MAHESH RAJ SONI – THE MASTER CRAFTSMAN

India is a land full of rich traditions and traditional art forms. These traditions vary from place to place. One such traditional art form is Thewa. It is a traditional art form of Rajasthani jewellery making, the speciality of which is using glass and gold leaves. Pratapgarh in Rajasthan is especially famous for Thewa art, and the man who brought this art form to the global audience was Mahesh Raj Soni.

The history of Thewa art dates back to the Mughal period. The work requires extremely fine hands and attention to detail. Intricately worked-out sheet gold on molten glass is embossed. It is said that it is one of the most difficult art forms that has ever evolved, and Mahesh Soni was a master craftsman at it. He was especially recognized for his precision at work. The art form evolved mostly in the southern district of Rajasthan called Pratapgarh.

When he was a member, treasurer and Vice President of the Rajasthan Thewa Kala Sansthan, Mahesh Soni had the foresight to understand that it was a rare art form and it could bring glory to India if projected in the international forums.

Since Mahesh Soni was considered the finest in this work, he earned great respect in both the local and national communities of workers and associations. He strived hard and finally secured the Geographical Indication Registry (GIS) from the Govt. of India. This also ensured that the rare art form could now be preserved. Mahesh Soni brought further fame to Thewa art by not only working on the age-old traditional designs but also creating new designs which were greatly admired and appreciated by the government and traders.

In the year 2011 and 2012, Mahesh Soni also promoted Indian Handicrafts in South Africa and Sri Lanka by holding exhibitions and displaying the artwork. These exhibitions were a great success. Both countries were greatly impressed by his presentation and deep-rooted cultural work. He won the International Award for Handicraft from the Government of Sri Lanka in 2011 and an international award from the South African Govt. in the year 2012.

In order to fulfil his dream of supporting and promoting all the Indian handicrafts from one destination, Mahesh became the founder and set up Thewa Store in 2015.

As it is said, every artistic achievement that we have dreamt of has been brought into reality only through hard work. It is a good saying that the devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible. The life and work of Mahesh Raj Soni are a testimony to this fact.

During his lifetime Mahesh Soni has been the recipient of innumerable awards and recognition

• In 1984, he received the State Award for Master craftsmanship
• In 2008, he was awarded the National Award for Master Craftsmen by the President of India
• He featured in the Limca Book of World Records in the 2011 edition
• In 2018, he was conferred the Bharat Gaurav Award in the British Parliament, London. The award is given to recognise and appreciate Indians who have made a great social contribution to the community.

In 2015, the President of India conferred the fourth highest civilian award, the prestigious Padma Shri, on Mahesh Raj Soni for his selfless contribution to the field of rare art, for reviving it and for bringing fame and laurel to India.

Credits and suggested further reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahesh_Raj_Soni

https://udaipurtimes.com/people/thewa-artist-to-get-padma-shri-from-president-of-india/c74416-w2859-cid107095-s10707.htm