Other States - Orissa   

Bell metal craft cries for attention

BHUBANESWAR: If Kantilo happened to be a household name in the Orissa for centuries, it was more for its famous bell metal utensils than the temple of Nilamadhab. But, prolonged apathy towards its once-rich-and-famous artisans has left the crafts in lurch that ruled Orissa’s utensils market for centuries.

Kantilo’s utensils are unique for its making in the heat-and-beat process and it is considered a must for application of ayurvedic treatment apart from its use in ritualistic activities besides being household materials, explained septuagenarian artisan Dandapani Sahoo who has been consolidating the artisans’ community to launch a stir against the government soon.

For nearly half of the 16,000 population of Kantilo grampanchayat on the banks of Mahanadi river, bell-metal craft was their only source of livelihood. But with introduction of cheap aluminium and steel products about four decades ago, its meticulously crafted utensils were marginalised, observed former president of the Kansari Samaj (an umbrella organisation of the bell metal artisans) Nakul Sahoo. For nearly eight months in a year, artisans go without adequate work and income these days, he said and added that working under hazardous conditions of being exposed to heat and dust, many have been suffering from serious aliments.

Prolonged apathy of the government has further ruined the prospects of the craft, lamented Kansari Samaj secretary Srimati Moharana.

"We do not get the required raw materials and there is little governmental incentive and intervention for skill up gradation of the artisans. How can we survive in an ancient trade in this age of globalisation without proper marketing strategy?" she asked.

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