Dhanbad. The historic Sona Patti Mandi located in Jharia, Dhanbad, which was once counted among the largest gold and silver jewelery markets of Eastern India, is today facing the crisis of its existence. In this 50 years old business strip, there used to be jewelery artisans living in every street. But now that old charm is missing. The increasing demand for readymade jewelery in the market has caused a deep blow to the livelihood of local artisans.
Once around 500 jewelery artisans used to work in the gold belt of Jharia. Customers from Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand used to come here and get special designed rings, chains, bracelets etc. made as per their requirement. The artisans were so busy that customers had to wait for 4 to 5 days. But today the picture has completely changed. This number of artisans has reduced to only around 50.
Shopkeeper Ankit Bhojpuria says that now customers are getting more attracted towards readymade and designer jewellery, which are procured directly from Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Kolkata. The biggest feature of these ready made jewelery is the instant availability, where there is no hassle of waiting and no round of discussion on the design. This is directly affecting the local artisans.
The number of customers is decreasing
Artisan Rahul Modak says that earlier he had no shortage of work. It takes three to four days to make a gold earring or bracelet. For making a pair of earrings, we charge around Rs 5000 or keep around 5 grams of gold in cut form. But now the number of customers is continuously decreasing.
Artisan Bhola, who has been making silver jewelery for about 40 years, says that earlier customers used to stand in queues. Learned this work from my grandfather. They charge Rs 400 for a silver ring and Rs 300 for inserting a stone in it. But now we sit with folded hands. Only minimal work is left.
The market situation can be gauged from the fact that even today 60 to 80 jewelery shops are present in the gold belt of Jharia, but most of them are now shifting towards Dhanbad city. Traders say that now there are less customers in Jharia, whereas in Dhanbad there is more crowd and better purchasing power.
With changing times, many artisans are forced to work as laborers or work in big jewelery companies in places like Mumbai, Surat, Hyderabad. Their children have also stopped showing interest in this profession.
will be included in history
Local people and traders believe that if the artisans get modern technology, training and market support, then this art can shine again. Otherwise this traditional heritage of Jharia will remain just a name in history. Jharia gold belt, which once glittered with gold, is today fighting to save its existence in this era of change.
