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5 days ago
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Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation Mark World Caring Day with ‘Project Udaan'
In a heartfelt celebration of World Caring Day, Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation launches Project Udaan at Arpan Charitable Trust in Vadodara-an institution that supports and educates children with special needs. As the latest chapter under their St+art Care initiative, the project reimagines the school environment for neurodivergent children with conditions like autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome, through thoughtful use of colour, texture, and material. With interactive, sensory-friendly zones, Project Udaan creates a space that feels safe, engaging, and joyful, honouring the different ways children see, feel, and connect with the world around them. Asian Paints St+art India – Project Udaan, Arpan Charitable Trust interiors Born out of a shared vision between Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation, St+art Care is a long-term initiative dedicated to making public institutions more inclusive, welcoming, and emotionally responsive through the power of art and design. Project Udaan is the third intervention under this initiative, following a vibrant transformation of a children's hospital in Noida and Project Sparsh at a school for the visually impaired in Rajasthan. Each project reflects a deeper purpose-not just to beautify spaces, but to create impact, spark connection, and start conversations around care, inclusion and empathy. Project Udaan draws inspiration from the butterfly, a symbol of transformation, while also echoing this year's World Caring Day theme, 'Celebrating Every Journey.' At Arpan, the school's play area has been reimagined to bring this vision to life. With Asian Paints' carefully curated textures, colours, and interactive surfaces, a once ordinary space has been transformed into a vibrant environment that both soothes and engages the senses. A soaring butterfly mural on the school's faade now stands as a symbol of hope and possibility, a gentle reminder of the beauty of growth and the limitless potential within every neurodiverse child. Developed through a co-creation process with students, artists, and designers, Project Udaan was led by artists Amrit Khurana and Anikesa Dhing. Drawing from her lived experience with autism, Khurana designed tactile, predictable elements that promote comfort and expression. Dhing complemented this with textured contrasts to encourage calm interaction. A hands-on workshop at Arpan, facilitated by Siddhanth Shah of Access For ALL, gave children the chance to explore textures, tools and colours, ensuring their voices directly shaped the final design. Asian Paints' expertise in material and colour innovation brought the vision to life with Royale Play textures, matte pastel emulsions, and tactile Nilaya fabrics and wallpapers. These elements create an engaging, multi-sensory environment that stimulates exploration while offering grounding. The matte finishes reduce glare for visual ease, while sensory rugs, pompom-textured surfaces, and cocoon-like structures cater to diverse sensory needs. Speaking about the initiative, Amit Syngle, MD & CEO, Asian Paints said, 'At Asian Paints, we believe spaces should do more than exist-they should evolve with their users. Project Udaan under St+art Care reimagines how thoughtful design can create an inclusive environment, where walls invite interaction, and colour provides clarity and comfort. By integrating textures that respond to touch and materials that support sensory needs, we've built a space that adapts to children, rather than the other way around. While we continuously reinvent ourselves to create beautiful homes for our consumers, we extend the same passion and empathy to create beautiful and safe spaces for all, with our partners at St+art India.' Arjun Bahl, Co-founder, St+art India Foundation, added, 'With St+art Care, we extend our vision of making spaces more open, accessible and engaging. Project Udaan transforms art from a decorative element to an interactive experience, creating familiarity and comfort for neurodivergent children. This initiative is about rethinking how creative interventions can transform everyday spaces into something more intuitive and inclusive. At its heart, Udaan embodies ArtForAll, where design is a language that speaks to everyone, regardless of how they see or experience the world.' Project Udaan – A space for neurodivergent individuals by Asian Paints and St+art India Witness the unique Project Udaan by Asian Paints and St+art India in this YouTube video: About Asian Paints Limited Since its founding in 1942, Asian Paints has become India's leading and Asia's second-largest paint company, with a consolidated turnover of Rs. 33,797 crores (Rs. 338 billion). It continues to uplift spaces, transcend the boundaries of colour and design, creating a positive impact on the lives of customers. The organization operates in 14 countries and has 26 paint manufacturing facilities globally, servicing consumers in over 60 countries. Asian Paints has always been a leader in the paint industry, innovating and introducing new concepts in India like Colour Ideas, Beautiful Homes Painting Service, Colour Next, and Asian Paints Beautiful Homes Stores. Asian Paints manufactures a wide range of paints and coatings for Decorative and Industrial use and also offers specialized painting and interior decor solutions. The decorative business portfolio also includes the SmartCare range for waterproofing, WoodTech products for wood finishes, and the Adhesives range for all surfaces. Asian Paints also offers a wide range of Home Dcor products and is one of the leading players in the integrated decor space in India, offering Modular Kitchens and wardrobes, Bath Fittings and Sanitaryware, Decorative Lightings, uPVC windows and doors, Wall coverings, Furnitures, Furnishings, Rugs, etc. About St+art India Since 2014, St+art India Foundation has been working across the country to reimagine public spaces through art, making creativity more accessible and inclusive. In a country where art is often confined to galleries and a select audience, St+art fosters new ways of experiencing art-bringing it into the everyday lives of people and bridging socio-cultural divides. Through art districts, festivals, and public interventions, St+art has transformed urban landscapes across 25+ cities, creating meaningful engagements between communities, artists, institutions, and local governments. Over the last decade, the foundation has facilitated 500+ artist collaborations, producing over 600 murals and installations in India's major cities. These projects have not only revitalized cityscapes but have also provided platforms for cultural exchange, dialogue, and collective expression. With seven art districts and 25+ festivals to its name, St+art continues to champion the idea of ArtForAll, ensuring that art is not just seen but experienced, interacted with, and shared.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Project Udaan by Asian Paints and St+art India Foundation turns a learning space into a place of care, connection and inclusion
Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Asian Paints by Times Internet's Spotlight team. Art's expansiveness not only holds space for expression but also for healing. It is a lens that adds beauty to the ordinary and fuels our determination to make sense of challenges. And when harnessed with purpose, it can turn even the most clinical or overlooked spaces into environments of care. This belief lies at the heart of Asian Paints St+art Care — a collaborative initiative by Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation. Born from the idea that design can be both beautiful and deeply human, Asian Paints St+art Care focuses on transforming sensitive environments through art led by empathy, inclusion, and a genuine concern for Udaan, the third project under Asian Paints St+art Care, has been launched at Arpan Charitable Trust, Vadodara — a nonprofit organisation that works closely with children with neurodiversity. It's part of a decade-long partnership between Asian Paints and the St+art India Foundation, built on a shared dream to make 'Art & Spaces Accessible for All'. Through colour, creativity, and design, Asian Paints St+art Care brings light and joy into unconventional spaces not usually touched by art — helping them feel more inclusive and allowing them to children on the spectrum, even everyday classrooms can sometimes feel overwhelming. Sensory stimuli and social interactions may become too much to process. In these moments, art becomes more than just a medium; it becomes a gentle companion. It soothes, centers, and enables expression. Through colour, form and space, art helps neurodivergent children with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and more to share their inner worlds in ways that feel safe, expressive, and Udaan is an art and sensory intervention that creates neuro-friendly, emotionally attuned environments for the children. The model uses materiality and sensory design to redefine learning spaces proving that walls, colours, and textures can do more than decorate; they can encourage self-expression and promote healthy emotional a conversation, Amit Syngle, MD and CEO of Asian Paints, reflects on what Project Udaan stands for, 'Project Udaan is a deeply meaningful initiative for us. It shows how design, when rooted in empathy and not just aesthetics, can support those who experience the world differently. This project brings together sensory understanding, collaboration, and creativity to craft spaces where every child feels seen, safe and understood.''Speaking on how the project aligns with Asian Paints' brand vision, he added. ''This initiative beautifully builds on our philosophy of 'Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai,' which reflects the company's core purpose — bringing unbridled joy into peoples' lives and celebrating the emotional connection people share with their spaces. Udaan, as a part of Asian Paints St+art Care takes this vision forward — from beautifying homes to reimagining schools and public environments that offer care, comfort and inclusion. It's a meaningful step towards our larger goal of making art and spaces more accessible, impactful, and soulful through design.'Neurodivergent children have varied sensory needs. Some may be sensitive to textures or sounds while others might actively seek sensory input and tactile experiences. Artists Amrit Khurana and Anikesa Dhing, who conceptualised and executed Project Udaan, deeply understood these nuances. Khurana, drawing from her own experience as an individual with autism, incorporated structured patterns and rhythmic textures that boost spatial predictability. Dhing used her material expertise to ensure each surface offered a purposeful tactile experience, some designed to encourage interaction, while others offered calm and its core, Project Udaan isn't about decoration, it's about empathy through design. Each texture, surface, and shade were chosen to listen to children's emotional and sensory inspiration for this project also stems from the butterfly's metamorphosis. It reflects the journey that every child takes — evolving in a nurturing cocoon, such as Arpan, into their fullest self. A common space within the school has been transformed into a stimulating and soothing arena through the integration of textures, colours, and interactive surfaces from Asian Paints, such as Royale Play textures, matte emulsions in pastel shades, and tactile Nilaya fabrics and wallpapers, to create a multi-sensory can now explore their environment in a way that feels safe and exciting. Matte finishes reduce visual glare offering visual comfort, while tactile wall textures and Nilaya fabric surfaces provide structure and stimulation. Sensory rugs and pompom textures work together to enhance sensory awareness and motor development. From interactive spaces that encourage learning, to playful zones and cocoon-like corners that help individuals decompress, every element adapts to individual sensory needs, creating a space where every child feels secure and design was shaped in close collaboration with Arpan's educators, caregivers, and occupational therapists. Their insights into behaviour, movement, and comfort helped ensure the space isn't just beautiful, but truly supportive of the children's a three-day workshop facilitated by Access For All and led by Siddhanth Shah, children explored the space using rollers, combs, and custom applicators, feeling colourful Royale Play textures take shape under their fingertips. Their responses, whether they gravitated toward a texture, paused at a shade, or felt overwhelmed, all became real-time design feedback, ensuring every choice was was rooted in actual needs and made with the child's experience in mind. The school's exterior now proudly features a butterfly mural, serving as a vibrant reminder of the potential of neurodiverse Udaan, Asian Paints and St+art India hope to inspire similar sensory interventions across the country. Prior to Udaan, Asian Paints St+art Care transformed a Children's Hospital in Noida, turning the often stressful and intimidating experience of a hospital visit, into one that feels more friendly and welcoming, especially for its young patients. The second initiative, Project Sparsh was undertaken at a visually impaired school in Rajasthan, where tactile art experiences were created to make art more inclusive and Syngle says, 'We believe spaces should do more than just exist; they should evolve with the people who utilise them. With Asian Paints St+art Care, we are committed to creating environments that are not only visually beautiful but emotionally resonant— places that provide clarity, comfort, and connection. By integrating textures and materials that support sensory needs, we've built a space that adapts to children. While our journey began with beautifying homes, it now includes shaping emotionally intelligent spaces for all.'There are still hurdles that prevent many from accessing or engaging with art in meaningful ways. But initiatives like Udaan remind us that when design is led by empathy, it can unlock expression, connection, and confidence in children who experience the world Udaan is not just an intervention; it's a blueprint for what's possible when art becomes a language of care.
