Fintech exponent Yosha Gupta started MeMeraki around four years ago as a passion project to bring folk art forms to the limelight. However, the pandemic deemed that Yosha changed the way she managed her business and her team has managed to focus on the artists in such a way that they can help with COVID-19 relief. MeMeraki had already carved a niche with their penchant for traditional art forms like Kalamkari, Madhubani, and even lesser-known forms like Assamese Manuscript Painting, Pattachitra, Cheriyal Scroll Painting from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
But recently, they thought their products and workshops would be ideal for them to pitch in with COVID-19 relief.
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“These heritage traditional artists who are super talented are our biggest assets. So we started hosting workshops for groups and have finished around 350 such workshops in one year,” highlights Yosha, pointing out how people love participating in the workshops of these art forms because it has a meditative element and therefore can help soothe the minds during these distressing times. These workshops help one understand various artforms like Pithora, Terracotta and so on. Yosha, her team and the artists got together for the workshops and were elated to direct all the proceeds towards Hemkunt Foundation. They raised around ₹2,17000.
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MeMeraki started the drive on May 1 and declared on social media, “We have been following @hemkunt_foundation's work and believe that the work they are doing for those who are hit hardest by the pandemic is commendable. We will be donating all our revenue for the next three days- 1st, 2nd and 3rd May to them. Please help us reach our goal! Anything you purchase these days will go into securing oxygen, hospital beds and essential medicines.”
This is the post that they had put up on Instagram:
The workshops apart, Yosha also put up for sale hand painted products like exquisite lamps, stoles, and other items for home decor. The proceeds from the sales were also directed towards COVID relief.