Once alive with the hammering and polishing of kansa (bell metal, an alloy of copper and tin) and brass products, the streets of Rampela,Odisha, have fallen silent over the past decade.

A visit to one of the clusters, Rampela in western Odisha, reflects the sharp decline in the Kansari (bell metal and brass artisan) community. The number of artisans has shrunk from 200 to a mere 20 in a decade. Today, only a few pockets remain where the shala, or workshop, still ignites its furnace at 3 am.

The story is the same for every cluster across the state. The PM Vishwakarma Scheme, launched in 2023, could have helped script a revival. However, at a time when the central government is trying to support handicrafts, the Kansari artisans find no representation in this scheme.