Wrapping up hearts
KOCHI: The Pune-based Amrutha Walvekar has the unlikeliest of careers. She wraps gifts for a living. Well, it might not yet make it into the most coveted jobs’ list, but Amrutha absolutely loves it so she has decided to pass on the passion by hosting gift-wrapping and calligraphy workshops all over the country.
And, on her list is Kochi. The artist will hold a modern calligraphy workshop and a gift-wrapping session at the Taj Malabar, Willingdon Island, this Saturday.
For those who want the back story of how it all happened, here it is:
Amrutha, who runs her company, ‘Wrapistry’, says that while, in school, the art and craft classes were the only ones she could relate to.
“I always wrapped gifts for my friends and their appreciation was all I ever expected, until, one day, a friend said, ‘This gift is so beautifully wrapped you should do this professionally’. That got me thinking. Six months later I started ‘Wrapistry’. I have always loved stationery and writing notes, so calligraphy was a natural choice. I find both these art forms are very therapeutic and it makes me love my job every single day,” says Amrutha.
‘Wrapistry’ has a huge following of 89,000 people on Facebook, a platform Amrutha uses to reach design lovers across the world. Thanks to her success, she was selected as a council member for Facebook’s first India’s Small and Medium Enterprise seminar.
The workshop
Amrutha says she ensures that her workshops are nothing but fun. “Guests only need to bring themselves. We organise everything. Everyone gets a personalised kit and a workstation. Guests create everything themselves, but with plenty of attention from the ‘Wrapistry’ team. We also have a break in between where guests can interact, network and refresh themselves and go back, refuelled, into the workshop for more fun,” she says.
Her tool kit is simple and basic. There are varieties of ribbons, double-sided tape, glue-gun and gift-papers. As for the calligraphy, blank white sheets are transformed into works of art.
In Kochi
Amrutha says a lot of Kochiites were impressed by her works that they wanted her to hold a workshop here. “Just like every other city, Kochi, too, is a place of weddings and exchanging gifts is integral. The beauty of a handwritten letter is unparalleled,” says Amrutha.
Her workshop will be held in two sessions, Calligraphy is at 9 am to 1.30 pm, while the gift-wrapping workshop will be held from 2.30 pm to 6.30 pm. The fee is Rs 4000 per person. For details, info@wrapistry.com or 098239-81810.