An artisan creates a silver filigree artwork in Cuttack. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 26: Laghua, a 75-year-old filigree artisan from Cuttack, has lost his sharp sight and control of fingers needed for the craft.

He has taken to selling betel in a small shop outside his house since he was bound to quit as a craftsman. His 24-year-old neighbour, another craftsman, earns his daily living by riding an autorickshaw in the city.

With neither great remuneration nor the assurance of pension, artisans of silver and gold filigree craft that has earned Cuttack its title of Silver City are leaving the profession. Many are looking forward to the silver filigree hub that the state government had promised, but it, as published in The Telegraph on June 10, has become an elusive plan due to non-availability of land.

Handloom and handicrafts minister Snehangini Chhuria today again announced that the filigree hub would come up shortly and land for the same had been identified.

But, the artisans have little faith. “We have been hearing about the hub since the past five years. But nothing has come up yet. It is becoming tough for most artisans to earn a living depending on just the filigree craft. They are bound to take up other activities. When will the government come to our rescue?” asked craftsman Ajay Dey, 32.

The state government claims that the number of craftsmen in Cuttack district is 1,216. But the artisans say there are less than 400 artisans in Cuttack city. Since most are veteran artisans and there are only a handful of youngsters in the profession, community members feel that they are staring at a bleak future.

“An artisan works very hard to create a piece of filigree artefact since it requires a great precision. But it hardly fetches Rs 300 per day, and that too, only at times when there is heavy orders,” said senior filigree craftsmen Biswanath Dey. “When artisans reach about 60, they are not in demand since the lose their sight and grip of hands. None of us know if there is a pension scheme in place for retiring artisans since our community cannot afford much education. Now, we have mostly senior craftsmen and only about 30 to 40 artisans in their 30s,” he said.

It is only the pre-Dusehrra months that keep the artisans busy when each earns a minimum of Rs 10,000 per month. They work for about two months to create the silver and gold backdrops of idols. Artisans of all ages give their “other jobs” some rest and get back to filigree carving so that they earn well enough during the festival.

A hub, as proposed by the state government, would have been the perfect saviour for the craftsmen. “At the hub there would be product sale counters, exhibitions of rare pieces and demonstration for visitors as well as training by master craftsmen for youngsters,” said the minister. She said a 20 decimal patch had been identified.

The artisans feel this would be a good initiative for their community.

“We do not have that unity among us our leader will put forward the issues to the government. We wish administration to take up our cause and all of us will help them preserve the craft,” said Ajay.