17 February 2026

Postcards From a Disappearing India

Samarth Saluja turns 10 dying Indian crafts into postcards worth keeping

India has hundreds of handicrafts that most people have never heard of. And that's simply because they're old. Old enough that the masters who practice them can count their students on one hand. The craft lives, but just barely. And when that last artisan puts down their tools, there's no second chance. That's the kind of loss that doesn't make headlines but probably should.

India has hundreds of handicrafts that most people have never heard of. And that's simply because they're old. Old enough that the masters who practice them can count their students on one hand. The craft lives, but just barely. And when that last artisan puts down their tools, there's no second chance. That's the kind of loss that doesn't make headlines but probably should.

This project tries to start a dialogue around this complicated problem. Ten dying crafts, turned into postcards — the oldest way humans have said "this place existed, and it mattered." A postcard isn't a documentary or a museum exhibit. It's something you hold, send, and keep. This is something we find extremely powerful about the project: it doesn't try to save the craft. It just makes sure someone remembers it.

Image Courtesy Samarth Saluja

Image Courtesy Samarth Saluja

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