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Prem Lal

"Hello, I am Prem Lal and I come from a small village in the Baster district of Chattishgarh state. I went to a government school, where I studied up to 8th standard. Though I might not have attended the best school, I feel I learned a lot from my parents. They taught my three siblings and me the dignity of hard work.

"Our family specializes in iron metal work. Since our financial situation was precarious, we really had to work hard to survive. However, my parents never forced us to work and they made sure we went to school. Instead of playing games and hanging out with friends after school, we would nevertheless help our parents in the workshop when we finished our homework.

"When I finished 8th standard, I had to move to another town to continue my studies, since the school in our village only went up as far as the 8th grade. I stayed with my uncle, who was also an expert in iron metalwork. I started to help him, and this is how I professionally got into this art. Eventually, I completed my 10th standard and started working full time with my father.

"My father has participated in art exhibitions throughout India for a long time, and I slowly began to join him. Our products have a distinct rustic finish, and each one takes you to the unique lifestyle of villagers in India. I am glad to be in this field and to be able to preserve our family's metal art legacy. I hope Novica will help us reach our products transcend borders through our work."