Let’s break down the process step by step, straight from the hands of Rajasthan’s artisans: Cultivation: Lakh resin comes from Kusum and Palash trees in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Assam, and West Bengal. Tiny insects on these trees secrete a sticky resin, which hardens into raw material. Harvesting: Farmers cut resin-coated branches and soak them in water for 3 days to remove dirt and bark. The purified resin is dried and broken into chunks. Melting: Artisans melt the resin in a large iron pan (kadhai) over a coal furnace (bhatti) at 350°C. The molten lakh turns golden and is shaped into discs for storage. Binding: Sellers reheat the resin in smaller pans. They combine strong sok powder (natural glue) and berja (plant gum) to strengthen the lakh. Shaping: The mixture is rolled into flexible rods. Artisans mould these rods around wooden sticks to form perfect circles. Colouring: Natural dyes like turmeric (red), saffron (yellow) and henna (green) are used. To produce black colour, the artisans use safe chemical dyes. Rest of the colours are created using natural dyes. Decorating: Final touches such as foil, mirrors or stones are added by hands.