commerceLeadership (60% Revenue)

Built the entire online store from scratch,
which now drives the majority of Mawala’s revenue.

DigitalMarketing & Paid Campaigns

Single-handedly manages all Meta and digital advertising campaigns.

OperationalBackbone

Oversees digital workflows, post-production, logistics, packaging, and daily operations.

Retail& Reseller Growth (20% Revenue)

Actively builds reseller networks across cities, expanding offline sales significantly.

Personal Interests & Vision

Shantanu is a lover of technology, visuals, and exploration. He thrives on learning, unlearning, and reinventing himself. His vision echoes his belief: “To build a global brand that makes India’s history contemporary, immersive, and emotionally powerful through visual
storytelling.”

And his guiding philosophy: “Visualizing the ideas.”

Family — His Strength

Behind Shantanu’s quiet drive stands his family.
His wife, Ashwini, and their
daughters, Shambhavi and Shalmali, provide patience, stability, and love
that balance his demanding creative life.Their support, combined with the trust of his brother
and his team, forms the emotional foundation on which Shantanu has built both his life and his contributions to Mawala.

Shri Vyankatesh Mandke

Co-founder of Meetee Entertainment

Vyankatesh Mandke is a seasoned entrepreneur with over three decades of experience, running multiple successful ventures including VGA Digital Printers Private Limited, Manthak Business Solutions Private Limited, and Virtual Element Studios Private Limited. After completing his graduation, Vyankatesh chose an unconventional path for his time—starting his own business instead of joining a multinational company. This decision marked the beginning of a distinguished career in the printing industry, where his innovative approach and technical expertise have led to numerous industry firsts.

Vyankatesh’s profound understanding of printing technology has been a cornerstone of Meetee Infotainment’s success. His invaluable contributions to Meetee’s first product, Mawala - The Board Game, have shaped the way the product exists today. From selecting the right raw materials at competitive rates to negotiating with vendors and ensuring smooth manufacturing processes, Vyankatesh has been the driving force behind Meetee’s production efficiency. His expertise ensures that the designs created on screen are flawlessly replicated during mass production, and that all materials are used with zero wastage. Vyankatesh also handles the company’s compliance with statutory norms, financial management, and the assembly as well as readiness of products for delivery.

Without his in-house printing expertise, outsourcing these tasks would have been an expensive endeavor for Meetee. Vyankatesh’s meticulous management ensures that Meetee maintains a high level of quality and operational efficiency, all while adhering to budgetary constraints.

On the personal front, Vyankatesh is a proud father of two sons: Aditya, who is pursuing a post-graduate degree at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Anurag, who aspires to follow in his brother’s footsteps. Aditya has already been an active part of the Meetee family, becoming the brand's star campaigner at several exhibitions. Vyankatesh’s wife, Vaishnavi (Vahini), manages administration and cash flow for his ventures and has contributed significantly to the development of various ventures of Meetee as well.

Vyankatesh’s talents extend beyond business—he has a deep passion for Indian classical music, singing, Sanskrit, and playing the Tabla. While he could have carved out a successful career in these fields, Meetee is fortunate that he chose to channel his talents into the printing technology industry, which has played a key role in the company’s growth.