Delhi-based team comes to rescue of Thathera community

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 13

The traditional art of making copper and brass utensils by the Thathera community of Jandiala Guru in Punjab will be publicised at the international level.

This was revealed by a team comprising Dolly Singh, Kirti Goel and others, who belon to Delhi-based Sri Ram College and the United Sikh Organisation.

The team visited the office of Deputy Commissioner here today. This craft has already found a place under the project “UNESCO Intangible Culture Heritage List”.

Kirti Goel said their initiative was to recognise the Jandiala-based Thathera community’s craft of making utensils. She said such utensils were of both utilitarian and ritualistic value as they were made of copper, brass and kansa (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin).

Deputy Commissioner (DC) KS Sangha assured the UNESCO representatives of all assistance in the project. “It is pride for us that our local art will prosper with initiatives of this team. On our part, we will try to raise the Thathera community’s standard of living. Apart from traditional utensils, they will be encouraged to make utensils that can be used in modern era too.”

“Later on, the hotel industry can be roped in to place order for utensils they require. Though there are just a handful of people, who have been into this profession, but efforts can be made so that their coming generation should continue with it,” he added.

The Thatheras will get publicity
People of this community make and polish utensils with traditional material like sand and tamarind juice  manually. They carve designs by skilfully hammering a series of tiny dents into the heated metal.