India’s artisans take centre stage at Haath Ka Bana's Handicraft & Heritage Week

Haath Ka Bana is a social enterprise that promotes traditional folk art and crafts of India which are fading with time, brings artisans into the spotlight at this year’s Handicrafts & Heritage Week, an art festival celebrating India’s everlasting handmade traditions through demonstrations, workshops, and immersive interactions with master craftspersons.

Staying rooted in India's handicrafts is Haath Ka Bana's ethos

Staying rooted in the ethos of Haath Ka Bana, the festival honours handmade heritage as a living, breathing expression of India’s cultural memory. The week-long celebration creates a space where craft is experienced not merely as an object but as the outcome of years of dedication, skill, and intergenerational knowledge carried by artisans. At its heart, the event reinforces that true heritage is preserved only when the makers themselves remain central to the narrative.

Visitors will witness live demonstrations led by master artists who uphold rare and fading traditions. This year, the spotlight shines on three nationally recognised artisans whose work represents distinct storytelling legacies across India. Here are notable artist who will be present.

National Award Winner Bengal Pattachitra Artist, Rupban Chitrakar

Newly honoured with the National Award in Delhi, Rupban Chitrakar represents the celebrated Patua tradition of Naya village in Pingla, West Bengal—home to over 60 families of scroll-painting storytellers.

As part of the Chitrakar community, she practises the Pattachitra form, where visual art, lyrical composition, and singing merge into a single storytelling performance. Her scrolls explore mythology, social themes, and contemporary narratives, bringing together emotional depth and cultural commentary. With her works exhibited internationally and acquired by museums abroad, Rupban stands out not only as a cultural torchbearer but also as a woman redefining a space historically dominated by men.

Gond Artist, Choti Tekam

A distinguished Gond artist from Madhya Pradesh, Choti Tekam’s journey began with encouragement from the renowned Ram Singh Urveti, who first provided her with the materials to explore her talent.

Today, she continues her practice with the National Museum of Mankind (Bhopal), creating works that reinterpret Gond cosmology through contemporary lenses. Her art has reached collectors and galleries, including Haath Ka Bana and The India Art Investment Company. For her contribution to reviving and sustaining tribal art, she was honoured with the FICCI-FLO Women Achiever Award (2016–17), marking her as a key voice in India’s tribal art renaissance.

Kerala Mural Artist, Naveen Bhaskar

A master of Kerala’s classical mural tradition, Naveen Bhaskar is known for his intricate, deeply symbolic narrative murals inspired by temple architecture. He has painted over 40 temples across Kerala, preserving one of India’s oldest visual storytelling practices with exceptional devotion and skill. His compositions—rooted in mythology, symbolism, and spirituality—carry the weight of centuries-old discipline, technique, and cultural wisdom. His presence at the festival offers visitors an intimate view into a practice defined by patience, purity of line, and a profound connection to heritage.

Haath Ka Bana positions craftsmanship not as a relic, but as a living cultural experience, one that evolves while remaining anchored in its origins. The exhibition design blends time-honoured and contemporary elements, allowing visitors to experience each craft both as meticulous process and as layered narrative. Walking through the space, guests encounter the rhythm of handmade creation: slow, deliberate, and deeply rooted in memory.

The festival is also hosting artist-led multiple workshops at Kalp Kosh, The Kunj such as Gond Art Workshop, Madhubani Workshop, Chitrakathi Workshop etc. These hands-on experiences offer participants an opportunity to explore symbolic motifs, storytelling traditions, and the cultural vocabulary embedded in each art form.

Where: The Kunj, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi

When: On till December 14, between 11 am and 8 pm

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