Lalbazar is becoming the hub for dokra metalcraft

Subject: Art and Culture

Bengal village Lalbazar basks in the glory of an ancient metalcraft.
Nestled in the forests with a population of not even a hundred people, Lalbazar was a nondescript village until not too long ago.
Today it’s not only an art hub but also moving towards becoming a centre for dokra, a metalcraft popular in Bengal, all thanks to a Kolkata artist who made the place his second home four years ago.
Lalbazar – The tiny village of Lalbazar, surrounded by forests, sits close to the State’s border with Jharkhand, and has a population of some 80 people.
Also known as Khwabgaon — or dream village, a name given to it by art lovers — it is located 4 km from Jhargram, the nearest town and their window to the world

Dhokra metal craft

Dhokra sculptures, a type of folk art, is a non–ferrous metal casting technique also known as Lost-wax process.
Dhokra is an alloy of brass, nickel and zinc which gives an antique look.
The oldest specimen using such technique was during Harappan Period (famous Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro).
Dhokra Damar tribes are the traditional metalsmiths of West Bengal and Odisha. Their technique of lost wax casting is named after their tribe, hence Dhokra metal casting.
Dhokra Tradition is practised in the following states: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Nagaland (Konyak Naga Tribe).
Its motifs are mostly drawn from folk culture which includes animal figures like elephant, horse, gods and goddesses, containers with lids, lamp and lamp stands, intricate designs in shape of trees and branches.

Recent changes in the craft:

Beeswax, which was one of the primary inputs, is not used any more, since it is far more expensive and no longer easy to procure.
The traditional animal figurines — horses, elephants, camels and so on — are slowly being replaced by more functional things such as paperweights, pen holders etc.

Lost Wax technique

Lost-wax process or the cire-perdue is a method of metal casting in which a molten metal is poured into a mould that has been created by means of a wax model.
Once the mould is made, the wax model is melted and drained away. A hollow core is then filled with molten metal which takes the shape of the mould.