traditional tools used for making utensils from Bell metal.
Giving shape to the utensils...
polishing.....
ready to find customers.....
"रोटी-के-लिए" ..... this old man at late 80s .... working for survival.....
I had a visit to a village near Bargarh, Orissa last Month to see some handloom weavers place. During the same visit I came across another village of "Bell metal workers" ('kansaa' in Oriya)
There was time when bell metal utensils were used for dining in average oriya households and the makers also used to get their livelihood from it.
Now the usage of bell metal has come down to the limit of traditional functions, marriages etc, taking away livelihood from thousands of families across the state.
As per an old man from the village, they used to get Rs.15 per Kg of metal work (after a lot of hard work. You can get an glimpse of their hard work from the pictures above) and now, they are even not getting that amount. As this is a traditional occupation and they do not have skills in other sectors, they are forced to be there and continue their struggle in the hope of getting some Govt. help.
Most of the kids are also drop outs, waiting for a worst future. Almost 60% of the village bell metal units have shut their business down because of huge losses, says an old man who continues work in his late 80s....
Hope, the sector gets a look from the Govt. and NGOs, giving them right direction which can take this great work to a new height.
My primary ideas suggest an immediate design upgradation and making the bell metal usefull for multi purpose, so that it can find a place in the day to day life of people.
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