Handmade in Nepal

Two millennials aim to preserve and celebrate the rich weaving and engraving traditions, and pottery crafts from the country through their artisanal label

Three years ago, when friends and former marketing professionals Ishu Dhakras and Tulja Kedia visited Thimi, a village about an hour away from their family homes in Kathmandu, they were struck by two things — the refined pottery skills of its residents and youngsters conspicuous by their absence at the wheels. The Nepali town, largely inhabited by the Prajapatis, a clan of potters, once flourished with earthenware stacked outside each home. "Today, few families practise this craft because of the laborious process involved. The older residents worry that it will die due to the lack of interest among youngsters," says Dhakras.

Tableware

With an aim to preserve this practice, the duo collaborated with Thimi's artisans to create ceramic tableware. Each piece bears the stamp of traditional craftsmanship — plates shaped by hand instead of moulds, sun-dried and baked in kilns broken and remade every week to increase their durability.

Earrings inspired by a crimson cloth seen on the eaves in Nepali temples

The products feature in the inaugural Mumbai pop-up of Né Nepal, a Kathmandu-based artisanal label that the duo co-founded last August. The collection includes earrings inspired by ancient Nepali coins, engraved copper glasses, soaps infused with yak's milk and beeswax candles, cushion covers and table mats; all handmade using local materials and techniques. The prices start at Rs 600.

Phoolmaya Prajapati attaches a cup holder; (right) an artisan hammers a traditional Nepali pot into shape in Maitidevi, Kathmandu

"I began to value Nepal's crafts once I stepped out of the country," says Kedia, 27, who worked in Mumbai for a while and returned home to Kathmandu last year. She realised that the lokta paper diaries — made from the fibre of a native plant — that she used were valuable for being water-resistant when her friends in Mumbai fawned over them. "We want to break the notion that Nepal produces only cheap goods," she asserts.

The label is the result of three years of travel, research and building relationships with 19 local artisans. In the Dolpa district's remote villages, they saw women weaving textiles from hemp and nettle, both found only in the wild. "It takes 45 days to weave 1.5 metres because they work on rustic looms," says Dhakras, 29, who shuttles between Mumbai and Kathmandu. This fabric is used in cushion covers and table mats.

Ishu Dhakras and Tulja Kedia. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

They've also created far-reaching networks through middlemen. A trader in Kathmandu helps source yak's milk from the inaccessible Langtang valley. The beeswax is sourced from the forest dwellers of Chitwan. Third-generation copper artisans from Kathmandu and Nepal's Bhojpur district engrave the glasses. "Most of their work, though, is now limited to making puja utensils. We hope to offer them an additional source of livelihood," Kedia concludes.

On April 27 and April 28, 11 am to 8 pm
At The Vintage Garden, Turner Road, Bandra West.
Call 26402004

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