Everyone in Lucknow must have been to the Bartan Market in Yahiyaganj atleast once in their life! In the crowded bylanes of this bazaar, people are spotted buying steel and aluminum utensils for their home. In the midst of all this hustle-bustle is a quintessential shop by the name of Kanhaiya Lal Prag Das that deals in beautifully crafted copperware. Several generations old now, this shop is run by Pramesh Agarwal and his father.
Other than running the shop jointly with this father, Pramesh is also the founder of a brand/ label called ‘Thatera’. Whereas the regular, fast-moving, inexpensive copper products are sold under the label ‘Kanhaiya Lal Prag Das’ in the shop, the more intricately ‘designed’ and expensive ones are sold under ‘Thatera’ through exhibitions only. This initiative is his effort to give back to his roots, save the intricacy and finesse of the craft from dying out and also to satisfy his creative instinct!
