(From top) Shell jewellery and buttons on display and a worker sifts through shells at a factory. Telegraph pictures

Motihari, Aug. 2: Remember the shiny white buttons on our school shirts, the ones which would break if forced a little hard. The same one which our grandmother kept a stock of, prepared to replace the broken button with a shiny new one.

Right, the shell buttons. The fragile, round fasteners on school uniforms, stitched to the memories of most people from Bihar who wore whites to school, are set to become a part of history now.

The ancient shell jewellery industry of Mehsi village is ready to take a final bow, thanks to government apathy.

Despite the assurance by deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi to revive the sick heritage industry, which started around 1905, little has been done to boost its condition.

Amar, the convener of non-government organisation Samajik Shodh Evam Vikas Kendra, said: “This unaided industry, which once used to provide job opportunities to a large number of unemployed youths died for want of government assistance.”

Modi, while inaugurating the three-day-long Litchipuram Utsav on June 6, had said that a task force would be constituted to save the industry. He had also instructed East Champaran district magistrate Abhijit Sinha to begin necessary preparations for its revitalisation.

His promise had boosted the morale of many villagers who were totally dependent on this industry for livelihood. Now, they are losing hope as little has been done on the ground level till date.

The industry has almost come to a close, with hardly one or two per cent people engaged in carving jewellery and buttons from shells.

Alauddin Ansari, owner of a unit manufacturing shell buttons, is jobless today. His three sons have migrated to bigger cities to earn a livelihood. “I saw no hope in continuing with the unit as it generated negligible income. Financial liabilities forced me to send my sons to big cities for employment,” said Ansari.

Meanwhile, some words of assurance have come from development deputy commissioner Shashi Bhushan Tewari.

“Work has been started by the district administration to revive the industry. Soon, a final shape would be given to the project for the revival of the shell cottage industry in Champaran,” said Tewari.

Sources said Rai Saheb Bhulawan Lal, an affluent farmer, started the industry, during the days of the British Raj.

Lal first spotted shells floating in river Gandak, when he went for a holy dip near the village. He picked a few and shaped them into buttons with the help of hard stones. Then, he wore them on his shirt.

At that time, the shell-button industry had already come in prominence and was fully developed in Japan. Hence, Rai rushed to Japan to learn the technology and bring it to Mehsi.

Technological development till the 1980s led to expansion of the industry and it provided employment to around 40 per cent youths in the neighbourhood. The industry produced other jewellery as well.