Kalkatte Vaali

Kalkatte Vaali came in to being with an intent to attain “Ikigai,” a Japanese philosophy which means “Meaning of Life.” Conceptualized in September 2019, the founder Meghna Ghosh, who had been a part of the corporate world for more than a decade, decided to have her “Ikigai” by pursuing her passion and honing her creativity on elements which are aesthetically inclined. Blending the contemporary with that of indigenous styles was her way forward. Arts & crafts, created at a grass root level by the artisans from villages in the Eastern belt is what she is resolute to exhibiting to the urban world. This association gives an immense opportunity not only to protect the age old heritage; but also helps with empowering & reviving the might & livelihood of the artisans. Our associations are currently with the Patuas, Urban Sketchers & Kantha stitch embroiders. The Patta-Chitra artists, more popularly known as the “Patuas” are striving to keep up the age old tradition of scroll paintings. Currently we are associated with 3 families comprising of 10 artists. Raw materials which are used to create this art are made from all natural ingredients like vegetables, fruits, bark of a tree, charcoal and many more. The most significant aspect of the Patuas is their religion. They follow Islam and their crafts comprise of Hindu mythological figures. This sense of neutrality moved us immensely and drew us towards working with these rustic artists apart from their obvious sense of creativity. Kantha, a form of embroidery is another age old tradition practiced by rural Women in West Bengal, Odissa, Tripura & Bangladesh. We were in awe of the enormous sense of balance these women strike, between house hold chores and intricate embroidery on never ending lengths of fabrics. We have had the opportunity to collaborate directly with 5 families to create thread works on fabrics procured directly from the looms. We are currently working on collaborating with Potters.