More About Us

About Us

“Dastakaari" is a Hindi word that refers to the art of handcrafted goods particularly those created using traditional techniques. The term "dasta" means hand, and "kaari" means work or craftsmanship, so "dastakaari" essentially means handiwork or handicraft. These crafts are often associated with a particular region or community in India and have been passed down through generations. Dastakaari is an important part of India's cultural heritage and plays a significant role in the country's economy.

Thus, Dastakaari products are purely handmade and depict the true craftsmanship of India. Our products include imitation jewellery mainly beads jewellery dedicated to our family roots, home decor, handicrafts and more.

Beads have been used for centuries in jewellery-making as well as for decoration and adornment. Beads are available in a wide range of colours, sizes, shapes and textures and can be used to create intricate and beautiful designs. We have over 7 lakh varieties of beads - beads made of wood, resin, horn, bone, plastic, glass, clay, ceramic, aluminium, other metals, Kashmiri beads, seed beads, beads made of semi precious stones, pearls - to name a few and with a great deal of skill and creativity, these beads are crafted into exclusive pieces of imitation jewellery.

We, at Dastakaari, aim to spread our love for Indian craft all over the globe and make the future generations aware of the beauty of Indian traditional art. Through Dastakaari, we intend to encourage our skilled artisans who have learned their craft through years of practice and popularise their art form for the world to appreciate and admire.

People Behind Dastakaari

Mrs. Deepali Gupta

Founder of Dastakaari, Mrs. Deepali Gupta hails from a reputed business family of Banaras (now Varanasi). Though she never intended to venture into business, her upbringing and educational qualifications sowed seeds of business acumen quite early on in her life.

After completing her schooling from Mayo College Girls School (Ajmer), she pursued her BBM (Bachelors of Business Management) from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore (India) followed by an MBA in International Business Marketing from Cardiff University (United Kingdom). She also worked as a social care worker for young adults and elderly people with learning disabilities in the UK for about 3-4 years before shifting back to India.

Always an ardent learner who loves to try new things, Mrs. Deepali Gupta understood the intricacies of the business world quickly and grew into a proactive entrepreneur of today.

Mr. Akash Gupta

Mr. Akash was one of the elder brothers of Mrs Deepali Gupta who lost his COVID battle at a very young age of 43. His dream project, Bijoux1940, that deals with premium fashion jewellery known for its high-quality materials, exquisite designs and superior craftsmanship acted as a catalyst for the inception of Dastakaari as Mrs. Deepali Gupta realised her business abilities and learnt business nuances while associating with bijoux1940.com

As her duty and a tribute to her brother, Mrs. Deepali Gupta is leaving no stone unturned to keep his dream alive and direct it towards the pinnacle of achievement.

Mr. Akash is the ever-shining guiding light leading and protecting us from above. He is watching us over and offers support and assistance in difficult situations.

We Miss You, Akash…..Each day…..Every Moment!!

Mrs. Anita Saxena

With work experience of over 30 years, Mrs. Anita Saxena is a Manager at Dastakaari. She was first associated with Banaras Beads then became a part of Banaras Manufacturers family and now, she’s the backbone of Dastakaari.

Her immense contribution to the family businesses is beyond measure and it is a privilege to have her on board for Dastakaari.

She handles all the core responsibilities including taxation, accounts, product procurement, administration, sales, customs, customer service etc. and is truly dependable and reliable for all business needs. Her experience and skills are unmatched and so is her ability to multitask while coordinating with one and all.

Mrs. Anita Saxena is an asset and with her vision, Dastakaari is sure to grow tremendously and conquer the world soon.

Family Lineage

Dastakaari is a fairly new establishment but its business roots spread back to the year 1940 when Mrs. Deepali Gupta’s grandfather Late Shri Kanhaiya Lal Gupta founded Banaras Beads Company in Banaras ( Varanasi ) Listed in the leading stock exchange of India BSE & NSE. He learnt the art of making lampwork beads at a very young age of 17 and started his company soon after encouraging more and more people to learn the art and earn a living. Bead making was a new art form way back in the 1940s and it was a tough task at hand for Mr. Kanhaiya Lal to convince locals to join him. But he was determined to make a breakthrough and how his business grew through the years is for the world to see. With his hard work and dedication, Banaras Beads became one of the largest glass beads production companies in the world and Mr. Kanhaiya Lal Gupta was rightly called as the father of beads manufacturing in India.

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Mr. Raj Kumar Gupta and Mr. Ashok Kumar Gupta, sons of Mr. Kanhaiya Lal Gupta, joined the Banaras Beads Company in 1971. Sky was the limit for these dynamic brothers who travelled extensively all over the world to expand their export business and got many laurels for the company. Banaras Beads became the highest exporter of handicraft goods in India and won many highest export as well as National Awards by the Government of India. Apart from generating business, the brothers also actively contributed to the society by building hospitals, colleges for women, bhawans etc through Ram Ghulam Kanhaiya Lal Charitable Trust. The trust was started in the memory of their grandfather Shri Ram Ghulam Gupta to keep his legacy of goodwill alive.

The brothers have given a strong foothold to the family business, passing on the baton to the next generation.

And now Mrs. Deepali Gupta, the third generation of the Gupta clan, is equally motivated and ambitious to expand the business manifold with this new venture, Dastakaari, focussing on imitation jewellery, home decor and handicraft goods. By incorporating new-technology methods of the growing digital world such as Ecommerce platforms, digitising the payment system and using new innovative marketing strategies, Mrs. Deepali Gupta is setting up the stage for the next generation. Her two daughters, Sana and Ahaana, are already showing keen interest in the various operations of the enterprise and provide valuable inputs in jewellery designing. Her two nieces, Aarshiya and Aanya, are equally talented and motivated twin girls, staying strong after their father’s death and a pillar of strength for their mother. They are quick learners, actively involved in jewellery designing and other events related to it. The fourth generation is gearing up for their new role and understanding the ground details of the business world.

It is a huge honour to be a part of the GUPTA family that brings along an equally big responsibility to keep the family name soaring high and with Dastakaari, Mrs. Deepali Gupta is sure to provide a new horizon to the growing business as well as build a strong foundation for the next generation to grow and explore.