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Meet the Team

Kaligarh (kā-li-garh) means artisan. Each Kaligarh product is handmade by small-scale artisans in Nepal and elsewhere in the Himalaya.

Tirtha

Tirtha is 39 years old, and is a highly skilled repoussé artisan. Since the earthquake of April 2015 damaged his family home, he has been living with his wife and their child on the outskirts of Patan, though he misses his old neighbourhood. He works from a room in his home. Having worked with metal since he was young, he later decided to learn the craft of repoussé, which requires tremendous dedication and patience. He is passionate about the need to continue this craft, which was once the speciality of his community.

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Mansur

Mansur is 50 years old, and has been threading since he was 15 years old. He has two sons and a daughter, all of whom are settled with their own families. He spends most of his days threading glass bead necklaces for Kathmandu’s women, working alongside his brother-in-law, and other community members at Pote Bazaar (bead market). Glass beads are worn every day by almost all married women. Mansur enjoys the change of threading our necklaces and bracelets, and is always full of solutions.

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Padma

Padma is 50 years old and lives with his wife and nephew’s family, whom he has taken care of since his older brother passed away. Padma’s father, now 92, is a very skilled goldsmith belonging to the Shakya goldsmith caste. People still come into Padma’s small workshop wearing pieces created by his father – a fact that fills him with pride. Padma is a very social person who loves the constant flow of people who come in to see him, mostly to chat.

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Indra

Living with his family in a busy, newer part of Kathmandu, Indra works alone from home. He only works with silver. He has been fortunate to obtain many foreign commissions over the years, which keep him exceptionally occupied. The remainder of his time is spent taking care of the medical needs of his wife and parents.

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Anmol

Padam has been learning his craft since he was 11 years old. His father was a tailor, but he followed in the footsteps of his paternal uncle. He works with pure gold and for Kaligarh, with silver.

Now in his thirties, Padam works with his lovely wife Reshu, and is the proud father of a mischievous young son, and a newborn daughter.

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Mahesh

Mahesh has been around silversmiths and goldsmiths since he was a child. He and his brothers learnt their craft from their father, who retired early due to eye problems – a fate that befalls many skilled artisans. Pensive and innovative, Mahesh is known for his remarkably delicate touch.

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Ramesh

Ramesh has been working as a silversmith for around 25 years. An experienced artisan, he enjoys trying new designs and methods – and doesn’t stop until he’s got it right! We love him for his determination, openness and cheeky smile.

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Jyoti

Founder & Creative Director

Jyoti is of Nepali and northeast Indian heritage, and grew up in Wales. She studied anthropology followed by international development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Upon her move to Nepal in 2009,  she worked in advocacy on behalf of the world’s least developed countries, and then with the Dwarika’s Group, a socially responsible group of companies focused on tourism. She founded Kaligarh in 2013. She is passionate about craft and about supporting small-scale artisans to earn a dignified living through doing what they do best.  She is currently based in London, and in addition to Kaligarh, works in marketing and communications for cultural organisations.

 

 

Lasta

Production & Sales Coordinator  

Having first joined Kaligarh in 2014, Lasta is one of our oldest team members. She manages sales through the studio in Jhamsikhel. When she’s not in the studio, she can be found whizzing around the city coordinating production and shipping.