How a 4,000-Year-Old Craft Found New Life in Rural Odisha

“Today, customers come directly to our village looking for our work. Earlier, we never imagined that would happen,” says Basanta Majhi, carefully polishing a Dhokra figurine inside Nuagaon village in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

The room smells of clay, molten metal, and smoke. Around him lie wax moulds, unfinished artefacts, and tools that have travelled through generations of artisan families.

For Basanta, Dhokra is not simply craftwork. It is inheritance.

His family, like many others in the village, has practiced the ancient metal casting tradition for decades. Every piece is handmade using the lost-wax technique, a process believed to date back nearly 4,000 years to the Indus Valley Civilization.

Yet for all its history and beauty, the craft had quietly begun losing ground.

Raw materials were expensive. Market access was limited. Orders were inconsistent. Younger generations were beginning to question whether the craft could truly support a future.

In villages like Nuagaon and Nabajeevanpur, artisans continued working with immense skill and patience, but often without the infrastructure, visibility, or market connections needed to grow sustainably.

This is where the Samriddhi initiative by TPCODL, under Tata Power’s flagship Anokha Dhaaga programme, began engaging with Dhokra artisan communities in Dhenkanal.

The approach was simple. Listen first.

Through discussions with artisans, local institutions, and community stakeholders, the initiative focused on understanding the everyday challenges surrounding the craft, not just the craft itself.

For some artisans, the issue was access to raw materials.

For others, it was outdated tools, lack of exposure to changing market preferences, or unreliable electricity slowing down production.

Over time, support began taking shape around these realities.

Training programmes introduced artisans to design development, jali work, fine detailing, and market-oriented products while preserving the originality of the craft. Modern equipment such as welding and cutting machines helped reduce production time and improve efficiency.

A raw material bank within the village reduced delays and transportation costs.

Participation in exhibitions and buyer-seller meets opened doors to larger markets and greater visibility.

And slowly, the village ecosystem around the artisans began evolving too.

At the centre of the village now stands the Samriddhi Mud House, a solarised community space that functions as a common workspace, meeting area, product display centre, and learning space for children.

It is practical. But it is also symbolic.

A place built around the idea that traditional communities deserve infrastructure designed with dignity, culture, and local identity at its core.

“With the solar lights and better equipment, we can work more comfortably and safely even during longer hours,” Basanta says. “Earlier, many things were difficult. Now work feels more organised.”

The changes have extended beyond production.

Children who had discontinued schooling have returned to classrooms. Health and eye check-up camps have improved awareness around wellbeing. Community groups have become more involved in managing finances, production planning, and collective growth.

Most importantly, artisans are beginning to feel recognised for the value of their work.

Not as relics of the past.

But as creators shaping the future of a living tradition.

Walk through Dhenkanal’s artisan villages today and you will still find the same patience that Dhokra demands.

Hands shaping wax by firelight.

Metal taking form slowly.

Stories becoming sculpture.

But alongside tradition, there is now renewed momentum.

Average monthly incomes have increased. More customers are visiting the clusters directly. Artisans are finding wider markets for their work. Younger family members are beginning to see possibility in continuing the craft.

For Basanta, that shift means everything.

“Today, we feel proud that our ancestral craft is receiving new life and better opportunities for future generations,” he says. “This support has strengthened not only our livelihoods, but also our confidence in continuing our tradition.”