When founders are often expected to become influencers, Dr. Himanshu Gandhi has taken a quieter route. He has never made his image the centre of Mother Sparsh’s growth story. Instead, the attention has remained on the products, the parenting concerns they address and the trust they build over time.
Before entering entrepreneurship, Dr. Himanshu held a respected government position in Haryana. The career offered stability and social standing. Yet he chose to leave that certainty behind after identifying a gap in India’s baby-care market. Parents had many products to choose from, but concerns about hygiene, health and safety still felt unresolved.
Rather than rushing to launch, he spent years studying the category, observing consumer behaviour and listening to parents. One concern that stood out was diaper-area irritation. Many parents naturally blamed the diaper, but the cleansing wipe used during every change was also part of the routine. Ordinary wipes often used synthetic fabrics that did not offer the gentle experience parents expected for delicate baby skin.
The solution came from a practice Indian mothers and grandmothers had trusted for generations: cotton and water.
In 2018, Mother Sparsh launched its 99% Pure Water Unscented Baby Wipes, made with plant-based fabric and no added fragrance. The product brought the familiarity of cotton and water into a convenient, hygienic format. More importantly, it established the company’s central philosophy: understand the concern first, then build the product around it.
The next challenge was trust. Baby care is not an impulsive category. Parents read labels, compare ingredients, seek recommendations and pay close attention to how a product performs. Dr. Himanshu understood that advertising alone could not create this confidence.
Instead of beginning with celebrity endorsements or large television campaigns, Mother Sparsh focused on hospital and maternity-centre sampling. New parents could try the wipes for themselves when every baby-care decision felt important. Their feedback, repeat purchases, word-of-mouth recommendations and reviews across Google and other digital platforms helped validate the product and deepen the brand’s understanding of consumers.
This direct feedback became a growth tool. It showed what parents appreciated, what questions they still had and what other problems remained unsolved.
The company then expanded with the same problem-solution approach. Its Colic Relief Tummy Roll-On translated the familiar use of Hing and Saunf into a portable format. The After-Bite Turmeric Balm drew inspiration from traditional ingredients such as turmeric and Sarson Oil. Baby bottle cleansers, laundry detergents, skincare, cold-care products and kids’ care solutions followed.
Some products were inspired by Indian household wisdom, while others relied more strongly on modern science and functional design. The connection between them was simple: each product had to serve a clear purpose.
Mother Sparsh gradually evolved from a D2C-first startup into an omnichannel baby and kids’ care brand. Its products are now available through its own website, e-commerce marketplaces, quick-commerce platforms, pharmacy networks and offline retail channels.
In 2021, ITC invested in the company, marking an important business milestone. The investment brought strategic validation, but it came after Mother Sparsh had already built its flagship product, hospital-sampling model and direct relationship with parents.
Dr. Himanshu’s journey shows that a founder does not always need to become the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes, the strongest signal is quieter, a product that solves a real problem, earns a parent’s trust and is chosen again.
