Airports are where you feel overwhelmed with the bag checking, weighing, ticket scanning, and security check as if you are always running out of time, and metro stations are where you eagerly wait for the metro to arrive, making sure that the clock does not tick too fast and you are not late for work. However, at times when you have reached the airport almost too early or have a few minutes to spare before your next metro ride arrives, the exquisite murals and sculptures are bound to make you stop in your tracks and appreciate the beauty and grace they showcase, often preserving and depicting the rich Indian cultural legacy.
Whether it is the art installations at major stations, including the Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West, or the iconic portrayals representing cultural narrative at UNESCO, New Delhi, or even the exclusive art inside the Judges’ Tunnel at the Supreme Court of India, the common factor joining them all would be the tête pensante (mastermind) Mr Rajesh Krishnan, the founder and principal designer of East Craft Designs Pvt. Ltd. A brainchild of his, this organisation is synonymous with creating bold and intricate bespoke artworks that shed light on the cultural legacy of Indian art.
With an educational background that started in the hallways of the Rajasthan School of Art with a specialisation in Applied Art in 1994, he took a bold step forward, establishing his own studio known as East Craft Designs Pvt. Ltd. in Shahpur Jat in 1997. With a team that has over 25-30 specialised artists, the firm has supplied art to different government houses, including the Supreme Court, the Parliament of India, and the High Court, as well as 29 metro stations and 17 airports.
Talking to The Statesman, Rajesh Krishnan commented, “Our artists and sculptors here at East Craft Designs Pvt Ltd. are skilled in so many different mediums and really know how to make the imagination come alive through metal casting, glass mosaic tiles, wood, stone, fibreglass, and more. Ranging from astounding hand-painted murals on walls or canvas to brilliant decorative sculptures, all art is a mirror of our deliberation towards the highest forms of artistic expression across variegated mediums.”
While witnessing such artworks framing the walls of such resplendent government buildings, the challenges too can be overwhelming at times, especially when one has a social responsibility to uphold the accuracy of culture in front of the observers. With each piece the firm works on, the experts ensure that thorough research has been conducted, which could go back even 2,000 years, ensuring that every piece of artwork accurately depicts the department’s or a state’s long history. He elaborates further, adding, “Making sure the artwork is inclusive and cordial is crucial when curating pieces for esteemed institutions and organisations. Since the majority of our works are intended for the public, we must take care to avoid any representations that can offend or alienate particular groups, and this requires a grasp of how India’s plural histories can be represented visually without causing offence to the culture, for it must also age up to accuracy.”
In recent times, the firm had incorporated life into the inaugural launch of the Uttarakhand Bhavan, New Delhi, through their art of varied mediums, including resin and silica murals, which are a tribute to the traditional Likhai art of Uttarakhand, Chardham murals, and also murals depicting the deodar trees, which represent the serene forest of the region.