MAM
Asian Paints along with St+art India Foundation initiative aims “Art for All”
Mumbai– Art connects people through thoughts & feelings you cannot express. While a majority of art is visually captivating, pieces that bring the beauty and joy of art to people who are not able to experience it visually, are rare. This very concept of tangible art gave rise to Project Sparsh, an initiative launched by Asian Paints and St+art. Sparsh aims to bring the magic of art to visually impaired children, letting them experience it from an entirely new perspective.
Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh is a school in Jaipur that has been transforming the lives of visually impaired students for more than five decades. Asian Paints along with the St+art India Foundation added an artistic touch to the school by creating “tactile murals”. This sensation of tactility is achieved through the Royale Play range of textured paints from Asian Paints, which turns simple surfaces into tactile language that the students can touch and feel.
The initiative focuses on touching these children’s lives in a meaningful way at their school, which is like a second home to many of them. Through Sparsh, the goal is to broaden their young minds to new ways of experiencing art while sharing their pride in the vibrant and cultural heritage of Rajasthan on which the designs of the murals are based.
Outdoor Art
To make the outdoor mural a truly unique experience, they have combined a textile working technique exclusive to Rajasthan, Bandhej, together with Braille to reinforce their mission of “Art for All”. The goal of this mural is to bring together seemingly contrasting elements – Bandhej and Braille, and vision and touch, all of which make this a tangible and powerful statement of ‘inclusivity’. These murals, crafted in the style of Rajasthani artisans, allows the students to experience a sense of joy and belonging.
Indoor Art
While art cannot be seen by all, it certainly can be felt by all. Hence, Asian Paints along with St+art India made a first of its kind “Art Museum” for these kids with varied degrees of visual impairment. The interior mural serves as an inspiration for these students whereby they are able to experience the ‘Art & Culture’ of Rajasthan via this tactile mural integrated with braille for their understanding. Watch stories come alive through Kathputli, experience the vibrant hues of classic Blue Pottery and Phad Paintings, and marvel at the detail of textiles featuring Bandhej and Bagru Block Prints. The indoor exhibition is a true feast for all your senses.
Art Workshop
The workshop displays artworks created by the students during the Sparsh initiative through the Access for All program. It showcases the innate ability of every child to find happiness by providing them the tools and opportunities to express themselves. A whirlwind of textured paints, creativity and inspiration come together to create truly unique and memorable experiences that people should partake in.
Speaking about Sparsh, Asian Paints Ltd MD & CEO Amit Syngle said, “As we continue our long-standing partnership with St+art India Foundation, we are delighted to be a part of the Sparsh initiative at the Rajasthan Netraheen Kalyan Sangh in Jaipur. At Asian Paints, we leverage art and creativity to foster inclusivity among people. Sparsh is a representation of our values of empathy and the spirit of creativity. This initiative aims to bring joy and inspiration to visually impaired students through touch and feel. We redefined art and added another dimension to it with textured paints to create murals through tactile art. These murals narrate captivating stories, from the rich heritage of Rajasthan to the indomitable spirit of Helen Keller and are accessible to all, especially people who perceive the world differently from us. Together with St+art India Foundation, the Sparsh initiative stands as a testament to our commitment to #ArtForAll.”
St+art India Foundation curator & co-founder Giulia Ambrogi expressed, “Sparsh, in collaboration with Asian Paints, embodies our commitment to ‘Art for All.’ Defying traditional artwork with ‘Do Not Touch’ restrictions, Sparsh introduces tactile dimensions, encouraging audiences to engage directly with the artworks. Through carefully curated workshops, tactile murals, and a unique indoor tactile museum, Sparsh actively breaks down barriers, making art accessible and enjoyable for the visually impaired. It reaffirms our belief that art should be a universal language, speaking to each individual’s senses and experiences. Sparsh truly creates an inclusive and shared human experience.”
Explore the impactful Project Sparsh by tuning in to this video:
Brands
Tessolve lands a semiconductor veteran to drive its next big push
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, who started his career at ISRO and has spent 35 years building chips and companies, joins the Bengaluru-based firm as president and chief operating officer
BENGALURU: Tessolve has never been shy about its ambitions. The Bengaluru-based engineering services firm already counts 18 of the world’s top 20 semiconductor companies among its clients, employs more than 3,500 engineers across 12 countries, and last year pocketed a $150m investment from TPG. Now it has hired the executive it believes can turn those assets into something bigger. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, a 35-year semiconductor veteran who once built satellite payloads for ISRO and has since scaled engineering organisations across three continents, joins as president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.
THE MAN AND THE MANDATE
The appointment is, by any measure, a serious hire. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu comes to Tessolve after senior leadership stints at HCL Technologies, Altran and Wipro, where he managed large profit-and-loss portfolios and oversaw cross-regional teams. Over the course of his career, he has been instrumental in bringing more than 1,000 new products to market across the high-tech, energy and manufacturing verticals. Before the private sector claimed him, he began his working life as a scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation, contributing to research and development in charge-coupled device technology and satellite payloads, a foundation that shaped everything that followed.
In his new role, he will lead Tessolve’s global growth strategy: expanding its engineering capabilities, deepening customer relationships and accelerating innovation across semiconductor and high-performance computing domains. The brief is broad, but the context is specific. Tessolve operates in the $550 billion global semiconductor market, and its recent moves, the acquisition of Germany’s Dream Chip Technologies and the TPG funding round, have sharpened both its reach and its expectations.
Srini Chinamilli, co-founder and chief executive of Tessolve, is characteristically direct about why Ravi Kumar Chirugudu was the choice:
“As we scale our global semiconductor and system engineering capabilities, Ravi’s appointment marks an important step forward. As global semiconductor demand continues to accelerate across industries, it is creating significant opportunities across the semiconductor lifecycle, from design, packaging, validation and systems integration. Ravi’s deep knowledge and leadership in this ecosystem brings the right mix of industry expertise, customer connect and execution capability, which will play a key role in strengthening our position as a trusted global engineering partner and reinforcing our market leadership.”
THE NEW ARRIVAL SPEAKS
Ravi Kumar Chirugudu, for his part, frames the move in terms of timing and culture, two factors that veteran executives tend to weigh as heavily as title or compensation:
“I am happy to join Tessolve at a time when the industry is rapidly evolving towards more complex, AI-driven systems. What stands out to me is its strong people-first culture and its commitment to bringing value to its customers. The strength of its global team, combined with its deep expertise in semiconductor innovation and next-generation product engineering, creates a solid foundation to build differentiated, scalable solutions. I look forward to working closely with the team to drive strategic growth and strengthen its role in shaping the global semiconductor ecosystem.”
The reference to AI-driven systems is not incidental. The semiconductor industry is in the midst of a structural reshaping, driven by the insatiable compute demands of artificial intelligence. For engineering services firms like Tessolve, which offers end-to-end capabilities from silicon design to packaged parts and invests in high-performance computing, high-speed interfaces, photonics and 5G, the moment is both an opportunity and a test. The company says it is well positioned to capture the next wave of industry growth. Ravi Kumar Chirugudu is now the person who has to prove it.
He came in from outer space, literally, and spent three decades learning how the semiconductor industry works from the inside out. Now Tessolve is betting that accumulated knowledge can help it cross the next frontier. In the $550 billion global chip market, the gap between ambition and execution is measured in engineering hours and leadership quality. Tessolve has just gone shopping for both.
