BHUBANESWAR: Around 50 km from Sadeibaruniin Dhenkanal districtlies Badamuktapasi village along the highway on Kamakhyanagar-Bhuban route. Once known for its dokra craftsmen, now only three out of 25 families in the village practise the craft.

Others have either turned to driving or masonry or become farm or construction labourers to make ends meet as they could not keep their hearths burning with the poor returns that came with the craft.
Thirty-four-year-old Bikash Naik is one among them. He ekes out a living by working as a driver and farm labourer. “I am aware of the craft. I learnt it from my father, but I could not continue with it as money was not coming. Often, I had to wait months to get paid,” said Bikash with disdain. In contrast, working as a labourer gets them Rs 500 cash at the end of the day, which is the biggest lure for these craftsmen to work as labourers.
Also, many of the new generation were not inclined towards this craft. In the process, after the deaths of a craftsperson, there was nobody left in the family to carry it forward. “I have stuck to this work because I don’t know any other trade. My wife and daughter helped me out. But children of other dokra craftsmen are not keen to take up this work,” said Dhruba Padhan (58), who along with Mohan Nayak (54) and Bharata Padhan (36) are the last torchbearers of this craft at Badamuktapasi in Mathakaragola gram panchayat.
A similar situation prevails in Rayagada district’s Gatiguda village from where dokra craftsmen have migrated to southern states to earn a living. Jhato Ulaka (30) prefers to work in a milk company at Thrissur, Kerala, because he can now send back Rs 13,000 home after deducting his expenses from the Rs 15,000 he earns every month. At his workplace, he gets three meals a day and a place to stay. He has worked in Ernakulum for 2 to 3 months. “I love dokra work but left it because I could not afford to buy brass. When I go home on a short break in January, I plan to spend the time making artefacts,” said Jhato.
Similarly, Nishant Ulaka (24) from the village left for Vijaywada with his parents. The trio works at a construction site as labourers to return the Rs 30,000 they have taken from the moneylender as loan to build their house. Nishant sends back Rs 8,000 to Rs 9,000 every month home for the sustenance of his wife and three children and wants to return home fast.
Even one person from Sadeibaruni-Nabajibanpur in Dhenkanal district migrated, despite it being the crafts village. But he returned after working in Tirupati for a few months when good sense prevailed upon him. “I realised it is better to be a craftsperson and preserve our craft than to peel coconuts at a faraway place for a livelihood,” said Amar Padhan (28).