India, Feb. 5 -- Pritha Dasmahapatra (@TipTopped on the gram), is a doctor in London. But in her superhero avatar, she's a champion of Indian crafts. She's used her vacation time to tour India and document its exquisite handloom traditions. She posts Reels titled What Actual Raja Betas Of The 1900s Used To Wear, How the French Influenced Bengali Sari Styling, and How Jacquard Changed Weaving In India. So far, so good.

Then, in October 2025, Dasmahapatra shared a post that got everyone hot under their Banarasi collar. "Indian handicrafts have become out of reach of the average Indian," she claimed. "Items that were once ubiquitous in middle-class homes, evade them now. Can we please acknowledge it, instead of blaming Indians for not buyin...