Woodcarving and inlay work Door Handle

Pilakhuwa and its adjoining areas in western Uttar Pradesh have, for centuries, been home to woodcarvers who sustained the printing industry by making patterned blocks. As screen printing and industrial printing took over most of the market, their finely honed ability was put to wider use. Families like that of Arshad Kafeel began to make carved boxes or inlaid them with brass, white metal and copper wire. Picture and mirror frames, vase holders, lamps, low tables and wall plaques with intricately laid designs have earned them national acclaim. While tentatively exploring calligraphy, Arshad was encouraged to communicate something of significance for his family.

The rectangular panel inlaid with a design of a peacock is a decorative door handle. Within the peacock are hidden the words aane wala ka swagat hai. When such an object is fixed to the entrance of a home, the hidden scripted welcome to a guest in Urdu expresses the old Indian tradition of unconditional hospitality.