And rightly so, because the out-of-work craftsmen took immense pride in their work.
Multicolored footlights, set into the sidewalks, now illuminate the mosques, palaces and medieval mansions that line the street, working craftsmen create a throwback atmosphere, and shopkeepers at intimate antiques stores would rather discuss the history of a piece than its price.
Working craftsmen can't afford the time to teach apprentices, or the money to pay them; they wouldn't necessarily be able to sell what they make; and when they do become useful, maybe after two or three years, they'll set up in competition".
I find it extremely enriching to work with craftsmen who carry on their tradition.
He travels between India and Italy to work with craftsmen and refuses to send pictures of his pieces to boutiques.
"We essentially took all the work of craftsmen in a printshop and put it in algorithms," says John Meyer, a director at HP's laboratories.
Together, they conceived an exhibition devoted to the work of craftsmen like White, who make a living cutting steel, welding and filing for weeks on end.
Wherever possible he uses recyclable materials, an art he refined in the 1990s when he put aside formal architecture to work with craftsmen and builders as they converted old houses into art galleries, music halls, even hair salons.
The vernacular is the unconscious work of craftsmen based on knowledge accumulated over generations the very opposite of architecture, which involves a premeditated design process with a conscious appeal to the intellect.
During that 2003 interview, Sendak also said he felt as if he were part of a dying breed of illustrators who approached their work as craftsmen.
The terminal displays around 7,000 works from craftsmen, cities, villages, collectors and museums across India, as well as 100 commissioned contemporary works, some by Indian artists as renowned as Mithu Sen, Riyas Khomu and Nek Chand.
