India Post News Service
NEW DELHI: Anshu Khanna, journalist, writer, publicist and founder of Royal Fables, was conferred the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2018 for her contribution to the conservation of princely cultures in India.
The highest civilian honour for women in India, the award was conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on March 8, the International Women’s Day, Royal Fables said in a statement.
One of a series of India’s national honours, the coveted award is conferred on those exceptional women and institutions who have been working incessantly towards the cause of women empowerment.
Anshu Khanna was conferred with the prestigious award for founding Royal Fables and tirelessly working towards fostering and promoting the legacy of artisanal karkhanas that existed in the golden era of princely India and are now being revived by many young women belonging to royal families of India with renewed vigor.
Royal Fables works towards helping entrepreneurship among women born within traditional Indian families. It also supports craft-based NGOs and artisans that work with these women.
“As a journalist and a publicist, I had the good fortune to work with and meet many young women born to princely families who were quietly reviving the culture of patronage,” Khanna said.
“They were upgrading their museum shops, enriching their palaces and also empowering many women artisans working in their region. I simply worked towards creating a market for their goods and also showcasing their fairly tale to the world.”
After Independence, the submission of the princely states to democratic India and finally the doing away of the privy purses, royal patronage to the arts and crafts inevitably dwindled. And with it died the need to keep the ‘royal fable’ alive.
However, the unmatched depth of royal heritage of India remained an unparalelled story that had to be told to discering audiences of today.And it was with the need to bring it back to life that Anshu began her journey with princely craft in 2010.
Royal Fables has held 10 spectacular shows in India and abroad. It has founded Palace Karkhanas, a retail endeavour to showcase indigenous crafts and Kitchen of the Kings a platform to keep alive royal kitchen cultures.
The Royal Fables initiative has recognized, encouraged and brought current generations of these families onto its platform, showcasing their living cultures to the world. With a vision to keep the legacy of royal India alive, the platform has ensured that the flame of patronage does not die down.
