Painting outside the lines

A Place Where Art Goes Way Beyond Brushes And Boundaries

Naima Oberoi & Shreem Khushu, XI F Shivanjali Sapra, XI D , AIS Saket

Amidst the endless hum of Delhi’s bustling cafés lies a lesser-known gem — Splashit. One doesn’t come here merely to eat, but to play. A vibrant tapestry of artistry, this experiential café welcomes visitors with a single promise: to turn moments into lasting memories.

Brewing the twist
“We started Splashit as a joke,” laughs Anuj Saxena, co-founder. A recent graduate in need of a steady income, he spent months travelling across India, observing market trends. He noticed a co-relation – disposable incomes rose, so did coffee consumption. This brewed the idea for a café with a twist.
The team had seen such a concept in the US and found only two cultures embracing getting messy: Spaniards with La Tomatina, and Indians with Holi. And just like that, Splashit was born. Today, with 16 employees and two rounds of funding, Splashit adds colour and chaos to every celebration!

All you can splash
The Neon Room is Splashit’s biggest attraction - a pitch-black space where guests, from toddlers to octogenarians, don protective suits and freely splash paint across the walls, the floor and over each other too. “The experience is liberating, joyful, and entirely unique,” says Saxena. Then there’s acrylic pour art, where paint is poured and spread on wooden cotton canvases to create fluid patterns. Next came tufting, a custom-rug-making activity using tufting guns.
Splashit also hosts regular workshops where artists experiment, collaborate, and help shape future experiences.

Sketching unforgettable memories
Saxena fondly recalls the memory of a six year-old boy with ADHD, painting a masterpiece. “I often hear kids saying it is their favourite.” The canvas now hangs in the Noida studio, mirroring the boy’s uninhibited creativity. He also remembers another moment: a two year-old girl refusing protective gear. She spun on the spinning table, giggling as swirling paint covered her. He reflects, “Interacting with kids is the best part. Work doesn’t even feel like work!”

Shading the world green
Fun aside, Splashit is equally committed to sustainability. During COVID, manufacturers were left with stocks of PPE kits. Splashit bought those to use as disposable coveralls, reducing waste. Used PPE is shredded and repurposed. Also, the café uses organic paints that absorb into walls, eliminating wash-off waste. Reusable materials are sanitised before recirculation. “By focusing on Grade 2 plastics, we make recycling easier,” explains Saxena.

Balancing the palette
For Splashit, guest retention has been challenging. “The goal is to keep people coming back after their first visit,” Saxena admits. From weekday droughts to weekend peaks, this fluctuation pushes it to maximise its charm and profits. For consistency across all branches, the founders implemented a centralised training system, with bi-monthly sessions to ensure uniform standards of hospitality. Since its launch on September 14, 2024, Splashit has expanded to three fully functional locations, with two more launching soon. Impressively, unlike machine-dependent arcades, Splashit’s hands-on model requires extensive manual effort, making its rapid growth a great splash of success!