Nita and Mukesh Ambani praise handcrafted pashmina and zari portrait ‘in age of AI’
Nita and Mukesh Ambani were presented with a handcrafted portrait at the Swadesh flagship store launch in Mumbai on December 5.
Nita and Mukesh Ambani were presented with a handcrafted portrait at the Swadesh flagship store launch in Mumbai on December 5. The portrait captured the power couple’s likeness in pashmina and silk, and was framed in walnut wood.
The handcrafted portrait took talented artisans a year to complete. According to an Instagram post shared by Swadesh, the artwork brought together four rare techniques — 3D lotus work, embossed zari, single-tone shading, and walnut-wood carving.
Kal Baffi artisans Rafiq Ahmad Sofi and Shahnawaz Ahmad Sofi presented the portrait to the billionaire couple at the launch of the Swadesh store. They explained that it took a year to complete.
Mukesh Ambani praises portrait
Mukesh Ambani praised the portrait as an example of human triumph in the age of AI. “Phenomenal,” he was heard saying after he viewed the artwork. Nita Ambani called it “stunning”.
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The Reliance Industries chairman said that the techniques used in the portrait should be passed down from generation to generation. “Ye jo kala hai hamari, ye generation to generation aage badhni chahiye,” he said. “AI ki age mein, ye kala aage badhegi (This traditional art form should be passed down from generation to generation. In the age of AI, it will be passed down).”
“The piece unites four rare techniques: 3D lotus work, embossed zari, single-tone shading, and walnut-wood carving. Faces rendered in pashmina, garments in silk, and a zari-woven backdrop together reveal 45 colours and six nuanced tone variations,” the official Instagram account of Swadesh explained. “Mrs. Nita Ambani and Mr. Mukesh Ambani received it with heartfelt gratitude, deeply moved by the mastery and spirit embedded in every detail.”
