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List of products by brand A J Handicrafts
AJ Crafts. Block Making, Mohammad Tahir
Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
The block making business was started by his paternal grandfather about 80 years ago. Tahir's father migrated from Farrukhabad, UP, in 1987 and settled down in Delhi for seeking better opportunities in life. The family prospered and in 5 years they were able to own a house in Shaheen Bagh, New Delhi. Today, Tahir works with his father and they employ two helpers as well. His elder, married sister, lives nearby and designs the blocks. She has no formal training in designing but having grown up in the world of blocks, she developed a natural flair for creating new designs.
AJ Crafts supplies printing blocks all over India - owls and tribal figures to Bengal, ajrakh blocks to Gujarat, chikan blocks to Lucknow and animal and human figures to Rajasthan. Simple blocks may take 3 to 4 days, blocks for multi colored printing take upto a week and very fine blocks take 15 to 20 days of labour. The preferred wood is sheesham procured from government nigams.
Using social media, the business has widened its outreach to customers. But to keep himself in business, Tahir has also branched out to creating blocks for innovative use, as paper weights, door handles, wall hangings, tray handles, key rings etc.