Zakir Azad, Cumilla

Every year at this time in anticipation of Eid al-Adha, hammer music can be heard playing non-stop in blacksmith villages. The villages of blacksmiths are resounding with the sound of tungtang. But this year there is no sound of hammer music in the blacksmith villages of Cumilla .With the passage of time and the flooding of the market with modern machine-made tools, the blacksmith industry has declined. And as a result, there is no Eid mood in Kamar Palli of different upazilas. Although once a couple of weeks before Eid al-Adha, Kamar Para was buzzing with the sound of hammers. Due to decline in the profession day by day, blacksmith artists are leaving their hereditary profession and looking for another profession.

This industry is on the verge of losing. These pictures came up while talking to the blacksmith artists in different areas of the upazila. Various blacksmith shops of the upazila have been visited on the ground, but there is no fear of buyers in the blacksmith shops even though there is only a week left for Eid al-Adha. Blacksmith artists who have been waiting for years hoping for good business once a year wait for buyers to arrive.

Blacksmith artists are not happy because the sales are not as expected. Blacksmith artists said that everything has changed due to the modernization of the world. Many industries have come under machines. As the contemporary market is flooded with modern machine made knives, da, bati, chapati, takkal, the blacksmith industry has declined. As these modern products used in household work are easily available, no one makes these products from the blacksmith shop by ordering them anymore.
That's why there are no good blacksmiths involved in this profession.

Many have changed this profession to other professions. But those who are still holding this profession are clinging to this profession only for the sake of the profession inherited from generations. Shudhankar Karmakar, a blacksmith artist of Sahebabad Bazar in Brahmanpara Upazila of Cumilla , said that he is still involved in this profession to keep the generations. We don't have much sales in the modern product expansion of the market.

I have seen even in my childhood, my father and uncles did not get time to breathe during such Eid season. Despite working hard day and night, we had to struggle to meet the needs of the customers. However, due to the availability of these modern products in the current market, our sales and purchases have declined. Many blacksmith shopkeepers with me are now doing other business. Someone is getting involved in another profession.

Debashish Karmakar, a blacksmith artist of Chandla market in the upazila, said that blacksmith artists are no longer valued because the market is occupied by modern machinery. Like the whole year, this Eid also they do not have much work. Day by day their business scope is getting smaller.

Kajal Sarkar, General Secretary of West Market Committee of Brahmanpara Sadar, said that once upon a time before Eid-ul-Adha, blacksmith shops used to be crowded with customers. But day by day the market of household goods made by modern machines is taking over the business of blacksmiths. Every year there is a slight uptick in their business around Eid-ul-Adha, but not much this year. However, many people are coming to blacksmiths to repair old equipment.