
02/01/2025
“Woodwork is divine work. It is part of the creative energy that our Creator has endowed us with. Creativity is the essence of being human.
“The purpose of learning is to realise this creative potential placed within every individual and to fulfil our obligations as humans by realising the divine design.
“The woodwork we do and the craft legacy we carry forward is among the real heritage of India, but it is of little value in our country. Our work is seen as a worthless endeavour, it is seen as backward.
“Foreigners value this more than us. We Indians don’t value our own heritage. Most of our customers are foreigners, because they have more respect for creativity and heritage.
“We are still so mentally enslaved, we are only fascinated by things made by others. We are too enamoured with everything modern and Western.
“It is very difficult to get our young people to learn this craft. They are not interested in learning about their own heritage. Modernity has uprooted us from our own cultural traditions.
“Even parents don’t want their children to learn and acquire skills that will harness their creative and intellectual potential. They don’t see any future in this, which means they don’t see any money in this.
“Fortunately, I have managed to train some youngsters and looking to train more. I don’t want to die with this, I don’t want to take this skill to my grave.
“Our work is our way of showing resilience, it’s our way of ensuring continuity of our cultural legacy.
“Our work is our way of resisting the onslaught of modernity, mediocrity and homogeneity.
“We have been in this profession for seven generations, my ancestors migrated to Delhi from the frontier province during Emperor Shahjahan’s reign.
“My great grandfather was a contemporary of the great poet Mirza Ghalib. His haveli is just a stone’s throw away.
“We have lived in this location for 150 years now. These lanes are the veins running through my body. These are the veins through which our heritage circulates.”