Tales of Tambat
The heritage copper vessels craft of Pune
Place
Pune, India
Duration
1 months
Project Type
NID Coursework (Sem 4)
Project Outcome
Printed
Team
Anuja Thanawala
Azba Khan
Kavita Varrier
India is a land of many crafts and cultures, some of them sadly on the brink of extinction. There are few families and counted members who are carrying their tradition forward. Documenting the crafts in their pure state from the first hand sources can be a valuable resource for the future. Documentation also helps to find solutions and scope of modification close to the aesthetic value of the craft.
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The National Institute of Design strongly believes that each designer should be sensitised to the rich culture of our country. The Craft Documentation and Research module was thus introduced for the students in the fourth semester of their Master in Design. The study helps students understand the origin of craft, people, rituals, lifestyle and stories of the region and craft itself. This data collection helps students empathise with people and develop sensitivity towards artisans and society in general.The outcome of this module is to publish a written documentation of the craft studied.
Our team chose to research and document the Tambat Kaam/ copper-ware craft of Pune. The field research involved interviewing different people, getting to know their stories, process of the craft and materials used; thus also understanding the change the craft has undergone over the years. Research was also done by visiting Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum and Mahatma Phule Museum in Pune city, reading reference books and other forms of digital archives. All the observations and findings were documented and published in the form of a book. The information compiled in the book adheres to the guidelines set by the National Institute of Design.
TAMBAT / Copperware
The name ‘Tambat’/ Copper-ware comes from the Marathi word ‘Tamba’ for the metal ‘Copper’. This group of tambatkars came into recognition 400 years ago during the reign of the Peshwa in Pune. Originally, from the Konkan region they were a part of an old social system known as the ‘Bara Balutedars’ and their role was to fulfil the religious, economic and military needs of the Peshwa Kingdom. Right from copper coins and coronation paraphernalia to military weapons, they served the royal family incessantly. Today, their role has changed to making copper utensils of daily use or religious objects and other copper ware like pots and show pieces. Continuing this age old tradition now is a small bunch of artisans in the heart of Pune city who make these objects by hand and decorate with a typical mosaic beaten metal technique called ‘Mathaarkaam’. We witnessed the 7th generation of tambatkars/ copper artisans and documented a detailed study of the history of this craft, its people and their place of work.
Pune is the most important place for Tambat/ copperware craft in Maharashtra. They achieved this status initially as a direct results of Peshwa patronage and later because of the introduction of railways during the British occupation and thus the need for copper utensils through trade. The tambat artisans had settled in the heart of Kasba Peth in an area named the Bakhal which was a government owned land. Over time, this become the designated place for the artisans to practice their craft.
Pune developed slowly and transformed into a metropolis in the mid-80’s. In the middle of this developing metropolitan city the noise of metal forming started raising concerns among the other residents of the area. Thoughts about relocating the community started surfacing, giving rise to questions as to where should the community be shifted. Eventually, after deliberation the Municipal Corporation of Pune finally transferred the possession of the Bakhal to the tambat artisans, in order to retain the identity of the community and their locale.
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Today the Tambat/ copper-ware artisans in Pune are distributed in two main clusters namely the Tambat Aali and Bakhal which are located in close proximity on either side of a curving road.
There were eight hundred households actively involved in the copper craft running approximately a hundred and ten copper craft workshops. By 1993, the numbers dwindled to hundreds and fifty families running workshops. Two years ago there were sixty families involved in the trade. Currently, there are only eight to ten families whose livelihood depends directly on the tambat craft.
Copper craft relies on a number of factors. The principal raw materials include copper and an alloy of copper. Copper can be bought in the form of sheets from the market or else, as ingots, slabs, billets and scrap. Chemicals such as sulphur and other acids also form a part of the required raw material. The increasing price of raw material is one of the biggest deterrents for the tambat craft community. Marwadi businesses have a stronghold on the copper trade. They have the wherewithal to build factories where large utensils can be made by machines. The traditional craft process uses manual shaping and beating. Each step has to be done by hand and it takes a long time. The coppersmiths of Tambat Aali cannot make these large utensils. Their specialisation however cannot be achieved by a machine and the copper smiths are needed to beat the strength into these utensils. The tamba craftsmen in Pune have begun standardising certain objects in order to speed up production. Mechanisation is used for the spinning and press work. There are various sizes and shapes that can be achieved in this process. However, large and complex items cannot be machine produced.
Apart from mechanisation and mass production, steel, aluminium and plastic utensils and objects have begun rising in popularity. The copper artisans specialise in producing small copper utensils but have not expanded their range. The world today is interested in copper goods but veers aways from the traditional. All these factors have led to a decline in skilled labor, from within the tambat community, with the younger generation shunning the craft assiduously tended by their forefathers.
The Tambat/ copperware community is an ever diminishing group of artisans who are old in age. This loss of productivity and zeal is borne by the craft community. The rising standards of finish and machine-made symmetry has outgrown the hand done perfection. The introduction of machines and other means to achieve the finishes on copper have crept the markets. Such high competition has left the Tambats/ copperware artisans lagging, but not losing. The younger generation of Tambats/ copperware artisans are not directly motivated to pursue the craft but their ideas of expansion and business in a digitally connected world is being put to use. We see such ideas shine in the younger minds while talking about other means to take Tambats/ copperware craft forward using machinery, digital media and social platforms. A spring of business mindset and better quality of life for the Tambats/ copperware artisans is a view of the upcoming generation. Platforms such as Coppre and INTACH are taking the craft to an international platform, showcasing the intricate craft to the world and experimenting with copper as a sustainable material in many directions. The health benefits of copper and the sudden boom in the usage of its products has been a definite shift for the Tambats/ copperware artisans. This and many aspects about the culture of this craft community, its experimentative approach and the constant adaptation policy from the era of the Peshwas to today is what has lived through the Tambats/ copperware artisans and will prevail further.