Meet Ankita Jaiswal, an entrepreneur from Uttar Pradesh promoting sustainability in art, craft and food

While artisans from Moradabad work on brass creations, those from Agra are involved in marble and statue crafting; women artisans from Kannauj work with natural colours, make embroidery, silk cushions, curtains, etc.

In an exclusive interaction with indianexpress.com, Ankita — who is also the chairman of Arts & Crafts Committee Hotel & Restaurant Association, Uttar Pradesh — talked about the need to educate people about local art and craft, creating sustainable and eco-friendly creations, hardships faced in the pandemic with respect to employment, and the future of her café, among other things.

Excerpts:

What got you interested in arts and crafts and what can you tell us about the famous arts and handicrafts of UP?

Right from my childhood, I have seen artisans making beautiful furniture for the house and also working hard on making the garden landscape greener. Their work and craftsmanship has always intrigued and inspired me. I especially remember an artisan working endlessly and creating this beautiful dresser which is still being used at our home. I was amazed at what an artist can do and bring to life.

Ankita has brought local rural women into the fold to give them a dignified means of employment. (Photo: PR handout)

India has more than 3,000 craft forms to offer. Each state has its own ethnic product. Indians are appreciative of global art and culture, but do not know enough about local art and craft. Hence, I decided to become a voice for local artisans and craftsmen at least in my home state Uttar Pradesh.

UP is famous for its textile and embroidery items such as zardosi cloth items, chikankari with khadi, etc., ceramic and cane furniture. Moradabad is famous for its brassware creations, Agra for marble and statue crafting, Khurja for ceramics, and so on.

Tell us about your art café. What did you have in mind when you started it in 2017?

I decided to start Brio Art House & Café Gallery to provide employment, support, as well as promote local artisans and craftsmen from across the state. A perfect blend of functionality and unique design, each product at Brio Art House is a hand-crafted piece, representative of local UP craft, bearing the unique signature of local artisans who have made the product.

Inside Brio Art Cafe. (Photo: PR handout)

How big of a focus was sustainability when you started working on this project?

I am an artist who believes in creating sustainable eco-friendly creations that will leave a minimum carbon footprint on Earth. Responsible consumption and production is needed in today’s times. I believe I have the power to create these beautiful pieces and also give back to the planet. It is through sustainable art that I hope to not only change how my work is done, but to inspire social and cultural change as well.

All products at Brio are designed keeping the environment in mind and delivered in reused packaging such as mobile boxes, packaging from courier etc. The product range at Brio Art House includes reused wooden items such as planters, brassware, etc.

Inside Brio Art House. (Photo: PR handout)

We use sustainable earthen kullads for beverages. We also use only handcrafted eco-friendly ceramic crockery instead of bone-China dishes. We use coasters made of neem bark. We use cane furniture and upholstery such as local textile for table cloths — zardozi, khadi with chikankari embroidery, cushions and curtains made of silk etc.

Our café is a no-plastic zone. For example, our door handles are made of recycled wooden brushes. Our servers endorse clothing made of organic, hand-spun khadi. We also use recycled wooden trays. Our café has its own kitchen-garden where we grow organic seasonal vegetables and serve our guests the local flavour and seasonal cuisines of UP. We recycle all the kitchen waste back to the garden, and have tailored our portions so that guests can enjoy their meals and minimise food wastage. We encourage left-over doggy bags to be taken home.

Over 250 artisans, including rural women, are employed with you. What kind of hardships did they face in the pandemic?

The artisans’ work is their only means of income. So, we used our savings to help them with food supplies, medical aid for them and their families. Covid has impacted face-to-face interaction with artisans, so we have moved to Zoom video meetings. We have slowed down our production to help the families of affected artisans. Gradually, we continued to work on our inventory, stock it, so that these artisans also have work.

Craftswomen at work. (Photo: PR handout)

Why do you think there is little knowledge and interest among Indians to learn about local and traditional arts and crafts?

People today highly appreciate art galleries and history of other countries, but do not give our local artisans and their products their due. It is our duty to our next generations to teach them about our rich culture-craft-history through education in schools, via digital platforms, etc.

What can you tell us about the food at Brio?

The food is almost all organically grown. Every purchase that we make at Brio Art House, we plant — it’s a slow process, but then it ensures a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. We don’t use microwaves. We make dishes fresh at the time of order. Our in-house chef uses organically-grown vegetables and herbs from our kitchen garden and creates seasonal and local food that is bursting with flavour and is healthy as well.

For example, guests can try seasonal fresh salad and traditionally-made lentil kebabs. We serve beverages like water and tea in kullads which are made by local artisans. Our café has multiple vegetable options. We have our own range of chai masalas, cookies, chips, which are made without any preservatives, making for shorter shelf-life but healthy consumption.

What kind of artworks are on sale?

All kinds of artworks are on sale — home décor, art installations, big art pieces and so on. We endeavour to promote every local artisan behind the product. We believe each product is unique and is symbolic of the talent of the craftsman who has created it. All Brio Art House products are shared on social media channels, especially Instagram, with the story of the particular artisan who worked on it.

With things slowly starting to look up once again, how do you envision the cafe’s future, and also that of these artisans?

My goal is to provide more opportunity and resources to artisans who work from home. We actually have more artisans working with us now than pre-Covid times. I am confident the café will attract footfalls once the situation is better.

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