NEW DELHI – “Sanjhi,” the ancient Indian art of paper-cutting using nature-inspired motifs, is how Ram Soni puts food on the table.
It's also a carefully preserved skill passed down through generations in his family.Using special scissors given to him by his parents, who taught him the craft at an early age, he patiently carves out intricate pieces from folded paper to create complex stencils that stand out against contrasting colored paper.
Soni’s sales dipped to zero as India went into a prolonged lockdown earlier this year to try to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The 49-year-old Soni is just the sort of artisan New Delhi-based designer Sheela Lunkad and her architect husband, Rajeev Lunkad, aim to help with their “Shilp se.