Some parts past, some parts present: Aditya Agrawal on P-TAL’s mission to preserve the UNESCO-listed craft of Thatheras’ brass, copper and kansa vessels

In a classroom at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), a group of students stumbled upon a thread of tradition that would unravel into something unprecedented. What began as a college project swiftly evolved into P-TAL, a brand that fuses deep historical roots with a fresh, modern vision. The seed was planted when they discovered the decline of the UNESCO-listed craft of creating exquisite brass, copper and kansa (bell metal) vessels by Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar. With only 30 families left practicing this age-old craft, the project’s goal was clear: breathe new life into this cherished tradition and make it relevant for today’s world. We caught up with Aditya Agrawal, Co-Founder at P-TAL, to uncover the story behind the brand and the vision propelling it towards a future that looks back at age-old practices through an artistic lens, creating a synergy between some parts past and some parts present.

How did the idea for P-TAL come about? Can you tell us about the initial steps and challenges you faced when starting the project?

Aditya Agrawal (AA): P-TAL started not as a brand, but as a college project in SRCC where we learned about a community of artisans in Jandiala Guru, Punjab, who were practising India’s only UNESCO-listed craftform. Their craft was declining with the reduction in the number of families practising it from 500 to just 30. The core aim of P-TAL since day one has been to revive the age-old craft form of these artisans, modernise them and ensure access all across the globe. We started with contemporising the traditional utensils which could be used in modern lifestyles, collaborated with the local administration to help us test out the products in exhibitions and ultimately incorporated more artisans under our scope. Initially, we used to face a lot of challenges in balancing supply and demand. When we used to get a lot of demand, we didn’t have enough artisans to fulfil that demand and when we had a lot of artisans working with us, we could not get enough demand for our products. Hence, initially, it became a challenge to build and manage momentum in both supply and demand for the products.

What is the process behind creating P-TAL’s products, from concept to completion? How do you ensure that traditional techniques are preserved while incorporating modern design elements?

AA: Our tagline is “transforming traditions into trends,” which is what we focus on while curating a catalogue of products. Many of the utensils you see are the modern adaptations of the huge utensils or bhaandes that we have seen in gurudwaras or even in our homes. We have changed the design to ensure that they go well with our modern kitchens while keeping the traditional value and aesthetic of the utensils alive. Modernising traditions is a part of our overall ethos, in terms of our products, our communication and marketing.

What are the core values and mission of P-TAL, and how do they guide your daily operations and business decisions?

AA: If you go through our website, you will notice a couple of lines and phrases that are present throughout. “ Transforming Traditions into Trends” is one such line. We have seen our grandmothers using brass and copper utensils a lot during our childhood. You might even find some if you go hunting in your houses- old brass utensils that might have developed a layer of dust on them but a name etched and still strong and sturdy. We wanted to take that feeling, the nostalgia and its benefits and put it into a modern format for people to use it daily.

“Make the right choice, don’t fall for the easy one” is another such mission statement that we have. A lot of people stopped using these utensils because they thought they were not convenient anymore in such a fast-paced lifestyle. However, they have the most benefits out of all the cookwares available in the market. We want people to recognise that and encourage healthy living in their lifestyles.

And most importantly, lays a foundation for our artisans to revive this tradition that has been recognised by UNESCO. We want people to appreciate the craftsmanship and see them as heroes like we do!

How do you select and collaborate with artisans to ensure that their skills and traditional knowledge are effectively utilised in P-TAL’s products?

AA: We work very closely with our artisans and trust their traditional knowledge and know-how of their craftsmanship. We often follow a very collaborative process while developing new products and improving existing ones. We have local supervisors on the ground who help us identify new artisans and explore/evaluate their skill sets to figure out the best way to work with them. Every artisan has a unique skill and expertise with certain shapes, we blend in our modern design expertise with their traditional knowledge to bring out the best of the products for our consumers.

Can you walk us through the journey of transforming P-TAL from a college project to a successful D2C brand? What were some key milestones or turning points along the way?

AA: It was started in 2019. We had initially put in capital through their investment and a grant of around 21L INR from the HDFC Bank SmartUp Program. Post that, P-TAL raised seed capital from Titan Capital, Anicut Capital, and angel investors like Ghazal Alagh, Sandeep Aggarwal, Vishesh Khurana and many others.

What are the main challenges you face in maintaining the authenticity of the craft while also making it appealing to contemporary consumers?

AA: The one example that comes to our mind is when we were developing our Copper Water Bottle. We wanted to make a product that was inspired by the copper lotas and the current bottles that are available in the market. We wanted to provide our customers the benefits of ‘tamra jal’ in a stylish, sleek and easy-to-carry bottle. While researching and talking to a lot of people, we got to know that one major issue they face with the current bottles in the market is that they are not ergonomic and also that it is difficult to clean them. Hence, we wanted to create a tapered design for the bottle.

When we went to talk to a lot of artisans, they said that it is always difficult to create a design like that and it would be easier for us to go with a similar design available in the market. When we shared the customer problems with them, they readily agreed to try out different ways to create the design we had in mind. When you communicate with your team members, including our artisans, a lot of problems get resolved and that is exactly how we try to maintain a balance between authenticity and contemporary needs.

What role does customer feedback play in your product development and business strategy? How do you incorporate it into your operations?

AA: Customer Feedback means a lot to us. Some of the products that we currently have in our portfolio are a part of our conversations with customers where we try to understand what they want and use that as a part of our R&D process. We have a weekly team meeting where we discuss customer grievances and try to solve them either through a better channel of communication on our website or through a series of calls. We want our customers to feel that their voice is heard and it matters.

Can you share any memorable experiences or success stories that highlight the impact P-TAL has had on artisans or their communities?

AA: Some of our artisans earn more money than 99% of Indians, earning over 1.5L rupees per month. They do not boast a fancy college degree or rich family background but come with a strong passion and love for their craft, which stands as their legacy and pride. The earnings of the artisans who work with us is a big motivating factor for all of us and is an important metric which we all monitor.

For us, Income of our artisans from P-TAL is more than our income from P-TAL.

What are your futur plans for P-TAL? Are there any upcoming projects, expansions, or new initiatives you’re particularly excited about?

AA: We have some exciting product launches lined up that our customers have wanted for a very long time and we are very excited to show them what we have curated!

Our goal has always been to take P-TAL global and create a visibility for our heritage and culture and this year onwards we are going headstrong with that idea and expanding globally. We hope everyone outside India shows as much love for PTAL products as everyone here has shown!

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