# How Aakriti Atre from Khandwa Turned Her Paintings into Saree Designs Now Selling Across India > Aakriti Atre from Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh has spent 15 years mastering various art forms before finding her biggest platform in saree designing, with Surat's Pragati Group now featuring her work in their collection. Her ceramic art has even found buyers in America. **Type:** article · **Category:** Success Stories · **Published:** 2026-06-30 · **Source:** TrendKia **Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/success-stories/brasha-se-sari-taka-pahunchi-khandwa-ki-aakriti-atre-surat-ka-pragati-group-apana-raha-unake-dijaina-3707 · **Language:** English **Tags:** Saree Designer, Aakriti Atre, Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh, Pragati Group, Women Entrepreneur, Nimar, Success Story Aakriti Atre, a young artist from Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, has carved out a remarkable identity through years of dedicated creative work, making the entire Nimar region swell with pride. Starting her journey in a small town, she has steadily grown onto a much larger stage and now commands recognition right across the country. ## Surat's Pragati Group Takes Her Designs to a National Audience Aakriti has spent 15 years working across multiple art disciplines, and she has now found her most powerful platform in saree designing. Her creative talent proved strong enough to attract the Pragati Group, a well-known name in Surat's textile industry, which has included her designs in its saree collection. Those designs are now printed on cotton sarees reaching markets throughout India. In the near future, several celebrities may also be seen wearing sarees that carry her work. ## The Mentor Who Set Her on This Path Aakriti credits a significant share of her success to her art mentor Baijnath Saraf, known fondly as Vashisth Sir. Under his guidance, she developed skills in painting, rangoli, mehndi, oil painting, and acrylic art. It was during this period of training that designing captured her imagination, and she decided to build her career around it. On her mentor's suggestion, she sent a few of her designs to a Surat textile group, including a black-and-white piece alongside a colourful composition. Both were selected and printed on cotton sarees that were then launched in the market. ## One Sketch That Opened a World of Recognition "I had sent just one design while sitting in a small town, and I never imagined it would bring me such wide recognition," Aakriti says. "When I see people wearing a saree that carries my design, the pride I feel is beyond words." She also holds that while money carries its own importance, the joy of having one's work genuinely acknowledged belongs in a completely different league. ## Exhibitions Across Four Cities, an Award in Bengaluru Aakriti has participated in art exhibitions in Delhi, Bhopal, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. In Bengaluru, she was honoured with the Awesome Artist Award. Beyond the exhibition circuit, she has given interviews on Akashvani and served as an anchor at multiple events and platforms. ## Ceramic Art That Crossed Continents Her reach has grown well beyond India's borders. Her ceramic artwork has already made its way to America, where there is strong demand for her designs on products such as puja thalis, shubh-labh items, and kalash. Clients in Delhi as well as abroad regularly place custom orders with her for specially crafted pieces. ## A Small Town, a Boundless Ambition Aakriti Atre's story stands as living inspiration for every young person in a small town who dares to dream on a larger scale. She has demonstrated that with sincerity, persistent effort, and the guidance of the right mentor, no goal remains out of reach. This talented daughter of Khandwa has proved that art recognises no geographical or linguistic borders. When real skill meets relentless dedication, recognition carves its own path. ## What this means for you - **Across India:** This story reassures artists in smaller cities that their talent can reach national and international markets without ever needing to relocate to a major metro. - **In Khandwa and Nimar:** Aakriti Atre's achievement is the clearest proof for young local artists that talent nurtured in a small town, with the right guidance, can earn both national and global recognition. ## Questions & Answers ### 1. Where is Aakriti Atre from? Aakriti Atre is from Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh. ### 2. How long has she been working in art? Aakriti Atre has been working across different art disciplines for 15 years. ### 3. Which group from Surat adopted her designs? Surat's well-known Pragati Group has included her designs in its saree collection. ### 4. Who is Aakriti Atre's art mentor? Her art mentor is Baijnath Saraf, known as Vashisth Sir, under whose guidance she journeyed from painting to professional designing. ### 5. What award did she receive in Bengaluru? She was honoured with the Awesome Artist Award in Bengaluru. ### 6. In which cities has she participated in art exhibitions? She has taken part in art exhibitions in Delhi, Bhopal, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. ### 7. How far has her ceramic artwork reached? Her ceramic artwork has reached America, where there is demand for her designs on products like puja thalis, shubh-labh items, and kalash. ### 8. How did she first break into the saree design industry? On her mentor's advice, she sent a black-and-white and a colourful design to a Surat textile group; both were selected and printed on cotton sarees launched in the market. ## Inspiration & Lessons Aakriti Atre's journey carries several concrete lessons that any aspiring artist or young professional can take forward: - **Find a mentor who believes in your potential:** Baijnath Saraf did more than teach technique; he pointed her toward the design industry at exactly the right moment. The right mentor can change the entire direction of a career. - **Never underestimate a small first step:** Aakriti broke into a major Surat textile group by simply sending a single design. A sincere, small effort can open doors that seem far too large from the outside. - **A wide skill set keeps new doors open:** By learning painting, rangoli, mehndi, oil painting, and acrylic art, she was already prepared to move naturally into saree designing. Diverse abilities create unexpected opportunities. - **Value recognition as much as income:** She holds that the joy of having one's work truly acknowledged is different from any financial reward. Holding onto that belief keeps creative professionals motivated through long stretches of quiet, hard work. - **Your address does not define your reach:** Working from Khandwa, a small town, she found clients in Delhi, Bengaluru, and America. Where you are does not limit how far your work can travel. --- _TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.. Machine-readable view; canonical HTML at the URL above._