A VISIT TO Kashi Art Café in Kochi, a few years ago, convinced young Arshdeep to give Kolkata something similar — a place where food melds seamlessly with art. Artsy — Coffee & Culture, the brainchild of Arshdeep Singh and his mother Manjyot Kaur, has thus been patronising music, art and poetry for two years now.
Over these two years, the bistro has carved a niche for itself with its impeccable service, and a wellcurated menu, along with a generous sprinkling of art and culture. A student of La Martiniere for Boys, Arshdeep loves to diversify, and is currently also running his branding and design studio Kwa:zi in New Delhi. The complementary skill sets of this mother-son partnership makes Artsy a unique brand. “While I bring in the ideas, concepts and creativity, my mother brings organisational prowess and man-management skills to Artsy. She is the primary source of energy keeping the café alive and kicking, and she’s surprisingly undeterred by the inherent challenges of the erratic F&B industry. I learn much from her commitment to uphold higher benchmarks and create superior ethical practices.”
The eldest partner in this enterprise, Manjyot has a Master’s in Computer Applications from Jadavpur University, and also taught the subject at the graduation level. Talking about the idea of coming up with a creative space within a 42-seater café, Arshdeep says, “We realised that young artists need exposure, more than anything else. So, we wanted Artsy to be a platform that ensures young artists an audience of about 2,000 people a month, enhancing their chances of sales. Hence, once the location was decided upon, we were able to seamlessly merge a coffeehouse and gallery into one space.”
Artsy has already organised a plethora of events including multi-lingual poetry sessions, over 15 art exhibitions, musical evenings and more. “Over the next couple of years, we plan to organise more exhibitions, offer a wider range of coffee options, and also, more eclectic and healthy food options,” promises Arshdeep.