Anantaya presented Maahi Roj 2025: Padarth, the 11th edition of Jaipur’s pioneering festival which celebrated sustainability in design and craft.
Held on the 3rd and 4th of May at the Kanota Courtyard in the historic Narain Niwas Palace, Jaipur, this year’s festival explored the theme Pad Arth – The Soul of Material. The event brought together an inspiring community of architects, designers, educators, entrepreneurs, and eco-conscious citizens, united by their commitment to mindful creation and material innovation.
The festival opened with an evocative keynote by the founder, Ar. Geetanjali Kasliwal, who passionately called for a design ethos rooted in ethics, ecology, and material memory. She described Maahi Roj as “a gentle rebellion,” inviting all to “design with new eyes and old wisdom.”
The morning of May 3rd featured The Swaraj Session, led by sustainability educator Gaurav Shorey and curated specially for FICCI FLO Jaipur in collaboration with Dhun Life. Through the lens of the five Bs—Bhasha (language), Bhajan (devotion), Bhesh (attire), Bhojan (food), and Bhawan (dwelling)—Shorey delivered a compelling call to reclaim indigenous systems of knowledge. The session emphasized the harmony between sustainability and cultural resilience, resonating deeply with the engaged FLO audience.
In the afternoon, Shubhi Sachan from the Material Library of India led the session Mate-Reality of Everyday Life, encouraging participants to critically examine the misleading narratives surrounding so-called sustainable products. Her talk, in collaboration with IWN and BNI Jaipur, reframed sustainability as a process of discernment and unlearning.
This was followed by an engaging segment titled Case Study Capsules, where innovators Arpit Dhupar (Dharaksha/Shark Tank 3), Shubham Singh (Craste/TEDx), and Kushagra Juneja (Design2Occupancy) showcased real-world alternatives to plastic, wood, and high-energy construction. Their presentations on fungal packaging, agro-waste panels, and passive energy systems highlighted actionable solutions for a more sustainable future. The session was held in collaboration with ADI Jaipur.
Later in the evening, Jailaxmi Rathore of Earthen Kriya presented Rammed Earth: Revived Futures, a session exploring the artistic and technical promise of building with lime and earth. The day concluded with a powerful panel discussion titled From Dust to Dwelling, moderated by Ar. Manisha Sharma of Dhun Life. The panel included Anand Mishra (Trimurty Builders), Ar. Sushant Koolwal (D2O Services), Ar. Kavita Jain, and Ar. Shreya Srivastava (Studio Shunya), all of whom advocated for integrating natural materials into mainstream urban architecture.
Complementing these thought-provoking sessions was the all-day Hands-on Padarth Lab and a pop-up bazaar, offering a rich sensory experience of circular, bio-based living. Visitors explored offerings by makers such as Birds Nest of India (Material Lab by ADI Jaipur, Manoj Kuldeep), Golden Feathers (Radhesh), Tillotam (Vibra Crafts), Dukool (Aparna Verma), Patchouli (Namrata Rana), Sanghmitra (Sadhna Vyas), and Cocoloop, known for their natural air fresheners. Together, they demonstrated how mindful materials can transform everyday life.
Day One of Maahi Roj 2025 was more than a gathering—it was a meaningful shift in perspective. Attendees left equipped with a new vocabulary of textures, values, and intentions. The sessions empowered citizens to make informed material choices, challenged the trend of greenwashing, and inspired professionals to embrace circular innovation and natural building systems.
On Sunday, 4 May 2025, the second day of the festival began with a tranquil Bioreserve Walk at Dhun, Jaipur, led by ecological restoration expert Vijay Dhasmana. Participants explored the regenerating landscape and engaged deeply with concepts of land stewardship and natural biodiversity.
Late morning saw a special Film Screening of Life is Beautiful by Mohammed Jabaly at TOSS Jaipur. The moving documentary depicted stories of displacement, hope, and resilience in Gaza, revealing the emotional depth and power of material memory through cinema.
In the afternoon, the festival concluded with a hands-on workshop titled Padaarth in Your Palm, led by Kiranjeet Kaur of AKFD. Participants created their own pieces of “clay grammar,” connecting material to meaning through direct engagement with the earth.
Maahi Roj 2025 was made possible through the support of Strategic Partner Dhun Jaipur, and Associate Partners including FICCI FLO Jaipur, WICCI Architects Rajasthan, IWN, ADI Jaipur Chapter, BNI Female Forum, Trimurty Builders, EBNW Story, Dharaksha Ecosolutions, and Neewara Academy of Design
Prominent Ppl who attended the event included Meenakshi singh (chairperson ADI), Shamini Shanker, Rekha Nemani (chairperson WICCI Raj Architecture), Nivedita Sarda (chairperson IWN), Anand Mishra, Ar Manisha sharma, Dr Alka Gaur, Ar Kavita & Nischal, Samta Baid, Ar megha bhatnagar and Kalpana Goyal (chairperson COWE),
Many prestigious institutions partnered with the event included WICCI architecture Rajasthan, ADI Jaipur, IWN, TOSS, Trimurty, FICCI Flo jaipur , Neewara Academy among others.