Kala Chaupal helps artisans rebuild lives in the aftermath of Cyclone Fani

When Cyclone Fani swept through Odisha’s famous craft village, Raghurajpur in Puri district, on May 3 this year, it not only destroyed most houses in its wake, but also wreaked havoc on a huge number of crafts stored there, including their treasured Pattachitra paintings. “As someone who’s working to create linkages between traditional and contemporary arts, I mourned the destruction of those heritage works,” says Leenika Jacob of Kala Chaupal, the Gurugram-based public trust and non-profit that uses visual and supporting arts to drive positive social and cultural change. “I read that artists there were willing to sell their works for a pittance, only to get some capital to rebuild their homes and lives,” she recalls. This prompted Jacob to spearhead the Rise4Odisha campaign with Humanitarian Aid International, Aapsa Art, Prabhaav Foundation and a host of concerned artists. “The idea was to create a direct sales platform for the Raghurajpur artisans so enable them to rebuild their lives without feeling beholden to anyone,” she says. 

The first such exhibition, the Gotipua Project, was organised in a record two weeks. Kala Chaupal invited four artists from Raghurajpur, who brought with them paintings, toys and other products priced between Rs 50 and Rs 60,000 made by 140 households in their village. Additionally, 17 famous contemporary artists donated their artworks for a silent auction to raise even more funds for the campaign. “We raised over Rs 6.5 lakh which has gone directly to the artisans,” she says. “Over the coming year, we plan to set up an online platform and hold more exhibitions.” The next one is slated for early August, for which DLF has already promised space.

Homes devastated by Cyclone Fani in Raghurajpur.

Jacob and her cohorts at Kala Chaupal have their work cut out in the months, even years ahead. “Recovering from a disaster like this can take years,” she says. Without support, she fears that many of these artisans could fall into debt or migrate to bigger cities and leave their art practice. “Also, the sooner they resume practising their art, the better their recovery will be,” she says. This will, however, take time. Das says that one-and-a-half months after the cyclone, none of them have been able to resume work. “Our houses are still in a shambles and the sun is too hot for us to work during the day,” he says. “And power cuts make it impossible to work at night!” Tourism hasn’t revived either. Kala Chaupal plans to invite eminent artists to Raghurajpur in October to create art installations there. “We want to drive tourism to the village to generate more revenues for the locals,” she says. 

Visitors with an artist at the exhibition.

For the artisans who participated in the first exhibition in Gurugram, the experience went beyond that of mere commerce. “The sympathy I got from all the buyers I spoke to was like a balm to my soul,” says Raghunath Das who lost his home and about Rs 60,000 worth of artworks. What moved him the most was when a buyer picked up three of his father’s rain-damaged paintings. “He said they represented the ordeal we’d survived,” he says. “I was moved to tears…”

At a juncture when extreme climate events are becoming frighteningly common, the Rise4Odisha campaign demonstrates a rehabilitation model that empowers survivors instead of making them dependent on dole. “For we don’t just need to rebuild people’s homes and lives after a disaster — we’ve to rebuild their souls too!”  

To learn more, check out kalachaupal.org or follow them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook