Bidri Crafts, Hyderabad

If one were to believe the craftsmen themselves, they say that the art originated in Iran seven centuries ago. It was brought down by migrants. Zealously guarded by its practitioners, the art has successfully expressed the experiences of the Sufis, the aesthetic values of the Moghuls and the yearning of warriors to decorate their ornaments of valour-swords, daggers, lances and shields. Today, Bidri has been aptly contemporarised producing cufflinks, name plates and more. But always retaining the old grandeur that won the heart of many a king, warrior, scholar and commoner.

Broadly speaking, there are four main stages in the manufacture of Bidri They are (i) casting (ii) engraving (iii) inlaying and (iv) oxidising. The articles are cast with the help of moulds of red clay into which the molten solution of copper and zinc prepared in the ratio of 1: 16 is poured. The surface of the rough cast of the articles is filed and smoothened with sand paper and then rubbed with a solution of copper sulphate to impart a dark surface to provide a suitable base for the next stage of tracing the design and engraving. The designs are traced by hand, by the craftsmen with the help of chisels. Next, pure silver wire or sheet (gold in rare cases) is hammered into the grooves of the design and the surface smoothened with the help of sand paper and files or with the help of a buffing machine. In the ultimate interesting stage, the articles are heated gently and treated with a solution of sal-ammoniac and earth taken from old fort buildings which has the effect of making the entire surface turn jet black providing a distinct contrast to the shining silver inlay. It is this contrast that lends Bidri a uniqueness that no other metalware could possibly claim. Finally, oil is rubbed on the piece to deepen the black matt coating.

Bronze Castings

This is how the craftsmen set about creating masterpieces from bronze in ancient India What is also interesting is the guidance that was sought from nature for modelling icons - eyebrows were modelled after neem leaf or fish; nose, the sesume flower, the upper lip, a bow; chin, a mango stone; neck, the conch shell and so on.

In solid casting of icons, the mould is made by giving several clay coatings on a prepared wax model, but with a different clay each time.These convey the contours of the model to the cast-image and are, therefore, important. The molten alloy is then poured in a thin and even stream into the mould. When the mould is broken, care is taken to see that the head of the icon is out first as a good omen.

Budithi Brassware

Usually made of brass, the objects have patterns that are geometric, with straight lines and curves forming simple and striking presentations. Floral patterns abound too.