Ajmal Handicrafts

Our workshop is located at P-2 in the Channapatna Crafts Park. You can find us right on Sathanur Road if you are ever passing through this part of town. Ajmal Handicrafts is where we spend most of our daylight hours working with our hands. Channapatna has a long history with this kind of work, and we are just one of the many shops trying to keep the tradition going. We work with wood and paints every day. It’s a lot of manual labor, turning the lathes and making sure the finish looks okay. Some days the wood isn't exactly right or the colors don't mix the way we expected, so we just start over. It is a slow process and you can't really rush it if you want the pieces to turn out right. The crafts park is a good place for us because there are other people doing similar things nearby. We aren't a big factory with robots; it’s just us using the tools we’ve had for years. Sometimes it’s quiet, and other times the saws are going all at once. We don't have a big sales team or anything. Most people just find us through word of mouth or by stopping by the park. We just show up, do the carving and painting, and try to make things that look decent. It is tough work on the back, but seeing the finished toys makes it feel alright at the end of the week.