Vishvakarma Hasta Kala Kendra

Our place is tucked away on Road No-15 in Bajaj Nagar. The area is called Shilpbari, which makes sense because it’s full of people making things by hand. At SB-43, we have our small center where we work on different crafts. Vishvakarma Hasta Kala Kendra is a bit of a mouthful, but it basically just means we do manual art. There’s usually a lot of wood shavings on the floor or the smell of some kind of polish in the air. We don't have a big fancy showroom; it’s more of a workshop where things are actually being made. Sometimes we have a few pieces finished and sitting out for people to see, but mostly we are busy working on the next thing. The street is usually quiet, which is good when you’re trying to focus on a detail. We have a few older craftsmen who have been doing this their whole lives, and they don't say much, they just work. It’s a slow process, making things this way. You can't rush it. We drink a lot of tea and spend a lot of time sitting on the floor or at low benches. It’s a simple life, focused on the materials and the tools. We hope that when someone sees what we've made, they can tell it wasn't just popped out of a machine. It takes a lot of patience every single day.