Metal artisans of Chamba struggle to sustain livelihood

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 5

Metal artisans of Chamba, who are famous for making bronze idols and artefacts, have been hit badly due to the pandemic. They have been without work since March 2020 when the first Covid lockdown was imposed.

The family of Rajesh Anand has been in business of making and selling bronze artefacts of Chamba for many generations. While talking to The Tribune, Rajesh said he had been supporting families of 10 bronze artisans for the past one year. However, it has become difficult to do so now, he said. “There has been no business for the past one year. I have been depending on my savings to keep the business alive since 2020. Now, we are not getting even the raw material for making idols. So, it will be difficult for me to even sustain my artisans,” he said.

Rajesh Anand said bronze artisans of Chamba had been making bronze artefacts for centuries. Some of the artefacts like ‘Chamba thal’ are world famous. “Before the lockdown, we were getting orders for ‘Chamba thal’ from even foreign countries. Chamba artisans also make idols and musical instruments of bronze. The government should make some efforts to save these artisans,” he said.

Bittu, a bronze artisan from Chamba, said, “Our younger generation is already not interested in taking this art forward as the returns in the profession are not that rewarding. Just a few families have been left in Chamba that are carrying forward the art. The pandemic has sounded a death knell for the art, unless the government comes forward to protect it,” he said.

Artisans demanded that at a time when no one was purchasing their products, the government could purchase these to give these as gifts to VIPs coming to the state. The government can also help by asking corporate houses to buy some bronze artefacts so that artisans can sustain themselves, they said. They also urged the state government to help them sell their products online.

The tradition of bronze casting was introduced in Chamba by Kashmiri artisans.