Serendipity at G20

Mohan Kumar Verma is a craftsman from Mathura, whose 35 years of experience in the art of Sanjhi is evident in his intricate, layered designs. He is the son of Shri Chain Shuk Das Verma, a master craftsman in the art of Sanjhi, in whose time, the form was largely practised in Mathura and Vrindavan, and restricted to depicting Radha and Krishna. For Sanjhi stencils, the only external demand came from visitors to Mathura who were typically followers of the Pushtimarg sect in Gujarat, for whom Sanjhi is an important form of worship. Though the products were diversified for multiple uses, the design vocabulary was essentially traditional. Mohan, however, starting from the age of 11, contemporised the craft of Sanjhi, giving it a new life.