Made in India, With Love By MeMeraki

In a world racing toward modernity, MeMeraki stands as India’s first ‘culture-tech’ platform, weaving heritage into the fabric of everyday spaces — from homes and offices to airports and hotels. Founded by Yosha Gupta, MeMeraki works with over 10,000 artworks by 350+ master artists, connecting India’s remotest creative voices to a global audience. By Aishwarya Kulkarni

Through innovations like augmented reality and digital storytelling, the platform brings 150+ traditional art forms to life in contemporary settings. Each project is a tribute to regional identity and craftsmanship. With a strong focus on sustainable livelihoods, MeMeraki isn’t just preserving heritage—it’s powering it into the future, one mural, one artist, one story at a time.

Aishwarya Kulkarni joins Yosha in a heartfelt conversation on preserving India’s cultural legacy, stressing the need to sustainably scale oral traditions and craft practices to build a demand-driven, self-sustaining ecosystem that truly empowers our artisans.

SCALE: What was the initial spark that led to the inception of MeMeraki?

Yosha: The inception of MeMeraki was truly born out of passion. Interestingly, my professional trajectory doesn’t directly stem from the realms of craft or art. For over sixteen years, my career was deeply rooted in the world of fintech. However, the arts have consistently been a significant undercurrent in my life. After shifting to the development sector, spending time with artists and understanding the immense discipline and unwavering commitment that goes into honing their craft, I realized that the sheer force of human effort resonates deeply with me.

The initial spark of MeMeraki was quite atounding.  I remember having a handbag hand-painted by a Madhubani artist, and everyone who saw it assumed it was a very limited edition piece. This seemingly simple interaction ignited conversations, and people started asking if I could get similar things done for them. It became clear that there was an appreciation for Indian art, but two key barriers existed: a lack of awareness and a lack of access. This led me to think about bridging this gap, and the idea for MeMeraki was born.

SCALE: The pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, especially for the craft sector. How did MeMeraki adapt and evolve during that time?

Yosha: When the pandemic struck, sales plummeted, and more importantly, the artists were facing dire circumstances. Their regular sources of income vanished because they lacked digital literacy. It was during this period that I felt a strong impetus to try something different. As a COVID-19 relief initiative, we launched online art workshops. Imagine a Madhubani artist sitting in their home, teaching Madhubani art online via a Zoom class, with people from all over the world attending and learning. What was particularly striking was the incredibly high level of engagement. People were genuinely excited to have the opportunity to learn directly from an artist situated in a remote corner of India. The experience felt authentic because the artists would often show their studios and the materials they used. It almost felt like you were virtually present with them! We ran these workshops as a COVID relief effort for approximately four months, and the artisans were able to keep generating a livelihood during these tough times

SCALE: MeMeraki has evolved significantly over the years. Can you elaborate on this evolution?

Yosha: We formally launched as an organization soon after, establishing the company and communicating to the artists that the workshop revenue would now be reinvested into the business to hire more people and further expand our reach. For the initial two and a half years, our focus was predominantly on workshops. Subsequently, we also began creating beautifully produced pre-recorded masterclasses, recognizing that people were even purchasing old Zoom recordings of our workshops. 

Then, as the pandemic began to recede, we observed a significant shift – people were no longer as inclined to spend time online. This led to the realization that we needed to evolve into a comprehensive platform for traditional master artists, catering to both their teaching and selling needs. We needed to create a fully managed platform that handles everything for them, whether they wish to conduct workshops or sell their creations.

The selling of art officially commenced about two and a half years ago, and we now proudly host the largest online collection of Indian art, featuring over 10,000 listings across 150 diverse styles of Indian art and craft. Furthermore, we have been continuously innovating by leveraging technology. For instance, based on consumer feedback, many expressed difficulty in visualizing how traditional Indian art would integrate into their modern and contemporary homes, to which our response was to develop an in-house augmented reality feature on our website.

Users can now simply point their device’s camera at their wall and see a realistic representation of how the artwork would appear in their space! Our business now operates in two primary spheres.

One is the B2C side, direct-to-consumer sales, where we continuously strive to add more art and onboard more master artists from across India.

The other is the B2B side, where we function almost as an agency representing traditional artists, connecting them with exciting opportunities, from art installations and murals to marketing campaigns.

At MeMeraki, we’ve poured our hearts into creating cultural experiences that honour India’s artistic soul. At GMR Hyderabad Airport, we worked with master artist Kanday Anjanappa to build a Tholu Bommalata installation showing the native ecology of Telangana and Andhra. Mythical beings like Uchchaihshravas and Airavata greet travelers, speaking to the flora and fauna of the land.

At the 2023 India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale, we showcased “SaRaTa”—a vibrant Cheriyal mask installation. We even created an Instagram AR filter so people could try on masks based on their mood and feel part of the art. 

At Kala Ghoda Festival, our life-size Lippan Kaam white stallion stood as a tribute to Kutch’s spirit. And for Diwali 2024, we co-created “Puppet Tales – Story of Light” with Anjanappa for the Indian Heritage Centre Singapore, sharing the stories of Deepawali with thousands.

SCALE: MeMeraki also creates corporate gift boxes. What is the thought process behind these, and how much customization do you offer?

Yosha: At MeMeraki, we see corporate gifting as more than just a gesture—it’s a chance to share India’s rich artisanal legacy. For Travelscope, we curated handcrafted Ganesha idols by our sandalwood artist, packaged in jute pouches printed by our block printing artisan with their custom branding created as a block—each gift rooted in sustainability and heritage. For Khaitan & Co, we created meaningful gifts like a collection of hundreds of hand-painted Madhubani artworks by Priti Karn.

Our collaboration with IIFL went a step further with miniature versions of our murals, carefully hand-painted and packaged to reflect the soul of their projects. One of our most special gifting projects was with Tantavya by RSB Foundation, where we offered intricate Silver Filigree (Tarakasi) artworks—tokens of gratitude created to celebrate 50 years of RSB, crafted by artists from Odisha and Jharkhand. Every piece, with its lace-like silver patterns, celebrates centuries of skill, mythology, and natural inspiration. These aren’t just gifts—they’re stories, memories, and heritage passed hand to hand.

SCALE: I noticed that many of the pieces on your website are very affordable. Was this a deliberate decision?

Yosha: Absolutely. We have everything ranging from very affordable pieces to large, exquisite artworks. We are trying to get into every segment and want to make sure that we democratize access to this art. Art, otherwise, is often perceived as meant for the more elite classes of society. But the whole point is that art is for everyone. That is one of the big missions of our work as well: to create a very strong digital voice and presence for the master artist and to democratize access to the general audience as much as possible.

SCALE: Could you tell me more about the communities and artists you’re working with, and the process of reaching out to them?

Yosha: We have over 350 master artists that we work with right now, covering 150 styles of Indian art and crafts, and it’s pretty much increasing every day. India has over 3000 styles of art and craft, and we want to make sure we can be that centralized place that has knowledge and access to all Indian arts and crafts. The criteria that we use to try and figure out who should be the artist that we reach out to typically focus on generational artists. We also look for artists who have received awards, and ultimately, it all boils down to the quality of their work.

At MeMeraki, we’ve been deeply committed to using art as a tool for women’s empowerment. In collaboration with IIFL Home Loans, NGO Maarttikee with Terracotta Master Artist Dolon Kundu, and master artists of Cheriyal and Madhubani, we created murals across IIFL branches to challenge norms around home ownership.

With Dolon Kundu, we not only spotlighted her work but also enabled support for her craft cluster through IIFL HL with a capacity-building grant. Her terracotta mural—two female faces—tells a generational story of empowerment through art. In another project, “Homes of Bharat”, we used terracotta to celebrate India’s vernacular architecture and its sustainable wisdom. In other projects, we also created an interactive Kalighat mural featuring 10 women in STEM at Science City Kolkata, enhanced by an AR Instagram filter to spark curiosity both in and beyond museums. And “Kathaa”, our annual mural festival in Hong Kong, now in its 5th year, continues to amplify Indian art globally while enabling the first international trip for many of our artists.

SCALE: Could you share a particularly impactful or personal experience from your time with MeMeraki?

Yosha: It’s hard to choose just one, as so many moments have been deeply impactful. One experience that encapsulates what MeMeraki strives to achieve revolves around one of our Thangkai artists, a remarkable woman from a small village in Himachal.

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was with Dolon Kundu, a terracotta master artist. Through a collaboration with IIFL Home Loans, MeMeraki, and NGO Maarttikee, we secured a grant that scaled her craft cluster’s capacity fivefold—from 10,000 to 50,000 units monthly. This wasn’t just infrastructure; it impacted over 250 women artisans, many of whom earned for the first time. The initiative combined traditional art with empowerment, using murals to reimagine women’s home ownership and showcasing sustainable housing through terracotta installations. It’s rare to see art, agency, and impact align so beautifully, and I’m proud to be part of it.

There have been countless other such moments – witnessing artists receive recognition, seeing intricate artwork find appreciation in modern homes, and facilitating online workshops that connected art enthusiasts with the living traditions of India. These experiences reinforce the belief that traditional Indian art is not just a relic of the past but a vibrant and relevant part of our present and future. For me, the sheer force of human effort, people pushing their capabilities to any degree, is something that deeply resonates with me.