"DOKRA" - The Metal Marvel!

I have been introduced to dokra since my girlhood days. Thanks to my mother who always preferred traditional things over modern styling. I often saw her wearing simple pieces of dokra jewellery to her school. The inquisitive me asked her once about all the hype she had over the wide range of dokra art pieces and jewelleries that she collected and kept in the house. She mostly bought them from a bengali sovereign shop in Kolkata named Manjusha and from Shantiniketan. “These are dokra art pieces, an old traditional art work of Bengal, classy things to preserve.” I was told by her. For me it was just some similar looking golden textured stuff well known to my eyes. Little did I know what dokra is and its real value in the world back then.

Now that I know a little more about dokras I would love to share some facts with you all!

Jewelleries made of "dokra"

A little about “Dokra”.

Dokra is basically a metal made up of an alloy of brass, zinc and nickel.

The term “dokra” has been named after the "Dokra Damar Tribes" of West Bengal, who are the traditional metal smiths responsible to still keep this art form alive.

Gradually the tribes migrated from Bengal and Odisha to other regions of India such as Chattisgarh, Jharkhand and even Kerala and Rajasthan.

Although dokra metal craft is made by a lot of tribal communities all over India now, the tribal belt of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Chattisgarh are major dokra craft makers.

Bastar region of Chattisgarh is also known to be the center for Dokra crafts.

This art form is a style of non-ferrous metal casting which follows the lost-wax casting technique, also known as the "Cire Perdue" in French. It is a casting style which has been in use since 4000 years and is still in use. This artistry was well practiced in ancient civilizations like the Mohenjo Daro civilization, Harappan civilization, Egyptian civilization and also in parts of Rome.

Did you know the famous figurine of the “dancing girl of Mohenjo Daro” was made up of dokra?

Dokra motifs of earlier times essentially depict the simplicity of tribal culture and folk life. Since it lingered around the tribal culture, it reflected the figures of fishes, goddesses, elephants, boats, musicians, drummers, dancers, day to day tribal activities and so on. One such example is the infamous statue of the “dancing girl of Mohenjo Daro” from the Indus Valley civilization.

Statue of goddess Saraswati made of dokra

The Making of “Dokra”!

The making of dokra art is a tedious process. The metal smiths have to rely extensively upon natural resources like bee wax, resin, firewood from the forest, clay from the riverbed and an oven by digging the ground.

A final product of dokra requires execution of thirteen steps.

The base modelling is done in bee wax and then moulded with clay. After the clay mould dries up it is de-waxed and then the molten metal is poured into the mould. The metal takes the shape of the mould and gradually solidifies. Upon solidification the clay mould is broken and the metal is given a finishing touch by painting its surface. The golden, rusted dokra piece is thus ready to reach out to us!

Show piece of a hand rickshaw made of dokra

What I like about “Dokra”!

Artefacts related to history or traditional art forms attract me big time!

Apart from having a nostalgic attachment with this art form, the fact which is very eye-catching about dokra is their intricacy! Such fine lines, designs and patterns will definitely make you praise the meticulous handwork of the craftsmen. The rusted golden texture gives it a classy look. Furthermore, the contemporary presentation of dokra these days even after following the “of yore” methodology is incredible!

But for me the real beauty is the imperfect lines which lay on the surface of the metal.

“Dokra” today!

India has been the top market for making brass for thousands of years now.

And dokra Art is still used to craft artefacts, jewelleries, accessories, utensils, showpieces etc.

Even after facing a lot of adverse living conditions nothing could stop the passion and emotions of these dokra craftsmen to make dokra crafts. And today it is because of them that dokra art is still living. The rapid advent of modernization has wobbled the very roots of ancient and traditional art forms. But dokra found its way to survive and with time has emerged as a fine testimony to other art forms. It has definitely walked the path of modernization but holding tight to its traditional roots. We can say that dokra is a traditional, ethnic art form yet presented in contemporary styles.

With growing time, the product range has also expanded from normal motifs of goddess and tribal figures to jewelleries, show pieces, combs, lampshades, wall hangings, ashtrays, bowls, hangers, pens and what not!

Meet this lady on your right. She is a well known dokra artist from Bankura district of West Bengal.

Although this art form is much in demand both in India and abroad in cities like London, Paris, Milan, yet it is facing a significant decline. The steady increase in the cost of raw materials makes the end products way too expensive to attract enough buyers and hence is eventually decreasing the interest of the artisans.

It is "us" who can re-bring our ancient art into limelight and prevent it from disappearing. It is "we" who can cherish our ancient culture by supporting these craftsmen who work day and night to not only keep their profession by heredity going but also to keep this ancient art form alive!

If they can be so sensitive towards our ancient art and culture, then why can’t we?

PS: The pictures of the show pieces, wall hanging, lampshade and jewelleries you see in this post are clicked from my mother's collection at home.

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THANKS FOR READING! :)

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