Debi, a post graduate from St. Xavier’s college, Kolkata, realised right after college that he wasn’t made for a desk job. A passionate sketch artist, he had always knows that his love lies in art. He decided to take the leap and launch his own venture where he sells customised art decor pieces and collectibles like coasters, mugs and more. 

Going under the name of DPR Artlife, his venture also focuses on providing a creative space for young and budding artists like him. We get to know a little more about his vision behind DPR Artlife and his work through a candid chat. 

• Hey Debi, tell us about DPR Artlife.

We thought of creating a brand for the people of India which justified our rich cultural heritage. Art is the soul of our country. We wanted to start a new trend through our brand where people value the importance of art. We make various artworks to light up your beautiful space. There a bunch of handmade items at our crafts store, created with love.

• What initially sparked your interest in this field? 

Initially during my post-graduation days,  I used to take a lot of commissioned sketch orders under my pen name “DPR Artlife “. That’s when it hit me that I never wanted to go for a desk job and instead wanted to chase my dream and passion for art. After completing my post graduation in Finance, the first thing I did was registered my brand name “DPR Artlife “ and that’s how we started. I was really lucky to have two of my best buddies– Lipsha, who was my batchmate and Dhiren, my childhood friend–join me in this crazy but amazing journey.

Today we have come far, and I have a smile and a sense of satisfaction that we are following our passion inspite of all the hardships.

•  How have your roots or upbringing influenced your work or working style?

We are very proud that we come from a state where people worship art. Odisha has a rich tradition of art and culture. Every place has its unique art form. The capital city is known as the temple city and one can find beautiful artworks on these temples. Raghurajpur, the heritage village has got the famous Pattachitra, our intricate folk art, the tribal areas have their own tribal arts. Each of these art forms, the artists and the love for art that people have, has inspired us and has been the biggest influence in what we are doing today.

We make different products and work with a team of very talented artists who are experts in their fields. We experiment with art forms and try to create something beautiful, thus amalgamating modern and traditional artforms.

• What do you do full-time?

We run our business under the name “DPR Artlife”. We work with artists and make beautiful wooden hand painted dolls, wall decors, coasters, trays , take sketch orders on paper, and a lot more. In our effort to make all our products eco-friendly, we also work with Jute. We don’t promote cutting down of trees, so all our wooden products are made using scrap wood and to reduce down the use of plastic, we have added paper pens to our product line. We are also in a process of experimenting with new products that can act as a substitute for plastic packaging.

• Where do you take inspiration from?

Our country has got so many artforms, every state, every place has it’s own art and we get inspired by these. We love our field and respect artists and their craft. Be it modern or folkart, everyday we research and experiment with artforms.

• What do you hope people take away from your art?

People should feel happy whenever the see our work. That’s why we work hard. Every piece of decor means a lot to us, has a different story to tell. Every customized work is made with love and emotions. Some gift it to others, some keep it for themselves but in the long run what matters is not the price but the happiness they share with us. Every happy mail makes us more energetic and motivates us to work harder.

• Tell us more about your latest art pieces.

“The Unvanquishable: A Thread Art of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam”

I have tried to recognize the dedication of the great man through my piece of work, creating a gigantic 48 square feet thread art of the Missile Man of India. The ponderous creation consumed yarn of 6 km long & imprecisely as much as 10,000 nails. The devotion of Bhrat Ratna Dr. Kalam towards his duty with infatuation, instigated me, which reflects in my origination with exhaustive toil of 250 man hours of sleepless nights.

This is the my tribute to the People’s President of India, Lt. Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.