Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dastkari Haat Samiti
Tambats in Pune
The art of beaten copper work in Pune, Maharashtra, is located in an old part of the city called Shitolewada. This locality contains the world in which copper craft survives successfully. All metal workers are traditionally called Twashta Kasars, and the sub-community working here for the past 400 years, who work mostly with copper and some brass, are locally called tambats.
Copper Craft: Finishing (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The typical identity of the copper workers of Pune is mathar kaam, beaten design work executed by hand, resulting in concentric circles on all their vessels.
Copper craft: The workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The effort, the shine, the patterns and the buzzing in this active community demonstrates how well traditional and contemporary customers and support keep this important craft alive and in demand.
Balachandra Kadu
Balachandra Kadu is a well-established and respected copper craftsman who learned to make the typical water heater which is much in demand here. He trained with his father and extended his reach by setting up his own workshop and practice. He specializes in making collapsible dies around which the copper sheet is wrapped.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
He has eight workers in his core team, and forty consulting experts. He trains people from outside his own community as well.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Most of the people in Balachandra's workshop have been with him for a long time and have been personally trained by him.
Copper craft: Product development in the workshop (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Balachandra Kadu is an expert in processes and products, and in making new dies and moulds.
Copper craft: Collectable in the workshop (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
He has a keen interest in antique designs which are often gifted by others who know of his talent.
Copper craft: Product development in the workshop (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
He has added a research and design section to his workplace.
Copper craft: Product development in the workshop (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The traditional products in the workshop help in new product development.
Copper craft: Product development in the workshop (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Small flasks and lamps are some of the contemporary products that the workshop has designed and developed.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Ishwar Karade
Ishwar “Dada” Karade specializes in delicate objects like miniature sized sets of kitchen utensils and shapes made out of fine wire. He works with three or four people and produces various products inside his workshop. He is also an expert at shaping objects completely by hand.
Miniature water heater and bucket at Dada's workshop.
Copper craft: The workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
He uses thin wires to make finer products.
Copper craft: The workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
He makes his miniature utensils using copper pipes.
Copper craft: Design Development (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
An expert at shaping objects by hand, his design development process for three dimensional products starts with paper cutouts, standard sizes and then forming it by hand.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The Kharavlikar Family
Sharad Kharavlikar and his two sons, Sandeep and Praveen run a business where they make a mix of traditional and contemporary items.
Sharad Kharavlikar is happy to train his little granddaughter in the family-run business.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
His sons work with him and have their separate establishments as well.
Copper craft: Stock keeping area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Their workshop has a stock keeping area, with ready to sell copper products.
Copper Craft: The workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The ever-present sound of a coppersmith's street.
Copper craft: Master craftsmen stories (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The workshop also has a family corner with miniature vessels, complete with a stove and a gas cylinder.
Copper craft: Open workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
They make around fifty water heaters a week.
Copper craft: Open workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Their work has to be collective and collaborative to meet with the high demand.
Copper craft: Open workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The high demand for water heaters is interesting considering the days of electric geysers to heat water came long ago.
Copper craft: Open workshop area (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
These workspaces suited to collective activity were established by the Peshwas with much forethought, and are called 'bakhal'.
Raja Nizampurkar and Ashok Dakave
Within this vast community of copper workers, two gentlemen, Raja Nizampurkar and Ashok Dakave, work together to make brass tea kettles. Brass is the preferred material for kettles since cooking or storing food in copper is not advisable. The kettles that these craftsmen make caters to all the tea shops in the locality.
Copper craft: Making of the tea pot (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
There are over a hundred tea shops in the locality. They all use brass tea kettles from here.
Copper Craft: Welding (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
These brass kettles are made in three parts and the welding is also done using brass. No other material is used.
The tea made in these kettles is said to be exceedingly sweet and tasty.
Copper craft: Start to end process (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Read more about Pune's Copper Craft here:
- Pune’s Community of Copper Workers
- Copper artifacts: Old and New
Text: Jaya Jaitly
Photography: Suleiman Merchant
Artisans: Balachandra Kadu, Ishwar Karade, Sharad Kharavlikar, Manoj Photfode, Ganesh Wadke, Arun Patil, Mahesh Nizampurkar,Ganesh Photfode, Uday Kavale, Sunil Kharavlikar, Satish Nizampurkar, Chandrashekar Salvi, Ganesh Karade, Ajit Pimple, Bharat Nizampurkar, Sunil Wadke, Pravin Kharavilkar and Sandeep Kharavilkar and fellow craftsmen.
Ground Facilitator: Jui Tawade
Documentary Video: Suleiman Merchant
Curation: Ruchira Verma
