Meet the craftsmen behind Bidriware bowls, earrings, jewellery

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 8 : Bidriware is a metal handicraft from Bidar city in southern India and is used to make keepsakes, bowls, earrings, trays, ornament boxes, other jewellery and showpiece items.
ANI talked to people associated with the craft to find out what attracts people to Bidriware and the conditions of artisans and traders.
The art form is done on a base metal alloy consisting of Zinc and Copper. It is then engraved with designs, while the inlay is done with silver. 'Bidri Crafts' is one of the shops in Hyderabad that takes forward this art form.
Aslam Siddiqui, the owner of 'Bidri Crafts' which sells Bidriware art products, told ANI, "Bidri works are famous all over India. We have been in this business since my grandfather's time. We started in Bidar and now we are based in Hyderabad. This shop is around 50 years old and was established by my father. Bidri works are very special to Hyderabad too. It is basically art based on metalwork."
Siddiqui added, "The base material used here is Zinc and copper. Later, pure silver inlay work is done. It is all handmade. It is laborious work. The metal used here is also a bit expensive. We have good responses, especially from corporate offices. The government also promotes this handicraft work. The tourists also like this. The price ranges from Rs 500 to Rs.10,000 depending on the product."
Bidriware products are acclaimed for the finishing. Sheik Salim a worker practising this art form for over two decades from Karnataka's Bidar spoke about the intensive labour involved in it. He said, "I have been working in this field for the past 20 years. The moulding is done with zinc and copper. After the mould is made, then it is taken for design. It is then engraved with silver and then oxidised. The base metal is mostly zinc, and all its designs are pure silver. It takes upto one hour to make one mould depending on the size of the product."
Another worker Mohammad Yousuf has been employed in this craft for over four decades. He said, "I have worked in the field for the past 42 years. We first engrave the designs on the metal. Later, silver inlay work is done and then the product is oxidised. 90 per cent of the work is done by hand and the rest on machines. In a day, around 2-3, pieces can be made. However if the piece is big it might take around 4-5 days for a single piece. We are paid as per the design on each piece."