Dhokra artisans are complaining that the new GST regime is difficult to follow and has cut down their sales by at least half.
About:
Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique.
This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used.
The oldest specimen using it is the 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.
In May 2018, Dhokra craft from West Bengal was presented with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
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.
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