‘Now my child is a Chota Kaarigar’ says Bangalore based Mompreneur Pooja Gokul, Founder Amoha Prints

Pooja Gokul is the founder of Amoha Prints, a block printing brand founded in 2017. They design and manufacture handcrafted blocks, undertake printing orders for brands, conduct workshops, and sell block printing products and DIY kits for kids and adults. Pooja’s new creation, a Kids’ Block Printing Starter-Kit was envisioned after she was inspired by her daughter Miraya’s Art and Craft hour at home. The Kids Block Printing Starter-Kit BV: What was the inspiration behind the Kids’ Block Printing Starter-Kit? Pooja: Miraya, my daughter, was only 1.5 years when she started taking interest in my work. She saw me printing and mixing colours and decided that she was going to join me. Like any relenting mother, I gave in, handed her a piece of paper, a block, and the colour. It took her no time to figure it out. She dabbled with the colours and marveled at the wonderful prints her tiny hands could create. The play reached a new level when she started printing on her onesies and clothes! This made me aware of the need for a kid-friendly block printing kit where parents need only supervise, while their kids created magic on paper and fabric. Making-plans-with-her-sea-horse-block BV: What can we find inside this Kit? Pooja: The Kids Starter-Kit comes in various themes, concerning the block designs. From Aquatic Animals to Veggies and Fruits, these designs will make children have more fun during the printing and learning process. It has 3-4 handcrafted wooden blocks depending on the theme, the 3 primary colours- red, blue and yellow, a wooden tray, 3 woollen cloth pieces, one for each colour, to absorb the colour for printing, a wooden tool to spread the colour on the woollen cloth, a tray, a canvas bag to print on and a small brush to wash the blocks. The colours are non-toxic and eco-friendly, they are also safe on a child’s skin. There’s a QR code in the box that will lead you to my tutorial. The Kids Block Printing Starter-Kit_ Sea Creature Theme BV: How has Block Printing shaped your child’s outlook on Art and Life? Pooja: For every Mom, there is nothing more important than for her child to have fun and develop a healthy body and mind at the same time. Her hand muscles and fine-motor skills developed rapidly, she also associated each action, colour, design, and shape to descriptive words that helped build her language and vocabulary early on. Miraya’s visual learning and imagination skills poured out into all aspects of her day. Now my child is a Chota Kaarigar! Miraya creating a Sea themed story with her blocks and sea creatures. BV: How important is Art in a child’s life? Pooja: Block Printing or any art form brings out the creative energies in children and channels them into a medium for learning, developing concentration, right and left-brain development, improves their academic performance in the future, and brings about a certain level of cultural awareness in their minds. My daughter is more observant than I am and sometimes points out the details in her storybooks and surroundings that we adults would sometimes miss. Miraya in 'Picasso Mode' BV: You were an Art Teacher before Amoha Prints, do you take classes for Block Printing? Pooja: I’ve taught in International Schools like TISB, Vidyashilp, and Trio World School. I conduct Block Printing Workshops for kids above 3 years and for adults, for many formal and informal occasions. I will soon be starting an online course on block printing for kids.   BV: How do you market your brand/ products? Pooja: I sell my products on my website, www.amohaprints.com. I also have an Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube handle where I engage with my followers and share my personal journey of Block Printing with my daughter.   BV: What is the one word that you will use to describe your journey with Block Printing? Pooja: Irreplaceable. For more such updates, follow us on Facebook and  Instagram. Download our magazine Spunky Indian for exclusive stories.