BUSA- The Little Sister with Anavila

At Kohler Pavilion, ID2020

The Asian Paints India Design ID 2020 saw an unusual gathering of a group of creative people recreating their childhood with dolls! Anavila Misra, brought to this gathering her beloved workshop of Busa Dolls.

Anavila’s Busa Doll was an activity first put together in an attempt to make sarees more relatable to children who see less of the garment in their daily lives. The workshop has been a runaway success with children spending up to two hours dressing their dolls. For the first time ever, this workshop was brought to adults who began by making their own dolls. From choosing details to sewing, this room of creatives did it all, even helping each other out. The spirit of collaboration made this workshop a breath of fresh air for most creatives who typically work in small groups if not alone. The busa dolls were then draped in one of the 4 Kohler India colours of henna, truffle, peacock, and grey.

The most exciting part of the workshop was then exchanging dolls. As creative people, every project is deeply personal and reflective of journeys. When the participants were asked to give up their creation to another person it caused a flurry of responses and in the end a feeling of oneness. Think about it, as adults we often ask children to share and yet we struggle with the concept ourselves. The process of letting go however is freeing while building true friendships.

Says Anavila about the workshop, “What I took away was a deep sense of collaboration and all the joy and laughter in the room. Encouraging creative people who had put their hearts and soul into a doll was a challenge but with each time it got easier and easier until the whole room was filled with the joy of sharing. Busa in Sanskrit means little sister, and there is a lot she can teach us.”

The Busa workshop at The Asian paints India Design ID 2020 was in that sense, was a practice in collaboration, friendship and a reflection of the world as we want it to be