Casting A Spell With Their Idols

Two friends came together and set up a small casting unit in Jaipur, manufacturing idols of gods from polyresin, employing over a dozen disabled craftsmen.

- Rajesh Asnani

A DiVERSITY has a way of bringing out the best among the chosen few. When Covid-19 led his employer to cut his salary by half, Shrikrishna

Maharishi, an art teacher at Rajasthan School of Arts in Jaipur, refused to accept it. Instead, he took a small loan, and along with his friend Roshan Verma, set up a casting unit to manufacture idols of gods and goddesses and objects d’art. It was a difficult choice in the challenging circumstances of Covid-19.

Over a dozen of their employees — most of them are physically disabled — produce 400 statues a day. They sell their products in the wholesale market in Jaipur as well as online.

Gods they serve