Speaking on the theme of tradition, heritage and culture at a discussion organized by the High Commission of India in London, Rajiv Arora spoke about the nuances of Indian culture and its contribution to the world, along with the invaluable heritage of our traditions and handicrafts.
As per Rajiv Arora, we as Indians should be proud of the uniqueness of our culture and tradition that has been beautifully translated by our designers into exclusive fashion and jewellery masterpieces. Not only has such endeavours put India on the world map of fashion and jewellery design, they have also helped the Indian economy in generating foreign currency while providing employment to thousands of rural artisans whose hard work has kept some of our ancient and tribal arts alive even today. A country where unemployment is a big issue and where the new generation is increasingly attracted towards white-collar jobs, such avenues of employment related to handicrafts can answer the problem as well as be an important catalyst in reviving the dying traditional art forms. The potential is immense indeed.
Rajiv Arora is the co-founder of the world-famous designer house Amrapali Jewels. He has been a former chairperson of Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation. Amrapali designs are marketed by world-class stores in the like of Harrods and Neiman Marcus. Not only Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone, Kareena Karpoor, Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor, but also international stars including Beyoncé, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry and Megan Fox have admired and used Amrapali jewellery time and again.
Amrapali has brought the gems and jewel industry of Jaipur to blockbuster movies like Troy, Ramlila, Bahubali 1 and Bahubali 2 – making the unique designs come to the limelight. Presently, Amrapali team is working on the jewellery for Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film Manikarnika.