Daksha 2026 – Crafting Voices, the biennial handicraft exposition by banglanatak dot com, concluded its three-day run (April 3–5) at the Alka Jalan Foundation, Kolkata, presenting a compelling case for reimagining the crafts of Eastern India as contemporary, collaborative, and future-facing practices. Curated by Swarup Dutta, the exhibition created a dynamic dialogue between tradition and design, featuring diverse craft traditions from Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. Visitors enjoyed the craft bazaar, cultural performances of Paroja song and dance, Seraikela and Mayurbhanj Chhau, and Baul music.
The inauguration on April 3 featured the launch of Koraput Katha, a publication by banglanatak dot com documenting the living heritage and knowledge systems of Koraput. The event was attended by distinguished guests including Dhruvi Shah – CEO of Axis Bank Foundation, Professor and Dean of Strategy & Innovation Jayanta Mukhopadhyay of IIT Kharagpur, and Barbara Voss of the German Consulate.
The event also featured a panel discussion series, ‘Craft Talks’, highlighting current discourses on craft and heritage. On craft and innovation, speakers Anuradha Kumra and Jay Thakkar explored how design can bridge tradition and contemporary markets, highlighting authentic storytelling, evolving notions of authenticity, and the need to build informed audiences. The next day, speakers Partha Dasgupta, Swarup Dutta, Ishan Pattanaik, and Nandita Palchoudhuri discussed craft and collaboration, emphasising long-term, trust-based partnerships and a “design with, not for” approach.
Daksha 2026 signals a critical shift—positioning craft not as static heritage, but as a vital component of the creative economy, capable of generating livelihoods, informing sustainable design, and shaping contemporary cultural expression.
