Bijli has been taken from the show Kalpavana, the Forest of Boons, which celebrates crafts, sustainability and cultural legacies embedded in artist communities. The exhibition thinks through the idea of human interconnectedness with nature by narrating the story of origin. Performative, magical, yet sophisticated, it traces how the seed of life grew from nothingness and how, one by one, all creatures rose from that seed. Diverse and wondrous creatures, whether plants or animals, built their homes with a shared collective consciousness. The magnificent beasts who would roam the land understood and empathised with their surroundings, so highly connected that one could say they were the forest and the forest was them.  Life was a shared voyage between the different elements of the forest, encompassing abundance and solitude and thus posed a place called Kalpavana or Forest of Boons where everything was possible. 

‘Kalpavana’ draws inspiration from South Asian Folklore. The Chanakya School of Art’s intention of creating a new contemporary language for craft for a global audience comes across with the honesty and authenticity ingrained in the work. The concept behind the show is to uncover insights into traditional craft practices, how interwoven it is in local community life and how craft empowers women. It highlights the urgency of sustainable practices, right from the mediums used in the work. It pays homage to the rich heritage and history of craftwork while reflecting on the blend of tradition with modern design sensibilities.