Reviving The Metal Craft Of Thathera Artisans

P-TAL runs on three fundamentals – promoting Thathera craftsmanship, creating designs for modern users and leveraging contemporary marketing to sell traditional art

Aditya Agrawal, Kirti Goel and Gaurav Garg started P-TAL (short for Punjab Thathera Art Legacy) as a college project. It was a journey of discovery as the trio set out to revive a traditional craft that comes under UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. Thathera artisans of Punjab are known for their unique, handcrafted brass and copperware. But in 2020, few were looking for their craftsmanship, and eking out a living was getting difficult. So, the trio decided to start a full-fledged business to promote the traditional craft across the country.

The D2C brand has developed an extensive range of wedding collections and corporate gift items within three years of its launch. P-TAL offers 134 SKUs, including home décor items, kitchenware, tableware and puja essentials made from brass, copper and other traditional alloys. It also opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Delhi in August 2022. Among its noted clients are the Reserve Bank of India, the government of Punjab, the marketing agency Dentsu and many others.

It runs on three fundamentals – developing an organised market to promote the craft legacy, creating designs for urban consumers and leveraging contemporary marketing to sell traditional art. It also caters to varied consumer demands and crafts wine glasses, vases and tissue paper boxes from metals and alloys. Besides building a dedicated team passionate about boosting India’s artisan economy, P-TAL educates people about ayurveda and the health benefits of using traditional metalware such as brass, copper and bell metal.

P-TAL plans to expand its physical footprint across India. It will also scale up bulk ordering as corporate and wedding gifts top the list of its most popular products. Additionally, it will build brand awareness and work towards becoming a global business with a cause by 2026.