Raahein: A curated space that aims at nurturing art and craft by Shefali Khanna

Social entrepreneur Shefali Khanna has redesigned the whole area of Raahein into an immersive space for music and art. Each room and each wall exude creativity and inspiration. A wave of positive vibes and calm engulf anyone who enters this thoughtfully curated space. In her words, she has named this a ‘Pleasure Dome of Senses’.

Yes, it is indeed a treat to all our senses.

The ‘Wall of Worship’ that besieges you as you enter, is dedicated as an ode to culture, Shefali calls it the ‘Ibaadatkhana’. Anything that is rich in culture goes is placed on the wall. In a sense, it is the sanctum sanctorum of the space without subscribing to any faith or religion. Culture and art are the faith of this space. The ‘Ibaadatkhana’ is a barefoot experience as culture and art are revered in the space.

The Confluence Room is where the heartfelt emergence takes place. Nature and the Universe have found expression here. It is adorned with a vibrant wallpaper that connects us to nature and the innocence of life, as depicted by the most beautiful peacocks and exquisite plants, including a monkey who is busy eating a banana and at peace with himself. “The idea of this picture is that the Universe has given us so much in abundance but we are focused on just a few things. We need to broaden our horizons and see the bigger picture,” quips Shefali. This room is specifically designed for the exchange of new ideas.

Next up, is the Craft Room also referred to as ‘Taar’ where lineage textile meets imagination. Shefali is very zealously involved in creating modern ensembles with handloom fabrics. She is very eager to enable exclusive patronage for Indian textiles and thus is deeply committed to promoting the Indian handloom giving it a more modern twist. Shefali is committed to making soul-to-soul connections by using fabrics that are close to the person, it could be their mother’s saree or a family heirloom that has been preserved for years. It has to be an ensemble that they truly cherish, and then she creates something completely unique out of it. “We want to make connections with people’s memories and give them an all-new meaning that they can treasure forever,” she adds.

Shefali added that it’s important people reconnect with their heirlooms that have been passed on from generations. Those are precious memories and should not be just kept away in trunks. The idea behind the Craft Room was to get people to take out their cherished handloom possessions and create something unique out of them. “This will help in building a new connection with that heirloom and is a great step towards fashion sustainability,” she added.

The Conversation Room is a free space where the creator can let the ideas flow. All the podcasts and videos are recorded here. The writers can seek solace and write peacefully in this room. It is an open space for collective ideation created with the sole aim to always be a neutral area where all ideas are equally welcome. This room enables conversations to start with “Why not?” and everything is possible if you put your passion and emotion behind it. Changemakers, dreamers, and seekers all are welcome here to initiate change by asking “Why not” instead of “Why.”

Shefali also started Raahein – a digital music platform for artists who are looking for opportunities to show their talent. She started this during the pandemic as a means to help the artists whose livelihoods had taken a serious hit. In the studio, there is an exclusive music room where artists come over and create soulful music. The music room is designed in a way that creates a poignant environment for creating meaningful art through music, songs, and poetry.

Shefali shared that “All the visitors to this space have uniformly conveyed that they experienced a certain calm here and a deep sense of positive energy. They wanted to just stay here and get the better of all their worries.”

The bold colours, vibrant wallpapers, and the warmth of the space have received a tremendous response.

“I wanted to create an inclusive space where people can come together without any preconceived notions. I truly believe that emergence is not momentary, it is evolutionary. People take time off from their everyday life and go to places to experience calm as a means of rejuvenation. What if we had a space that combined that positive energy with everyday life? That is what I have tried to create with this studio,” adds Shefali.

The intention to create this one-of-a-kind space is to invite like-minded individuals into this space to join Shefali and her team to contribute to the culture of India and participate in kor the Taar room. They could be the customers or co-creators who want to be a part of this movement Shefali is leading with passion. She is also looking to build more such spaces all over India to create a huge community that supports and works with hand-skilled workers and artisans.

Since 2018 Shefali has been working diligently to promote Indian textiles by combining the traditional Indian handloom with bespoke tailoring crafts. Sometime during the pandemic, she also launched a digital music platform called Raahein. This was an attempt to create a sustainable livelihood for performers and artists who had very limited resources and were adversely impacted by the pandemic.

Shefali Khanna brings with her a rich background in the business of fashion. She graduated at the top of the class as a Valedictorian from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York. She then went on to work across the East Coast and West Coast in various big fashion companies. Her professional journey, before she came to India to become a social entrepreneur, was across many billion-dollar companies such as Macy’s, Old Navy, Lucky Brand Jeans, Free People, and PacSun among others. She has been a senior-level executive at many leading fashion brands. She also was the Co-Founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of a fashion-tech company called DailyLook which was backed and funded by the fashion giant Forever21. Shefali is a seasoned professional who has seen several fashion brands through the many phases of business. She has been associated with the fashion industry for a long time and has gained immense experience across the different departments including creating spaces throughout her fashion journey.

She is a seeker of culture and is passionate about creating immersive experiences for people through textile, craft, music, and art.

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