Voices Devdutt Pattanaik Neha Sinha Shampa Dhar-Kamath Ravi Shankar Luke Coutinho Mata Amritanandamayi THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment march 15 2026 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Haute by Hand India’s everyday craft inheritances are re-scripted and marketed as pricey objets d’art in the global market I By Manish Mishra ndian craft, for centuries, has existed quietly within the rhythm of daily life—functional, intuitive and deeply embedded in community But now what is changing is not the craft . itself, but the way it is recast. India’s most unassuming inheritances are today’s global luxuries. The dull gleam of original pital pooja thalis of Moradabad, once stacked in ancestral kitchens, embellish Michelin-starred tables in Copenhagen and California. Hand-hammered copper lotas are styled as wellness mascots abroad; brass urlis from India’s South show off their antique perfection in boutique hotel lobbies of Marrakech and Melbourne. Pashmina shawls from Kashmir, jaamdaani from Bengal, kanjeevaram silks from Tamil Nadu, and patola from Gujarat are no longer just heirlooms—they are investment pieces showcased in Paris showrooms and New York concept stores. The attar of Kannauj, once tucked into wedding trousseaus, is bottled as artisanal fragrances which compete with European perfume houses. What was once desi domestic is now design-forward, sustainably sourced, and globally coveted. Turn to page 2 A n i t a D o n g re, d e s i g n e r “There is greater appreciation for provenance, and the hands that create it... When consumers understand what they are seeing, the time, skill and cultural depth behind it, value becomes more informed and more meaningful.” Ad i t ya A g ra wa l , c o - fo u n d e r, P • TA L “India’s traditional karigars were never lacking skill; what they lacked was access to evolving markets and contemporary use cases. The role of modern entrepreneurs is not to ‘improve’ craft, but to translate it for today’s lifestyles.”
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