Craft. Design. Lives
DASRA
Reclaiming spaces. Reclaiming stories
At EkiBeki, we believe walls can do more than hold space—they can hold stories.
Our collaboration with DASRA brought together traditional artisans and contemporary contexts to create a series of murals, where each panel became a chapter—of craft, community, and continuity.
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This project was not just about beautification, through this initiative, walls became more than surfaces—they became storytellers.
A story in its frames
Rooted in purpose and inspired by heritage, this artwork captures the powerful journey of DASRA founders who returned from foreign shores to uplift their own communities. It is a visual narrative of commitment—transforming global exposure into meaningful grassroots impact.
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At its core, DASRA champions holistic development, working across education, skill building, sustainability, child welfare, community empowerment, and gender equality. Every initiative reflects a vision of creating a balanced, inclusive, and technologically progressive society. DASRA’s aims to create harmony between nature, community, and technology.
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To bring this story to life, Ekibeki collaborated with traditional Warli artisans - Vayeda Brothers, reimagining an ancient art form into a contemporary storytelling medium.
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Originating from Maharashtra and rooting back to a hundred-possibly thousands of years, Warli art represents the balance between humans and nature, expressed through basic geometric forms and scenes of everyday life.
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​Through EkiBeki’s design approach and working closely with the artisans, the artists carefully interpreted DASRA’s story into this visual language. For example, the Banyan tree was chosen not only as a natural symbol, but because its hanging roots resemble pillars—just like Dasra’s foundational values.
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​The result is a striking composition that bridges time, culture, and innovation.
The journey of seeds
DASRA's key values were thoughtfully broken down and presented across four distinct frames. Each frame was designed to maintain balance, coherence, and flow, while preserving the authenticity and spirit of traditional Warli art.
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This piece captures a symbolic moment in the founders’ return to India, shown from a sweepimg bird’s-eye view. Traveling in a traditional bullock cart, Neera and Deval are seen entering a vibrant rural village—Neera recognizable with her iconic glasses, , a subtle yet familiar detail within the scene.
The landscape unfolds in rich detail: mud homes with thatched roofs, winding paths and gathering spaces, cultivated farmlands. The environment is abundant with natural elements and life: lush trees, flowing water, birds in flight, and textured earth tones that reflect the vitality of the land.
The founders are depicted not merely as visitors, but symbolically as seed planters. Their presence, scattering seeds as they move—symbolizing vision, care and the beginning of something transformative shows a deep connection to the local environment.
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It is a story of arrival, exploration, and the planting of new beginnings. Of new possibilities within a richly woven Indian landscape.
The four pillars of DASRA
From a distance, the painting appears as a single, breathing form - a vast banyan tree spreading across the canvas, holding an entire world within it.
A powerful story unfolds of community, togetherness, and collective progress, expressed through an intricate Warli-inspired visual language. At the center of this artwork stands a majestic Banyan tree—chosen to represent DASRA. The tree becomes a gathering place and a keeper of many lives, its wide canopy sheltering moments of everyday life, while its aerial roots descend gently into the earth; each one echoing a pillar that sustains this living system.
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Its aerial roots symbolizes DASRA’s four strategic pillars:
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Thriving Communities by its people coming together- working, sharing, celebrating
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Collaborative Platforms by the continuous ring of human figures at the base of the tree, moving in rhythm, hand in hand
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Accelerating Systems Change in the roots growing denser and intertwined with people and nature
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India for the World, The World for India depicted in the portion beyond the tree, as the world opens outward - homes, pathways, and natural elements in a wider landscape, watched over by the sun and moon.
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The composition reflects people helping one another, climbing higher, and building collectively. It is a powerful visual of unity, resilience, and shared progress. Linking dreams and ideas from divergent geographical areas together
Cross border Collaboration- the bridge between worlds
The painting unfolds like a quiet, moving journey - one that carries the feeling of distances dissolving and worlds gently coming closer. This painting illustrates DASRA as a bridge between India and the world. A Warli-style map of India sits at the center, held within a symbolic bridge of unity with its flowing, bridge-like pathways that curve and weave across the canvas, guided by an unseen rhythm.
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These paths do not feel fixed; they move, expand, and reach outward, suggesting that connection is alive, constantly forming and reforming.
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Children holding books sit in the foreground, with books around them. In them lies the essence of shared learning and equal opportunity.
Around them in the map, we see people walking, gathering, working together - their outstretched hands reaching across borders. These hands carry a simple but powerful emotion: the willingness to connect.
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Above, the radiant suns hold both warmth and watchfulness. Below, the waters deepen into a vast, textured expanse where boats shaped by distant cultures, approach India. They carry not just people, but partnership and exchange.
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Interwoven throughout are themes of child development, environmental care, and gender equality, creating a narrative of a globally connected yet deeply rooted movement.
Futures and Equity Bars
This piece envisions a joyful and equitable future. At its heart stands a large tree, surrounded by children, nature, and symbols of progress.
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You’ll notice subtle elements of technology—WiFi signals, work-from-home setups, and even space exploration—blended seamlessly into everyday life.
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Four “equity bars,” formed by people lifting one another, stand tall—symbolizing inclusion, mutual support, and collective growth. Birds in flight represent aspirations and hope, while scenes of play, laughter, and community bring warmth to this vision of the future.
The overall mood is hopeful and uplifting, blending innovation, equity, and community into a luminous vision of a connected and compassionate future world.
This installation is not just a depiction—it is a dialogue. Between past and future. Between tradition and innovation. Between local roots and global aspirations.
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It reminds us that meaningful change is built collectively—through shared vision, collaboration, and a deep respect for where we come from.
About the artisans
The Vayeda Brothers
The Vayeda Brothers, Mayur (b.1992) and Tushar(b.1987), are celebrated contemporary Warli artists from Ganjad village, Maharashtra, known for their innovative interpretation of traditional Warli art.
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They seamlessly blend ancient techniques with modern influences, earning accolades such as the National Folk Art Award and the Maharashtra State Award for Excellence in Warli Art.
Through their evocative artworks, they contribute significantly to preserving and evolving Indian folk-art traditions.
This project is a collaboration between the Vayeda Brothers and EkiBeki to create a testament to the artistic vision & cultural dedication.
About Warli Art: Originating from Maharashtra and Gujarat, this art is crafted by the ancient Warli tribe. Through simple forms and predominantly white colors, it depicts their lifestyle, customs, and environment, seeking inspirations from their environment and the farming communities.
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Traditionally, Warli art depicted scenes of farming, daily life, and the deep connection between humans and nature. ​Since Warli human figures don’t have any facial expressions, the body movements, placements of animals and plants portray the feelings.
Despite its minimalistic style, Warli paintings carry deep cultural significance and are recognized internationally as a sought-after art form
Vayeda Brothers and Team EkiBeki, March 2026
