Pratap Handicraft Naksi Furniture

Down on Chohtan Road, near the Rain Basera, you can usually hear us working before you see us. Pratap Handicraft Naksi Furniture is where we spend our days covered in sawdust. It’s a workshop more than a showroom, really. We have pieces of wood leaning against every wall and the floor is never really clean no matter how much we sweep. We do a lot of the naksi carving by hand, so there are always chisels and hammers lying around on the benches. It’s slow work and my back usually aches by the time we close up for the night. The wood we use has a strong smell that sticks to your clothes. We don't have a fancy website or anything. People just see the furniture sitting out front on the sidewalk and stop their bikes to take a look. Chohtan Road gets quite dusty, so we spend a lot of time wiping down the finished tables and chairs so the detail shows through. It’s just me and a couple of guys from the neighborhood doing the labor. We make stuff that’s meant to last, nothing like that flimsy plastic stuff you see everywhere now. Sometimes a piece takes longer than expected because the wood is stubborn, but that’s just how it goes with handmade furniture. We like the work, even if it’s messy and loud.