Republic Day 2026: Northeast Artisans Craft Unique Handcrafted Invitations for Rashtrapati Bhavan

• President Droupadi Murmu's 'At Home' reception for Republic Day 2026 features handcrafted bamboo box invitations, replacing traditional printed cards.
• The unique invitations, conceptualized by NID Ahmedabad, showcase material traditions from all eight Northeastern states, led by professors Andrea Noronha, Dr. CS Susanth, and Dr. Ashok Mondal.
• The project involved 200 rural artisans from the Northeast and 100 NID students/faculty, taking 3.5 months to source materials and assemble the completely handcrafted boxes.
• Each box contains items representing specific Northeastern states, such as Assam's Gogona, Tripura's cane jewelry, Nagaland's stinging nettle fabric, Mizoram's Puan Chei, and Manipur's Longpi black pottery.
• Designed to be a lasting display piece, the invitation aims to preserve and promote the rich craft traditions and cultural identity of India's Northeastern region.

Why It Matters: Republic Day 2026 invitations are handcrafted bamboo boxes showcasing diverse Northeast artisan crafts, promoting India's heritage.