Artisan Story :
Darshana Raut
Overview
Darshana Raut is an 18 year girl staying in a village named Aangaon in Bhiwandi. Darshana appears to be a shy , and an unassuming young woman. But beneath the quiet demeanor, she is a passionate girl with a burning enterprising streak. She has been a part of TISSER Women Artisans Skills Enhancement Program in the year 2019. She attended the Warli Painting Workshop and since then has indulged herself into the world of Warli creativity. After having attended the workshop, she hasn’t looked back and made herself keen on learning and growing each and every day. She now enjoys herself, making art and the likes to make new designs.
Experiences And Challenges:
Before working with Tisser, Darshana was a student and was practicing medical. Medical was not her interest and she never understood anything that was taught. She was frustrated and tired of doing something she never liked.
But she always had a passion for painting. Crayons and paint brushes and colors were her inner circle. Darshana loved and had the knack for art from her school days. She drew simple sceneries, but she drew them with love. When WASEP began the training for Warli painting in Angaon, Darshana was excited, she attended the Warli Painting Workshop under a trainer named Yamini Nath. She came to know about TISSER India through her senior trainer named Kishor Sir. She has painted different products from patches to frames and has been all smiles since then. In the initial days, she noted that she faced difficulty in coping up with intricate designs, the shapes and the finishing of her paintings but she could manage later with the help of her trainer who helped her in finding easy ways to make her designs look attractive and creative with perfection. The prospect of earning through her art encouraged her more and she gave up on her education and decided to work more. She was overwhelmed and enjoyed painting different products for Tisser. She has painted and designed with all her heart and efforts put into it. Warli was the first to offer her a means of income. Warli painting gave her first-ever salary. And she thinks it’s only right that she spends it on art supplies for future projects. After the workshop, she is now into designing masks and she makes her livelihood out of it. When she first started selling her designed mask, she started selling it for RS 30 per product and she has been selling it at the same price since then . Her family also supports her for the same which makes her confident in her field of Warli Painting. Her family shares in her joy for painting. Whenever she practices Warli painting at home, her younger brother turns into a mock mentor, giving her tips and at times even trying his hand at some Warli art himself. Using her WASEP training, she has painted elegant designs on her own handkerchiefs and purses. When she steps out for social gatherings, her products catch the eye of her relatives and friends and Darshana is happy to not just speak about her Warli art, but encourage her friends to learn it as well. She became strong when she decided to give priority to her own self and her passion. In the beginning when she gave up on her studies it was tough for her to convince her parents for painting and working. But she was patient enough and had to fight it out for herself. Over many discussions, she persistently urged her family members to look at the benefits of adding to the household income through Warli art. Her mother finally gave in to Darshana’s strong will, and Darshana hasn’t looked back since then.
Future Plans:
Once she started her journey with art, she decided to drop her education and make her career out of this. She wishes to pursue her career in the warli field and learn every possible way to make her products unique and the best. She is driven
to be a successful artist and make her parents proud of her for choosing the field she was interested in. Strong women, vocal about their wishes can bring about a change for the good, and Darshana exemplifies this perfectly.But she always had a passion for painting. Crayons and paint brushes and colors were her inner circle. Darshana loved and had the knack for art from her school days. She drew simple sceneries, but she drew them with love. When WASEP began the training for Warli painting in Angaon, Darshana was excited, she attended the Warli Painting Workshop under a trainer named Yamini Nath. She came to know about TISSER India through her senior trainer named Kishor Sir. She has painted different products from patches to frames and has been all smiles since then. In the initial days, she noted that she faced difficulty in coping up with intricate designs, the shapes and the finishing of her paintings but she could manage later with the help of her trainer who helped her in finding easy ways to make her designs look attractive and creative with perfection. The prospect of earning through her art encouraged her more and she gave up on her education and decided to work more. She was overwhelmed and enjoyed painting different products for Tisser. She has painted and designed with all her heart and efforts put into it. Warli was the first to offer her a means of income. Warli painting gave her first-ever salary. And she thinks it’s only right that she spends it on art supplies for future projects. After the workshop, she is now into designing masks and she makes her livelihood out of it. When she first started selling her designed mask, she started selling it for RS 30 per product and she has been selling it at the same price since then . Her family also supports her for the same which makes her confident in her field of Warli Painting. Her family shares in her joy for painting. Whenever she practices Warli painting at home, her younger brother turns into a mock mentor, giving her tips and at times even trying his hand at some Warli art himself. Using her WASEP training, she has painted elegant designs on her own handkerchiefs and purses. When she steps out for social gatherings, her products catch the eye of her relatives and friends and Darshana is happy to not just speak about her Warli art, but encourage her friends to learn it as well. She became strong when she decided to give priority to her own self and her passion. In the beginning when she gave up on her studies it was tough for her to convince her parents for painting and working. But she was patient enough and had to fight it out for herself. Over many discussions, she persistently urged her family members to look at the benefits of adding to the household income through Warli art. Her mother finally gave in to Darshana’s strong will, and Darshana hasn’t looked back since then.
