Trip To India

In December 2024, I visited the cottage industry of Mr. Mukesh Prajapati in Ahmedabad, India. Mr. Prajapati is widely known and was highly recommended to me by several folks, so I spent about two weeks learning the basics of hand carving teak wood blocks. Blocks are used by textile and paper printers. The deep ridges in Mr. Prajapati 's blocks means they can be used for years before they wear out. Carving in teak is a very precise and time consuming process, and his methods are largely unchanged over several decades. Mr. Prajapati has won accolades from the Indian and Australian governments for his craft and has been invited to demonstrate his skills overseas. It is heartening that his two sons and a nephew are continuing this tradition, and are all master carvers. While they were able to teach me all the basics and I carved several blocks during my stint, it takes about three years to become a master carver. I hope to return and also to invite them to share their craft with us in future. Watching and learning from them was a treat, and left me wanting to learn more.