A child's drawing often has a very short lifespan: it might hang on a home wall for only a few days, be attached to a refrigerator, or neatly folded into a school folder. Parents admire the work, the child receives praise, and then a new drawing appears, taking its place. Over time, this picture often ends up in a drawer, a closet, or a forgotten corner of a folder.
But what if that same drawing became part of a museum? What if it could be seen not only by parents and teachers, but also by other children and people from all corners of the world?
This question gave rise to the Indian Children's Art Museum (CAMI). What makes this story even more remarkable is that this digital museum was launched by two children at an age when most children are still carrying their drawings in their school bags.
In 2022, 12-year-old Krish Naval and 14-year-old Manya Rungta joined forces to launch CAMI. Four years later, this digital platform has transformed into a community of over 300,000 participants. More than 20,000 paintings and works of art have been uploaded to the platform, and the website has attracted over a million visitors.
Krish Naval is currently an 11th-grade student. From an early age, he was passionate about drawing and other creative activities, but his interest was never limited to simply creating something on paper. He showed equal interest in technology, enjoying creating new things, experimenting with ideas, and learning what could be built around creativity itself.
Over time, he realized that what attracted him most was not the process of creating art itself, but contemplating what could be built around it. He was also intrigued by how different children could look at the same object and imagine completely different things. For one child, a tree might just be a tree, while for another, the same tree could become a character in a complex story. This idea eventually became one of the foundations of CAMI.
In an interview with YourStory, CAMI co-founder Krish Naval stated: 'My interest in art was never limited to learning how to draw or write. Over time, I became more interested in the question of what can be created around art. Every child sees the same object differently, and this idea became central to CAMI. For me, CAMI became a way to unite creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship.'
Krish began seriously considering this idea during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, he noticed something interesting: professional artists had museums, galleries, and several digital platforms where they could display their work. But there were very few spaces specifically designed for children where their artwork could be shared and appreciated by others, rather than just submitted and forgotten.
This led to a simple question: what happens to a child's drawing after it is created? There was no complex business plan behind CAMI; the idea arose from this single question. In most cases, the drawing spends some time in a school folder or on a home wall, perhaps remaining on the refrigerator for a while before finally ending up in a drawer or closet. Meanwhile, the works of recognized artists find their place in galleries and museums. Krish felt that children deserved something similar. Their work could also be seen, valued, and taken seriously.
Krish emphasized: 'We didn't start CAMI with the thought that it would one day become a large organization. We just wanted a child to see their own painting in a museum and feel that the space belonged to them.'
The beginning was modest: Krish and Manya asked their friends to share their drawings. But as the initiative grew, they discovered something else. Krish noted: 'Children don't always need another competition. They need a space where their creativity can simply be seen.'
Today, CAMI defines itself through the concept of 'From children, for children, about children.' The broader goal is to build a creative community involving and for children. CAMI has reached over 200 cities and towns across India. Its community grows through schools, young ambassadors, children, and various creative programs.
Providing a place in a digital gallery for children's drawings was not CAMI's only task. Krish and his team also recognized a broader issue: access to art education in India is far from equal. In many schools, art is still considered an extracurricular activity rather than an important part of learning. Quality art programs, trained teachers, and creative educational resources are not available to every child.
CAMI attempted to bridge part of this gap using digital tools. The platform developed educational materials for children, including videos on traditional Indian art forms. The goal is not only to help children draw better but also to introduce them to India's cultural heritage and encourage curiosity about the country's artistic traditions.
Krish believes: 'We believe that creativity is not about creating a perfect picture. It is about imagination, observation, experimentation, and finding ways of self-expression.' He adds: 'Art education is not the same in every school in India. That's why we worked on hundreds of videos and educational materials. Many of them focus on traditional Indian art forms so that children can learn about their cultural heritage.'
The CAMI digital platform allows children to share their work with a wider audience. In addition to the digital museum and galleries, the platform also hosts ArtFest, creative contests, school galleries, blogs, and newsletters. CAMI collaborates with schools, helping to create special digital art galleries for students.
The organization has also experimented with new technologies, such as virtual worlds and the metaverse, to create new ways for children to perceive art. But as the technology continues to evolve, CAMI's core idea remains unchanged: the focus remains on the child and their creativity.
Since its inception, CAMI has operated on its own capital, without attracting investments. In the early stages, costs related to the digital platform, hosting, design, and technology were covered by family support and existing resources. Instead of immediately focusing on fundraising, Krish was more interested in answering other questions: would children actually want to use such a platform? Would the idea be useful to schools? Krish asserts: 'We wanted to keep access simple and open to as many children as possible from the start. Our first goal was to understand whether children and schools would adopt this idea. So, we focused on utility and participation first.'
Even today, CAMI's success is measured not only by revenue or profitability. Krish says: 'For us, it's more important how many children can share their creativity and their paintings.'
CAMI has received recognition both nationally and internationally. The initiative won the Global Youth Award for Creative Innovation and the Bower School of Entrepreneurship's 'Top 18 Young Entrepreneurs' Award. Krish also spoke at the MuseumNext Digital Museums conference and was recognized as a recipient of the Shri Innovation Awardee.
However, starting such an initiative at such a young age comes with its challenges. According to Krish, the biggest challenge in the early stages was gaining trust. It was not easy to convince schools and institutions that an initiative started by children could exist in the long term. As CAMI grew, new problems arose: maintaining quality, ensuring child safety, and managing a rapidly expanding community. And there was school. Balancing classes, exams, meetings, and events was never easy.
Krish notes: 'When we started, we were very young, and gaining trust was our biggest problem. Later, we constantly had to focus on quality and child safety.'
Managing CAMI alongside school taught him an important lesson. He says: 'Running CAMI alongside school was not easy. But I learned that you don't have to do everything yourself. A strong team, volunteers, and ambassadors can help move forward.'
For the young founder, this may be one of the most important lessons: instead of trying to do everything alone, learn to entrust responsibility to the right people. Over the next few years, Krish does not want CAMI to remain just a website where children upload their paintings. The plan includes expanding the school network, strengthening the international community, and creating a more engaging and interactive museum experience. He is also interested in exploring how new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual worlds, can transform the way children perceive art and museums. But even as CAMI expands, one thing remains constant: its original spirit must not change. Krish concludes: 'I want to ensure that a child's opportunities are not determined by whether they live in a big city or a small town. Digital platforms can help bridge that distance.'
In his view, not every child has to grow up to be an artist. Krish states: 'Not every child has to become an artist. But every child should feel that their creativity has value. Art is not just a subject. It is also a way of thinking and understanding the world.'
Not every painting needs to be preserved, but every imagination deserves a place. The story of CAMI is not just the story of two children who launched an initiative. It raises a broader question: how seriously do we take children's creativity? Not every painting will become a masterpiece, and not every child will grow up to be a professional artist. And perhaps that is not the goal. What matters is that no child ever feels that their imagination is unimportant. In 2022, Krish and Manya started with a small idea: to create a space where children could do more than just submit their drawings and forget about them. They wanted children to see their creativity presented to the world. Four years later, CAMI grew into a community of over 300,000 participants. But the question that inspired him remains the same: if children are given the right space for creativity, perhaps they learn more than just how to draw better. Perhaps they learn a new way of seeing the world.'