This Mumbai initiative aims to make Indian folk art more accessible to people

For years Indian art has been integral to our daily lives From household objects and paintings to patterns on sarees and even geometric rangolis we have been passive consumers of Indian art in diverse forms For Rooftop a fouryear old startup the effort has been to translate this resurging interest in folk art to the digital space as well as through experiential workshops to make it more accessible to the Gen Z On a weekend we pop in for a visit to their Fort office to witness the whole array of vibrant Indian paintings and interior deacutecor objects that set the tone for their ongoing projectsSonica Sunderram in white and Janhavi Mallapur play a game of phatakAs we are ushered into the office space a brightly coloured mask catches our eye Janhavi Mallapur an artist and member of the creative operations team explains that the mask is a classic specimen of Cheriyal an indigenous art form from the state of Telangana Alongside the mask is a Kerala frescostyle mural of Hanuman made on bamboo wood ldquoMost Indian art forms are inspired by Hindu mythology regional folklore or the daily life of local communities The way they are drawn and painted differs from region to region and reflects the cultural temper of the areardquo Mallapur explains while taking us through their collection She shows us artworks including an intricately dotted Bhil painting from Madhya Pradesh made by Padmashree Bhuri Bai and a pair of puppets carved in mango wood by Rajasthanbased artist Pappu BhatThe AI model of Bhuri BaiAs we slowly take in the colourful vibe of the small office we are introduced to the app which houses course modules by 50 master artists from Rajasthan Kerala Bihar and Maharashtra among other states These modules allow participants to learn and practice many of these ancient art forms over the internet ldquoIn 2019 our company Rajasthan Studio was curating walkthroughs of workshops of indigenous artists who have been practising the art form for generations When the COVID19 pandemic hit we decided to extend such experiences to the digital medium in 2021 to make heritage art more accessible to peoplerdquo founder Kartik Gaggar reveals Initially starting as a seed investor Gaggar transitioned towards arts after taking inspiration from his familial roots in Rajasthan and the rich culture of folk art in the state to curate experiences which bring together artists from all over the country on a single platformAn AI model of Bhil artist Bhuri Bai answers our questionsGauging an increasing demand for experiential learning postpandemic especially among millennials and Gen Z Gaggar and his team collaborated with artists to curate master classes quizzes and interactive activities to devise a holistic learning experience On the app we come across several interesting features such as the interactive ArtificiaI Intelligence models of the artists that can answer queries through voiced inputs ldquoThe idea is to foster an ecosystem where curiosity meets with expertise and experience while also ensuring fair remuneration for the artists who are the flag bearers of our rich cultural diversityrdquo Gaggar sharesThe books contain paintings of the art forms along with practice sheets and exercisesDivided into the elementary intermediate and advanced the courses outline a detailed history of the art form and the artistrsquos practice along with exercises to educate participants about the art at its basic level ldquoWe also have books designed to provide visual cues along with postcards and a pack of cards called Phatak to make the learning experience funrdquo Sonica Sunderram senior content writer explainsA Kerala mural frescostyle painting of Lord Hanuman a Cheriyalstyle maskWith plans to open artbased experiences for all Mumbaikars the startup will bring together 75 artists from different pockets of the city specialising in various domains such as papier mache resin painting and wood carving in the coming months through sessions that can be booked on theappA pair of puppets carved on mango wood by Pappu BhatThey also plan to conduct workshops and classes at various venues in the city that will open up the space for children as well as adults interested in learning about the art forms ldquoWe want to curate hyperlocal experiences for people and nurture an artconscious communityrdquo Gaggar concludesAvailable Rooftop on Google Playstore and App Store