The Drip Paint Mug can go straight into any upscale showroom that sells art-based utilitarian objects, and place itself on display. It will not be stopped at the door. This would make a great corporate gift. The design of the paint frozen in place as it drips shows such subtle calculation and skill that it could be the subject of a design lecture at a fine arts college. This mug was designed exclusively for The Indian Twist by this artist who creates a variety of objects that strike a chord between artistic and utilitarian value. And there is a factor adding more value to it. The artist is Rupak Munje. Rupak is a name that is easily recognisable, Rupak is a poster boy for art by the neurodivergent, art that can share display space with the highest water art from the neurotypical. While being in the business of manufacturing and selling these products, The Indian Twist is also involved in the process of making Rupaks. It supports art by the neurodivergent.
Dripping paint mug designed by Rupak Munje for The Indian Twist. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The Chennai-based company (@theIndianTwist) sells online, removing geographical barriers to commerce. Here is a quick showcase of their product range – a variety of bags, cushion covers, coffee mugs, beer mugs, coasters, notebooks, artisan fabric gift envelopes, calendars mini photo albums, aprons, fridge magnets, paper weights, wine bags etc. There’s a quirk in how these everyday things are designed.
Artwork by a neurodivergent artist on a calendar designed by The Indian Twist. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The design team at The Indian Twist, A Brush With Art (@abwa_chennai) and The Canbridge Academy (thecanbridgeacademy) work with the spontaneous artworks of children and young adults, “weaving” them into their products, transforming these artworks into salable states. Cambridge Academy provides life skills training to young adults with autism. And ABWA promotes “natural artistic expression in children with special needs.”
Damini in A Brush with Art. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At The Indian Twist, the production process also helps the women in shelter homes who stitch the bags earn income and gain self-confidence. The residents of The Banyan (India) have a hand in some of the products designed by The Indian Twist.
Shuba Kuila, founder of The Indian Twist, says that the final product does not obscure the authentic expression of the artist. For Shuba, part of this creative work is the creation of joy. This satisfaction partly stems from the children’s joy that is evident when they display their creations at events and proudly hold them close to their chests.
At Cambridge Academy. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Shuba believes that The Indian Twist’s approach emphasizes merit over charity, ensuring that neurodivergent artists are valued for their creativity and aesthetic contributions, not their circumstances.
Here’s a glimpse of how these artists are dressed in outfits associated with The Indian Twist.
Mala Chinappa, mother of a neurodivergent adult and longtime facilitator at A Brush with Art, begins, “When a child first comes, we start with dry mediums like crayons. Liquid mediums can be overstimulating. We just watch them. They realize it’s not a classroom. They’re free to do what they want.”
A bag of The Indian Twist that promotes art by the neurodivergent. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Art sessions are structured around agency. A kid draws buses with architectural precision but misses the driver every time. “Man disrupts his grids,” she explains, “then he edits them.” The second covers the sheet with the same color until the page becomes one uninterrupted field. Some people cut paper with almost mathematical precision. Others tear into it rhythmically, almost as a form of sensory release. These are data points about how each child processes the world. Within months, she sees measurable changes. Sitting tolerance increases from ten minutes to more than forty. Color selection varies from impulsive to deliberate. Compositions gain structure. Impulse decreases. Confidence becomes observable rather than predictable.
At Cambridge Academy. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At The Cambridge Academy, co-founder Kavita Krishnamurthy has worked with hundreds of neurodivergent individuals of all ages. Patterns are often her favorite language, she says. Visual patterns, musical rhythms, repetitive motions are not cues to monotony but anchors for regulation. “Even finger painting becomes movement,” she explains. “Sweeps, arcs, repetitions. Their body leads the art, not the other way around.”
She cautions against reading emotions through color choices, an interpretation common in neurotic frameworks but inaccurate here. Emotional communication is often physical rather than symbolic. A child who comes in upset may beat the soil until his system stabilizes. A young adult plays the xylophone with faster beats when excited and slower, slightly spaced notes when less excited. Emotion is expressed through movement, pressure, repetition and physical rhythm.
A fridge magnet designed by The Indian Twist that supports art by the neurodivergent. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Contrary to stereotype, attention is rarely a matter of concern. What disrupts focus is not the child but the instructions. “They focus intensely,” she says. “The problems start when adults impose structure or when the work becomes monotonous.”
Over the weeks and months, changes continue to occur. Anxiety reduces. Emotional regulation improves. Trust increases. Freedom is created. Over time, a recognizable artistic identity emerges, shaped not by imitation but by sensory accuracy.
published – December 06, 2025 08:28 am IST