UAE family promotes works of unknown artists affected by pandemic-News

Abu Dhabi resident Anil Kejriwal and his family were moved by the plight of unknown artists affected by the pandemic and launched an online platform to promote their work.

In the past four months, www.artscrafts.co has helped more than 100 lesser-known artists from India, Palestine, Jordan, Morocco, Vietnam, Thailand and other countries show their works.

Kejriwal is not an artist, but the director of Jindal Saw Gulf in Abu Dhabi. He is a philatelist and has a collection of 200,000 stamps. This is a painting presented by a friend and random inquiries about the artist and her bleak state, which shocked Kejriwal and took action.

“A woman from a remote village in Bihar created that beautiful Madubani painting,” he said. “During the pandemic, she was unemployed and struggling to survive. At first, I transferred some money to her. Later, I realized that there will be many affected artists like her who have neither received recognition nor received their due income. Although the prices of the paintings here start from 10,000 dirhams, in India, unknown names are even less than 1,000 rupees to 5,000 rupees. I work hard to change this. I also want to avoid middlemen, who take all the profits. go home.”

Discussions with his wife Madhu and daughter Khushi resulted in the idea of ​​creating a website to promote artists in May. “Khushi came up with the name and design elements of the website,” Kejriwal said. “She started using social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to connect with other artists. Whenever we find a buyer or customer, we send it to the artist. Madhu and Khushi are responsible for coordinating and following up with the artist. We are also established Created a WhatsApp group of artists to share their work.”

Originally a small event initiated by an artist, it has now been able to gather more than 200 artists, sculptors and photographers to use the platform to showcase their works. The goal is to connect more than 1,000 within a year.

The famous Padma Shri winner and Rajasthan-based painter Tilak Gitai and Dubai-based Pravasi Bharatiya Samman winner Girish Pant are the patrons of the platform.

To commemorate India’s 75th Independence Day, an online competition is underway in which people can vote for the best work. The painting is based on five themes: Indian culture, festivals, dance, freedom struggle and monuments. And there are cash prizes waiting to be won.

Pant said: “The winners will be announced by the Consulate General of India on August 16. There are larger plans underway to commemorate “50 years” through similar events. We are also considering presenting ourselves at the Dubai World Expo. Presence.”

Ashwani Kumar

I am a journalist from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The heart of a reporter. I heard my story from the street. As a South Indian born in the heartland of Hindi, it is easy for me to connect with people from different nationalities and cultures. I am a calm, sensitive and very patient reporter like a monk. In the field, I covered a range of topics related to community, health, embassies, tourism, transportation, business and sports. I will stand up to do the right thing and stick to my beliefs.