Ravi Kumar

I learned to carve wood sitting beside my grandfather in his small workshop in the outskirts of Mysuru. He would say — wood doesn't resist you, it guides you. That philosophy has stayed with me through twenty years of crafting.

Every piece I make starts with selecting the right timber. I source teak exclusively from certified forests in Karnataka, ensuring no old-growth trees are touched. The wood is then seasoned for at least six months before I ever pick up a chisel.

What I make isn't furniture or decoration — it's memory. People come back years later to tell me their children play with the elephants I carved. That's the only metric I care about.