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Dasaradha Chari

"Hello from the Chitoor District of Andra Pradesh! Growing up in our village was tough because it was small and not very developed, so we walked at least 7–8 km every day to get to the nearest school. We had a very humble start, my father was a farmer and a man of strong convictions. He always wanted his children to get at least a basic education, and he succeeded in putting us through school. I had to move to another town to continue my studies after 7th grade. My siblings and I are thankful to our father for bringing us up the way he did. We wouldn't have it any other way. I am the only one in my family that managed to study all the way up to a post-graduate degree.

"When my father and his brothers weren't working on the fields they would be carving sculptures. My siblings and I learned from them, though as a child I never thought I'd really end up in this profession. But then, growing up I realized how much I actually enjoyed carving and after graduating from post-grad in 1988, I joined my other siblings. They had already been carving for a long time, and I got into it full time, specializing in the design and marketing aspects.

"We started participating in a lot of government sponsored exhibitions all over the country, and our work began to expand. This has allowed us to offer jobs to many other families in our village, as they are all naturally-born carvers too. Some work full time with us, while some work on part time basis.

"In our family there are now three recipients of India's National Award, and we have also been fortunate enough to travel overseas and exhibit our work in government sponsored exhibitions.

"We specialize in mythological sculptures depicted in styles that are mostly inspired by our forefathers and temples. We are slowly working on branching out into utility items like furniture, photo frames, mirror frames, decorative boxes, etc.

"Most of our hand-carved sculptures receive an antique finish to retain that ancient allure. We work with sustainable and seasoned woods which we procure from the Forest Department.

"I am so glad to be associated with Novica. My dream is to really reach out to international customers, and I believe Novica will help me achieve this dream."