Tākṣaṇya

Tākṣaṇya, Sanskrit for ‘child of a carpenter’, is about the transference of culture between two generations of carpenters of the Suthar community in Bikaner, India. Being a member of this community, Jaykishan Mistry confronts the fading cultural identity and increasing demand for labour wages using the position of post-colonial agency. Researching local and Western sovereign influences, he uncovers how collective existential purpose is induced by a post-colonial drive towards social and economic autarky. Tākṣaṇya’s design strategy adds economic and political value to the Suthars’ native culture and hand tools by securing labour wages through manual crafts and a cultural identity that aligns with larger sustainability goals.
Text: Esteban Gomez Rosselli
Carpenter 1: Din Dayal Suthar
Carpenter 2: Om Suthar
Photographs: Jeroen Van De Gruiter

Exhibited at Dutch Design Week 2022
Published: https://www.designacademy.nl/page/2442/t%C4%81ksanya