Project Virasat

With every flicker of a diya, let’s celebrate hope, craft, and the hands that sculpt beauty from the earth. As India glows this festive season, Project Virasat also celebrates the artisans who craft our festive décor, inspiring our homes and our hearts. Let this Diwali be a symbol of love, joy, and the beauty of traditions rooted in our handicrafts. At Project Virasat, we work to revive languishing art forms and preserve traditions and culture. We collaborate with artisans to bring back crafts on the verge of fading away, creations that not only possess artistic beauty but also hold deep significance in our culture and heritage. Their work epitomises the essence of Diwali, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary and darkness into the warmth of light. When we celebrate the festival of lights with craft, handmade, and locally sourced items, we honour the spirit of the maker and preserve the tradition for generations to come. This Diwali, let’s celebrate with our choicest crafts and safeguard our country’s age-old heritage for the future. When the artisan’s lamp shines, an entire village glows. Project Virasat wishes you a Diwali filled with light, purpose, and pride in India’s living traditions. #virasat #diwali #artisan #artform #culture

Koftgari is a distinguished symbol of Rajasthan’s rich artistic and cultural heritage, and by extension, that of India. This intricate craft involves the inlaying of gold and silver onto metal surfaces. Traditionally used to embellish weaponry and armor in Rajputana, Koftgari received royal patronage from the Mughal emperors at the height of their empire. The art is also believed to have originated from Persian craftsmanship. Today, the Sikligar community continues to safeguard and practice this time-honored tradition. The finesse of Koftgari lies in the artisan’s remarkable skill and precision. The process, which demands both technical mastery and patience, begins with heating the metal and allowing it to cool naturally. Fine wires of gold or silver are then meticulously embedded into the surface. These are subsequently hammered and flattened to form intricate patterns, resulting in a finished product of great aesthetic and cultural value. Despite its rich legacy, Koftgari faces significant challenges today. Although it is a centuries-old tradition, the younger generation is increasingly reluctant to carry it forward due to declining demand and limited commercial opportunities. Additionally, artisans face growing competition from mass-produced, machine-made goods that are far more affordable. While some government initiatives have been introduced to support the craft, they have largely failed to deliver meaningful results. In response, Project Virasat aims to identify such endangered art forms and implement sustainable, impactful measures to ensure their revival and relevance in the modern world. #art #culture #virasat #koftgari #artforms

We recently visited the valleys of Bageshwar to meet the present-day artisans of Tamta, the generation-old art form which is an integral part of the art and heritage of Uttarakhand. We made this endeavour to get to know more about the art form and what challenges it faces presently. We were there to witness the craftsmanship behind Tamta art. It is hours of hard work put into a single product, whereby a copper sheet is constantly hammered to achieve the desired shape. Traditional products like Kalash, Ghagar, and Diyas are commonly used as prestigious gifts in the local wedding ceremonies, marking them as an important symbol of their culture. The artisans also shared their challenges with us. They said that their demand was limited to their home state, and they have failed to establish a national presence. They do not have access to modern machinery or modern ways of improving their art form. They also highlighted the fact that many artisans are leaving their ancestral work due to a lack of demand for products. At Project Virasat, we believe in understanding the roots of an art form as well as getting to know the challenges of the artisans to guide our actions in ways that create real value for them.This helps us ensure that we can support the Indian art heritage to the best of our ability. #Tamta #Uttarakhand #artform #revival #artisan #virasat #craftsmanship #culture #heritage

Virasat is an initiative where we are focused on reviving the languishing art forms of India. We believe that these art forms are the essence of our culture, and they need to be preserved with the introduction of the necessary modernity. Our focus is on empowering artisans with a multidimensional approach. For providing them with demand avenues, we work on online platforms, exhibitions as well as our own website. Along with that, we have worked on providing them training and modernising the way they practice art. Additionally, we also run dedicated marketing campaigns to ensure maximum reach and recognition. We believe that an all-round development of the art form is necessary to ensure that the timeless art forms are empowered to help them grow to their full potential.

Project Virasat ensures that when you buy our product, you not only get to be part of the legacy of the art form, but you also derive value from it. Our products are designed to be able to integrate classical artistry with contemporary needs. Our home decor range has all the home decor essentials you might need, from the elephant figurines, which can add to the grandeur of your living room, to the flower vase, which gives your side table a better look. We have a well-curated range of products that will align naturally with the aesthetics of your home to make sure that you get a better home with our Virasat products. We also have a range of utility products that are there to ensure that we get to be part of your everyday life. We believe that one of the best ways to promote the art forms is by making them a part of the day-to-day life of the people. Our curated selection of Pooja essentials is designed to support a seamless and spiritually fulfilling experience as you invoke divine blessings. At Project Virasat, we are dedicated to developing a product line where we are able to promote the artistic beauty of the art form in the best way, and also provide our customers with value for their money. We stand for our artisans and are grateful to our customers who support us. #Virasat #productline #product #utility #home #homedecor #artisans #gaurahari #artforms #value

Project Virasat recently presented its product to Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the chief guest of the 2nd Arun Jaitley Memorial Debate on 10th April, 2025. The event was in honour of Late Shri Arun Jaitley, an alumnus of Shri Ram College of Commerce and the former finance minister. Project Virasat presented the honourable chief guest with the Gaurahari Flower Vase. We feel immense pride in our products being given to them. We see this as an honour to our artisans who have been given a platform to display their art and also a recognition of the art form. This serves as one of the ways Project Virasat works to make sure that the artisans and art forms get the recognition they deserve. It also serves as a testament to the work we are doing as an initiative. We see this as success for our efforts as well as for our artisans. #Gaurahari #culture #revival #artisans #virasat #success #culture #handicrafts #ministryofculture

Tarkashi: The Art of Mainpuri The word “Taar” means wire, and “Kashi” means inlaying. Considered to be one of the most appreciated arts of Uttar Pradesh, Tarkashi is the technique of inlaying brass, copper, silver or other metal wires in wood. The process starts with choosing a wood as the base. After that, designs are made on the wood, which is then deeply carved to make grooves. This is followed by the inlaying of wires in the wooden base, which is then given a finishing touch that gives it a lustrous look. Tarkashi is a centuries-old art form that is believed to be influenced by regional folklore or Indian traditional motifs. It was primarily used to make wooden sandals. Nowadays, it is used for decorating jewellery boxes, name plaques, and other similar items. Along with this, the amazing art of Tarkashi can be seen in door panels, trays and lamps, sandook (chest), decorative pieces, tables, flower pots, etc. Usually, Sheesham is used by the artisans for this craft. With all the qualities this artwork possesses, it is in a dire condition today. The younger generation is unwilling to take up the art form, and there are no formal training programs for the artisans as well. There have been some initiatives by the government, like giving it the GI tag and including it in the ODOP scheme. However, it has proved to be insufficient. We need more efforts from people to support this art form. Project Virasat is about making conscious efforts towards the upliftment of these art forms, so these art forms remain timeless as they always have been. #artform #revival #virasat #tarkashi #culture #artisan #handicrafts

Gaurahari Elephant: The Symbol for Prosperity The process of making a gaurahari elephant starts with the sourcing of the “Gaura Pathar”, the soapstone after which the art form is named. After the stone is sourced, the stone is chiseled according to the needs of the artisan. It then starts a process that requires immense skills, which have been refined by the artisan from years of hard work. It takes around two days of intricate engraving on the stone to achieve perfection in the intricacies of the elephant. The unique aspect of the elephant is that the baby elephant is inscribed in the Gaurahari elephant, which would leave anyone in awe of its perfection. After engraving is complete, finishing is applied to the product. On completion, it serves as the symbol of the artisan’s grit and also of the passion that goes behind one art form. It is this passion amongst the artisans and also their ability to create such wonderful pieces that has kept this art form alive for so many years. Project Virasat is an initiative to help these art forms by empowering them and providing them the required impetus to ensure that these art forms thrive and grow. #artform #virasat #revival #artisans #Gaurahari

Many online marketplaces are making appreciable efforts to promote traditional art forms and handicrafts. There are also initiatives by popular e-commerce platforms to help the artisans by providing them some concessions. At the same time, artisans struggle to list products on these platforms without support. The lack of digital knowledge on their part has made the process cumbersome for them. Project Virasat has listed its products on many online marketplaces in our efforts to empower the artisans in all the ways possible. We have our products listed on Etsy, Zwende, and 2323 designs.

Sadeli: The Marvel of Precision Overview: Sadeli is a woodwork that came to the country with the Parsi community and thrived in the region with the wide availability of high-quality wood. It involves making delicate inlays of wood, metal, or ivory on wood by hand, which takes immense focus and skill from artisans. About the art: The art takes precision and skill, featuring intricate inlay work on wood. The floral and geometric designs made on the polished wood mark the special features of the art form. The focus of the art form has been on integrating art and utility. In modern days, it has been used on furniture as well. Challenges: While the art form is fairly successful, it faces many challenges. There is a lack of interest in the younger generation taking up art. The art also faces challenges in finding demand for its product with the availability of similar products at a cheaper price range. Conclusion: This art form which came with the Parsi community has become an integral part of the Indian cultural heritage. The art that has survived through the generations faces grim challenges at present. Steps need to be taken to promote the art. Project Virasat is one such initiative where we have taken up similar art forms and helped them with market linkages and opportunities to ensure the revival of such art forms. #artforms #sadeli #virasat #revival