Streetside Crafts People in New Delhi

The skilled roadside vendors of New Delhi are very mobile, and not by choice.

Nov 28, 2018 12:00PM EST

Ita Mehrotra is a comics maker and illustrator based out of New Delhi, India. She often focuses on non-fiction stories, with a feminist lens. Her comics have been published in 'First Hand 1: Graphic Non Fiction from India' (Yoda Press), 'Drawing the Line' (Zubaan Books), 'City Script' (Goethe Institute), thewire.in, AdAstra Comix, KHOJ Artists Association, among others. Ita also heads the programmes of 'Artreach India', working with marginalised communities across India through art. http://instagram.com/ita_mehrotra

Crafts people working with metal and leather are ‘low-caste’ in Indian social hierarchy. They often own no property and get pushed around from village to city and within the city. Very close to my home in New Delhi, along a bustling main road, is one such settlement of highly skilled practitioners hailing from Rajasthan. On a walk around recently, I found a lot of them angrily out on the road and stopped to find out what the commotion was about. They had a strong point of view!