A major tea company has joined hands with a startup to promote the work of local artisans. TATA Tea Premium, in partnership with Rare Planet, will help artisans make exquisite hand-painted kulhads, the proceeds of whose sales will help to lend support to the artisan community that has been severely impacted in the current Covid-19 times
These special kulhads have been hand crafted with region-specific art forms like Madhubani folk art from Bihar, Warli art form from Maharashtra, Phulkari patterns from Punjab, Patachitra from Odisha, Sanjhi Art from UP, etc.
The #Deshkakulhad collection comprises 26 distinct kulhad designs, each representing different regions of India. Themed around popular motifs and landmarks from each region, each kulhad celebrates a specific art form of that region.
These special hand-painted kulhads thus serve as a unique canvas showcasing India’s diverse culture and rich heritage.
As part of raising awareness for this initiative, a digital film too has been released showcasing this diversity. The musical video sung by singer and composer—Rituraj Mohanty—a popular artist, takes you on a colorful joyride across the length and breadth of the country, showcasing India’s vivid art forms through the perspective of the local artisans and their hand-painted Kulhads.
Commenting on the initiative, Puneet Das, president, Packaged Beverages (India and South Asia), Tata Consumer Products, says, “Kulhads are an intricate part of Indian culture across the country and most of us would have enjoyed an occasional kulhad-waali chai. We used kulhads as a unique canvas for showcasing India’s regional diversity and to continue our support towards India’s artisan community. These kulhads celebrate and showcase the talent of these artists and give a unique chance for all of us to own such a vibrant and colourful art collection, while supporting the local artisans.”
For years we have witnessed these art forms. The hard work and labour that go behind creating these products is impeccable. Our main goal at Rare Planet is to provide a platform for these talents as well as create a financial forum for them,” say Rare Planet co-founders Ranodeep Saha and Vijay Kumar.
The hand-painted kulhads are available on indiakichai.com for you to shop and support the Indian artisans.