She stands tall with her exemplary work in the field of handcrafted artistry; she is known for scripting successful stories she has created with her brand- AnanTaya. She has earned laurels for creating sustainable livelihood for thousands of artisans in Rajasthan, a desert state which has made a mark on world map with the exquisite handmade artistry. Now, she is busy taking the handcrafted legacy to new heights under her dynamic leadership.
She is none other than Geetanjali Kasliwal whose name stands synonymous to handmade stories.
Her contemporary store Anantaya situated in the heart of the city bespeaks many tales emanating from rustic India where many hands work together to create a design tale.
Being an institution of global repute, Geetanjali stands committed to development of novel ideas using local crafts that have been evolved over centuries.
Her handcrafted products have also won the World Craft Council – Award of Excellence.
Around 4000 artisans and their communities have been given sustainable livelihood behind the label.
Geentanjali strongly believes that crafts can be a part of our everyday life and says, “AnanTaya’s products showcase a unique convergence of India’s past and present which are been activated by the efforts of awarded designers collaborating with skilled artisans.”
She is quite happy to have won several UNESCO awards and certificates, the latest amongst which are Tara Dhokra and Vankar Namda Loi Handcrafted Rug.
According to her, “Tara Dhokra basically is the lost-wax cast brass technique of the Chhattisgarh tribals which dates back to 5000 years. It has been used to create the Tara Dhokra Range. Channeling this ancient craft, inter-linkable stars of various patterns have been created for surfaces. Place the incredibly well-crafted tiles and hardware together, to create a variety of visual compositions for your spaces. Diverse uses include wall decoration, screens, trivets and table tops in a ‘never ending’ set of possibilities for your own patterns from the galaxy!”
Vankar Namda Loi Handcrafted Rug, the other product to win the award, combines two ancient textile techniques to create a contemporary gem, she informs adding, “The word Vankar Namda has been derived by Vankar (Weaver) and Namda (Felt) which makes it mean “the Weaver’s Felt”.
Traditional weavers of Kutch, Gujarat, create a wool shawl in black and white. The Shawl is taken to the Felt Makers of Tonk, Rajasthan, who ‘felt’ the shawl on to their base cloth. A community collaboration fuelled by the vision of a designer has made something special for the home. The resulting combination is like a Magic Carpet with the shawl floating on the felt base, she says with her eyes shining as if to say that wait, there shall be more marvels coming soon.
