Afnan Mirza

“Hi friends! I am Afnan Mirza from the capital city of India, Delhi. I am a soft-spoken, honest and dedicated person. I lost my father when I was 2 years old. I was the eldest son, with 4 sisters and a younger brother. As I grew up, I had to take the responsibility of my family. Since I had to earn a livelihood for my family, initially I got into this craft world only to earn money. I sacrificed my childhood to learn this craft. I started working with my uncle who also works in this craft business to earn some money and also to learn the designing and crafting process. But slowly I started loving this craft. The best part according to me is the beauty and intricacies of the handmade products.

“After I mastered this craft, I decided to open my own workshop, as I was able to see the scope and demand in handicraft items. It was difficult initially to quit a regular salary job and start out on my own without any income. I believe that honesty, integrity and hard work always pay off. The artisans in the villages make handcrafted products to earn a decent livelihood for their families. But their hard work is never recognized and appreciated. Distant and invisible to buyers and markets, they find themselves trapped in exploitative conditions as middlemen transact upon their behalf and pay them inadequately. My main aim was to find admiration and value for the work of these artisans, as well as to grow in this craft business. So I asked these artisans from the village to work with me. Finally, I started my own workshop with a team of 11 artisans. We all are now a close-knit family, working to uplift each other. We believe that we all can grow more if we work together. Presently we have more than 25 artisans working with us.

“We use brass, iron, felt, beads, fabric and wood for our products. We buy the raw materials from authentic and reliable sources only. We craft our products as per the requirements and input from our customers. We generally follow strict quality control norms for all our products. We are always dedicated to our customers and their needs.

“I always try to help my artisans by organizing awareness programs, seminars etc. We regularly do workshops for skill development and education of the children of the artisans. We are happy to provide employment opportunities to artisans. We receive requests daily from other artisans to join us. We are willing to expand to better serve international markets. We have participated in IITF and IHGF. We have also exported our products to USA, Europe and UAE for some of our international customers.

“I dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur one day. With my hard work and honesty, I hope I can achieve my dream. I am very thankful to NOVICA for giving me the opportunity to reach global customers.”