“I have not seen the inside of a school. Though my parents did their utmost to get me admitted to a school, they failed to do so. So the next thing my father did was take me along with him. He worked as a brass polisher and so did my elder brother. So I also took up the profession. After sometime, my younger brother ended up doing this work as well.

I remained under the apprenticeship of my father and brother for five years before I started working independently. Now I work at a shop in Bhabra Bazaar, where one can find a whole market that deals with brass items.

I started off with a few hundred rupees, and now after 25 years, I earn Rs5,000 per week. My brothers and I live in a house which we have rented for Rs12,000. I have two sons. One is school-going and the other is still a baby.

Back in the days when security was better in the country, many foreigners would visit our market and purchase brass items. Business was good back then as brass was very popular among foreign tourists.

However with the security situation worsening, tourists stopped coming to the country and the demand for these items dropped. Now, it’s mostly local people, who are antique collectors, who form the bulk of our buyers.

There are many diabetics who also purchase brass utensils. Their doctors tell them to use these utensils as it keeps their sugar levels normal. When we were younger, I used to hear my elders insist on using brass utensils. May be it has a medical benefit. There are many households in the city area where brass utensils are still used.

If one is a collector of antiques, they should visit our market. There are shops which have brass items that are over a century old.”

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2018