What does travel mean to you? What is it that gets you excited when you think of going to a new place? Apart from the food, shopping, exploring the city, trying new adventures, what is it that your heart wishes to find?
Isn’t it the human connection and understanding the cultures and people of the place?
Now imagine, if you could explore a place through the native arts of the place and know more about the city you are in through first-hand experiences of the artists who teach you the art. Ah, wouldn’t it be an authentic and compelling experience!
This feeling of truly belonging and forever taking with you an unforgettable experience as a souvenir is what Rajasthan Studio is offering.
Conceptualizing a marketplace that lets travellers and tourists immerse themselves into real-life hands-on experiences, along with a separate invite-only community of artists, Rajasthan Studio is truly transforming the way people think of travel and the lives of the homegrown artists.
It has set up a prototypical platform that bridges the gap between the talented artists looking to promote and preserve their rich cultural affinities through their art and the travellers seeking for a true, authentic flavour of a country or city’s heritage.
Registering the internationally-acclaimed and award-winning artists in the state, Rajasthan Studio provides a platform to the travellers to book hands-on workshops at the artists’ workspaces so that they can truly experience their art in its true habitat. It gives the art enthusiasts and travellers to explore more about the place, culture, heritage and people, along with a memorable and indulging art-learning session with the expert artist.
Below we have enlisted for you some of the many exceptional art experiences that you can book with Rajasthan Studio for a personalized learning session with the artists:
A world-renowned miniature painter residing in Jaipur, Rajasthan, he, from a very early age, was polished by the refined painters like Ram Gopal Vijayvargiya and Ved Pal Sharma and (Bannu) and learned Mughal and company styles of painting as well as traditional art. His keen interest and unsurpassed dedication towards his craft led him to become one of the most treasured artists of India and his efforts were truly recognized when he was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013.
Drawing inspiration from nature and the creator, would you like to learn the intricate art of Miniature painting from the master artisan of the country?
Imagine preserving a 450-year-old legacy and aiding in its glorification. It’s hard to imagine right? But, Jaswant Kumar Meenakar has been passed on the craft of meenakari (enamelling) from his ancestors. The lineage of his ancestors Bir Bahadur Singh, Prithvi Singh, Bansidhar Ji, Mahatabai, has been engraved in the cultural history of India and his Father, Deendayal has kept the lineage alive by preserving this art form. Jaswant Kumar, too, has been awarded the National Merit Award for his outstanding work in the craft of enamelling, filling the engraved designed on metals with coloured enamels.
Wouldn’t be just mesmerising to see his hands work the magic on the engraved metal designs while hearing about the tales of his forefathers’ quest to safeguard and pass on their legacy?
If you have visited Rajasthan, you must have come across many street & shop vendors selling these vibrant coloured puppet figures dressed in traditional Rajasthani attires. Papu Bhat belongs to the family that for generations has been into the business of creating puppets from scratch and selling them.
Learning to make traditional Rajasthani puppet dolls and taking home the ones you create, wouldn’t it be just the perfect experience that you would embrace your entire life?
Mohan Lal Sharma learned this art at the age of 14 from his brother and has been practising the art of wire inlay on hardwoods like seesham for over three decades now. His expertise in the craft also led him to become a skilful trainer and has facilitated many artisans to become masters in this Tarkashi. For his invaluable contribution towards the conservation of Tarkashi, Mohan Lal has been felicitated by state and central government many times over the years.
Imagine meeting his family and learning this unique technique of inlay from an artist who has devoted his life to this craft.
Awarded with Shilp Guru Award in 2012, Gopal Saini has been teaching national and international students the art of creating blue pottery items for years now, making him one of the most invaluable artists in the country.
A craft of using blue glaze conceptualized by Mongol artists who collaborated it with Persian decorative arts, blue pottery is believed to have come to India in the 14th century.
In India, it travelled to Jaipur from Delhi in the 17th century and then began a long long love affair between the art and the artist communities in the city who preserved the essence of it and glorified the art on a worldwide level.
It’s a workshop you cannot dare to miss.
Apart from these mentioned workshops, there are so many other outstanding workshops that are being offered by Rajasthan Studio including Tie and Dye workshop with 3rd Generation Chippa tie and dye artist Mohammed Ishaq, Miniature Rice Painting with Niru Chbara,, Pichwai Paintings with Rajaram Sharma, Wooden Block Making with Gayyur Khan, Truly Ethnic, Handmade Leather Juttis with Mohan Lal Gujar, Phad Painting with Pradeep Mukherjee & Shamsher Khan, and so many more.
What’s more special about these workshops are that they are inclusive of creative materials required to make the art, ensuring that you truly have a hassle-free experience. The bonus are the tales that you would be exchanging while learning about so many different things over a cup of tea/coffee and some light bites, that their families always so lovingly offer.
So, next time you are visiting Rajasthan, you should definitely book one of these sessions and truly understand the essence of Rajsthan’s favourite welcome takiakalaam(catchphrase), ‘Padharo Mahre Des.’
Book yourself for an extraordinary journey into art-making with the award-winning artists of Rajasthan.
You can book these workshops on their website here. You should also definitely follow them on their Instagram, where they regularly post about their latest adventures, the artists, and their heartwarming stories.
