Khandapada: Once known for its intricate craftsmanship and cultural significance, the traditional brass and bronze utensil-making industry at Kantilo in Nayagarh district is now on the verge of collapse.
Artisans put the blame on government administration for continuous neglect, lack of availability of raw materials, and falling market demand for pushing the centuries-old craft into crisis. Rise of stainless steel and aluminium utensils, and insufficient access to modern techniques, has further added the instability.
Nestled along the river banks of the Mahanadi, and surrounded by lush green forest, a sacred site of Jagannath culture and ancient Nilamadhava Temple, Kantilo is known as a centre of traditional metal craft.
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Many artisans, unable to make a living out of the craft, are abandoning their tools. The lack of market demand has made their work economically unviable, forcing migration to other regions for alternative employment.
Artisans from Kantilo and neighbouring areas, including Sharanakula, Khalisahi, Itamati, Sunakhala, from Balakati in Khuda, Bhattimunda in Cuttack, Bhuban, Indupur, Oukhama and Bindhania in Dhenkanal district are now displaced. Uncertainty looms over their younger generation as the state government has failed to initiate any substantial efforts for their welfare or upliftment.
Despite lofty announcements, neither the district administration nor the state government has taken meaningful steps to revive the cultural heritage. Though the state’s handicrafts department claims to be working on preservation, insiders suggest the efforts lack sincerity and execution.
Government-funded training schemes and modernisation programmes have yielded very little result. Crores of rupees have been sanctioned for training under various initiatives. Most have failed to translate into sustainable livelihoods. Youths receive stipends during the training period, but due to lack of post-training employment support, the schemes often end on paper.
A production and training centre for brass, bronze and woodcraft was established in Kantilo, at a cost of Rs5 crore in public-private partnership mode, supported by the central government’s Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). Though the construction and infrastructure was completed nearly four years ago, the unit remains non-functional due to the lack of a qualified master craftsman.
Nikhil Utkal Kansari Samaj president Akhil Kumar Moharana, cluster president Dandapani Sahu, and Odisha Vikash Parishad (handicrafts) general councilor Pabitra Kumar Moharana from Nayagarh, expressed frustration over the situation, calling for transparency and accountability in the disbursement of government funds meant for artisan welfare.
Unless immediate action is taken to ensure that allocated funds reach the intended beneficiaries, government schemes will remain ineffective and Odisha’s ancient craft tradition may disappear entirely, they warned.
PNN
