Inside President Droupadi Murmu’s Republic Day invitation box that took 350 people 90 days to make; read

For dignitaries invited to President Droupadi Murmu’s At Home reception on the occasion of India’s 77th Republic Day on January 26, 2026, the experience starts well before they arrive at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In recent years, the simple white invitation card has been replaced with a handcrafted box celebrating India’s regional artry. As videos of India Post delivering these boxes go viral, many are wondering — how did the signature crafts of all eight Northeastern states come together in a single bamboo box?The story behind President Droupadi Murmu’s Republic Day invitation boxBehind the scenesThe design and execution of the Republic Day invitation were led the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad. Professors Andrea Noronha, Dr. C.S. Susanth, and Dr. Ashok Mondal worked with hundreds of local artisans to bring the project to life.“The Rashtrapati Bhavan’s brief was the same as last year’s. We had to bring the crafts of the local Indian artisans to the forefront and remind people of India’s heritage through design,” said Prof. Noronha. “The goal was to celebrate the Northeast region’s artry while showing how these traditions continue to shape national identity.”The project took nearly three and a half months to complete and was split into two phases: 45 days of sourcing from the hills of the North East and another 45 days of meticulous assembly at the NID Ahmedabad campus. The operation involved a small army of 200 rural artisans and toolmakers who created every component from scratch in their villages, supported 100 students and faculty members who brought everything together on campus.What was in the invitation?Each element tucked inside the bamboo-mat box represented a different Northeastern state. The invitation text, engraved on a wooden slate, was paired with a collection of carefully chosen handcrafted keepsakes like Assam’s melodic Gogona jaw harp, Tripura’s delicate cane jewellery, and Nagaland’s rare orange wild rhea and stinging nettle fabric, which represents a revival of ancient tribal traditions. Rounding out the box were Mizoram’s ornate Puan Chei textile and Manipur’s Neolithic-style Longpi black pottery featuring the Shirui Lily.When asked how such a massive logical feat was possible in just months, Prof. Noronha credited the deep network of NID alumni living in the hills. “Craft like this is created over decades; the invite simply scratches the surface of what local craft in the North East looks like,” she explained. “Without our alumni embedded in these communities, we wouldn’t have been able to put this together. For example, the stinging nettle fabric from Nagaland exed long before cotton, but today, very few artisans still practice it. We reached out to our people on the ground who knew these artisans personally, and that is how we were able to bring this rare craft into the box.”The ultimate goal of the 2026 invitation is longevity. Designed to be a permanent wall hanging, it aims to preserve age-old crafts while educating the public. For President Murmu, the box is a tribute to the living traditions and sustainable skills of the North East, ensuring that long after Republic Day is over, the craftsmanship of the Ashtalakshmi states remains a part of the Indian household. Last year, the invite focused on craftwork from the five southern States — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.About the celebration this year: Chief guests and moreThe 77th Republic Day Parade at Kartavya Path in New Delhi, will welcome two senior European Union dignitaries as chief guests — Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and António Costa, President of the European Council. This is the first time that India has invited the European Union’s top leaders together as chief guests for the Republic Day Parade. The gesture highlights the growing ties between India and the EU, even as talks on a Free Trade Agreement are ongoing.