Lokesh Joshi

“Here is realization,

Here is a man tallied—he realizes here what he has in him,

The past, the future, majesty, love—if they are vacant of you, you are vacant of them.”

- “Song of the Open Road”, Walt Whitman

For about 700 years, Phad art has been an intangible part of the Joshi family which saw a decline in practitioners since the 20th century. For a young maestro like Lokesh Joshi Phad has been an intricate relationship, a spiritual affair that consumed his past, present, and future, and of which he sees himself as a custodian. Born in 1983, Lokesh Joshi was trained under the tutelage of his parents Shri Kanhaiya Lal Joshi and Parvathy Devi Joshi, the first female Phad artist, from the tender age of 10 years. With 25 years of experience under his belt, he has taken it upon himself to revive Phad art amongst the next generation of artists and has conducted several workshops such as at Mewar University and Banasthali Vidyapith, in Rajasthan, and in Mumbai. Currently, Lokesh Joshi lives and practices in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.