Watch: Meet the bell makers of Tiruchi’s Venkatanayakanpatti

In the village of Venkatanayakanpatti situated 56 km from Tiruchi, these brass bell makers are the guardians of Tamil Nadu’s legacy of ‘lost wax casting’, or cire perdue, a metalworking technique that can be traced back to the Harappan civilisation. Venkatanayakanpatti once used to have over 20 family-run smithies supplying all types of metal goods to order. The number has slowly decreased to approximately five manufacturing units due to inflationary costs. The craftsmanship of these artisans...