Greetings From India!

Balan and I in front of the Meditating Shiva on the Ganga in Rishikesh

On my first night in Delhi, I was not able to sleep. I lay in bed thinking “Why am I 8,000 miles away from home, away from my wife and 2 daughters. Why am I doing this?”

I quickly remembered all of the reasons I am here, and I would like to share my experiences with you.


Please click here to follow my journey throughout Asia on our Instagram page. I will be traveling in North and South India, Nepal, Cambodia, and Vietnam. I will be sending videos daily of my travels.


Brass Artisans of Aligarh

I have never before visited where our brass statues are made in Aligarh. The experience was eye-opening and amazing! The saying, “it takes a village” truly applies to making one statue. Each statue passes through 6 separate stages with a different person responsible for each stage. It was fantastic to finally meet the artists who have been making these beautiful statues for Lotus Sculpture!

Young apprentices in Aligarh practicing their carving skills on smaller brass statues.

Watching the artists cast these pieces was incredible. Packing each mold in sand leaving an exact duplicate of the statue inside the mold, then pouring molten brass into the cavity. It truly made me appreciate how much work goes into each piece.


Jaipur!

Text block about Jaipur.

Sanjay applies gold leaf to a statue that his brother carved. Sanjay has been painting statues for 35 years.

“The freedom and sense of discovery I feel while walking the streets of India is like no other ”

~Kyle Tortora, Founder, Lotus Sculpture


Rishikesh!

My friend, Raj, standing on one of the 84 mediation caves of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. It was made famous by the Beatles and one of our clients, Mike Love of the Beach Boys who learned transcendental meditation under the guru. It was amazing to walk around the abandoned ashram and go back in time to envision what life was like there in the 60s and 70s.

I found a new Mala supplier! Stunning seven chakra malas made from precious and semi-precious stones.

Meenakshi stringing a Mala