BY PRASANTA KU. DASH
Bhubaneswar, March 3: Dhokra or brass-bell-metal craft which was almost confined to the Dokra community, commonly nomenclatured as the ‘Sitharas’/ Dhokras in ancient days, has now spread across generations.
Dokra art is yet a means of livelihood for some homemaker-women that’s shaping the traditional workmanship as a viable cottage industry in rural suburbs across Odisha heading a tough competition among the occasional items amid rampaging advent of lusturous metalwares, readily overflow in the market.
The almost forgotten dokra art & its illustrious hand-moulded products were considered absolutely extinct. Due to the steel, chromium, nickel, and aluminium and duralium-like shiny metals’ dominant presence in the domains of household market, the traditional moulding-art was vanished from the society. However, the bell-metal artefacts yet live unhurt for some women enthusiansts. The strainous efforts of some women Self Help Group (SHG) have conserved the traditionally handed-down metalcraft, as a prime source of livelyhood. It was obivious from the Subhadra Shakti Mela recently concluded in Odisha’s Capital City Bhubaneswar.
With carrying away the ancient art with captive innovation, one women Producer Group(PG) from the Dhenkanal district identied as ‘Tulasi SHG’, has excelled in crafting Dokra products and selling them out in the local and national markets.
A developed workshop located at the Nabajibanpur village near the Saptasajya has now been an elaborate laboratory to carry forward the ancient craft in a modern format. Dokra products in tonnage are exported to the cornors across the state while some customized docra products on demand are ported to different metro-cities and abroad by the women SHG comprising as many as 35 homemaker women.
The signature of docra products in the state-level Subhadra Shakti Mela, was an unprecedented opportunity for the denizens whrein thousands of dokra products were showcased in a stall for exhibition-cum-sale. The diversities of intrinsic metalcrafts, based on antiquity, occasions and festivities of Odia culture, showcased here was catching the eyeballs of visitors. As a result, the Tulasi SHG stall was one of the best-sellers in the 9-day long fair.
Dhaneswar Biswal, a customer who was collecting some marriage-essentials for his daughter from the stall said, “ Dokra craft is the only option before a bride’s parents to fulfil the customary demands of the groom’s family.”
It may be a jagara, a dhupa dani or Savitree-Brata essentials, these are all complied with, during a daugher’s knot ceremony which are considered very basic and sacred in a Hindu marriage, Biswal added.
Lili Behera, one of the women entrepreneurs and custodian of the docra-craft stall said, the Subhadra Shakti Mela brought abundant success for the SHG. Its sales in the mela surpassed Rs 1,50,000 bartering some selected products including Mana Basa Mana(measuring pot), elephant for Margasira brata, Jagar(sacred lamp), kumpi(kitty bank) and replica of turtle.
Underlining the viability of the project Lili Behera , a member of the Producer Group said, she makes at least Rs 30,000 per month from this traditional metalcraft, so the members. However, she said that the business could be yet expanded if the government provides a permanent and dedicated market-space for the dokra craftsmen in the block and disctrict-level.
