In the quiet hours of dawn, Uttam Nagar’s Prajapati Colony awakens to the rhythmic spin of potter’s wheels. Amid the soft light filtering through narrow alleyways, 30-year-old Kehar Singh molds a lump of fresh clay delivered from Faridabad into a slender vase. Beside him, his mother works with practiced hands, pressing, folding, and coaxing the wet clay upward in motions that have been honed over generations. Within days, after drying and baking, their creations will line the courtyard, waiting for buyers who often stumble upon these treasures by word of mouth.

Singh’s family is part of a three-generation lineage of potters in Uttam Nagar, a neighbourhood that has shaped the craft of terracotta since the 1970s. Now, the weight of tradition is meeting the promise of formal recognition: Uttam Nagar’s terracotta craft is on its path to securing a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, one of three Delhi crafts selected for this distinction alongside Seelampur’s hand-carved woodwork and Sangam Vihar’s glass bead jewellery. For a city that previously boasted only one GI recognition – basmati rice, shared with other northern states – this step signals overdue acknowledgment of Delhi’s artisanal heritage.

“For us, the GI tag is more than a label,” Singh says. “If people across India know our work is special, it may finally bring respect and prices that reflect the effort and skill behind each piece.”

Government Moves to Protect Delhi’s Heritage

The initiative to pursue GI recognition was greenlit at the 54th board meeting of the Delhi Khadi and Village Industries Board (DKVIB) on October 24, chaired by Delhi Industries Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa. The board had not convened for nearly four years, and the chair had been vacant since February. Sirsa emphasised that Delhi-specific crafts had long been neglected. “Other states have dozens of GI tags… Delhi’s crafts needed recognition, and the GI route gives our artisans a way to protect what is theirs,” he said.

The Quest for GI Identity

India currently has over 650 GI-tagged products, ranging from Kashmir saffron and Kanchipuram silk to Banaras sarees and Madurai jasmine. States like Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu lead in numbers, with more than 75 tags each. Delhi, however, had no unique crafts under the GI registry – a gap that weighed heavily on DKVIB. “We promoted the GI products of other states but had nothing truly Delhi-based to show,” said K Mahesh, DKVIB managing director.

With Sirsa’s appointment, the board partnered with NABARD, which has played a pivotal role in securing over 140 GI tags across India. NABARD’s team mapped artisan clusters, conducted on-site verifications, and engaged with communities, government officials, and NGOs to ensure the crafts selected were not only historically significant but still alive today. “We explored Kundan jewellery in Chandni Chowk, but there weren’t enough active practitioners,” said NABARD General Manager Nabin Roy. “These three crafts still thrive within their communities, with skills passing from one generation to the next – that continuity is crucial for a GI tag.”

A GI certification, officials explain, elevates both visibility and value. “People pay a premium for GI-tagged products because they trust the authenticity. For artisans in Uttam Nagar, Seelampur, and Sangam Vihar, this could mean recognition and sustainable livelihoods,” Mahesh added.

Uttam Nagar: Tradition Meets Modern Demand

For the terracotta artisans of Uttam Nagar, the GI tag comes at a transformative moment. Kehar Singh’s grandfather arrived from Karauli, Rajasthan, in the 1970s, laying the foundation for a cluster of families united by skill. By the 1980s and 1990s, the settlement had become synonymous with terracotta. While the craft itself remains rooted in tradition, customer demands have shifted. “People bring screenshots from online and ask us to recreate what they saw,” Singh explains, pointing to towering vases that now dominate wedding décor, selling for over ₹2,000 each. Flower pots, particularly animal-shaped ones, continue to be top sellers.

Seventy-seven-year-old Kanti Prasad, whose family has worked the craft for a century, recalls the slow migration of potters from Rajasthan, which transformed Uttam Nagar into a thriving hub. “When one family came, others followed… By the 1980s, this place had become a proper community,” he says. For Prasad, the GI tag offers an opportunity for the craft to evolve without losing its roots.

Seelampur: Hand-Carved Wood Resists Industrialization

In Seelampur, artisans face a different challenge: surviving against the tide of machine-made furniture that dominates the NCR market. Here, nearly 300 craftsmen continue to carve wood by hand, preserving a legacy of intricate designs.

Mohammed Matloob, 50, has been chiselling wood since the age of 10. “Even as the world moved toward fast furniture, there are still people who value hand-designed pieces,” he says. Matloob’s son, Mohd Marghoob, 25, has modernized the business through digital platforms, connecting with buyers in Portugal, Italy, Iran, and Thailand. Workshops at schools and universities further ensure the skills are passed to younger generations, blending tradition with contemporary outreach.

Sangam Vihar: Beads and Patience

In Sangam Vihar, artisans work quietly in small homes or shared centres to create glass bead jewellery. Hundreds of hands transform tiny, brightly coloured beads into bangles, bags, and hair accessories – a painstaking process requiring months of training.

Manju, 40, supervises training and explains, “The first two weeks are just learning to hold the needle. After two months, trainees can make basic designs. It takes a full year to create an entire beaded bag.” Apprentices must learn patience and coordination, or they leave the craft. Shakil Ahmad, who began working at 15, demonstrates the precise rhythm of threading and stitching, highlighting the discipline required to sustain this delicate art.

A Future Shaped by Heritage

For the three crafts – terracotta, woodwork, and glass beads – the GI tag represents more than recognition. It signals government alignment with artisan communities whose work is often overlooked in policy.

For Singh in Uttam Nagar, the tag could enhance the value of each vase. For Matloob in Seelampur, it offers a lifeline to preserve a craft pushed to the margins by industrial production. For the bead artisans of Sangam Vihar, it promises more stable livelihoods and recognition for their meticulous labour. Together, these crafts capture a cultural snapshot of Delhi – a metropolis celebrated for monuments and infrastructure projects, yet whose most fragile legacies rest in the hands of its artisans.

The GI tag is a formal acknowledgment of their skill, dedication, and contribution to Delhi’s cultural heritage – and it may finally bring their centuries-old crafts into the limelight they deserve.

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