5:30am — Before the sun rises. I like the rhythm of starting my day slow and easy. Waking up before the sun comes up, I get ready for an hour before leaving the house to run some errands.
6:30am — Prayer and errands. I walk out to buy milk. On my way back, I visit two temples and stop by home to pass the milk to my mom for her to prepare breakfast.
9am — Planning ahead. This is when my work day really begins. I spend some time making plans and laying out my schedule for the day ahead.
9:30am — Printing Workshop. I spend an hour here typically. But I stay a little longer on days where new or more complicated designs are being printed to guide the process.
11am — Chai and samosas. Before lunch is a good time for your first cup of chai with samosas. I’ve always had my morning break at the same place since I was a child. It’s the same man who’s been at the same place all along, and it’s at the corner of his home lane.
1pm — Lunch. I usually head home for lunch.
2pm — Sewing factory. These days, I spend more time here than at the printing factory. Since it’s still being set up, I think it is important for me to oversee the progress.
3pm — Chai again. Yes, two cups a day. At least.
8pm — Family time. After a hard day’s work, I like to have dinner with my family and spend time with my daughter.
9pm — Rest. Beginning a day early means ending the night early too.
Khushiram is one of our artisan partners who is a fifth generation block printer. In the past few years, we were able to invite him over to Singapore on three separate occasions to host a series of block-printing workshops. Read more about Khushiram and the craft of blockprinting here.