Once upon a time, becoming an engineer was the ultimate goal for many. But the current crop of engineers are rewriting the rules. Jagmal Singh, Saurabh Mathur and Abhey Kumar, all in their late 20s, could be the poster boys for the new breed.The three IIT Delhi graduates were not content to rest on their laurels and left lucrative careers to start Rangiru.com in December 2011. The website, whose name is a combination of the Hindi word rang meaning ‘colour’ and the Japanese word ikiru meaning ‘to live’, sells handicrafts and lifestyle goods.But what made them quit comfortable jobs in Hyderabad, New Zealand and California and start a company from a rented flat at Sarita Vihar in Delhi? “We worked more as contributors rather than creators in our jobs and that was never challenging enough for us. We wanted to do something on our own, and which was a combination of fun and could change the lives of artists,” says Singh.Just a few months before Rangiru started, all three were experimenting with their careers: Kumar was working as a consultant with MNCs, helping them implement their CSR policies more effectively, while Singh was a project leader in a private hedge fund in Hyderabad and was also helping another friend with a start-up. Mathur had quit his job with Google in California and returned to India in July 2009 to start his own venture.One of Mathur’s ideas was Rangiru, an e-commerce platform that would sell handicrafts and lifestyle goods. By August last year, the ex-batchmates had got together and developed a business model. They began contacting artists and NGOs as well as built a network of people from whom they could source their products. Four months later, Rangiru was started with a capital of `2 lakh. Singh and Mathur used their expertise to develop the website, which helped them cut down costs.“We put a lot of thought while creating the products on our site, be it a traditional art form or a more contemporary design. From sourcing to supply, the responsibility is ours,” says Singh. They often pick up quirky stuff from Delhi and its suburbs to add to their collection. For every sale completed, they charge the artist a certain fee as commission. Currently, the three of them are taking care of everything on their own but plan to add staff once the business takes off.Two months into the business, things have started to look up for the trio. On an average, they receive almost 300 hits a day on their website, with a conversion rate of about 3-4%. Buyers can pay through debit/credit card or pay cash on delivery and the products are couriered to any place within the country. Like every other start-up, they have taken the free advertising route on Facebook.Though they are yet to make any money from their venture and have to depend on their savings to meet their daily expenses, Kumar, Singh and Mathur are proud of their first shot at entrepreneurship