Four Generations Strong - The Heirloom Of Traditional Brass Handicraft Art In Goa

Hinduism is an overwhelming religion. Along with 33 crore gods, there are numerous customs and traditions that require the use of various metal articles since time immemorial. These articles are specially designed for religious uses only, and a couple of them are found in every Hindu household and temples. Professional artisans make these articles and sell them. We happened to come across Anand, who is a professional in making pooja articles and idols of deities as well.

Anand’s family is into this business since the time of their great grandfather. He says that his great grandfather’s house was situated next to a household that was into the business of making pooja articles. One time, he was unemployed and ran out of money. The head of that house was a good friend of his great grandfather and offered to employ him as a labourer. He was a deeply religious man, his dedication led him to be a skilled artisan and he decided to start his own business.

Anand’s grandfather carried on with the same business and so did his father. Anand was very interested in the family business and observed his father's work when he was young and then started helping his father at the age of 12. He completely took over the profession after his father passed away 8 years ago. He is 46 years old and holds a B.Com degree.

Anand manufactures and deals with various kinds of articles like kalash (water pot), samai (lamp), murti (idols), prabhaval, kasatal, ghaat (bells) etc. that are made of brass, copper and aluminium. These are items mostly required in temples. Although, they are more specialised in brass work.

The process of making the articles starts with procuring brass from stockists in Merces and Margao. The further stages involve moulding, grinding and turning. The articles also require hand finishing, threading, hand carving and polishing. Parts of some articles may be made separately and assembled later. The tools used in this process include dyes and moulds which are prepared by them. They use wooden, aluminium and fibre moulds.

The time span required to make the articles differ with regards to the types of articles. A 5 foot long samai takes a month to be prepared. They also manufacture bigger samais (14 feet) that take 6 months and weighs 700 kgs. Pricing of their products also differs on some factors. A samai of 8 to 11 inches costs about Rs. 800 to Rs. 850. Samais of above 11 inches starts from Rs. 1,000 and can go up to Rs. 50,000. They make murtis (idols) that start at Rs. 400 and range up to Rs. 2 lakhs. This is based on design, size, intricacy of the art work and materials used for preparation.

They sell their products to temples in bulk, and also export all over India. Besides, they also have articles on sale in their own shop. Anand resides in North Goa with his family consisting of his wife, son and mother.

At present, he has 4 labourers working for him, which is less than the number required since there is a shortage of people who work for this industry. Nevertheless, he is doing well in this profession and has no dependency on any other source of income. The items he manufactures are inevitable needs of Hindu households and temples. This factor, along with sheer dedication and passion is what has made the business lasting for 4 generations.