Priyadarshini Jain’s favourite thing about colouring is how “de-stressing” it is: demanding intense concentration at the same time letting the mind wander.
Founder of Rang De, a series of colour-in products for stress busting, Priyadarshini has found that in the past few months many have come to the same conclusion as her. During the pandemic, and the accompanying lockdowns, with people looking for new hobbies to abate anxieties, the demand for colour-in products, for adults and children alike, has increased.
“With Rang De, my aim is to turn everything into something that can be coloured in. Even the most mundane objects can be used as canvases,” says the Chennai resident. Under this brand, she has published a colouring book, This is India Only , mugs (these come with non-toxic markers), pencil pouches, canvases and most recently postcards.
“’The Good Vibe and Birds & Trees are the two sets of my Colour-in Postcards. Each set consists of 15 postcards with markings on the reverse,” she says.
Her style is heavily inspired by Indian folk art, thanks to her one-year internship at DakshinaChitra, after she graduated from Stella Maris College in 2017. “It helped me gain experience in Indian art. The DakshinaChitra museum showcases a lot of South Indian culture and when you see my work, you can see that I’ve taken inspiration from Indian folk art. I use tribal elements, from forms such as Mithila, Madhubani, and pattachitra, and combine them to make my own contemporary style,” she says.
This shows in her postcards as well as colouring book. The book contains 22 illustrations of typically Indian scenarios: a bedecked bride or an extraordinarily decorated truck, “and other kitschy stuff that exists only here”, she says.
This year, before the pandemic, she exhibited at India Art Fair in Delhi, where her products were a hit especially among foreigners looking for ‘souvenirs’. “One artist from Singapore just sent me my postcard back, all coloured in,” she recalls, happily.
Rang De delivers across India, call 9444828811.
