Dreams cool amid heat of traditional blacksmithing

By Gokarna Dayal

Baitadi, Oct. 5: Farmers in the villages of Sudurpaschim are currently busy harvesting ripened paddy from their fields and cutting grass from their terraces. Traditional blacksmith workshops are also running at full capacity as farmers rush to have their agricultural tools made and repaired.

But while the workshops remain hot with burning coal and molten iron, the dreams of economic progress of the artisan community working in them are growing cold. 

Blacksmiths say they are still forced to work under the traditional khalo system, receiving payment mainly in grain rather than fair wages. They say their earnings from the occupation are not enough to feed their families throughout the year, while the profession also receives little social recognition.

Sixty-eight-year-old Kalu Lohar of Hadeli, Melauli Municipality-6, has spent around 55 years working with hammers and anvils in his traditional workshop. As it became increasingly difficult to make a living from blacksmithing, his sons have gone to India in search of work.

“I have spent 68 years working with the fire used to forge iron, but it is still difficult to keep the stove burning. All five of my sons have gone to India,” he said. 

“It is impossible to make a living from blacksmithing. The stove cannot be kept burning without going to India. My father and grandfather also worked as blacksmiths, but the profession has brought us no economic progress. Instead, those engaged in it continue to face caste-based discrimination.”

Like Kalu Lohar, members of the artisan community who spend their days sweating in front of blazing coals and smoke carry deep concerns about their profession and future.

The traditional khalo system, under which blacksmiths in rural areas receive a portion of the harvest from farmers in return for making and repairing agricultural tools throughout the year, has prevented the occupation from becoming a dignified livelihood.