BY JAMES VAUGHAN

There is a scene from a bygone era, immortalized in old family albums and fading memories: a lavish spread laid out on the grounds of a hunting lodge in Ranthambore, or perhaps by the lake in Udaipur. It was more than a meal; it was a mobile durbar, a testament to hospitality and style. This is the legacy that the master craftsmen at Mistry Atelier have bottled into their ‘Jodhpur Imperial Picnic Hamper’.

This is no simple wicker basket. The hamper itself is a piece of furniture, crafted from rich, dark Sheesham wood, with brass fittings and handles of hand-tooled camel leather that smells distinctly of the royal stables. Unlatching the twin locks reveals a world of orchestrated luxury.

At its heart are eight solid silver thalis from the famed silversmiths of Cuttack, each one repousséd with a different motif from the Dashavatara. They nestle in custom-fit slots. The true engineering marvel, however, lies in the culinary vessels: a series of hand-beaten copper bartans with a secret, double-walled core. A single charge allows the “shorba” pot to maintain a simmering heat for three hours, while the “raita” and “kulfi” pots stay chilled, preserving the perfect consistency of their contents. It understands that a delicate dhaniya chutney cannot suffer the same fate as a robust rogan josh.

Complete with ivory-handled cutlery, hand-embroidered linen napkins from Lucknow, and a built-in, battery-powered unit to keep a bottle of champagne or a crisp Sancerre perfectly cool, the hamper is an ode to the global Indian palate. Priced at ₹18,00,000, it is for the family that doesn’t just own a farmhouse, but for whom the entire countryside is their drawing-room. It transforms an afternoon picnic into a regal event, a moving feast worthy of a Maharaja’s itinerary.