“Passion Makes Anything Possible”- How Krupa Raman Turned her Passion into Philanthropy
Step into her home, and you feel as if you’ve been transported to a museum displaying exquisite pieces of art. Beautiful artwork, intricate designs in colors and hues that speak to the soul adorn the walls. Woodwork from almost every state in India fills the house, telling a story of deep passion and creativity.
“The spark came from my husband,” shares Krupa, who is not just the brain but also the heart behind these creations. What began as a quest to create something unique for her own home soon became a generous give-back initiative for Krupa Raman, an Oakville resident who is a full-time IT professional and a mom of two young children, ages 10 and 6.
“During COVID, I was looking for a few paintings for my house as we had moved from Mississauga to Oakville. I couldn’t find what I was looking for. My husband said that I have the talent and could do it myself.”
That was when Krupa began exploring her talent on a deeper level. As a child, she liked arts and crafts but didn’t pursue them seriously. As she started creating pieces for her new house, she became fascinated with the different art forms of India. Fortunately, the pandemic opened up many avenues to learn these styles online.
“I was attracted to Indian folk arts. Indian art has a soul to it. It is simple and yet very powerful. It depicts our culture, divinity and religion. The themes of nature and spirituality speak to us on so many levels,” says Krupa with a twinkle in her eyes. Her passion comes through in every word she speaks about her creations.
She has taken the time to learn a wide range of art forms. “Tanjore from Tamil Nadu, Warli from Maharashtra, mural paintings from Kerala, Lippan art of Gujarat, Gond art of Madhya Pradesh and Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh,” says Krupa as she starts to list them all.
As she found joy in creating these pieces, she also thought they would make wonderful gifts. She often burned the midnight oil and spent laborious hours crafting handmade paintings, wooden temples, chowkis and Kalamkari fabrics to gift to her friends, who undoubtedly loved them.
“Last Dussehra, some of my friends suggested that I start monetizing these pieces of art. I started thinking about it. If I have to put in so much effort into something, it would have to be for a cause.”
That’s when she had a eureka moment—why not sell the artwork and raise money for the new Sri Krishna temple being built and renovated in Georgetown?
Krupa and her family have been ardent devotees of Krishna for a long time. Nothing is more important to her than serving and surrendering to Krishna, which is why her venture is called “Shri Krishnaarpanam,” literally meaning “offered to Lord Krishna.”
She has an Instagram handle by the same name and often spends hours creating work, selling it for small margins and donating every cent of the profits to the temple.
“You work full time, have two little kids and a home to take care of. How do you find the time to work on this?”
“Passion makes everything possible. After I finish work, which is very busy home chores, feed the kids and put them to bed, I turn toward creating this art to unwind. Before, I would watch TV or get on my phone. Now, I get lost in creating these. I never realized that when you put your heart and soul into what you like, it gives you immeasurable pleasure. This makes me very happy.”
Everything around her, including the energy she exudes, is a testament to her love for what she does.
Reach out to Krupa on Instagram and help make her give-back initiative a huge success.