Shahnawaz Akhtar Handicrafts

Over here in Moh-Akabran, within the Nagina district, Shahnawaz Akhtar Handicrafts has been working on various handmade items for quite some time. Nagina is known for its craftsmanship, and we try to keep that going in our own small way. The workshop is usually filled with the smell of wood and the sound of chisels tapping. It's a slow process making things by hand. You can't really rush the carving if you want it to look right. We don't have big automated machines; it's mostly hand tools and steady eyes. The workspace isn't very large, and it’s often cluttered with blocks of wood and half-finished pieces that still need a lot of work. Sometimes the light isn't great in the evenings, so we do the most detailed work during the day. We’ve lived and worked in this area for years, so we know everyone around here. People come to us when they want something that hasn't been made in a factory. It takes patience to do this kind of work, and some days are better than others depending on the quality of the wood we get. We just keep at it, piece by piece. It's a simple life focused on making things that look nice and serve a purpose. We don't spend much time on the computer or doing fancy paperwork; we’d rather be at the bench working with our hands and keeping the tradition alive for another day.